“At times brooding, at others fragrant and outgoing, Coleman’s musicality is matched by a desire to fully express himself, to get his emotions down on tape.” “Definitely an artist to watch” – Clash Magazine

“timeless, a distant collection of songs that span genres, from blissful folktronica to exploding synth-pop to groove-heavy indie rock… centred around Coleman’s laconic drawl.” – Line Of Best Fit

“I think of growing up walking to the train, listening to The Velvet Underground, The Strokes, The Dandy Warhols, Television. Casually embellishing the drum fills on my thighs with each step. Walking in time with the music like I was in my own movie scene, a sense of invincibility. It’s bursting at the seams, it’s hot, fuzzy, saturated, raw, fun, bored in that way that bored is fun, foolhardy.” – Lewis Coleman

Forthcoming on the new Naarm-based label Beloved Recordings, Lewis Coleman’s latest offering Offline is a collection of songs grounded in a desire to generate a current within stagnant and hopeless waters. It marks a significant departure from Colemans' previous, more brooding and introverted record Method of Places, and as he leans into a more confident, outward-facing aspect of himself, so too does Offline. It’s music replete with playful arrangements and kinetic opportunity and, as Coleman states, “songs that are hot, warm, saturated and fun”.

Whether it’s the lanky, dawdling guitar lines in the title track Offline to the propulsive drums and coiled, abstract string phrasing of Your Future and Sandy, Offline undulates through Colemans idiosyncrasies and observations, fluxing and unfurling through less familiar aspects of his identity in conspicuous and playful ways. In Coleman’s words, Offline “explores the fantasy worlds we, by the paradox of technological separateness and closeness, build around ourselves and the people we love, and the social architectures around sharing and selling our lives in this landscape.”

Coleman had planned to play more shows around Method Of Places but, like many of us in the early days of the pandemic, he spent a lot of time alone instead. He insulated himself in his bungalow studio, crafting what would become, for him, a collection of songs that celebrate a more confident and daring side. His goals were simple, and perhaps an antidote to the time: Create “a record that encourages the listener to energise themselves and move forward. It’s music to get out of bed for.” With most of the instrumentation and lyrics laid down by Coleman in Naarm, a five-day stint in Meanjin/Brisbane with dear friend Sam Cromack of Ball Park Music granted Coleman time to shape and oxygenate the structure of Offline and its lyrical form. What emerges is a collection of songs that both melodically and lyrically conjure imagery of someone looking inwards to expand outwards.