Tasmanian Phil Smith‘s latest album Into The Night is a real highlight of the Australian Americana albums released so far in 2023. If you’ve got a copy of the new issue (July/August) of Rhythms magazine you can read my full review of the album, or stay tuned for when it gets published here on PTW.

In the review I write… “On this perfect soundtrack for a windows-down road trip, whether its the wide open roads of the outback or a coastal sojourn, Smith’s captured an evocative set of alt-country songs that stir the emotions and spark one’s imagination, with conviction and authenticity.”

One of the many highlights of the album is the track ‘Hallelujah‘, and I’m very pleased to be able to premiere its video clip (directed by Bones) on PTW today.

Smith’s vocal performance is both laidback and exultant, rising and falling over a brisk rhythm section, jangly acoustic guitar, gorgeous organ and a hard twanging electric guitar solo as he digs into the universal theme of depression, through his own lens of personal experience; as he explains.

“I spent a great deal of time living overseas, away from friends and family. I used to suffer from pretty hellish depressions that would often lead to thoughts of suicide. When I got real low I’d call mum back home. She’s a wise soul, and used to talk me out of these black moods by getting me to realise that I’m not the only one going through this shit, and if I perhaps learnt to look outwards instead of inwards I would realise that I’m part of a much bigger human picture. A shared experience. Everyone does it tough at various points in their life,” says Smith.

“There was a recognition of God in all of this, a shared experience, and an acceptance of my mortality as a result. Whether you’re winning or whether you’re losing it’s still better to be in the game right? That’s kind of what the song is about,” reveals Smith. “Hallelujah is used as an expression of gratitude to ‘God’ – whatever that is. It’s cheesy to say that in this day and age, but when you’re at your lowest point and you’ve got no one else to comfort you sometimes that’s all there is left to take solace in – that thought that there has to be something beyond all this.”

Into the Night is out now on digital and vinyl via Bandcamp and streaming services.