Sydney’s Retiree Riffs On Unemployment In The Australian Countryside

This video for “Gundagai” is physical poetry.

May 05, 2015

1,926 = how many people live in the Australian town of Gundagai, according to the 2011 census. One = the number of songs named after it by Sydney band Retiree. There's a touch of Arthur Russell to the warbled lyrics, and a whole lot of criss-crossing rhythm to wobble along to. The video features a man alternating between dancing in the lush green Australian countryside and pausing for a moment of reflection, as if trying to process how he got there.

"'Gundagai' is one of our earliest songs, but it's changed quite a bit over the last year or two at live shows," Retiree told The FADER. "This is the latest and possibly final incarnation. The track explores themes of town planning and unemployment through the eyes of a father unable to share his memories with his child. Jack Peddey shot this amazing film clip in the Victorian country side [in Australia]. He's interpreted and visualized the song in a unique way through an abstract, melancholic, but heart-warming narrative". London label Rhythm Section International and Sydney's Plastic World will co-release Retiree's This Place EP on June 22nd.

Sydney’s Retiree Riffs On Unemployment In The Australian Countryside