Having fronted one of Australia’s best loved bands, Ball Park Music, for several years, frontman and songwriter Sam Cromack is now going solo with new project My Own Pet Radio and he’s just unveiled the video to his latest single, ‘No Great Mystery’.
“I wrote this after watching a film about Allen Ginsberg and the Beat Generation,” says Sam of his new single. “It got me thinking – this happens often – about how some artists construct such a mysterious narrative for themselves.”
“Their life is jam-packed with love, loss, abuse, juicy drama and stubborn pigheadedness. I felt at a loss; my life is simple, but I enjoy that. I don’t want to construct a fake narrative for myself.”
“For me it’s important to try and be real. So this song is about embracing the fact that there really is no great mystery with me, and I’m sorry. I am what I am. Thanks for coming!”
The single follows the announcement of his forthcoming debut solo album, Goodlum. “I’m currently about half way through making my new record. I’ll be finishing that in the coming weeks and preparing for the project’s first ‘real’ release,” Sam recently told Tone Deaf.
“That in itself is a big milestone for me. I’m delighted that the project feels like a legitimate thing now. I’d like to think that you can expect more records from MOPR in the future. For me, ideally, all the projects I’m involved with can operate side-by-side and have their own identity.”
“I’ll be spending the next month deep in MOPR mode, finishing the new record. After that I’ll be heading back to Europe/UK to tour with Ball Park Music. When I get home from Europe I’ll be doing a little tour to support the new MOPR record.”
“I’m also composing the music for the stage show of Tim Sharp’s Laser Beak Man,” Sam adds. “The work is currently in development. I spent a week in NYC earlier this year working on the score and will be back in November/December to continue that work.”
“The finished show is aiming for Australian premieres next year. I’ll also start writing/recording with BPM in the new year. So yeah, lots of stuff coming up. Yikes.” In the meantime, ‘No Great Mystery’ is gaining momentum through airplay on Triple J.
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“MOPR has always existed in some capacity, but now I’m embracing it in a more meaningful way,” says Sam. “Previously, I was focusing all my energy on Ball Park Music and now I’m realising that I need to be involved in numerous projects for my own creative and personal health.”
“BPM put a month aside earlier in the year to work on new material and, while it wasn’t completely fruitless, the work we were doing fell short of our expectations. I guess that was the catalyst; the moment that made me think, ‘Yeah, look, I want to release some of the music I’ve been making on my own’.”
However, the kernel of My Own Pet Radio is the same as that which drives Ball Park Music. “In many instances, I’m writing for MOPR with the same mindset I use for BPM, but the results are different,” says Sam.
“When I work on my own I go down more rabbit holes, stumble upon more happy accidents and I generally give less consideration to what people think or how the work will be performed. The MOPR work is – in most cases – a truly solo effort.”
“I’m writing, recording, performing all the parts. It can be lonely and frustrating, but also fascinating and rewarding.” Readers can check out the music video for ‘No Great Mystery’ below.
