William Crighton New Album “Colonial Drift” Plus National Tour
ARIA award-winning Australian singer-songwriter and Bush Psych pioneer William Crighton releases his powerful fourth studio album, Colonial Drift via ABC Music. Listen here.
A deeply personal and evocative body of work, Colonial Drift is unmistakably Australian and stands as Crighton’s boldest work yet.
Reflecting on the album’s inspiration, William says: ‘I have a drive inside me to explore the tension between country, nation, our collective history and the personal relationships we have with each other as we continue to build this story of ‘Australia’ together. I love this place; it’s complicated. We haven’t fully reconciled our history and we’re living in wild times, staring down the barrel of a very uncertain future that can feel overwhelming, if we can get away from images of hypersonic rockets or AI influencers long enough to consider it. The trap of turning against each other is real, but so is building a more hopeful future. Julieanne and I wrote this record exploring the conflict and the common ground”.
William co-wrote Colonial Drift with his wife and creative partner, Julieanne Crighton, who also contributes vocals throughout the record. The late, great Rob Hirst lends his talents to standout tracks including “Warzone” and “Horizon.”
“Warzone has a line which captures real sense of the album and its portrayal of an environment and a culture being buffeted by forces of money and power, of division created by those with power and money, while the rest of us think we have no influence: “it’s a fucking war”. You know that line wasn’t tested in a focus group, and you know that it doesn’t just refer to the Australian soldier being sung about”. – Bernard Zuel
The film clip for “Warzone”, released today, carries a poignant resonance, as William and Julieanne filmed it just an hour after learning of Rob’s passing. Julieanne recalls, “Rob was a mate and a mentor to us both. We didn’t know if we’d be able to do the video. But William drew inspiration from Rob’s voice echoing through the gums and I think you can see the salt and fire in his eyes because of that.”
Sonically, Colonial Drift moves between rock, psych, blues, and roots, enriched by natural soundscapes and snippets of poems/speeches & musical interludes woven throughout the record – culminating in what is becoming known as “Bush Psych”.
The album’s first three singles – “Further Down the Road,” “Sex, Death & Choices,” and “Beautiful Country” – have already garnered strong support across Australia, receiving widespread airplay on community radio. Notably, Double J added both “Further Down the Road” and “Beautiful Country” to high rotation, further cementing anticipation for the full release.
Also appearing across the record are Jeff Lang, William Barton, Luke Davison (Preatures), Jim Moginie (Midnight Oil), Matt Sherrod (Beck), Chris Dale (Melody Pool, Ben Leece), andCorey McCormick (Neil Young).
Recorded at The Grove Studios by Damian Charles, with a significant portion also crafted in Crighton’s own home studio, Colonial Drift is uncompromising, expansive and fully immersive.
To celebrate the release of Colonial Drift, William Crighton and his band will embark on a national tour, including shows in New Zealand. On what fans can expect, William says: “I think this is my best work so far, and I can promise that the shows will be a real memorable experience.”
Tour dates and details are listed below
| DON’T MISS WILLIAM CRIGHTON ON HIS ‘COLONIAL DRIFT’ |
| NATIONAL ALBUM TOUR THIS APRIL/MAY/JUNE: |
| SATURDAY APRIL 11 |
| Old Museum, Brisbane QLD | TICKETS |
| FRIDAY APRIL 17 |
| Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide SA | TICKETS |
| SATURDAY APRIL 18 |
| The Rechabite, Perth WA | TICKETS |
| SATURDAY APRIL 25 |
| The Gum Ball, Lower Belford NSW | TICKETS |
| THURSDAY MAY 7 |
| Theatre Royal, Castlemaine VIC | TICKETS |
| FRIDAY MAY 8 |
| Howler, Brunswick VIC | TICKETS |
| SATURDAY MAY 9 |
| The Sound Doctor, Anglesea VIC | TICKETS |
| FRIDAY MAY 15 |
| River Sounds Music & Arts Festival, Bellingen NSW | TICKETS |
| WEDNESDAY MAY 20 |
| San Fran, Wellington NZ | TICKETS |
| THURSDAY MAY 21 |
| Tuning Fork, Auckland NZ | TICKETS |
| FRIDAY MAY 29 |
| La La La’s, Wollongong NSW | TICKETS |
| SATURDAY MAY 30 |
| Crowbar, Sydney NSW | TICKETS |
| FRIDAY JUNE 12 |
| Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle NSW | TICKETS |
