No Perfect Man

by Nick Batterham

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Cheersquad Records & Tapes are excited to announce singer-songwriter and composer Nick Batterham’s first single of 2021 with the stunning new track ‘No Perfect Man’. Taken from his forthcoming studio album “Lovebirds” out this April via Cheersquad Records & Tapes, Nick’s new single follows in the hugely successful wake of his most recent body of work, Empire - the exquisite audio/visual collaboration with street artist RONE for his 2019 exhibition and magnum opus of the same name.

Nick’s undeniable fervour for composing immersive, visceral atmospherics is again paramount on ‘No Perfect Man’. Performed and recorded by Batterham with Ben Wiesner on drums, and featuring strings by David Berlin, Zoe Black and Christopher Moore, with Cor Anglais by Michael Pisani, ‘No Perfect Man’ blends residual classical elements of recent works with poignant lyricism and intimate storytelling. Always managing to extract the immense from the minimal, Nick’s delicate arrangements of rich orchestration and vivid colour paints bright lights and deep shadows like a Caravaggio. Ripeness turns to decay. ‘The centre could not hold,’ Batterham sings, echoing the words of Irish poet W. B. Yeats from a century ago. Nick’s double tracked octave vocal describes the co-existence of our inner and outer voice. Joined in chorus by long-time collaborators Kelly Day, Nick Murray and Jethro Woodward, ‘No Perfect Man’ is a compelling and exciting first taste of Batterham’s forthcoming sixth studio album.

“The song mourns a love not given enough time to grow. It reflects upon modern relationships and how we construct ideals that undermine our own happiness. Parallel to this, looking inward, there is a constant desire to be a better person. That can cause us to under-appreciate our already positive attributes. How good is good enough?” - Nick Batterham

Nick Batterham has been a central figure in bands such as Blindside, The Earthmen and Cordrazine for over 25 years and launched his new project The Bell Streets in 2020, teaming up with fellow musician Josh Meadows on the duo’s debut album “Monument”. Nick’s solo work bristles with spiky observations and raw emotion, delivered with the world-weariness of Elliott Smith or Nick Drake.

lyrics

Love grew weedy in the shade
A season's doubt set seed
Undermining inner monologue
Lead you to believe

All your worries were reality
All your worries were reality

Now your perfect man
Has a heart without a soul
While the light of his foreign land
Illuminates the hole in you

There is no perfect man
There is no perfect man

Love got compartmentalized
The centre could not hold
Diminishing capacity
Has left you on your own

Now you struggle with reality
Now you struggle with reality

And your perfect man
Has a heart without a soul
While the light from his foreign land
Illuminates the hole in you

There is no perfect man
There is no perfect man
There is no perfect man
There is no perfect man

credits

released January 28, 2021
Written and recorded by Nick Batterham

With:
Ben Wiesner: drums
Zoë Black: violin
Chris Moore: viola
David Berlin: cello
Michael Pisani: cor anglais
Nick Murray: backing vocals
Jethro Woodward: backing vocals
Kelly Day: backing vocals

Mastered by John Ruberto at Mastersound

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Cheersquad Records & Tapes Melbourne, Australia

Wally “Meanie” Kempton took the plunge in 2018 and launched his record label Cheersquad Records & Tapes. Since then he has released new material from acts such as The Meanies, The Hard-Ons, Chris Wilson, Phil Jamieson, Seasick Steve, Wanita, Minibikes, The Rinehearts, Immigrant Union and T. Wilds, along with limited edition vinyl of older material from Snout, Even and The Glory Box and more. ... more

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