Georgia Betts brings a flood of warm Autumnal tones to the Meanjin folk scene in her debut single ‘Last Day Of May’, a multi-faceted song we are excited to be premiering. Brandishing a soft lilting voice and cozy acoustic guitar pickings, this authentic singer-songwriter core is enhanced by a rich sea of soft sounds from dreamy reverb-laden electric guitar melodies, to soothing brushed drums. The song takes us on a journey in two parts, carrying a poignant message for today’s fast-paced world: remember to slow down and notice the small joys.
The first half of ‘Last Day Of May’ is wistful and lamenting; Betts reflects on being swept up in the chaos of life, and realising on the last day of May that she hadn’t stopped to appreciate the small things she loves about her favourite season, Autumn. With simple but potent lyricism, Betts encapsulates that universal feeling of overwhelm: “The lounge just seems worn with laundry piling high / Looks a whole lot like my mind / Sunlight she’s still reaching out her arms / But I can’t find the time to just stop”.
The second half of the song ties to the first with a sweeping crescendo and modulation to a new key, taking us back in time to a memory of a previous Autumn: during covid times. A time when everything did slow down, and the small things came to the forefront. This section of the song feels soft and light, with a more spacious arrangement and a nourishing dose of optimism. It’s an unexpected direction to be taken in; most storytelling I’ve come across in music is linear, and when flashbacks are used, it’s often for the purpose of showing how far the “protagonist” has progressed or digressed. This flashback serves to remind us that life is not linear, that we fall in and out of balance and have to re-learn lessons again and again. ‘Last Day Of May’ also shows us a huge positive in amongst the negatives that covid brought, which is a pretty poignant metaphor for the multi-faceted nature of life.
Georgia Betts is has revealed herself to be a skilful and compelling songwriter with this release, and it’s an exciting taste of what’s to come in her upcoming album slated for release early 2025.
We got to catch up with Georgia on the process behind her song:
Thanks for chatting with us Georgia! So exciting to have your debut single ‘Last Day Of May’ going out into the world. You’ve been songwriting and performing for many years now - what made you choose this song as your debut release?
Aaaah it is so exciting! It felt so right choosing Last Day Of May to be the first single. I love how it has all the elements that have been the pillars of my musical style throughout the years – warm acoustic guitar, lyrical storytelling, and expressive vocals – mixed in with some newer elements – layered instrumentation, a unique song structure, and some dreamy electric parts. I feel like it showcases a great balance between the cosy, authentic place for me as a musician, but also the experimental, adventurous space that I am loving creating from at the moment.
When did you first start songwriting, and why?
Ooooh probably back around when I got my first guitar when I was 10. Although most of my songs at that time started as lyrics in a little notebook that my aunty got me for my birthday. I would walk around in the backyard coming up with melodies and singing while pretending that I was in a music video haha. I think it just started as a more expressive, dynamic way of getting my feelings out and making sense of the world (and I was really obsessed with High School Musical and Hannah Montana at that time so that miiiiight have had something to do with it).
‘Last Day Of May’ is made up of two distinct sections - did you write these at the same time, or did they evolve separately?
Yeah they were actually two different full songs. I wrote what is now the second half of Last Day Of May back in Autumn of 2020. While that time was so crazy and scary in a lot of ways, I found that the sudden shift in pace of life brought with it a chance to embrace the slow down. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely wasn’t this opportunistic and positive about things throughout that whole time haha, but I wrote this song (probably in part because I had some new space in an otherwise packed life) in a moment of feeling a lot of appreciation for the little moments in life. It helped me find beauty in things that I had previously taken for granted or overlooked.
Then last year I found myself journalling in the middle of a really busy chapter of my life and was feeling the overwhelm of things moving at an ever-growing pace. I went to write down the date and realised that it was the last day of May, and I felt so far away from that present feeling I felt when I wrote about Autumn those years ago. It was from those ramblings and scribbles in my journal that the lyrics of the first half of Last Day Of May evolved. I wrote it as a kind of reprise initially, with a lot of the same concepts, imagery and choice of words as that earlier song. It wasn’t until the start of this year that I actually had the thought of combining them into one transitional song. It’s been very cool to see how these two songs have blended into one and how it has grown and developed throughout the recording process. It now feels like a complete story.
It’s pretty interesting to have the second half of the song go “back in time”, so to speak - what made you choose to put the timeline in reverse order?
I wanted to illustrate this interesting space where longing and uneasiness can exist in the same breath as peace and contentment. The melancholy that often comes with nostalgia is because of the joy that we felt when we were in those moments. The elation that we feel in any given time often feels sweeter when we have persevered through challenging times. We make the mistake of seeing happiness and sadness as opposite emotions that can’t exist together, but at least from my experience, life is an enchanting blend of so many things at once – emotions layered on top of one another, stacking to form something beautiful and complex.
I wanted to end the song by circling back in time to that peace I felt because it creates hope. There are always opportunities to slow down and be present, and it’s even sweeter now when it gets to be our choice.
There’s a really gorgeous sea of sounds in this recording - did you arrange and play all the instruments yourself, or have you worked with a band or producer to bring the song to life? What did the process look like?
Thank you so much! The building layers and swelling sounds were definitely what I envisioned for this song. I had an amazing team who helped to grow Last Day Of May into all that it is, and it was so much fun to see it adopt a more full, lush sound. Jack Gooden produced Last Day Of May and was amazing with translating all my gibberish descriptions into something refined and balanced. We worked closely together to develop all the acoustic guitar parts, which I played on the track, and to map out a smooth rhythm section that complemented the vibe of the song. The bass and drums were then laid down with the phenomenal Eli Badger and Sam Bertolone who were right in sync with the intention of the song and crafted some beautiful parts that helped to make it so well-rounded.
My favourite part of the writing and arranging of Last Day Of May was developing the transition between the two songs. I wanted this sweeping crescendo that peaked in restlessness right before landing on a key change and into the sweetness of the second song. The layered vocal harmonies were a big part of that and Jack helped to write unique and exciting parts as well as the intriguing chord progression throughout the transition that I wouldn’t have come up with on my own. We had the exceptionally skilled Shanan Kilner write some amazing electric guitar layers that made that part of the song feel so magical and dynamic. I am so grateful for the way that everyone was so collaborative and on board with the creative vision of this song. It’s a pretty special feeling when a bunch of humans can come together and find resonance in a creative space, and it’s something that I definitely am excited to do more of!
What do you want your listeners to take away from listening to ‘Last Day Of May’?
I hope that it takes people on a journey to arrive at a moment of tranquillity – to feel that life is ok just as it is, in all its smallness. I hope that it can be an opportunity to reconnect with what matters, to be where our feet are, and to make time to just be on this earth, without always having to do.
Something that instantly grabbed me about your song was your delicate vocal - who are some of your biggest vocal influences?
I really love raw and dynamic vocals and try to bring that light and shade into my vocal delivery. Chris Stapleton is a massive source of inspiration for me vocally, and I’m so drawn to how his voice is so controlled and has this rich vibrato, but also has edge and gutsiness that makes it sound so soulful and authentic. Similarly, I feel like Matt Corby has these qualities in his voice, and I love how he can go from these tender, restrained moments into these bursting, uninhibited moments throughout his songs.
You’ve mentioned your favourite season is Autumn - what about it makes it the best time of year?
Autumn to me feels like shedding. It feels like a period of transformation and letting go of things that no longer serve us. I love the crispness in the air and the lingering colours in the sunset. I love that the warmth that once engulfed us in summer feels now like a welcomed hug as the sun filters through the chill on a clear day. I love that it is perfect tea-drinking-on-the-balcony weather. I love that it is cosy and comfortable, but also always changing, walking into winter with a new found assuredness and perseverance.
So you’ve got an album on the way! Is this song a single from the track list, or is the album an entirely separate body of work?
Yes I do! Last Day Of May is track number eight on the upcoming album, which will be released early 2025 (with a few more singles to come before then!) Themes from Last Day Of May underpin the other songs on the album too. Lyrically, there is a focus across the record on self-discovery, finding hope and embracing the messiness of being human. There are lots more instrumental layers, vocal harmonies, and some more rock elements featuring in upcoming singles and other tracks on the album, all with that same warm, folky feel. Last Day Of May feels like an ideal first single to paint the picture of what’s to come. (And there might also be a (not so subtle) hint in Last Day Of May about what the name of the album is!)
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