BY RIYA KIRAN
Earlier this month, after four years, Nick Murphy resurrected the moniker ‘Chet Faker’ with the release of his new single Low.
In 2014, the Melbourne artist soared to success as Chet Faker with his electronic cover of American R&B group Blackstreet’s No Diggity and his debut album Built on Glass. Two years later, a decision was made to shed the pseudonym and release music under his birth name.
Murphy felt he needed to take ownership and explore a new direction with his music, as evidenced by social media posts. The “evolution” was declared on September 9, 2016 on his Facebook and Twitter accounts, when he posted a message to his fans.
“There’s an evolution happening and I wanted to let you know where it’s going,” the message read.
“The next record will be under my own name, Nick Murphy. Chet Faker will always be a part of the music. This is next.”
Murphy travelled the globe collecting experiences, giving rise to the projects dropped under his real name. He released an EP entitled Missing Link in 2017 and an album called Run Fast Sleep Naked in 2019. However, Nick Murphy’s sound was quite the opposite to Chet Faker’s 2014 ARIA-winning album Built on Glass.
The less processed and more expressionist music enabled Murphy to introduce raw storytelling to his music. But, his attempt to be more authentic did not please all audiences. Murphy seemed to have sacrificed the Chet Faker sound, which resulted in a lack of positive reviews.
In September, Murphy began slowly reviving the crafty name Chet Faker. Posting a photo of himself sporting a hoodie with “Who the f**k is Chet Faker?” printed across the front and captioning the photo “OLD PROJECTS DIE HARD”, Murphy began teasing audiences with new music as Chet Faker.
The smooth new piece Low marks a long-awaited return, the composition of looped instrumentals accompanied with his powerful blues-like vocals renders an incredibly comforting track. With his trademark palatable electronic music, Murphy has re-engaged eager listeners.
An emotionally-engaged voice singing “look whatever I’m good ... it doesn’t mean that I’m perfect ... still I gotta find a purpose”, presents a vulnerable side, as Murphy aims to once again captivate audiences as Chet Faker.
Murphy also recently signed with the Australian division of international music publishing group BMG. The track was released under his own label, Detail Records, in partnership with BMG. BMG Australia’s roster consists of notable Australian artists including Dope Lemon, Dune Rats, Hockey Dad and Julia Stone.
Managing Director for BMG Australia and New Zealand, Heath Johns, spoke with Rolling Stone Australia regarding Murphy resurrecting Chet Faker.
“For Nick Murphy to bring the Chet Faker project back to life and trust the BMG team to execute this surprise is a great honour,” Mr Johns said.
“Nick has delivered a Chet Faker track with decade-defining potential and we will deliver creatively with trademark BMG Australia innovation while ensuring Nick has his own masters and has complete creative control.”
Low is the first song from Chet Faker since 2015 and has provided old fans with exactly what they were missing from the artist.
The single proves Chet Faker is back in business and set to make 2021 his year.
You can listen to Low on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
