Jodi Phillis – singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sydney’s ’90s indie-pop darlings The Clouds returns with a new single and video ‘It’s Not Love’, taken from her forthcoming, 6th solo album ‘We Need to Be Free’ – to be released on Cheersquad Records & Tapes later this year.

Expressing themes of transformation through pain and loss, universal and cosmic themes of love and transcendence and deeply human stories tracking her own internal journey, with ‘We Need to Be Free’ and new single ‘It’s Not Love’ Jodi has created arguably her strongest work yet.

As the creator of classic Clouds songs like ‘Hieronymus’, ‘Soul Eater’ and ‘Bower of Bliss’, ‘The Dearhunters’, ‘Ivy’ and stand-out songs from her solo albums such as ‘Becoming’ and ‘Portobello Rd’, it has long been apparent that Jodi Phillis has a fine ear for beguiling melodies and harmonies and is a writer of deeply poignant lyrics.

Today, Jodi Phillis follows her genre-defying muse wherever she leads, and while it has been a long journey travelled since the indie days of the ’90s, her current music – with hints of chamber folk, psychedelia and melancholy pop – has a similar melodic sense and familiar sparkle, and as always, her mellifluous vocals shine front and centre.

Jodi has the following to say about ‘It’s Not Love’:

“This song looks at the widespread mental illness that we call narcissism. Deeply traumatised individuals who create bizarre coping skills as a response to abuse in childhood can make for tricky relationships. We all have a degree of it, I feel, but some people really had a tough time when they were young, which can play out in damaging ways.

I wish we could all experience healing, so we can live peaceful lives, free from suffering. That’s not too much to ask, is it? The line in the chorus “how long will the old, unwanted pain within our hearts rule our lives?” is a question I’d like to know the answer to, but I know there isn’t one.

I sent the song to guitarist/producer/composer Damien Lane, and he worked up a magical soundscape for the backing. It makes me think of those old, dramatic, easy-listening pop songs from the 60s and 70s by people like Scott Walker and Nana Mouskouri.

The single is accompanied by a stunning video by award-winning filmmaker Jasmin Tarasin. Jasmin describes the video as such: “Four women, a sisterhood working together to transform themselves into powerful, loving beings who embody wisdom, compassion, connection and strength…leading the way in this world without force, without fear.”

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In 2013, Jodi graduated from Australia’s premier screen arts school, The Australian Film Television and Radio School with a screen music degree, and has gone on to compose music for film, TV and the stage. Her tune ‘Everything’s Gonna Be Fine’ won Best Original Song at the London Movie Awards 2021. She has been the recipient of numerous arts grants: indeed, Create NSW has in part funded her forthcoming album.

In 2020, with gigs cancelled during the first lockdown, Jodi turned her creative energies to painting. Her first exhibition of watercolours sold out in an hour. She is onto her next body of work, and has entered a portrait of music photographer Tony Mott, who has been photographing Jodi since Clouds days and took her latest press shots, into the Archibald Prize.

In addition to the new album and painting, Jodi continues to work on The Vali Project, a large-scale collaboration with poet Gianni Menichetti to write and record an album of songs dedicated to internationally revered Sydney-born artist and bohemian Vali Myers.

Jodi continues to write music for the screen and stage – her latest composing job is Sound Track to Our Teenage Zombie Apocalypse, a teen music series for ABC Me, and she has collaborated with former Go-Betweens violinist and award-winning composer, Amanda Brown to write orchestral music for Encounter (which has played at the Sydney Festival and is soon to play at the Opera House) and Seven Stories (which has played at Vivid and elsewhere).

Jodi recently started a Patreon page through which she shares live performances, song demos, behind the scenes content, artwork and more with her fans.

The recording of Jodi Phillis’ album We Need to Be Free was partly supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW.