Today, Hard Life has unveiled the new single and video, “y3llow bike.” It is the latest layer of new album onion, which will be released on July 18, and has been teased by the brooding first single “othello,” plus the memorable, Shrek-inspired album track “OGRE.” Onion straddles pop accessibility with genre-disruptive, no-fucks-left energy.
This totem of personal and creative growth emerged, of all things, after a long-haul flight. Disillusioned with his work and having effectively quit music, Murray booked a spontaneous trip to Japan, wishing to fully immerse himself in the fashion, food and local culture that had fascinated him since touring four years ago.
He was also running away from an unbroken streak of breakups which was romantically, within the Hard Life live band and from the life once lived. Seeking solace in Tokyo, Murray met another wandering stranger, Taka and started making music again spontaneously in Shirokane’s local studio, named onion.
Now, charismatic but conflicted, “y3llow bike” details the cycles of a crush: as Murray puts it, “the classic story of falling for a friend. There’s that constant tug-of-war between wanting to protect the friendship and dealing with the fragile ego that fears rejection.” The track’s loose flow and surreal, pitched-up vocals, which hard life first experimented with on “BEESWAX,” is partnered with another standout video filmed during Murray’s time in Japan, where onion first grew roots.
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