Chasing Ghosts Return With Thought-Provoking Single ‘Summer’

When it comes to addressing indigenous affairs in the music scene, no one does it quite like Chasing Ghosts frontman Jimmy Kyle, and that fact is evident today with the release of the band’s new single ‘Summer‘ which comes from their forthcoming EP Homelands, set for release on May 14th. The release is set to cover a vast array of intense stories, based around real people and real situations.

Kyle, a proud Koori man, a descendent of the Thungutti mob from the mid-north coast of NSW, discussed the difficulty of bringing these stories to life via his music revealing:

“I was scared to write these songs, because a lot of the topics are challenging… But that’s how I knew I was onto something. It made me feel nervous.”

‘Summer‘ is based around the 1856 Towel Creek massacre, a subject which is very close to Jimmy’s heart, as he found out at a young age he had a close family link to the grieving Aboriginal Elder, (who he delivers the story through the eyes of) in the track. ‘Summer‘ also sees Jimmy singing in his native for the very first time which I personally think makes the message hit harder when you focus on what’s being sung, alongside the accompanying video.

For those intrigued by the history of the Towel Creek massacre, the band explained:

In 1856 on the banks of the Upper Macleay River, the Thungutti Nation continued to evade and resist the invading English forces, NSW Mounted Police and the occupation of foreign squatters who had formed their own militia to claim the Thungutti lands as their own. This period is known as the ‘Frontier Wars’. In memoriam of the sole survivor of the Tower Creek Massacre, “Baaba”(Babaang) Jack Scott, and all of those who lost their lives that day near Bellbrook NSW and his many descendants that still call Bellbrook home. It always was and it always will be…

“The song explores white nationalism, colonisation, assimilation and ultimately reconciliation,” offers Kyle. “It asks the question of white Australia to come and reconcile the true history of the country and invites non-Indigenous Australians to see themselves as an extension of Aboriginal people.”

Intrigued by indigenous history OR want to get started? Kick it all off with Jimmy Kyle and Chasing Ghosts.

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Stream ‘Summer‘ here