Sydney's Northern Beaches have long been a breeding ground for music that tastes like sea salt and feels like late-afternoon sunshine. Multi-instrumentalist Southey embodies this coastal DNA, returning to the airwaves with his vibrant new single, 'Got It All'. Released on May 20, the track represents a bright, rhythm-driven pivot for the independent artist, perfectly marrying his trademark emotional depth with an infectious folk-pop energy.
Stepping away from the moodier textures of his past work, including his recent collaboration 'Paper Planes' with jaymee, Southey leans into a sound reminiscent of Vance Joy and The Lumineers. 'Got It All' bounces along a delightfully buoyant rhythm, layered with acoustic guitars, shimmery percussion, and a vibrant tapestry of banjo, keys, and harmonica. It is the sort of driving, anthemic tune designed to get festival crowds singing in unison, yet it retains a raw, unpolished intimacy.
The entire track was conceived, performed, and produced solely by Southey at his creative sanctuary, The Rooftop Studio in Manly. By handling every single instrument himself, he allowed instinct to guide the arrangement.
"I recorded the whole song in my studio in Manly and ended up playing everything myself, which was a really fun process creatively because I could follow ideas instinctively without overthinking them," Southey explains. "The song sat as a demo for about a year until I came back around to it this year and most of the recordings in the final master are the first takes. A lot of the production happened making the demo, it's so easy to overproduce, and so I decided the song was just going to become this sort of rough and real version, and the little imperfections give it this kind of lively character."
Lyrically, the track targets the bittersweet nature of memory and longing, anchored by a strikingly grounded image of youth. "'Got It All' is really about nostalgia, the one that got away, and the times that got away," says Southey. "I wrote the song around this one lyric I had stuck in my head: ‘All the money in the world couldn’t buy you these milk crate seats and our carpark view.’ It became this summery nostalgic anthem built around those simple moments that somehow end up meaning everything later."
With over 5 million streams already under his belt since his 2021 debut, this latest offering proves exactly why the indie-folk craftsman's audience continues to expand. It signals an exciting evolution ahead of a planned hometown winter show.
"I think this song captures a side of my music people haven't fully heard yet," Southey says. "It still has the storytelling and emotional side of my earlier releases, but it leans into something brighter, more uplifting and more immediate."
'Got It All' is available to stream now on all major music platforms. To stay updated on his upcoming winter show announcements and future releases, follow Southey on Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok.
