Fantasies emerge from the fertile mind and heart when given space and time to gestate. In a click-driven age where over-used terms like “fast-paced” and “multi-tasking” are proudly worn as badges of honour, an authentic artist releasing new music unhurriedly and carefully is a breath of fresh air. The deep breaths, the slow burn, these are the ways of Melody Pool, compelling, highly original and influential songwriter, singer and musician.

Her life journey as a woman and artist, a composer and lyricist of exceptional depth and prowess, has been laid bare through confessional, sometimes heart-wrenching and always life-affirming songs, and her deep connection to her muse, along with the natural elements she is drawn to, are fundamental to the new work she is releasing to audiences in Australia and around the world.

Her Lost in Time six-song EP collection in 2023, using birds, rain and other natural elements in tandem with pared-back instrumentation, was described in The Age as “a series of songs that ebb and flow, as we all do, through cycles of hope and despair”. Prior to that Melody had retreated from music for several years after the massive acclaim for her first two albums, The Hurting Scene (2013) and Deep Dark Savage Heart (2016). Critical praise included The Australian proclaiming The Hurting Scene to be 2013’s Album of the Year, calling it “one of the most accomplished debuts by an Australian singer-songwriter for many years”. The Herald Sun described Melody’s music as “beautiful and passionate but not dumbed-down for easy digestion”, while Rolling Stone stated, “Pool’s voice is sublime, her lyrics propelled by heartache”.

Fantasy Girl is available on April 18. The first single from her long-awaited third album due out in July, it is an exquisite fusing of earthy concepts, intelligent contemplation and ethereal eloquence.