If you’ve heard any of Grace Cummings’ music, it may not surprise you to learn that she’s always been more drawn to the natural settings surrounding her hometown of Melbourne, Australia than the city itself. The new singles from her forthcoming third album Ramona reveal how she’s developed the contemporary-folk sounds of her 2019 debut into a theatrical blend of powerhouse vocals and acid-Western instrumentals invoking dramatic Outback landscapes rather than urban panoramas, with the track “Common Man” in particular leaning into the influence of the nation’s meat-pie Western tradition.
With that album’s release date just under a month away, we asked Cummings for a peek into her creative process via the influence of her immediate surroundings: the creeks, parklands, shops, and museums to be found just outside the city of Melbourne. “I was born here, but grew up a little outside of it, where the river is clean and you can swim in it if you just watch out for the snakes,” she shares, having already offered us a glimpse of the city’s Thornbury suburb in 2022. “Melbourne is full of music and art and noise, but surrounded by quiet rivers and creeks. Some of the best beaches in the world are a small drive away, and the ocean and countryside make me feel a lot more at home than the city does. On my perfect day I’d zap myself around the state and relive some of my favorite things.”
Read on for Cummings’ breakdown of her perfect—if only slightly elongated—day in Melbourne. You can pre-order Ramona before it drops April 5 via ATO Records here, and find her upcoming tour dates (including a short US run in early May) here.
I’d wake up with this cheeky bastard having a sing and eating the nectarines in my tree outside my window. He’s a rainbow lorikeet, and so far he’s eaten all the apples and apricots, too. I don’t mind.
I’d go for a walk around where the lorikeet comes from, down by Merri Creek or the Darebin Parklands near my house. Today I’d like to walk from Coburg to Fitzroy and back, listening to Beatles outtakes in my headphones. Here are the morning clouds reflected in the water.
I suppose whilst I’m in Fitzroy I’ll stop at my favorite shop in the whole city, Flowers Vasette. Sometimes I buy flowers here, but mostly I come in and pretend I’m rich so that I could get all the bunches I want and fill up my house with them to paint like Margaret Olley or something. My favorites are the hydrangeas, because they remind me of my grandpa and how he used to shield them from the sun with little rain umbrellas.
I’d walk across the bridge over Birrarung Marr to go to the National Gallery of Victoria. On my perfect day it would be quiet and hot, and they’d have those little chairs outside where you can sit and be sprayed with mist to cool you down. On this day I’d like to go back and see one of my favorite paintings from Pierre Bonnard.
My perfect day is longer than usual. It starts off as a spring day and quickly turns into summer so that I can get in the car and drive to Point Addis. I’d lie around, have a surf, and then go back up to the beach house to make the greatest piece of Vegemite toast I’ve ever eaten while I look at the Great Ocean Road.
I’m going to drive down the road a bit and pick up some friends, then we’re all going to walk through the bush to this waterfall and pretend we’re survivalists. I’m going to tip my head into the water and fling my hair across my back so that I’m cool for the walk out. (In this photo I think I am standing in the waterfall.)
On the way back to the city, I stop off at a friend’s house just outside of the city. They’re currently living with three joeys who they’ve rescued. Tina is my favorite, and she needs to be looked after here until she becomes a full blown kangaroo. I will give her her bottle, and then get back home.
Let’s see… I’m going to stop by some studios and play a bit of music. First I’d have a little play with my band at our studio in Coburg, then I’d go have a beer at Soundpark and record a song on the piano. It’s my perfect day, so vibes are good and everything sounds perfect.
At the end of the day I think I’ll go to one of my favorite pubs in Melbourne, the Merri Creek Tavern. On Saturdays they have Old Timey and trad folk sessions. It’s fun to bring your guitar and sit in the corner and play with the masters for an hour or two.
