Eskimo Joe frontman Kav Temperley has released his new single Machines Of Love And Grace.
Machines Of Love And Grace was not inspired by the Richard Brautigan poem (although Temperley does admire his work), but by the notion theorists have put forward that humans are outliers on the planet – a virus upon it – because we put so much emphasis on love and empathy, ideals which don’t really exist in the animal kingdom. We are, in effect, machines of love and grace.
“The song is about the complex and intimate relationships we have through our phones, seen through the lens of the last two-and-a-half years of the pandemic,” he said. “Having devices in our hands has allowed us to have dinner with loved ones all over the world, all locked in our houses, and follow every moment of each other’s life; whether we want to or not, it’s often the first thing we see in the morning and the last thing we see before we go to sleep. With the touch of a button, anything and everything is available to us, good and bad.”
Filmed and directed by Eskimo Joe visual collaborator Cooper Gordon, the video for Machines Of Love And Grace complements the bittersweet themes explored in the song, with Temperley intimately playing up the voyeuristic elements of social media and digital connection underpinning proceedings.
“Voyeurs to each other’s lives, I’m asking the question: do any of us feel like we exist unless we’re posting?” he questioned. “And who are we when the camera lights turn off? We now live through these machines in the most intimate way, and we take them anywhere and everywhere we go! For the video, it was an idea of FaceTime without having Facetime. The most amazing thing is that the actor and the actress reacting to each other, they never met each other, yet on camera, it’s like they’re having an intimate relationship. It’s absolutely fascinating and plays into the whole theme about the machines of love and grace.”
Founding the ARIA award-winning, four-times platinum band Eskimo Joe at just 19, Temperley turned winning a band competition back in the day into a career just shy of 25 years as the frontman, bass player and songwriter for what would go on to become one of Australia’s most beloved bands. The group’s breakout single Black Fingernails, Red Wine spent 62 weeks in the Top 50, with Temperley going on to write and record seven studio albums with Eskimo Joe.
Eskimo Joe just performed at Burswood Park as part of the WA Day Celebrations alongside Birds of Tokyo, Jebediah, Supathick and more. The trio are heading on a national tour later this year, hitting Fremantle Arts Centre on Saturday, October 15. Temperley is also planning to release several solo show dates before the year is out.
Eskimo Joe frontman Kav Temperley has released his new single Machines Of Love And Grace. Check out the video below.
