Romanie Returns with “Anthony”
On her new single “Anthony,” Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Romanie weaves a personal tale of love, loss, and hope through the lens of an affecting film.
It was mid-2021, in between Melbourne’s exhaustive and lonely lockdowns, when Romanie took a trip to the cinema to see The Father. A devastating and tender exploration of dementia, the film centres about the experience of Anthony, masterfully played by Anthony Hopkins, as he and those around him grapple with the effects of his condition. It garnered acclaim — and even some Academy Awards — but for Romanie, the film had real personal resonance.
“I remember coming home from the cinema late at night and getting this wave of inspiration,” says Romanie. “I sat down with my guitar and wrote the song almost completely in one go. We were still in and out of lockdowns and I was chatting on Zoom with my friends from overseas, Michiel and Kate, who encouraged me to finish the song.”
Though it was spurred by the cinematic experience, Romanie’s own experiences with dementia informed the honest, emotional pop song. A tribute to her late grandfather, who passed last year, “Anthony” recalls the difficulties of a dementia diagnosis — both for the diagnosed, and for their loved ones. “The first band rehearsal back, we played Anthony through,” says Romanie of the track, “and it felt like magic to make this song into something bigger with my band, so much fun.”
Romanie has never shied away from deeply autobiographic lyricism, deriving poetic power from her confessional prose. Little Big Steps, her 2021 EP, traced the contours of change, with the title track a tender reflection of “running [your] own race,” shattering barriers and pushing into the future one step at a time. The band-based “Stranger In My Skin” looks wistfully at the long-estranged self; the mournful “Fake Friends” rides the same tides of change with a soft-spoken farewell. The ultimate track, “Changing,” encapsulates these themes, an upbeat meditation on the ever-present nature of change. “I’ve been changing my old ways,” sings Romanie on the refrain, “and I don’t know where this is going, but I don’t want to go to waste.”
It’s a headstrong contention for a resilient person, and “Anthony” proves a little big step along Romanie’s artistic path. If “Anthony” is inspired by a difficult subject, Romanie imbues it with a contagious hope — “just know I’ll bring you home,” she sings, the mantra of “I have faith” cutting through the crescendo. That powerful build shows Romanie at her most cathartic, moving beyond the milder highers of Little Big Steps and into a bigger, broader sound. It’s a transition due in part to her recent rapport with producers Alex O’Gorman and Hamish Patrick, who have worked alongside artists such as Angie McMahon & BATTS, and George Alice & Gretta Ray, respectively.
“In December 2021 I reached out to Gormie with some of my demos because I really admired his work and I got a phone call back straight away,” says Rom of that blossoming creative relationship. “That’s when we decided to start co-producing my music and I’m super grateful for having Gormie in my corner. My music wouldn’t be the same without him and I’m so grateful for getting him involved and becoming his friend. When we got into the studio Alex introduced me to Hamish Patrick who helped us add the amazing textures to Anthony which make the song feel so nostalgic and big.”
The music video, directed by Romanie and Tom Dunphy, is lo-fi journey through Melbourne living, taking Rom bowling at new Preston leisure centre The Keys, perching her by neglected cars and hills hoists, sending her ambling down supermarket aisles and sidewalks, and sitting her in photobooths and shopping trolleys. There, her raw songwriting is complemented by the unassuming day-to-day, a sweet insight into time spent with friends and the tumult that lies beneath.
It’s the first of many for Romanie, whose 2023 is shaping up to be a big one.
When she’s not cooped up in the studio, putting time into writing, or running through band rehearsals, Rom is a fixture of Melbourne’s vibrant music scene, playing old, new, and unreleased material on stages around the city’s north. If you can see her live, don’t pass up the opportunity: with her band tighter than ever and her songwriting only sharpening, Romanie is a fount of reliable rock excellence. If you see me there, I’ll buy you a drink, and we can soak up all the great tracks yet to come—