Celebrated Country music duo, Brooke McClymont & Adam Eckersley, have today released their second album, Up Down & Sideways.
Following on from 2018’s Adam & Brooke – their first album together, Up Down & Sideways is a celebration of the ups and downs of real life and real love. Produced by Robby De Sa (Gretta Ray, The McClymonts, Tina Arena) the album’s magic lies in the dynamic interplay between the couple’s distinct yet complementary musical tastes and relevance of their stories and song writing; which has also resulted in award-winning successes and a special connection with live audiences and listeners across the country.
Brooke McClymont shares, “This is chalk and cheese from the first album and I feel like we’ve got the best of both of us on there. We’ve met in the middle with our influences, put them in a blender and come up with this and we feel like this album stamps a moment in time.
“We want people to feel like we’re sitting there around their fire and sharing their problems and life with them. We want the songs to have a place in their lives.”
This idea ultimately became a reality, as Adam and Brooke aimed to bring their fans closer to their music and to their fire during times of personal and global turmoil. Faced with months of no touring, the birth of a child and the loss of a loved one, they saw it even more important to connect with their audience and share relatable stories of hardship and joy – with a whole lot of fun thrown in.
The album is led by the single ‘ What Are You Waiting For ‘, which was written when Brooke and Adam went to Sydney for a co-write, couldn’t find a park and wondered who could live in the middle of Sydney. It was all they could think about when they went into the writing room; and this song could be the new anthem for a regional tourism campaign.
In addition to the new single, Up, Down & Sideways also includes, ‘Wild Side ‘, which is a song written through COVID when Brooke and Adam could only party with each other, but realised they were pretty good at it; and ‘Rock Bottom’, which came at a point when the couple thought that they might have been drinking too much, and felt it was healthy to check in with themselves and get back in control. This song is a reminder to have those moments.
The track ‘High On A Monday ‘ is self-explanatory and even comes with its own explicit language warning. Being touring musicians, the couple has their weekends on a Monday and this song just reminds us all that people are always telling us what we should and shouldn’t do and offering unwanted advice… This is the song to tell them what to do with their opinions and to live your life your way.
The album also features an introspective, but very relatable track called ‘Don’t Give Up On Me Yet’, which was another one written through COVID when everyone was going through ups and downs and struggling. Brooke and Adam are easy-going, but they admit they have their “moments” together, especially during the lockdowns. This song says that they know they’re not the person they want to be at the moment, but asks their partner not to give up on them yet because they know they’re going to do better.
The tracklist is rounded out with their previously released singles, ‘Lost If I Lost You’, ‘ Country Music, You & Beer ‘, ‘Memory Lane’, ‘Roll On Baby’, and the winner of the Golden Guitar APRA AMCOS Song of The Year, ‘Star Of The Show’.
ABOUT BROOKE MCCLYMONT & ADAM ECKERSLEY
Releasing their debut album as the duo Adam & Brooke in 2018, the #1 ARIA Country Album was received rapturously within the country community, garnering accolades and awards all over.
Taking home three awards from their four nominations at the 51st Golden Guitars awards this year, Brooke and Adam topped the night by winning the Song of the Year for their single ‘Star of the Show’.
They also won the Apple Music Single of the Year for their song ‘Memory Lane’ and the award for Country Music Capital News Group or Duo of the Year – bringing their total of Golden Guitar Award wins to 20 across their career.
Their daughter, 10-year-old Tiggy Heart Eckersley, also became the youngest person in history to be recognised with a Golden Guitar Award, sharing the Song of the Year win with her parents and Dan Biederman as fellow songwriters.