Little Wise
music for the drifters and the dreamers
EPK
Photo credit: Elena McGannon
Artist Bio
The Short
Brimming with melodic hooks and a piercing, heart-on-sleeve lyricism, she conjures a magnetic collision of vintage Americana and modern folk-rock. “Little Wise sings with the wisdom of an old soul” (triple j).
Her latest single Heart Beats Quicker (out 14 April 2022) marks a bold new direction for the artist born Sophie Klein. Crystalline electric guitars cut through ambient new-wave synths, and a driving rhythm section propels the listener towards a disarmingly simple yet anthemic chorus.
A festival favourite, Little Wise has toured widely across Australia, with appearances at Nannup, Tamworth, Mount Beauty, and St Kilda Live n’ Local, among others. She has supported Frazey Ford (Canada) and ARIA-award-winners Mia Dyson and The Audreys, plus showcased internationally at Americanafest (Nashville) and Mondo (New York City). Her first album Silver Birch was released in 2016 to critical acclaim, winning Best Debut Release in Rhythms Magazine’s Writers Poll, and receiving airplay on community radio across the country. 2019’s sophomore offering Want It All conjures a classic pop-rock landscape, “somewhere between the growl of PJ Harvey and simmering tension of The Velvet Underground” (Scenstr).
The Long
Little Wise makes music for the drifters and the dreamers. Brimming with melodic hooks and a piercing, heart-on-sleeve lyricism, she conjures a magnetic collision of vintage Americana and modern folk-rock. “Little Wise sings with the wisdom of an old soul” (triple j).
Her latest single Heart Beats Quicker (out 14 April 2022) marks a bold new direction for the artist born Sophie Klein. Crystalline electric guitars cut through ambient new-wave synths, and a driving rhythm section propels the listener towards a disarmingly simple yet anthemic chorus. Delivered with Little Wise’s signature earthy vocal, the opening lyrics (“it happens every night; you fall asleep in the soft lamplight”), imply a sense of surrender that belies the song’s emotional urgency. In the final choruses, this urgency transforms into a rallying cry of unwavering love: “I’ll never let you down”.
The first of Little Wise’s songs to detail her new role as a parent, Heart Beats Quicker was co-written with Australian-born, Canadian-based artist Larissa Tandy. “Larissa and I are both queer, both songwriters, and each have daughters born a week apart”, Klein says. “We met in Nashville in 2017, stayed in touch, and then reconnected when [Tandy] returned to Melbourne in 2020, just before the pandemic hit.” Did they have a sense of the impending global upheaval about to take place?
“Actually, we were both going through a really good patch in our lives”, Klein laughs. “Enjoying time with our young families, and putting a bit less pressure on ourselves career-wise… But we ended up writing about how anxiety can creep in – even when things are going well. In a way, Heart Beats Quicker is about us wanting to protect our kids from those ‘big life worries’ for as long as possible.”
Little Wise first made her mark on the Melbourne music scene with 2016’s Silver Birch. The album garnered critical acclaim, picking up the prestigious Best Debut Release award in Rhythms Magazine’s Writers Poll, and receiving airplay on Melbourne’s Triple R, PBS FM, and community radio across the country.
In 2017 Klein took Silver Birch to the USA, performing at the famous Bluebird Café (Nashville), as part of a Sounds Australia unofficial showcase at Americanafest. She returned to the States in 2018 to showcase at music industry conference Mondo NYC in New York City. A festival favourite, Little Wise has toured widely across Australia, with appearances at Nannup, Tamworth, Mount Beauty, and St Kilda Live n’ Local, among others. Her dynamic live show, equal parts swagger and swoon, has seen her handpicked to support the likes of Frazey Ford (Canada), and ARIA-award-winners Mia Dyson and The Audreys.
In 2019 Little Wise released sophomore album Want It All. Recorded at Melbourne institution The Aviary and produced by studio head Fraser Montgomery, the LP conjures a classic pop-rock landscape, “somewhere between the growl of PJ Harvey and simmering tension of The Velvet Underground” (Scenstr). Where Silver Birch eschewed production bombast in favour of understated home-spun warmth, Want It All enthusiastically embraces a full-band sound, while remaining true to Klein’s distinctive knack for authentic, song-based storytelling.
This creative honesty is on further display in 2020’s live EP I Want To Really See You, And You See Me. A mix of live-to-air radio performances and concert recordings from the Want It All album tour, the 6-track mini-album was released in lieu of a cancelled Australian/Canada tour. The title refers to the vulnerable relationship between performer and audience, as well as the longing for connection that many experienced during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unafraid to touch on the tender parts of the human condition, Little Wise seeks to find a glimmer of hope amongst the cut glass; a hope hymn to sing in the aftermath.
“Sometimes our hearts beat too fast. We worry. We have fears. We overthink things. But our hearts, they keep on beating – and we keep on living. Sometimes we struggle, but that’s part of life.”
Downloadable Artist Bio here.
MUSIC
Stream on Spotify
‘Heart beats quicker’ single (april 2022)
First single off forthcoming third studio album.
Credits:
Song by Sophie Klein & Larissa Tandy. Engineered and mixed by Fraser Montgomery. Co-produced by Fraser Montgomery & Josh Barber. Mastered by Adam Dempsey.
‘Hardest part’ single (unreleased - forthcoming)
Second single off forthcoming third studio album.
This song was a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition 2021.
WANT IT ALL (2019)
I WANT TO REALLY SEE YOU, AND YOU SEE ME - A LIVE EP (2020)
SILVER BIRCH (2016)
VIDEOS
Unreleased live performance of new song “Call Your Bluff”. Video by The Aviary Film Division.
WANT IT ALL - 2019
Compiled from my own family home movies on 8mm film, digitised and viewed for the first time in over 30 years. Film by Ago Soldati.
FAVOURITE SONG - 2017
Filmed at The Australian Same Sex Dancesport Championships during Midsumma Festival in February 2017. Film by Ago Soldati.
Live solo performance for Sofar Sounds.
TESTIMONIALS & Reviews
““She calls herself Little Wise, but I think she’s a lot wise.”
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“The music of Little Wise stands out to me through Sophie Klein’s musicality and artistry. Klein’s lyrics captures simple yet beautiful observations of the world around us with a narrative of a songwriter with an eloquently old soul, set to the backdrop of a solid country soundtrack.
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“This is a fine exercise in musical experimentation – Klein and band don’t go too far, they don’t add extras for extras’ sake; [album] Want it All is just right.”
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“An underrated Australian songstress – Little Wise captivated audiences at the 2019 Tablelands Folk Festival.
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“Sophie Klein delivers her songs with emotive authenticity. Her band, Little Wise, has an infectious energy that makes their live performances a very engaging and pleasurable experience.”
Approved Photos
Downloadable versions here.
