Little Wise
‘Taken by a feeling’ album pre-release project
AUstralia Council for the arts - arts projects for individuals (march 2023)
application Reference no: r-23-370955
Photo credit: Elena McGannon
Artistic Support Materials
Video treatment - download
Photography treatment - download
Graphic design brief - download
Marketing plan - download
Media Portfolio & Recent Reviews - Download
Bios & CVs
download biographies and CVs for artists and creatives involved.
Letters of Support
album Tracklist
[click to expand for lyrics]
-
By Larissa Tandy and Sophie Klein
It happens every night
You fall asleep in the soft lamplight
All you gotta do is close your eyes
I’m not the jealous kind
I know it’ll happen when the moment’s right
Let go every matter on my mind
I could sleep tonight
My heart beats quicker than a heart beat should
One day you’re gonna feel the same thing too
Life is tricky even when it’s good
But don’t worry now
I’ll never let you down
I’ll never let you down
I’ll never let you down
There’s a lot that you don’t know about
There’s a lot of shit you’re gonna find out
But you just sleep for now
I’ll tell you when the time is right
My heart beats quicker than a heart beat should
One day you’re gonna feel the same thing too
Life is tricky even when it’s good
But don’t worry now
I’ll never let you down
I’ll never let you down
I’ll never let you down
My heart beats quicker than a heart beat should
One day you’re gonna feel the same thing too
Life is tricky even when it’s good
But don’t worry now
I’ll never let you down
My heart keeps beating like a heart beat should
One day you are gonna feel that too
Life is tricky even when it’s good
But don’t worry now
I’ll never let you down
I’ll never let you down
I’ll never let you down
I’ll never let you down
-
Verse 1
I am sitting staring
Pulled up in the drive
Inside the car’s quiet
A tear rolls from my eye
I want to be around you
I miss you when I’m not
I want to be without you
I feel guilty at the thought
Chorus
And the hardest part is leaving
When you’re clinging to my arms
I know I’m needing
Time now for my heart
And that’s the hardest part
Verse 2
There’s sickness in the longing
For a simple life
When your heart has ideas stirring
And dreams taking to flight
I question my decisions
That take me away from you
Am I giving up my meaning
Or am I being true
Chorus
And the hardest part is leaving
When you’re clinging to my arms
I know I’m needing
Time now for my heart
And that’s the hardest part
Verse 3 / Bridge
There’s a storm inside that’s raging
When I cannot find the light
And I’ve nothing to hold onto
I’m reaching around blind
But I grab onto your love
I’m holding on so tight
I am grasping for your touch
And I’m reaching for your light
Chorus
And the hardest part is leaving
When you’re clinging to my arms
I know I’m needing
Time now for my heart
And that’s the hardest part
And that’s the hardest part
And that’s the hardest part
-
Verse 1
I’ve been a shitty friend
One day starts
And the next one ends
Rolling around in my mind
All the time
It’s not where I should be
I’m not gonna lie
You haven’t been on my mind
But you’re part of my body
In my cells
Deep down inside
Chorus
And in my dreams
We’re all seventeen
And in my heart
That’s where I want to be
Verse 2
We opened a window
In your parents house
Smoking a cigarette
Think we wouldn’t be caught out
Hanging in parks
Chasing friends in the dark
I’m always running
I don’t know what from
And in my dreams
We’re all seventeen
And in my heart
That’s where I want to be
And in my dreams
You’re here with me
Here in my heart
That’s where I want you to be
Bridge
I don’t know if we’ll ever get back
But it’s always something I’ll lack
Chorus
And in my dreams
We’re all seventeen
And in my heart
That’s where I long to be
And in my dreams
You’re here with me
Here by my side
That’s where I want you to be
-
Verse 1
We started with Janet Jackson
Martika, Madonna and Prince
Moved onto The Fugees
Peter Gabriel and Stevie Nicks
Girly Man, what a cool name for a band
I wish I thought of that, I wish I thought of that
And I wonder how the pop-gods felt
When they listened back, when they listened back
Chorus
You were driving
Driving through the night
And we were driving
Driving through the night
Verse 2
I remember when I was sixteen
And we didn’t hold the world in our hands
Listen to radio, press “play-record”
Or carry it round in a disc man
Now we got jukeboxes at our fingertips
And we’ve lost a bit of the romance
And we got tiny TVs and whatever we need
To keep us in a trance
Chorus
You were driving
Driving through the night
And we were driving
Driving through the night
Bridge
But all the kids I know
Just get it
And they give me hope
For where we’re headed
Chorus
You were driving
Driving through the night
And we were driving
Driving through the night
-
Verse 1
“This doesn’t get old” you said
As you descended the stairs
And I know, I know, I know
The feeling is still there
It could be cosmic
It could be broken
It could be heart ache
It might be worth it
Chorus
Oh and our shitty cars are just getting older
And out hair it keeps getting longer
But not a lot’s changed
The magic’s still the same
We got bad habits we’re trying to get over
Some things get easier as we get older
But not a lot’s changed
The magic’s still the same
Verse 2
I know I can’t help myself
I just can’t stay away
I don’t think that you’re good for me
You’re just something I crave
This fascination
Oh, the exhaustion
Baby we could break free
Or we could break down
-
Verse 1
I didn’t know
You were my boyfriend
Next day at school
Said they saw us holding hands
I knew I loved you
But it wasn’t like that
I knew I loved you
You were my friend
I didn’t know
It was a date
I just thought
We shared the same music taste
Went to a show
We saw Sufjan Stevens
I said goodbye
But I never kissed you
Now every five years
It’s awkward when I see you
Chorus
I’m sorry
It’s not about our bodies
I’m sorry
It’s not about our bodies
Verse 2
We took the train down South of France
like in the movies except for the romance
Missed my ex girlfriend all the time
I didn’t tell you and I don’t know why
Chorus
I’m sorry
It’s not about our bodies
I’m sorry
It’s not about our bodies
Bridge
But if you wanna be friends
I could really use some more of them
Chorus
I’m sorry (I didn’t know it was a date)
It’s not about our bodies
I’m sorry (I really liked your mixtape)
It’s not about our bodies
-
Verse 1
I’ve never really been one to pray
But my heart’s alive with music
And that’s how my love makes way
I’ve never really been one to say
When I feel hard done by
I just hide it all away
Pre Chorus
I let it fester
I let it seep
Down to my bones
To the deepest part of me
Chorus
But I got my hands in the soil
I got my feet on the ground
I look up at the sky
And know I’m both tiny and profound
I’ve been searching for a heart of gold
Or the heart of the matter
The deeper the well
The further we scatter
Verse 2
I have a history of holding on
To mistakes that I’ve made
And all my doing wrong
Disappointment weighs heavy like a stone
I can’t look you in the eye
I’ve got a long way home
Chorus
But I got my hands in the soil
I got my feet on the ground
I look up at the sky
And know I’m both tiny and profound
I’ve been searching for a heart of gold
Or the heart of the matter
The deeper the well
The further we scatter Item description
-
Go easy on me now honey
Don’t know why
But this ain’t funny
Tonight
Tonight
Go easy on me now darling
I need a break
I feel it comin’
Tonight
Tonight
Go easy on me now brother
I need your shelter
I need your cover
Tonight
Tonight
Go easy on me now sister
This world feels dark
The end feels nearer
Tonight
Tonight
Chorus:
Tonight
I’m gonna lay it out on the line
I’m gonna make something real this time
I’m gonna let a little bit of light shine
Tonight
I’m gonna bury my fears alive
And let go for the hundredth time
It never started
It never ends
It’s a cosmic jungle
A weary friend
And I
And I
The work is never over
The day ain’t done
You think you’ve done it
But you haven’t won
Oh my
Oh my
Chorus:
Tonight
I’m gonna lay it out on the line
I’m gonna make something real this time
I’m gonna let a little bit of light shine
Tonight
I’m gonna bury my fears alive
And let go for the hundredth time
-
Part I
I used to strum on my guitar
Late in the evenings
Quietly when everyone was asleep
Now I drag my aching bones off the couch
And fall into my bed
And all I ever want to do is sleep
Between the bedtimes and the laundry
The clanging of pots and pans
I barely get a moment to myself
But every now and then
Late on the evening
The oppressive heat receding
I go out on the porch and smell the summer rain
And I find myself back strumming
Taken by the feeling
Just me and my guitar
I guess some things never change
Part II
These days I barely recognise
When I catch my own reflection
In the shopfront windows when I’m passing by
But then I see my mother’s figure
And my father’s complexion
And understand a little more about their life
I used to question their decisions
Their suburban existence
It seemed and unambitious, meandering life
But when I look back on it now
It all seems so appealing
As I fall into their dreaming
Carving out my own imperfect slice
I don’t have all the answers
I go off feelings, take my chances
Repeating age old patterns
I guess some things never change
Refrain
Some things never change
Some things never change
Some things never change
Some things never change
And I don’t have all the answers
I go off feelings, take my chances
Repeating age old patterns
I guess some things never change
Audio and Video
Album tracks teaser
NB: all versions are roughs without final vocals, other than "The Hardest Part"
Teaser track order: The Hardest Part, Seventeen, We Were Driving, Magic, I'm Sorry, Never Been One to Pray, Tonight
‘Heart Beats Quicker’ Video
Completed yet unreleased Music Video by Jax Oliver, featuring dance by Cecelia Martin. Filmed in Naarm (Melbourne) and Meanjin (Brisbane).
To be released in conjunction with album in 2024, to re-visit and showcase the International Songwriting Competition semi-finalist song.
Album art, photography and videography mood board
Praise for Little Wise
““She calls herself Little Wise, but I think she’s a lot wise.”
”
“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.
”
“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.”
”
Image credit: John Perhius
“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.”
“An underrated Australian songstress – Little Wise captivated audiences at the 2019 Tablelands Folk Festival.
”