We've Discovered the Next Ziggy Alberts... Introducing Michael Dunstan
Venturing far from his quaint regional upbringing in the vast Western Australian Wheatbelt, Michael Dunstan has accomplished a huge amount for being only 24 years old. Touring Australia four times and New Zealand twice in the last 18 months, Dunstan has been welcomed with a warm and loyal following, with shows largely selling out. Openly sharing personal past struggles with heavy anxiety, Dunstan hopes that all those who see him perform will leave with a sense of mindfulness, and share a new-found appreciation of the beautiful world in which we live.
With a love for the open road, Dunstan’s pensive writing reflects and explores periods of travel, calm and silence, and the accompanying growth found while transitioning through light to dark periods of our lives, evident in singles “Lay In The Sun” (2020) and “Smiling At Strangers” (2019).
The music video for “Smiling At Strangers”, filmed and edited by Dunstan himself in Brighton Beach, Western Australia, is a heartwarming visualiser that perfectly compliments the uplifting feeling of the track.
We are super excited to share his new single “Smoulder Or Ignite” with you, from his forthcoming debut album ‘In The Grand Scheme’ (February 28th).
To celebrate the arrival of his diverse and thoughtful album, Dunstan has also announced a huge national tour, where for the first time, he will be touring with a 3-piece band. Building on momentum from a large headline Australian and New Zealand tour in 2019, 2020 will see Michael Dunstan taking his dynamic live show to another level.
Michael Dunstan’s Australian tour will also be donating $1 per ticket to Happy Monday, the mission of his friend and touring member Daniel Hedley, who is riding 6500kms from Brisbane to Perth on a Penny Farthing, with the aim to raise 1 million dollars for a variety of mental health organisations, including Beyond Blue and Headspace.
Providing a taste of what fans can expect from these upcoming live shows, “Smoulder Or Ignite” is a luscious, poetic song that has emerged from Dunstan’s adventurous lifestyle. Featuring a warm tonal acoustic guitar, soothing vocals, instrumental harmonies and uplifting percussion, Dunstan carves a vivid campfire image into the listeners mind, and poses a simple question… Will it smoulder or will it ignite?
“‘Smoulder or Ignite’ is akin to a rainbow after a storm,” says Dunstan. “An optimistic outlook on an unexpected turn of events, which lead to the unavoidable end to a relationship between myself and a dearly loved one. When the circumstances are so far out of each other’s control, I guess all you can do is treasure a little hope that something magically aligns and you’ll get to see that person just one more time. In the meantime however, it’s reassuring to remember that love can be found all around us, and in ourselves, not just in that one special person alone.”
This single solidifies Dunstan as one of Australia’s most promising surf-folk artists, as his mellow storytelling transports listeners through his journeys, and consequently places his worldly knowledge on display.
