Naomi Keyte: "We Are Forced To Hold So Much Discomfort And Dissonance"

Naomi Keyte’s talent for writing minimal folk pop songs with a strong emphasis on quiet narratives and big emotions has made her a breath of fresh air in the Adelaide music scene (a scene that could potentially be accused of prioritising noise over lyricism and structure).

Her work is gentle but assured, focusing on finding meaning in the nooks and crannies of life, treating small moments as worthy of enshrinement in song. 

Keyte released her debut album Melaleuca in 2017, which was described by ABC’s Paul Gough as “effortlessly showcasing her lyrical sensitivity and ethereal voice. It also achieved her goal of making ‘simple’, stripped back music that would connect more deeply with people.”

She is now gearing up to release her long awaited sophomore album Milk Paper Gold, which is slated to grace all streaming platforms this week, on October 31st. The album will touch on her characteristic themes of growth, devastation, healing, and discovering what pace in life works best on you. 

Here, the artist herself talks us through the songs that she’s spent years tinkering with and perfecting, which will soon be available for everyone to close their eyes and nod their heads along to.

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Hard to make plans 

This song is about making difficult decisions in challenging times. It asks some big questions about being an artist and being a parent. This is a song that seems to really resonate with young people. We are forced to hold so much discomfort and dissonance, knowing that our future will encounter so much change in the polycrisis. 

Gillian

I wrote this song at my family beach house in Cape Jervis over a couple of days. I was staying there alone, before my friends joined me for New Year’s Eve in 2021. I was catching a wave of songs that came to me when I moved into my own apartment for the first time. Living alone is like fertiliser for growing songs. This one captures a sense of self-assuredness that is a rare feeling for me. It tries to embody the presence that comes when you have a sense that you are in the right place at the right time. It refers to Gillian Welch and it’s a nod to her creative brilliance and her resilience as a woman in the music industry. 

Emmylou 

This song has a cheeky country flair to it, which is a bit of a sidestep for me, stylistically. The song is about the dynamic between an introvert and an extrovert and how that is something brilliant and sometimes awkward. The song references, and is named after, the iconic Emmylou Harris. 

Warm Water

Warm water is a love song for all the loves that have gone before. We remember them in the small things and quiet moments. There are echoes of them in our bodies, minds, and dreams. It’s also about shared rituals and taking care of ourselves and each other in gentle ways. 

Homesick

This is a song that I wrote after travelling to Nipaluna/Hobart. Feeling homesick when you’re at home is a sign that perhaps we’re not in the right place, literally or perhaps metaphorically. The song repeats the mantra what are we going to do now? - which is a thematic thread that runs through this record. 

Greenhill 

This song has been such a joyful experience. It was easy to write, easy to perform, and easy to record. The recording on this album was actually a demo we captured early in the preproduction phase. There is a realness and unpretentiousness to this take that is charming. 

Circles

This song came to me in the shower. The chorus starting circling around in my mind and from there the chord progressions emerged. It was inspired by two dance pieces I was lucky enough to see during the Adelaide Festival in 2022. One was by the Sydney Dance Company, called ‘Impermanence,’ and the other was by the Australian Dance Theatre, called ‘Supernature.’ In very different ways, both were exploring the cyclical nature of all things, and the way evolution happens through repetition. 

Morning Tide

This song was written about spending time at Cape Jervis on Kaurna Country. Life at the beach house is slow and uncluttered. There is nowhere to go, no need to set alarms. This is an anti-burnout anthem. My friends and I want to live at the true pace of the world (not at the TikTok pace!)

Breaktooth Park

This is a breakup song that looks at the reclamations that come when we take back our lives. It’s about being alone but not lonely. The lyric I am myself my one true love is a reminder that our foundational and long-standing relationship is with ourselves, so we had better make it a damn good one.

Naomi Keyte will be hosting her Milk Paper Gold album launch at the Goodwood Institute Theatre on February 9th. Tickets are available now.