PREMIERE: Ash Grunwald - Hammer

Beloved roots muso Ash Grunwald is back with a banger called Hammer today, the first taste from the troubadour's upcoming 10th record.

Grunwald says the bluesy song "feels like a rebirth for [him] in some ways".

"I’m not a new artist trying to find my niche or prove myself," he explains. "I don’t want to be a certain kind of artist fitting into a certain kind of box. I went in to record Hammer knowing the musical boundaries I wanted to push as well as the traditions I wanted to respect and tried to create something my fans would love... a signpost to the future in some ways, with ties to the past."

Harking back to old prison songs and blues legends such as RL Burnside and John Lee Hooker, Grunwald says Hammer was a "clear crowd favourite" at the festivals he's played recently.

Alongside Hammer's release, Grunwald will head out on a launch tour in March/April, stopping in nationally from 1 March. Head to theGuide for full details.