Vulnerable and impassioned, Boorloo’s beloved Joan & The Giants are an open diary, delving into some of the deepest emotions with their universal stories. To top off an incredible year, the band have released their paralysing new single, ‘Beg’, and an evocative B-side, ‘Narcissist’.

Like the final call in a relationship, when the stomach sinks, the muscles cramp, and the air becomes thick and hard to breathe – ‘Beg’ is a paralysing story of unrequited love. With their signature indie-rock sound adorned with sprawling, fuzzed-out guitars and enriching synths, ‘Beg’ is filled with passion and pain.

Grace Newton-Wordsworth pleas with her dulcet tones drenched in desperation and her knee-trembling natural vibrato to the indie-rock backdrop characterized by the band’s judicious restraint – gradually crescendoing into an irresistibly captivating fervency.

Reflecting on the origins of ‘Beg’, Grace Newton-Wordsworth shared, “‘Beg’ was written about a breaking point in my own relationship where we had two choices: either fight to make it work, or it’s over. You shouldn’t have to beg for someone’s love, and this song is about those last moments when you really don’t want to walk away from the person you love most in this world, but everything in your body and soul is telling you, you might have to.”

For the B-side, ‘Narcissist’, the band embraces a stripped-back approach, allowing Grace’s poignant lyrics to take centre stage. Pairing perfectly with ‘Beg’ as a soundtrack for a breakup, the song is a reflection on heartbreak and the loss of a once-cherished relationship. Grace’s vocals gently float through the melancholic journey while the band provides a subtle yet powerful musical backdrop.

“I wrote this song on acoustic guitar and it was one of those experiences where the lyrics all came in about 10 minutes and the story was just there – it was complete”, Grace states on the songwriting process. In the studio, it was fitting that they kept things simple, as she continues, “It was recorded raw in 1-2 takes and we kept it quite stripped back, which allowed space for the vulnerability of the lyrics to powerfully creep through.”