If anyone thought Matt Scullion’s recent single ‘Aussie As’ was the last they’d heard from him on the subject of Australian culture and language … well, they were incorrect. And that’s to the benefit of music lovers all around the land, because Scullion’s latest single, ‘Slanguage’ – which has its premiere on this site today – is not only a great companion piece to ‘Aussie As’ but a clever, clear and funny examination of Australian slang or, to borrow Scullion’s term, ‘slanguage’. In other hands this might have been a dog’s breakfast, shall we say, but Scullion’s impeccable songwriting skills turn it into a ripsnorter.
Of course, you’d expect nothing less from this seven-time Golden Guitar nominee – especially since Scullion enlisted multiple ARIA and Golden Guitar winner Shane Nicholson as producer, as he did on Scullion’s last two releases.
The idea for the song came to Scullion while he was travelling overseas, noticing how much he had to tone down his ‘slanguage’ so he could be understood. ‘I had an absolute blast writing :Slanguage”, he says. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much while writing a song. We really do have some funny sayings, like “stubby short of a six pack” or “up at sparrow’s fart”. I mean, where does that stuff come from? It’s gold and so uniquely Australian.’
Also making its premiere here today is the song’s video, which you can see below. It was shot by Luke McDonagh (White Tiger Workshop) in a classroom at Jesmond High School in Newcastle. ‘
Both single and video arrive ahead of the release of Scullion’s new album, Aussie As, which will be released on 23 September. To celebrate the album’s release, Scullion will be playing live:
Thursday 3 October – Today’s Country 94One FM Benefit Concert – Gosford RSL – Gosford, NSW
Saturday 12 October – Newcastle Album Launch, Adamstown Community Hall, Newcastle NSW
Sunday 20 October – Bar Petite, Newcastle NSW
Friday 1 November – Sydney Album Launch at The Newsagency, Camperdown NSW
Saturday 9 November – Country At The Camp, Branxton NSW
Friday 15 November – Ulladulla Album Launch at Catholic Community Hall, Ulladulla NSW
Saturday 16 November – Country Rocks The Capital Music Festival, Canberra ACT
Saturday 7 December – Bungendore Carols By Candlelight, Bungendore NSW
Wednesday 22 to Sunday 26 January – Tamworth Country Music Festival
Pre-order the album at: