Holly Throsby has released Normal Magic, her first studio album in nine years, alongside the new single ‘Wouldn’t It Be Good’ and an East Coast Australian tour scheduled for October and November.
by Paul Cashmere
Holly Throsby has released her sixth studio album, Normal Magic, marking her return to recorded music nine years after After A Time. The new album introduces a more electronic sound for the Australian singer-songwriter, with programmed beats, synthesizers, electric guitars, saxophone and banjo forming the musical framework. Throsby will support the release with five East Coast performances in October and November, including an afternoon show at Brunswick Ballroom and a sold-out afternoon performance at Thirroul Railway Hall.
Normal Magic represents a significant change in Throsby’s recording approach. The ten-song album was self-produced, with recordings made in a number of homes and much of the engineering undertaken at Stranded Studios in Bellambi, on the New South Wales South Coast. Babitha and Body Type are associated with the studio, while the finished album was mixed in Provence, France, by Burke Reid, whose production and engineering credits include Courtney Barnett, The Drones and Julia Jacklin.
The album’s new single, ‘Wouldn’t It Be Good’, follows earlier releases from the project including ‘Missing You’, ‘Tell Me I’m Done’, ‘Gallery’ and ‘Hold Please’, the latter featuring Laura Jean.
Throsby said the album developed from a conversation about the relationship between ordinary life and the extraordinary qualities that can exist within it.
“The concept for this record stemmed from a conversation about what is normal and what is magic,” Throsby said. “Art making, for example, is quite magical and quite normal at the same time, and the concept expanded as the songs were written to be a kind of a celebration of the magic of normal life.”
She cited small observations and moments as part of that idea, including “a sunbeam or a bird or a moment of synchrony”.
The recording process brought Throsby together with a new group of collaborators. Among those contributing to the album are multi-instrumentalist Jordan Ireland of The Middle East, Helen Franzmann of Mess Esque and McKisko, Laura Jean, Oliver Mestitz of The Finks and Jake Core of Soda Eaves. McKisko also appears on ‘Photoshoot’.
Normal Magic follows After A Time, released in 2017. That album included the Throsby and Mark Kozelek duet ‘What Do You Say?’ and performances from Mick Turner of Dirty Three, alongside regular collaborators including Bree van Reyk and Jens Birchall. After A Time was longlisted for the Australian Music Prize and subsequently recognised among the year’s notable albums by music publications and critics.
Throsby’s recording career began with On Night in 2004, establishing a body of work initially rooted in folk and intimate singer-songwriter arrangements. Under the Town followed in 2006 and reached No. 66 on the ARIA Albums Chart, while A Loud Call in 2008 became her highest-charting solo album, reaching No. 34.
Her catalogue expanded further with the alternative children’s album See! in 2010 and Team in 2011. Throsby has received five ARIA Award nominations across her career, including two nominations for Best Female Artist.
Her musical work has also extended beyond her solo recordings. Throsby formed Seeker Lover Keeper with Sarah Blasko and Sally Seltmann. The trio’s self-titled debut reached No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart in 2011 and was followed by Wild Seeds in 2019.
The nine-year gap between After A Time and Normal Magic also reflects Throsby’s parallel career as a novelist. During the intervening period she published Cedar Valley and Clarke, following her debut novel Goodwood. Her fourth novel is expected in 2027.
The release of Normal Magic therefore marks a return to music after a period in which Throsby continued to develop her writing across different forms. The album’s electronic production and expanded instrumental palette provide a new setting for her songwriting while retaining the emphasis on detailed lyrics and carefully constructed songs that has defined her work since her debut.
Throsby will take Normal Magic to the East Coast in October and November, with performances in Brunswick, Brisbane, Brunswick Heads, Sydney and Thirroul. The Thirroul Railway Hall show has already sold out.
Normal Magic Album Tour
Sat 31 Oct, Brunswick, Brunswick Ballroom (afternoon show)
Thu 05 Nov, Brisbane, Black Bear Lodge
Fri 06 Nov, Brunswick Heads, Brunswick Picture House
Thu 12 Nov, Sydney, The Vanguard
Sun 15 Nov, Thirroul, Thirroul Railway Hall (afternoon show) – SOLD OUT
Tracklisting
Wouldn’t It Be Good?
Gallery
Tell Me I’m Done
Normal Magic
Thinking
Hold Please (feat. Laura Jean)
Missing You
Flowers
Photoshoot (feat. McKisko)
All Of Our Sorrows
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