iOTA has released a stripped-back acoustic version of ‘Come Back For Me’ ahead of his first new studio album in a decade, Hours Disappear, due September 25.
by Paul Cashmere
Australian singer-songwriter and performer iOTA has released a new acoustic recording of ‘Come Back For Me’, revisiting one of the better-known songs from his catalogue ahead of the September 25 release of Hours Disappear through MGM Distribution. The recording is the latest preview of an album that returns iOTA to recorded music after a decade while reframing earlier material alongside new songs in a predominantly acoustic setting.
The new version strips ‘Come Back For Me’ back to voice and guitar, changing the character of the song from its earlier, more expansive presentation into a quieter study of separation and longing. iOTA’s voice carries a deeper quality on the new recording, bringing a different perspective to a song first developed in the 1990s.
iOTA has explained that the song originated with a chord progression captured on a cassette containing assorted guitar riffs. The idea gained a lyrical direction after he spent time supporting a close friend whose former partner had relocated to London.
“I was listening back to a cassette tape of random riffs I had recorded and knew that I had something cool when I heard the ‘Come Back’ chord progression,” iOTA said. “Paired with the recent weeks spent coaching a close friend through a difficult time with his ex-girlfriend who had moved to London, and a little creative license, ‘Come Back For Me’ became the perfect heartache anthem.”
‘Come Back For Me’ follows the release of the double A-side ‘Home Song’ and ‘Bitter Wine’, which provided the first preview of Hours Disappear. Those recordings established the album’s pared-back approach, with the forthcoming collection combining revised versions of established iOTA songs with new compositions.
Hours Disappear will be iOTA’s first studio album since Wolf Number Nine, released in 2016. The new record is scheduled for release on September 25 on vinyl, CD and digital platforms through MGM Distribution.
The album continues a recording career that began with The Hip Bone Connection in 1999. That debut earned an ARIA Award nomination for Best Independent Release in 2000. iOTA subsequently released Big Grandfather in 2001, La Caravana in 2003, Beauty Queen of the Sea in 2006, iOTA in 2015 and Wolf Number Nine in 2016.
Across those albums, iOTA developed a catalogue that moved between acoustic songwriting, atmospheric arrangements and rock-oriented material. Hours Disappear revisits that history through a more intimate recording framework, with ‘Come Back For Me’ providing an example of how older material can be reconsidered without abandoning its original songwriting foundation.
The album also extends a career that has operated well beyond recorded music. iOTA has received a Helpmann Award, Sydney Critics Award and Green Room Award for his performance as Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. He subsequently played Dr Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show and performed as the Fallen Angel in Graeme Murphy’s Berlin with Sydney Dance Company.
His theatre work also included the original production Smoke & Mirrors, which he co-wrote and performed in and which received three Helpmann Awards. On screen, iOTA became internationally known for playing the Doof Warrior in George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road. He also appeared in The Great Gatsby and contributed vocals to Beat Bugs.
Following the album release, iOTA will undertake an Australian tour performing solo and acoustically. The schedule currently spans Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory, with performances beginning in Melbourne on October 16 and continuing through December.
The tour will place the new recordings alongside songs from iOTA’s established catalogue, providing the live counterpart to the stripped-back approach adopted for Hours Disappear. A newly added Sydney performance at The Vanguard on October 21 sits alongside the October 22 show at the same venue.
Hours Disappear will be released on September 25, with iOTA’s acoustic Australian performances continuing from October through December.
Tour Dates
October 16, Melbourne, Brunswick Ballroom
October 21, Sydney, The Vanguard
October 22, Sydney, The Vanguard
October 23, Katoomba, Baroque Room
October 25, Brisbane, Junk Bar
October 30, Kiama, Fillmore’s, 6pm to 8pm
November 13, Adelaide, Trinity Sessions
November 14, Canberra, Smith’s Alternative
December 5, Dangar Island, Dangar Island Bowlo, 7.45pm to 9.15pm
December 6, Newcastle, Flamingos
Ticket Details
Tickets are available at iota.com.au.
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