Melbourne-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Simon Okely has been crafting R&B-inspired smooth pop tunes under the Slow Dancer moniker for a few years now, and once you take a look at his stripped back, live performance of new single ‘Don’t Believe’, it’s clear he’s very good at it.
The clip was shot live as part of a studio session, highlighting the song’s laid-back percussion, smooth bass and Okely’s distinctive, honeyed vocals. Still, while the vibes might be chill, the song’s inspiration, it turns out, isn’t quite as low-key.
“Don’t Believe is a song about when a traffic jam turns into a giant disco party,” Okely tells Music Feeds. “It never happens in real life but when you’re sitting in traffic for the 2000th time you’d be forgiven for thinking that in the realms of possibility, a disco party would actually be one of the most optimal outcomes of a traffic jam.
“It’s had a lot of incarnations live, the video demonstrates one of its earliest.”
Slow Dancer has been taking his new music to stages all over the world of late, following Australian tour support slots with Cameron Avery and Margaret Glaspy, and making his UK and US debut with performances in New York, Los Angeles, SXSW and London.
Slow Dancer’s new album In A Mood is out June 9.
