Skeleten to Launch Debut Album ‘Under Utopia’ in Melbourne & Sydney

August 2, 2023

After a few years’ worth of singles and EPs, Sydney/Gadigal land artist Skeleten has released his debut album, Under Utopia. Project mastermind Russ Fitzgibbon will gather his live band for launch shows in Sydney and Melbourne/Naarm this October. Skeleten is supporting First Beige in Meanjin/Brisbane later this month and is on the lineup for the inaugural SXSW Sydney.

A handful of singles preceded Under Utopia, including ‘Mirrored’, ‘Walking On Your Name’ and ‘No Drones in the Afterlife’. ‘Mirrored’ was the first piece of music Fitzgibbon released under the Skeleten handle, arriving in August 2020. Fitzgibbon was formerly a member of electronic duo Fishing and has played in the live bands of Babitha and Vlossom.

“I’ve always struggled to figure out what to do with the time given to me, but I’m starting to think that making music honestly and with love is a pretty good start,” Fitzgibbon said in a statement. “This project is nothing but my best-guess translation of the beauty I see in the life we find ourselves in, and the people we find ourselves with.”

Despite this glass-half-full outlook, Fitzgibbon isn’t oblivious to global disarray. “I think we can all agree the world is fucked,” he said, “but it’s also literally everything, so I’m all about trying to hang onto hope around the edges, and imagine growing better versions of the world out of our own soil.”

The upcoming live shows are invitation to join Fitzgibbon in this act of imaginative renewal. Find all the details below and listen to the album here.