Less than 48 hours before they make history by performing in the coveted half-time slot at the first ever AFL Grand Final held outside of Victoria, pop-powerhouse Sheppard have announced the details of their brand new album “Kaleidoscope Eyes”, scheduled to land on February 19, 2021.
Two years in the making, ‘Kaleidoscope Eyes’ marks the multi-award winning band’s third full length release, and their first album since 2018’s ‘Watching The Sky’ debuted at number 1 on the ARIA Charts. It also marks a new, more self-confident side of Sheppard.
Coming off of three back-to-back world tours, two major album cycles, multiple awards and several years cooped up together in hotels and airport lounges, Sheppard spent 2019 writing, recording and taking time to discover who they are now, as young adults with established careers, rather than a new band chasing accolades and seeking acceptance.
No longer labelled purely as just the kid siblings that took the world by storm with ‘Geronimo’, the pressure of churning out hit singles had lifted and the realisation that they could live their lives for themselves became apparent for the first time in years. With the advent of COVID-19, the band joined the rest of the country in a journey of working out what was truly important in life.
The band rediscovered “normal” life outside of touring; Amy Sheppard kick-started a global body-positive movement called Kiss My Fat Ass and got engaged to her longtime partner Lachlan; Emma Sheppard found solace in smaller moments in life, building an epic caravan house with her partner and George continued to grow as a father and explore new artistic avenues.
As the band — now a core three-piece of founding members and siblings George, Amy and Emma — prepare to release their third album they’re sounding more assured and effortless than ever, building anticipation as they drip-feed their irresistible, big-hearted pop into the world, one song at a time.
Starting in the early stages of 2020, Sheppard began their self-imposed challenge of releasing one single per month for an entire year, slowly bringing together the many elements of ‘Kaleidoscope Eyes’.
“Somewhere along the album’s journey, I became obsessed with the idea of a kaleidoscope” Said George Sheppard. “To most people it might just be a tube with pretty shards of glass, but to us it represented so much more.
“Each time you look into a kaleidoscope, you are looking at something in a new light. It’s often bittersweet, because the slightest change can shift the entire picture forever” Said Amy Sheppard of the meaning behind the record ‘On the other hand, if you continue to tumble, you’ll eventually find new beauty in a different arrangement of the same pieces. It’s a strangely beautiful metaphor for love and how the world seems much brighter when you’re in love. That message has managed to wind its way throughout the entire record”.
With stories of love, loss, heartbreak and happiness from all angles, the richly coloured tapestry of experiences, both ordinary and extraordinary, came together to form ‘Kaleidoscope Eyes’, a celebration of a tumultuous yet enriching couple of years, with music becoming the glue that held the band together.
“Kaleidoscope Eyes is an album dedicated to the wonders of love, in every form. With love, the world is a more colourful place. Spread it, make it, give it, feel it, appreciate it, and do your best not to lose it.” said George Sheppard.
Boasting over three and a half million listeners per month on Spotify, over 770 million streams across all platforms, a handful of #1’s and Top Ten hits in multiple countries around the world, Sheppard have already achieved more than most bands could dream of in their lifetime. And they’re only just getting started.