IT'S fair to say Austin Mackay has broadened his horizons since he left Newcastle for the Gold Coast almost two years ago.
He has toured up and down the east coast numerous times, and even made a trip to Western Australia, clocking up more kilometres in his van than he'd hasten to guess.
It's a life the ex-St Francis Xavier student always dreamed of when he played in his school bands Honey Hills and Maple Syrup.
Most importantly, the graft of constant gigging in front of new audiences has rapidly progressed Mackay's songwriting.
"It's that experience and that constant chipping away with touring that has definitely helped me, and getting the opportunity to go out on the road and play to different audiences," the 21-year-old said.
"It helped me so much to grow as a performer and as an artist and songwriter. Those experiences are next to none. You can't fake them."
Fans will have another opportunity to hear Mackay's development on Friday when he releases his single Dancing Through The Fire, the title track off his second EP, out on October 21.
The five-track EP features the singles Borderline, On The Way Down and Breathe Again. It was recorded on the Gold Coast by producer Tim Goodburn and showcases a more polished sound for Mackay, blending the indie-folk, heartland rock and pop influences of Sam Fender, Gang Of Youths and James Bay.
The single Dancing Through The Fire was inspired by a bad relationship Mackay was involved in last year.
"It's about me being in this relationship and not realising I was caught up in a string of bad habits and unhealthy compromises and I found myself so far from who I was before I was in this relationship," Mackay said.
Mackay will perform at the Cambridge Hotel on October 20, as well as Bitter & Twisted at Maitland Gaol on November 5.
EMO DOUBLE DOSE
US emo-revival band Movements are teaming up with UK counterparts Boston Manor for an Australian co-headline tour.
The eight-date tour includes a show at the Newcastle Hotel on March 10.
Movements rose out of southern California on Fearless Records in 2015 and have released the albums Feel Something (2017) and No Good Left To Give (2020), which combine post-punk, alternative, spoken word and pop influences.
Their friends across the Atlantic, five-piece Boston Manor, hail from Blackpool and are preparing to release their fourth album Datura on October 14.
