Bachelor Girl return with new single after 12-year hiatus

On the 20th anniversary of their double platinum single ‘Buses & Trains’ and their ARA-winning debut album Waiting For The Day, Melbourne pop duo Bachelor Girl are back with a new single.

‘Speak’, which is out on June 18, sees Tania Doko and James Roche tackling a topical theme, the correlation between technology and depression in the young.

Roche tells TMN that after Bachelor Girl’s run of hits in Australia and Europe in the ’90s, their split was not really planned.

“In 2004, I moved to London as my actress wife Chelsea Plumley wanted to further her career.

“By the time I returned to Australia, Tania had relocated to Sockholm.”

There she carved out a career making solo electro records, writing with DJs and featuring as a singer on their records, and worked as a full-time songwriter for outside projects.

Roche in the meantime worked on film and TV scores, and did production work for artists.

These included Anthony Callea (which went to #1 on the album charts) and emerging singers, impressive Melbourne-based soulster India Jade and Adelaide’s Kiki.

In January 2016, Bachelor Girl were asked to play an Australia Day concert at the Sydney Opera House.

According to Roche: “We had such a great time onstage that the very next day we went into the studio with the production crew DNA to record a track. That changed everything.”

In mid-2017 they met up in Stockholm to write and record with Swedish writers and producers.

Out of these sessions came their upcoming new still-untitled album and new single ‘Speak’.

“Things really sparked, it reminded us why we started working together in the first place way back then – the joy of writing and making music together.

“We’re just so excited about the new songs, they’re better than ever before.”

A tour with a full band is planned for later this year. In the meantime, they’ll be doing TV appearances around ‘Speak’.

Doko explained the story behind the single in a statement: “The day we wrote ‘Speak’ in Stockholm, I wanted to reflect on a worrying trend: since the onset of the smart phone, there’s been a global, dramatic spike in depression, especially among our young people.

“Not discounting that technology provides a voice for many, we face a conundrum.

“In this digital ‘virtual’ age, social media, data, algorithms and fake news often determine behaviour and self-esteem, leaving real conversation, human connection and truth itself frequently sacrificed.

“Whether it’s sharing day to day goings on, or serious issues like abuse and bullying, no device can replace the value of real-life communication.”