Joyce Prescher Releases Her 2nd Single With Lachlan Bryan
Last month Joyce released the first of her recording collaborations with Lachlan Bryan, a cover of Absynthe Minded's ' My Heroics '. The song, with it's hypnotic groove and intimate vocals, has been played across Australian community radio, on Double J and ABC Country, and on more than 50 American public radio stations via The International Americana Music Show.
The second single in this collaborative series is ' Nothing Really Ends ', which premiered on Vital Bits/ 3RRR. It's a track originally recorded by Belgian band dEUS, and the first song Joyce recorded with Lachlan – a beginning marked by a song about endings.
For Joyce, dEUS are more than just a band, they're part of the fabric of her youth. ' I've listened to them since the mid-90s,' she says. ' They've been with me throughout my life, and I always come back to them. This song, to me, has this depth, this melancholy, but also a sense of calm and peace."
There's a cinematic feel to this version – layered guitars, strings, and a rhythm that simmers just below the surface. It doesn't rush. It unfolds. Lachlan and Joyce trade lines like two people trying to make sense of a shared memory, their voices weaving together and pulling apart. It's richer than a stripped-back ballad, but still intimate – the kind of arrangement that reveals more with each listen.
' We recorded this song fast, in a very instinctual kind of way,' says Lachlan. ' We would grab hold of the instrumental hook from the original and try and reimagine it, but because I didn't know the song very well it quickly became its own thing. I was learning it from Joyce rather than from dEUS, and I think that's part of the charm."
The emotional terrain of 'Nothing Really Ends' – longing, ambiguity, resignation – felt like a perfect mirror for Joyce and Lachlan's long walks and long talks through the empty streets of Melbourne during the pandemic. There's a tension in the song, but also acceptance. ' It doesn't scream, it just lingers,' Joyce reflects. ' That's what I love about it. To me it's about understanding that endings aren't always clear. Sometimes, the things we think are over never really leave us. They're always there, in some form.'
'Nothing Really Ends' captures the fragile beauty of that idea—a reflection on the things that persist, long after they've passed. It's a re-imagining of a song that's always felt deeply personal to Joyce, and through her collaboration with Lachlan, it becomes something even more intimate and reflective.
With this second release, Joyce Prescher continues to reveal new layers of herself – not just as a songwriter, but as an interpreter, curator, and collaborator. These aren't just songs she admired from afar; they're part of her personal history, now reshaped and re-voiced with care.
JOYCE PRESCHER
Following the release of her first album, Joyce signed to independent record label Cheersquad Records & Tapes in July 2022. She released the singles 'Paper and Pen' and 'Black on White', prior to releasing her 13-track album Out Of My Mind in October 2022. Upon release the album charted in both the ARIA Top 20 Australian Country Albums and the Australian Independent Record Labels Association 100% Independent Albums chart.
Joyce was a finalist in the 2022 and 2023 Australian Folk Music Awards (AFMA), has toured and performed a project called Sing a Song of Sixpence, with other artists including Abby Dobson, Freya Josephine Hollick, Charm of Finches, and Van Walker. She had performed as part of the sold-out tribute shows to Justin Townes Earle at the Brunswick Ballroom, and shared the stage with many Australian favourites, including Tim Rogers, Kylie Auldist, Mick Thomas, Debra Byrne, Sarah Carroll, Kerryn Fields, and XANI.
LACHLAN BRYAN
Over more than a decade, Lachlan Bryan has built a reputation as a master storyteller, regardless of whether he's performing solo, fronting his band The Wildes, or collaborating with country music icon Catherine Britt in The Pleasures. His songs range from hard-hitting social commentary to deeply personal musings, but each contains a unique turn of phrase, dark humour, and an ever-present sense of romance.
Lachlan has toured with artists such as Justin Townes Earle, John Hiatt, Shawn Colvin, and Henry Wagons, as well as headlining his own tours and performing at festivals all over the world. He's released five full-length albums with The Wildes, all of which have received critical acclaim, featured in yearly top ten lists, and in some cases even charted strongly in the ARIA Official Australian Albums charts.
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The Spinoff
2 days ago
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The Spinoff guide to life: How to perform a hongi
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Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
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