Mainard Larkin's stunning new alt-country album Rattlesnake Boy is available in stores and online now!
Rattlesnake Boy started as a fun side project. Mainard had long worked with Tom Lark (aka Shannon Fowler) on hip hop tracks (as Randa), but made a throwaway comment about them doing a country album. Mainard then channeled his lifelong obsession with pro-wrestling into a loose concept album about a wrestler on the skids. He uses the character as a mask to dive into deep, vulnerable themes of self-acceptance and grief. As Mainard explains:
“The thing I liked about writing with the wrestler character in mind was that I didn't feel as vulnerable. I could pretend the pain wasn’t my pain ... But at its heart, it’s about accepting myself and grieving the cost of having to change some things to improve.”
To celebrate the album drop, there’s a brand-new music video out for 'Lost My Smile' (feat. Tom Lark), directed by Alexei Foster. The track's title is a nod to a legendary 90s wrestler, Shawn Michaels, whose only explanation for suddenly quitting the sport was to say "I've lost my smile."
Rattlesnake Boy covers an impressive range of emotions across its ten tracks, from high-energy anthems like ‘Stand For Something’ and ‘Two Wrongs’ on to reflective tracks like break-up tune ‘Empty Street’ and the heartfelt ‘One Headlight,’ which is about finding self-belief in the face of hardship. Final track ‘Home Is Where The Heart Is’ provides a final moment of resolution, as Tom Lark explains:
"The album begins with the feeling of being in a fight, moves through a period of self-reflection, and ends with the realization that you’ve got to appreciate what you’ve got.”
Upcoming Events:
- May 22: Listening Party at Open Late, Auckland
- June 6: Supporting Cate Le Bon @Powerstation, Auckland
- June 26: Album Release Show @ Whammy Bar, Auckland
Buy or stream Rattlesnake Boy now!
