Daniel Trakell Shares His Top 5 Songwriting Hero’s

With his second offering of 2023, Melbourne’s own Daniel Trakell unveils a fresh glimpse into his evolving creative landscape. The newest addition to his forthcoming album is the ethereal track ‘Into The Blue’. Building upon the groundwork laid by his earlier release, ‘Folk Song #2’, Trakell transports listeners on a soul-stirring voyage through a musical landscape defined by its emotive melodies. ‘Into The Blue’ serves as a captivating escape, an open invitation for both the artist and audience to lose themselves within its mesmerizing 4-minute and 40-second embrace.

To celebrate the release, Daniel has today shared with us his top 5 song writing hero’s and why.

Elliott Smith
My all time favourite, so many subtle moments in his songs that still reveal themselves to me after countless listens. I love the contrast of darker subjects with upbeat/pop melodies and production, and if you’ve ever sat down and tried to play some of his songs yourself you realise his skills as a guitar and piano player are unmatched.

Tom Petty
I discovered Tom Petty relatively late in his career but he’s an artist I listen to almost every day and never tire of.  To write such consistently great songs over a whole career is really rare, and especially to create an incredible album like Wildflowers in your 40s. Damn The Torpedoes, Wildflowers and Full Moon Fever are my favourite records of his.

Phoebe Bridgers
Stranger in the Alps is an incredible album, it felt instantly nostalgic and like something I’d known all my life. So many snippets of raw lyrics that stand out but  “Woke up in my childhood bed, Wishing I was someone else, Feeling sorry for myself, When I remembered someone’s kid is dead” sticks with with me.

John Lennon
Hard to choose a favourite songwriter from the Beatles, and I might give a different answer in a given year but I fairly recently discovered Plastic Ono Band and feel like it’s such a perfect record with a mix of incredible emotional songs like Love, God and Isolation with the harder edge of songs like I Found Out and Well Well Well that I can just listen to over and over again.

Tobias Jesso Jr
Goon is a hidden gem, an album that feels like discovering a long lost album from a 70s singer/songwriter. Such simple, beautiful pop songwriting.

As Daniel Trakell continues to cultivate his musical journey, the anticipation for what lies ahead is palpable. The forthcoming album promises to be a radiant testament to his artistic evolution, offering a profound exploration of life’s intricate facets. Within its harmonious confines, Trakell’s distinctive blend of indie-folk-rock weaves a tapestry of emotion and storytelling that is bound to captivate the hearts of listeners. Into The Blue is available now, everywhere.