Hey Dawn is the fourth studio album by Australian country music singer, Fanny Lumsden. The album was announced in April 2023 and released on 4 August 2023. In a statement upon announcement, Lumsden said, "I was a bit stuck after Fallow and didn't know where to go, and that unlocked it: 'Oh, you just need to wake up, it's a new day, it's a new moment, every day is a new moment, and you just need to be where you are right now. Forget about Fallow, forget about all the other things, just be now.'" Lumsden added, "I wanted it to feel good, I wanted to have fun, I didn't want to think too hard about it – I just wanted to feel."[1]
| Hey Dawn | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 August 2023 | |||
| Length | 37:19 | |||
| Label | Cooking Vinyl Australia | |||
| Fanny Lumsden chronology | ||||
| ||||
At the 2023 ARIA Music Awards, the album won Best Country Album.[2][3]
At the 2024 Country Music Awards of Australia, the album won Alt-Country Album of the Year.[4]
At the AIR Awards of 2024, the album was nominated for Best Independent Country Album or EP.[5]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Rolling Stone Australia |   [6] |
Zanda Wilson from Rolling Stone Australia said "It's immediately obvious that Hey Dawn has its own unique, different personality. Songs like 'You'll Be Fine' demonstrate this exciting new trajectory, clearly crossing into pop-country territory, with melodic and rhythmic tropes that could easily see the track transition to more mainstream pop playlists.[…] 'Millionaire' then goes and treads more of a country-rock path, with heavier instrumentation including distorted guitar in parts. 'Great Divide' and 'When I Die' are classic upbeat-country affairs; twangy timbre, countermelodies, and call-and-response vocals. And then there are the ballads that Lumsden is so well known for."[6]
Brydget Chrisfield from Beat Magazine called the album an "absolute swoon-fest".[7]
Track listing
editAll songs written by Edwina Lumsden, except where noted.
- "Hey Dawn" – 2:08
- "Great Divide" – 4:25
- "You'll Be Fine" – 2:39
- "Ugly Flowers" – 4:58
- "When I Die" (Lumsden, Benjamin Corbett) – 4:17
- "Lucky" (Lumsden, Matthew Fell) – 3:15
- "Soar" (Lumsden, Corbett, Fell) – 4:43
- "Millionaire" (Lumsden, Corbett, Fell, Dan Freeman) – 3:49
- "Enjoy the Ride" – 3:56
- "Stories" – 3:09
Charts
editWeekly charts
edit| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[8] | 10 |
Year-end chart
edit| Chart (2023) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Country Albums (ARIA)[9] | 44 |
References
edit- ^ "Fanny Lumsden Announces New Album 'Hey Dawn' and Australian Tour". Music Feeds. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ "Nominees Announced for 2023 ARIA Awards". Music Feeds. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "ARIA Awards 2023: the Nominees & Winners as They're Announced". NME Australia. 15 November 2023. Archived from the original on 16 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ "Brad Cox, The Wolfe Brothers Win Big At The 2024 Golden Guitar Awards". Kix Country. 27 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "2024 AIR Awards Nominees: Genesis Owusu, Cub Sport, RVG, Teen Jesus & More". The Music. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- ^ a b Wilson, Zanda (4 August 2023). "Fanny Lumsden Enters Exciting New Era on Fourth Album Hey Dawn". Rolling Stone Australia. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ "'An absolute swoonfest': Fanny Lumsden shifts perspective with Hey Dawn". Beat Magazine. 4 August 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 14 August 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ^ "ARIA Top 50 Country Albums for 2023". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 14 January 2024.