Upon listening to Tay Oskee’s music, his deep connection to the natural world becomes unmissable. Sewn throughout his heartfelt lyrics are traces of his past, present and future. From his formative years living amongst the Yolngu people of North East Arnhem Land, to the tropical beauty of his hometown Mission Beach, Tay traverses a spectrum from chilled beach tunes to punchy folk, bolstered by his signature instrumentation.
Spending the better half of 2019 based in the UK/EU, touring with the likes of Xavier Rudd and performing at Hungary’s prestigious Sziget Festival, Tay used his time to work on new material and craft what would become the origins of ‘Caught Up In The Wire, No More’. The EP’s first single ‘Floating’ clocked over 1 million streams in its first 10 weeks after release and represented a period of adjustment and change between Tay’s coastal life in Australia and the rapid pace of settling in London.
Tay returned to Australia in January 2020, armed with new material and a growing international fan base. Before COVID-19 hit, he was due to play his largest Australian headline tour to date in March, before heading back to the UK for a run of Festival appearances throughout May/June. With Sold Out dates in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne in Australia as well as Festival slots at The Great Escape, Dot to Dot and Bearded Theory in the UK; things were starting to gain traction.
Settling back into the rhythm of coastal life in Byron Bay amidst worldwide lockdowns, Tay quickly got to work on finishing the remainder of his EP, however things didn’t flow as predicted.
“I really struggled to shut off from the outside world and just be creative. I tried laying down different versions of songs but a lot of the time it just wasn’t working, I think I was distracted by everything that was happening in the world in 2020. Finding myself in lockdown being increasingly trapped in a cycle of scrolling through my phone, getting drawn into a sort of dream world of what could be and in a sense not actually living. I realised what was happening. I woke from the dream and got back out into nature, where I re-learnt to find happiness in the simple things and incredible beauty of this world”
‘Caught Up In The Wire, No More’ is a reflection of these times and the lessons learnt. Independently released worldwide on November 6th, Tay celebrated the release with Sold Out, intimate, seated shows in Brisbane and Sydney before returning to his busking grounds of Byron Bay on November 12th to play a Sold-Out headline set at The Great Northern. Supported by fellow songsmiths, Felipe Baldomir and Ben Camden, the sell-out show marks a milestone in what has been a meteoric rise for Tay throughout 2019/20. From busking on the streets, to touring the world and headlining venues across Australia, Tay will cap off the EP tour on Sunday November 22nd with an intimate, not to be missed performance at the beating musical heart of the Sunshine Coast; SolBar.