Lottie McLeod is stepping out of her shell on The Boathouse, a deeply personal new EP that finds the Brisbane singer-songwriter swapping people-pleasing for something considerably more useful: saying what she actually thinks.

Out now via ABC Music, the seven-track EP pulls from indie-pop, folk, alt-country and the messy business of your early twenties. Each song draws on a relationship from the past two years of McLeod’s life, moving through modern dating, ill-fated romance, sex, agency and bodily autonomy. The title comes from Manly Boathouse on Quandamooka Country, a place that has hosted some of the important conversations behind the record.

At the centre is Thomas, an alternative folk-pop slow-burn about imagining a future with someone who is never quite as certain. Acoustic guitar gradually gives way to trumpet, banjo, pedal steel, vocal harmonies and violin before the track retreats to an intimate voice memo. It arrives alongside a seaside video directed by Adam Potts, using split-screen imagery to trace two people heading in different directions.

The Boathouse was recorded between 4000 Studios in Brisbane with Josh Beattie and Stadium Heights Sound in North Carolina with Caleb Wright. Previous singles Wednesdays at the Waterloo, Sunburnt and Important To You also appear, with Wednesdays at the Waterloo already becoming triple j’s most-played track for more than a week ahead of the EP’s arrival.

McLeod is taking the record well beyond the studio. Her headline EP tour kicks off across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland in October, with her hometown show already moving to a larger venue after selling out. A newly announced London headline date follows in December, while November brings support slots with The Tullamarines and Peter Garrett & The Alter Egos. Add an Australian Women In Music Awards Emerging Artist Award nomination to the mix and The Boathouse arrives at a moment when McLeod seems increasingly comfortable taking up her own space.

Go HERE for info on the tour.

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