Influences: Vancouver Sleep Clinic

Brisbane artist returns with a potent new album...

Vancouver Sleep Clinic is what happens when Brisbane's Tim Bettinson allows him imagination to truly range free.

With his breakout debut album becoming a global success, his fusion of ambient electronics, R&B songwriting, and lush vocals pointed to an astonishing future.

The two-part EP project 'Therapy Phase' followed, broadening and deepening his approach, allowing the songwriter space to lose his inhibitions.

New album 'Onwards To Zion' finds Vancouver Sleep Clinic returning on rich form, this sumptuous, expertly pieced together selection.

Out now, it's a gorgeous, striking record, one that moves from hip-hop leaning production through to almost glacial electronic elements.

Held together by the strength of Tim Bettinson's songwiting, Vancouver Sleep Clinic is a textured, nuanced project, one that doesn't give up its secrets lightly…

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KIDS SEE GHOSTS – 'Cudi Montage'

This project came out a month or two before we left to Bali and hearing it made me fall in love all over again with the endless creative possibilities of making music. It sounded like nothing I’d heard in a long time and Cudi and Kanye have been two of my biggest inspirations over the years so to hear them come together was really special.

'Cudi Montage' in particularly resonates with me on a spiritual level as I often struggle with perseverance and those words – "Stay strong…" – in the hook really got me through a lot.

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Beach House – 'Dark Spring'

Beach House are a special band for me in that their music always resonates and connects with me whether I am feeling great or really down. Their new album '7' rode a crazy emotional roller coaster with me over the time leading up the album and I really wanted to try and capture that bittersweet, almost nostalgic, feel across my project.

I also love the psychedelic synths, washed out vocals and dream-like soundscape that they create throughout their mixes and over time that became a big influence in how I layer and arrange my songs.

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BOYGENIUS – 'Souvenir'

My friend Luke and I stumbled across this EP one day on the hour drive to my studio in Australia and I remember being completely floored when I heard it. It took me straight back to high school when I was busking and playing in a bunch of indie bands.

I had the project on loop for the next few weeks and it really inspired me to trace back to those roots and helped me to fall back in love with the guitar again.

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Kacey Musgraves – 'Slow Burn'

This was probably my favourite album of 2018. In a time where most of the radio music is trap and R&B, it was really refreshing for me to hear some more organically driven pop songs with great melodies and lyricism.

There is a certain innocence and awe of the world across the album that made me feel rejuvenated and excited to get in and record.

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Sigur Ros – 'Glosoli'

Sigur Ros is my favourite band of all time and the 'Takk' album in particular is something I always go back to when I feel stuck or lost for ideas.

Sigur Ros was the first band that really demonstrated to me the emotional power of music, in that even though I can’t understand the language that they sing in I can feel the message of the songs on a spiritual level. They have always been a big influence on me but in particularly for this album, as I wanted the focus of the songs to shift back to a feeling and an emotion – with everything else being secondary.

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