Beloved ex-Hellions vocalist and guitar-slinger Matthew “Wob” Gravolin is back with a brand new solo project dubbed Agnes Manners.
Sonically, it’s a world away from the big riffing rap-punk we’ve come to know him for, but it’s still heavy on the feels.
The musician’s debut single is a tender, saxophone-laced pop ballad dubbed ‘As Long as You’re Mine’, which was produced, mixed and mastered by frequent Hellions collaborator Shane Edwards (shoutout Buddah!) and features guest vocals from Gravolin’s long-term girlfriend and fellow heavy music identity, Charlotte Gilpin of Dream State.
“The chorus of ‘As Long As You’re Mine’ was inspired by and written for Charlotte,” Gravolin reflects.
“I built the verses around the feeling that the chorus melody gave me. Her singing during the bridge and final chorus breathes romance into the song’s apex.”
Taking to Instagram to share the song herself, CJ wrote a heartfelt tribute to her partner.
“Matthew loves me for all the things I have considered a flaw, my scatty brain, my emotions, my bad habits, he turns all what I considered negative in myself and turned them into beautiful attributes to be loved not hated, nurtured, not neglected,” she said.
“That’s a perfect example of the way this man thinks and feels, his mind is beautiful and cultivated, he will see the beauty first in everyone who crosses his path, without judgement, just love and I inspire to be like him and think that people like him should be supported, they are a positive influence on society as a whole,” she continued.
“He wrote a chorus for me and I’m biased yes but melodically it’s absolute fire and He deserves your love for writing it.”
The launch of Agnes Manners follows Wob’s amicable exit from Hellions a year ago, the result of a desire to “focus on other musical projects, and most importantly, growing aspects of his personal life”.
He explains: “It wasn’t until my father passed suddenly in 2018 that I felt the need to focus on the new sound I felt building within me. A sound that dad would have liked”.
Conceptually, the prolific songwriter’s Agnes Manners project aims to champion vulnerability and empathy in men, and dismantle “the archaic blueprint of masculinity” alongside the deconstruction of genre and its bounds.
Listen to debut single ‘As Long As You’re Mine’ below.
