Slowly Slowly‘s Ben Stewart has shared an ode to Melbourne for his contribution to triple j’s ‘Quarantune’ series. Drive hosts Hobba and Hing challenged Stewart to write a song that encapsulated what residents of the Victorian capital have been feeling in recent months under strict lockdown measures.
“Since I accepted this position I’ve been marinating on all things Melbourne,” the frontman commented. “I miss all of it, warts and all, so it’ll be nice to have something that encapsulates that weird see-saw of missing gigs and also missing walking around without a mask.”
Locals helped out with the creative process by supplying their most beloved (and not so beloved) parts about living in the city – including benders at Rev’s, being stuck in traffic on Punt Road, paying too much for coffee and more. Those prompts then provided an outline for the song’s nostalgia-heavy verses.
“What I’d give to take you out to dinner,” Stewart sings on the rousing acoustic track’s chorus. “It’s been a long year, but I’m sure Melbourne’s gonna answer when we call.”
The song arrives alongside a video which you can check out below via triple j’s Instagram.