Local songstress Tara Simmons’ latest album shows off more than just a fresh, new sound.

The venture of re-inventing yourself for a new album can be a daunting task and much of the time it doesn’t pay off. However, in the case of Tara Simmons, she’s pushing the moody ballads aside and stunning audiences with ‘It’s Not Like We’re Trying To Move Mountains’.

“Going back about two years ago, I was playing a few solo shows and during one of the gigs I just realised I was completely bored with what I was doing,” Simmons admits.
“I had this realisation that if I wasn’t connecting with it anymore, then the audience definitely wasn’t connecting with it.”

With conscious balance, Simmons keeps her older fans happy through her ability to write passionately and truthfully, while picking up new admirers by dropping a variety of upbeat sounds.

“I feel like as soon as you go down that path of trying to engage more with an audience then you also open yourself up to more critics. It was more scary in a way, just saying, ‘you know what, I don’t give a shit what anyone thinks, I’m going to do what I want’.”

Tara’s second album came about after she readjusted her lifestyle to become a happier person. But she insists there’s still a lot of light and dark to ‘... Trying To Move Mountains’.

“I don’t think that my album is necessarily happy but if you hear it from a distance, you may not think it’s something about heartbreak or a difficulty in life. If something is upbeat then I think people are more likely to engage with the song as a whole than just listen to what it’s about.”

The multi-instrumentalist songbird is feeling positive about the new album, while she’s looking forward to touring with Sydney-based Pluto Jonze this month.

“I’ve done a couple of shows with the new material, and already I’m seeing a completely different change in my audience. They aren’t just sitting there falling asleep; now I’ve got people up dancing which is the response I wanted to get with this album.”

Tara Simmons Plays Black Bear Lodge October 24. ‘It’s Not Like We’re Trying To Move Mountains’ Is Out Now.