Big Sigh Signs to Sunreturn + Releases New Single
Big Sigh is the musical collaboration between Rachel Hope Peary (she/they) and Nicholas Joseph Walsh (he/him) who reside in Kirikiriroa (Hamilton).
The pair forged a friendship and musical partnership in early 2024, anchored in their intertwined harmonies, finger-picked acoustic guitar and the steady drone of harmonium. Astute listeners would have already heard them and seen them perform with their contemporaries Womb, Jazmine Mary and Jim Nothing.
Now signed to Sunreturn, Big Sigh will release their debut EP Tether on May 2nd. The forthcoming EP captures that first rush of creative momentum, a collection of the earliest songs born from a partnership that felt, from the outset, instinctive and inevitable. Today, they share the EP’s title track, which Hope Peary describes as a reminder to stay grounded: “Sometimes I forget that I’m planted on the earth, and I feel like I’m going to fly away in the wind.”
STREAM BIG SIGH – TETHER
Throughout Tether, Walsh & Hope Peary’s hushed vocal delivery is moored by the hum & drone of harmonium and the sweeping notes of the swarmandal. The song was recorded in one take at Roundhead Studios by producer De Stevens (Erny Belle, Office Dog) and features sitar by Tiare Kelly (Erny Belle, Neil Finn, Benee).
“I wrote this song as a mantra for myself to drop into when I got overwhelmed,” notes Hope Peary. “It is short and repeats so that I can sing it repeatedly as an anchor of sorts.”
“It evolved from a dream I had of myself as a tree that sat beside a river, its roots in the earth, steady and grounded while also stretching up, its leaves dancing in the wind. It’s a reminder that I am always connected to all things, and to feel that in connection to earth, water, wind, sound.”
Now that the song has been shared Hope Peary reflects “I feel tender and grateful. The song is something that feels alive to me, so the recording needed to reflect that. It’s a mantra that I use regularly in my practice, so it’s precious and vulnerable to share.”
Photo Credit: Cameron Tonks
