WHERE DID I GO WRONG / FAMILY | 7IN VINYL

Brenda, College Of Knowledge Records present new signing Brenda, making their College Of Knowledge debut with two heartbreaking indie-soul ballads 'Where Did I Go Wrong?' and 'Family'. Brenda is the solo project of prolific ARIA-nominated drummer Hudson Whitlock. Known for his indefatigable creative output across multitudinous projects including Surprise Chef, Karate Boogaloo, The Pro-Teens and The Cactus Channel, Whitlock uses the Brenda moniker for his vocal music; as Brenda, Whitlock emerges as singer, in addition to composer, arranger and drummer. Brenda encompasses the left-field soul sensibilities for which Whitlock has come to be recognised and revered, alongside heartfelt, introspective lyricism delivered in a sincere, delicate falsetto. Stylistically, lines can be drawn to the 1960s sweet soul ballads of The Delfonics, Jean-Claude Vannier's vivid arrangements for Serge Gainsbourg, and, of course, the unmistakable flavour of Melbourne's cinematic soul movement à la other Whitlock exploits Surprise Chef and Karate Boogaloo. 'Where Did I Go Wrong?' and 'Family', are two entrancingly melancholic ballads that heartfeltly express Whitlock's dramatic indie-soul sensibilities; encompassing the classically introspective nature of the poetic lyricist and the idiosyncratic use of soulful instrumental arrangements. True to his modest vagabond nature, Whitlock has 'released' six Brenda albums to date, each uploaded exclusively to bandcamp, glady resigning the music to the underground. These albums (2017's Think Nothing Of It and You're No Barry White, 2018's Wiggy and What A Trip, 2020's Hanging In, Hanging Out and LOVE IT) display Whitlock's indefatigable creativity; he creates every component of the project in total independence, playing every instrument, carrying recording and mixing duties and creating the artwork. In this new material, Whitlock relinquishes the isolationism of previous works in favour of including his trusted inner circle of friends and collaborators: Surprise Chef's Lachlan Stuckey and Jethro Curtin on guitar and keyboard respectively, Karate Boogaloo's Darvid Thor on bass, and production from Henry Jenkins (Surprise Chef, Karate Boogaloo, Frollen Music Library). 'Where Did I Go Wrong' and 'Family' are the first of many tunes from Brenda to come in 2025.