Shook Bones Holds Up A Mirror To Australia On ‘Artemis (& The River)’

Shook Bones. Photo supplied.

Wollongong MC Shook Bones likes to keep things low-key, but his debut track, Artemis (& The River) is anything but. It’s a track that takes a look at the relationship between Australia and the US, and how Australia often follows in the footsteps of our American counterparts. It’s a song that caught me by surprise when I first heard it, and it continues to do so to this day. As hip-hop in Australia continues to evolve, emerging and new artists are increasingly presenting themselves to the world for the first time with a clearly defined sound.

Shook Bones’ sound feels like a hybrid of Australian and American rap, and he’s clearly got a lot to say, which I think is really important. The song’s message is one that resonated with me, too. We’re in a period of upheaval in the music industry, and it’s a long time coming. Artists coming into the scene like Shook Bones, who can see things for what they truly are, will only help to continue to hold up a mirror to those that need it most.

I spoke to Shook Bones about the track, and he spoke about the Australian music industry, as well as the aforementioned relationship between Australia and America. He says, “the song is speaking about how I would get so frustrated and sad trying to talk about these things to people and they’d basically tell me to go and get bent, but then when America starts talking about them, they’re suddenly preaching themselves. I WOULD be happy about that if it were genuine. Who cares how or why a person gets informed and educated as long as they do right? They didn’t listen to me, sure, but as long as they listened to someone. but it doesn’t stick. As the hashtags die down so does the value of the cause.”

“I find actually find this issue especially prevalent in Australian music/music scene where the industry continues to reward and propel folks who embrace toxic bro culture in the background while trying to present this front-facing image of ‘diversity and inclusivity’ - but Camp Cope talk about that better than I ever could.”

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Check out Artemis (& The River) below. I’m excited to see how Shook Bones grows from here, as I think there’s a worthwhile artist narrative to be unpacked. His music is there, and the story will unfold with future releases. Keep an eye on what he gets up to next. I think he’s definitely one to watch.