Angus Frederick Gardiner, better known to music lovers these days as A Twenty-Two Letter Phrase, has shared a pair of live tracks for the latest instalment of Rolling Stone’s ‘In My Room’, a series in which artists perform from home following a year which has seen live shows become a rarity.
Though the name A Twenty-Two Letter Phrase might be a relatively new one, having only emerged earlier this year, it hides a well-known name, with Gardiner a long-serving staple of the local music scene. A member of the critically acclaimed Papa vs Pretty between 2008 and 2014, Gardiner has found himself working on stage and in the studio with a number of beloved local names, including the likes of Montaigne, Jarryd James, E^ST, Jack River, and Alex the Astronaut, to name a few.
Unveiling a few new songs this year – including the likes of “Don’t Stop Spinning” – A Twenty-Two Letter Phrase unveiled his debut EP, Just Tell Me What I Gotta Do, just last month, and it showcases the musical talent that an artist like Gardiner possesses. Undoubtedly, it’s an astounding EP, and a brilliant collection of songs from such a special musical mind.
Now, A Twenty-Two Letter Phrase has performed a pair of songs for the latest edition of our ‘In My Room’ series, kicking off with recent single “Predisposition”, and closing out with a stellar version of “The Little Things”. Despite apparent camera issues on his end, Gardiner powers through the gorgeous tracks, leaving the listener in awe of what they had just witnessed.
“I wrote this song after reading the book Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E Frankl,” Gardiner explained of the origin of “Predisposition” recently. “My psychologist recommended it and it was a transformative thing for me to read at a time when I was really struggling.
“‘Predisposition’ is a song that came out of quite deep existential feelings about what it means to exist, persist, and make the world how you might like it to be while accepting that it won’t ever be that way. Hopefully there are enough layers of metaphor that it means different things to different people.”
Check out A Twenty-Two Letter Phrase’s performance in the player above, or by heading over to Rolling Stone Australia’s Instagram page. In the meantime, his debut EP, Just Tell Me What I Gotta Do, was released in September.
