URTHBOY

Urthboy (Tim Levinson) is an MC grounded in hip hop culture, finding his voice as a storyteller over the course of six solo albums and five with The Herd.

From innocent wordplay writing poetry as a 10yo at Wentworth Falls Public School through to award-winning hip hop artist, Urthboy has remained curious about the power of the pen and continually sought out new songs, new collaborations, new ideas.

The artist, manager and Elefant Traks head honcho (not to mention partner, dad, Swans tragic and advocate) has defied labels while defining them since his first moments in the scene. But if you were to force his hand he’d admit to being a songwriter that uses hip hop to tell the stories.

Unafraid to write from an uncomfortable lense that reflects back at his audience to encourage them to question what they think, what they know and their place in the world.

His upcoming album is broadly centred around exploring the concept of ‘masculinity’ and redefining it now its identity is in flux, especially with what our arts and culture, and more broadly, society, have been through in recent decades. It’s a work that builds on the concepts of his last solo album ‘The Past Beats Inside Me Like a Second Heartbeat’ which honed in on the nature of history repeating itself, and the tangible ways we’re connected to the past.

Urthboy’s music timeline has never been in lockstep with his peers, and he’s continuously found a way to cut through with a uniquely intimate songwriting style, neither built for superstardom nor obscurity. How many artists have released 12 albums while managing multi-platinum bands and running an independent record label that has #1 records in its catalogue?

Urthboy has released five studio albums (Distant Sense of Random Menace (2004), The Signal (2007), Spitshine (2009), Smokey's Haunt (2012) and The Past Beats Inside Me Like a Second Heartbeat (2016) and Jangle Bells - a Christmas album (2021). He has a further five with The Herd (Self-Titled 2001, An Elefant Never Forgets 2003, The Sun Never Sets 2005, Summerland 2008, Future Shade 2011).

The first single from Urthboy’s upcoming album is called Cheetah and Gazelle and features Bundjalung artist Jarulah. The album consists of a surprising list of features and is slated for release in November 2022.