Fresh from her performance at LOUD WOMEN Fest Newport earlier this month, Eilis Frawley is back with ‘Taken, Never Erased’, a haunting and unexpectedly beautiful new single confronting colonial violence, cultural theft and the suppression of Indigenous Australian languages. We’re delighted to premiere the single today.
Released todayvia Sinnbus Records, ‘Taken, Never Erased’ is the third single from the Australian-born, Berlin-based drummer, percussionist and songwriter’s forthcoming second album, Twist My Words, due on 6 November.
Rather than meeting its weighty subject matter with equally heavy instrumentation, Frawley takes a surprising approach, wrapping her reflections on genocide and cultural erasure in the shimmering textures of an almost-’80s pop ballad. The result is both delicate and deeply unsettling, with a gorgeous strings solo providing one of the song’s standout moments.
Frawley explains:
“Language pressed flat like flowers reflects on the many languages that were suppressed, banned, or lost through the act of colonisation. ‘Taken, but never erased,’ acknowledges the violence of cultural theft and the attempts to silence indigenous communities, while recognising the resilience of the people, memories, and traditions that continue to be carried forward.”
On the song’s unexpected musical direction, she adds:
“I tried to write an ’80s pop ballad. I was 50% successful in my mission. The strings solo in this song is one of my favourite moments on the album!”
Self-produced and driven by Frawley’s distinctive approach to rhythm and percussion, Twist My Words explores the manipulation of truth, power dynamics, late-stage capitalism and fractured identities. Previous singles ‘Guilt’ and ‘Calm Down’ established the album’s uncompromising lyrical territory, with ‘Taken, Never Erased’ taking those concerns into particularly poignant territory.
Originally from Adelaide, Frawley is now based in Berlin, where she has built a formidable reputation as both a solo artist and collaborator, performing with Laura Lee and The Jettes, Kara Delik and Anika. She’s also the founder of Bang On, a Berlin-based platform supporting emerging LGBTQI+ artists.
We were delighted to welcome Eilis to the stage at LOUD WOMEN Fest Newport earlier this month, where she kicked off proceedings with her extraordinary combination of drumming and spoken word. Her fiercely intelligent, political performance was a fantastic way to open our first Welsh festival, and we’re especially pleased to be sharing her new release so soon afterwards.
‘Taken, Never Erased’ is out now via Sinnbus Records. Eilis Frawley’s second album, Twist My Words, follows on 6 November 2026.
Find out more via Eilis Frawley’s Bandcamp and Instagram.