Sydney artist Amy Yoshiko’s debut tune was born somewhere in the overlap of work and life.

If you’ve been anywhere near the indie rock scene of Sydney in the past decade or so, you’ll have probably come across Amy Yoshiko. Popping up and playing guitar in bands like Spike Vincent and The Melodrones, she seems to have a knack for quickly becoming an essential member of any group – one that you don’t ever want to let go of. What you might not know about her is that her songwriting skills are on par with her guitar playing.

Which brings us to ‘Dissociate’, her debut single from her debut album, a track that feels a little like the strum-grunge of bands like Screaming Trees, with vocals from PJ Harvey and Brody Dalle’s lovechild. It’s easy to imagine how this one would feel live – one of those tunes where you look around and realise everyone is swaying in unison, that you later can’t get out of your head.

The track couldn’t be more grounded in the real world, however – Yoshiko, by day, is a mental health clinician, working with people with a range of disorders and afflictions. It’s proved to be fertile ground for inspiration for her, with her forthcoming album set to take us on a sonic journey into the mind (but not in the hippie “take these mushies, bra” kind of way).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgcIFWU1vKI

“’Dissociate’ is the first single from my debut album Borderline – a concept album exploring the 9 diagnostic criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder – a highly stigmatised and misunderstood mental health condition. It’s inspired by my professional work in the public mental health system and personal lived experience,” she says.

Enlisting long-time LWA fave and analogue master Mitch Farkas AKA Throat Pasta for the visuals, the clip features Yoshiko banging out the tune with a wild wash of glitchy VHS magic. As she warps and multiplies, you can really see each frame mirroring the complexities of the mind… or maybe those mushies have kicked in…

Go follow Amy Yoshiko on Instagram here for more and stay the hell tuned for Borderline. Listen to ‘Dissociate’, out on Mandatory Music, here.