Annie Hamilton Releases Sophomore Album “Stop And Smell The Lightning” + Aus Tour Begins This Week.

4 Nov

Annie Hamilton releases her much-anticipated sophomore album, Stop And Smell The Lightning. Co-produced with Jake Webb of Methyl Ethel, the record glides between euphoric highs and introspective lows, balancing the charge of joy with the weight of melancholy. Here, Hamilton embraces life’s unvarnished edges, celebrating moments that are as raw as they are real. With its honest songwriting and immersive soundscapes, Stop And Smell The Lightning marks the arrival of an artist in full bloom.

The album’s lead single, ‘WITHOUT YOU’, which Hamilton describes as her “dance-away-the-sadness anthem,” is more than a breakup song; it’s about “coming out the other side of heartbreak and rediscovering joy.” Danceable but raw, ‘WITHOUT YOU’ portrays liberation and a step into newfound freedom. “There’s no regret, no more tears, and no time for wallowing,” Hamilton shares.

The music video for ‘WITHOUT YOU’ captures the cathartic joy of a post-breakup rebirth set in a crumbling, chaotic kitchen. “The idea has lived rent-free in my head since I wrote the song,” Annie explains, describing it as inspired by her usual post-night-out ritual: “We wanted the video to feel drunk, euphoric, and convey the total joy of getting home, taking off your bra and heels, spinning around the kitchen, and belting your heart out, karaoke-style, into a spatula.”

Initially planning to set a makeshift kitchen ablaze in a paddock, Annie instead turned to her cousin Max, who suggested an old, “haunted” farmhouse kitchen in need of renovation—a perfect fit for her plan to “f*ck with it” if not burn it down. They reconstructed the kitchen with op-shop plates, lace curtains, and a collapsing mantlepiece, creating a set that felt “gloriously off-kilter.” On working with her longtime video collaborator, Rob Agostino, Annie shares, “Despite his reluctance to let me set things on fire (probably for the best), I knew Rob would be the perfect collaborator. He went full DIY-Bunnings-dad-mode, totally masterminding the collapsing mantlepiece, unhinged cupboards, and burning toast (RIP my toaster). He absolutely nailed the edit—it came together quickly and has ended up being my favourite video. I think what I love most about it is that it just feels extremely me.”

In Hamilton’s words, Stop And Smell The Lightning is “a zigzag—a trail of ups and downs, euphoric nights out, and reflective late-night walks home.” Shining light on the fragility and intensity of the past two years, the album journeys through explosive highs and delicate depths, embracing the full range of human experience. Hamilton presents her rawest self, moving fluidly across genres with “no polishing of rough edges or watering down.”

The result is an unfiltered chronicle of life stitched with moments of joy and surrender. Stop And Smell The Lightning invites listeners to be fully present—“to stop and smell the lightning”—and find meaning in the chaos and beauty of simply being alive.

Annie Hamilton Stop and Smell The Lightning Tour
Tickets here

FRI 1 NOV • TBH FRIDAYS • WOLLONGONG / DHARAWAL, NSW
FRI 8 NOV • THE RETREAT • MELBOURNE / NAARM, VIC
SAT 9 NOV • BEARDED LADY • BRISBANE / MEANJIN, QLD
SUN 10 NOV • UNDERTONE FESTIVAL • GOLD COAST / YUGAMBEH, QLD
SAT 16 NOV • MOJOS • FREMANTLE / WALYALUP, WA
WED 20 NOV • ROUGH TRADE, BRISTOL, UK*
THU 21 NOV • THE CASTLE • MANCHESTER, UK*
FRI 22 NOV • ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH, LONDON, UK*
WED 27 NOV • SNEAKY PETE’S • EDINBURGH, UK*
THU 28 NOV • GLAD CAFE • GLASGOW, UK*
FRI 13 DEC • THE LANSDOWNE • SYDNEY / EORA, NSW
SAT 14 DEC • CHANGING TIDES • KIAMA / KIARAMA, NSW
*Co-headline with CLEWS, with support from THALA