Tasman Keith Ends The Year Right With New Song ‘August 24th’

Content warning: Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this song and video may contain the images and names of people who have passed away.

Gumbaynggirr rapper Tasman Keith wants to make the end of the year memorable, and today has done so by dropping his last new bit of music before 2025 rolls in.

In an announcement to Facebook an hour before the song dropped, the artist said: “New music at 10 am today. finishing the song as we speak. wanted to end the year right as we roll into the next. See you then.”. Following through as promised, he shared a link to his new song August 24th in the comments. Originally teasing the song in a snippet online on September 30th, the track now exists in full form, ready to treat our ears.

The song opens with a 70s/80s soul chop, inducing a nostalgic feeling instantly, before Keith opens up with freshness and rawness lyrically, unveiling his experience of mourning and grieving the loss of his late grandma. In just a few bars, Keith details each step of the mourning process, from his first discovery of the passing to the cultural traditions that followed, reminiscing on the period of his life that has ultimately shaped this song. The track, compact at 1:53, then closes out with the rest of the sample, allowing the audience to ruminate on a heartfelt homage to someone who was a pillar in Tasman Keith’s life.

Looking back on 2024, the year has been fruitful for Keith in many ways. From playing the annual Yabun Festival, to taking over the Sydney Opera House with The Jarrett family in April and Vivid Sydney soon after, to releasing his new single TERRITORIAL and receiving Australian Music Video Of The Year by Triple J and Rage for his collaborative song Lordy Lordy with Warnindhilyagwa woman and singer Emily Wurramara (and breaking his leg in the midst of it all), it makes sense in many ways to come full circle at the end of the year and release August 24th as his final offering to the fans.

You can check out August 24th by Tasman Keith below.