Finn Pearson strips back to raw emotion on 'Equilibrium Acoustic Version'
Photo Credit: Josh Ludlow & Pierre Gildenhuys
After unveiling the powerful full-band version of Equilibrium earlier this year, Boorloo/Perth songwriter Finn Pearson returns with a stirring reimagining: Equilibrium (Acoustic), out 24 October.
Where the original leaned into brooding alt-country and rock textures, Equilibrium Acoustic pares everything back to its essence. Slide guitar and backing vocals float in the spacious arrangement, allowing Pearson’s lyrical vulnerability to step into the spotlight. What emerges is a more intimate, sentimental take that feels like a completely new song.
“The idea for a stripped-back version of Equilibrium came from realising just how far the song had travelled,” Pearson explains. “It began life as a poem in 2020, then morphed into a slow, finger-picked folk tune that I’d only play at really intimate shows. When I launched the new band lineup in 2023, though, I had this wild vision of turning it into an almost AC/DC-style rock riff… Unsurprisingly, that clashed hilariously with how introspective the lyrics are, so the released version landed somewhere in between. All through recording, though, we kept talking about how well it would work as an acoustic track… In the end, I decided to follow in the footsteps of some of my heroes such as Springsteen, and put out the acoustic mix as a surprise single. For me, the stripped-back version brings a new sentimentality to the lyrics, while letting the slide guitar and backing vocals breathe in a way they couldn’t before. It really does feel like a different song, one that stirs a completely different set of emotions.”
This acoustic release shines a fresh light on Pearson’s hallmark songwriting, revealing the fragility and emotional weight at the heart of Equilibrium. It’s a companion piece that captures the same nostalgia, memory, and tension as the original, but seen through a quieter, more introspective lens.
The track was written and performed by Finn Pearson, with production and mixing by longtime collaborator Oliver Bodlovich (who also contributed drums and backing vocals to the previous band release), and mastered by James Newhouse.
Following a huge 2024 that saw Pearson and his band perform at Out of the Woods, Wave Rock, Blues at Bridgetown, and share stages with Kingswood and The Southern River Band, Equilibrium Acoustic offers fans a chance to experience Pearson’s work in its rawest form: stripped down to the soul of the song.
Finn Pearson’s new single, Equilibrium Acoustic, is out 24 October