Boox Kid Returns With Striking New Single 'Ngany Kaartdijin (On My Mind)'
Cross-genre Noongar (Wadandi Bibbulmun) artist Boox Kid returns with 'Ngany Kaartdijin (On My Mind)', an arresting new single and video out today, setting the tone for a defining new chapter as he moves toward his debut album Kalyakoorl (Forever), due October 2026.
LISTEN TO SINGLE HERE
Pronounced 'Nun Cart-idj-in' and translating to "On My Mind" in Noongar, the track surges with fast-paced indie pop energy and a distinctly Australiana edge, bright, driving and hook-heavy, while carrying a weightier undercurrent that cuts straight to the core. At once expansive and intimate, Ngany Kaartdijin explores anxiety, grief and emotional overwhelm, inspired by a moment where everything came to a halt.
Boox Kid shares, "Ngany Kaartdijin is quite a personal track. I wrote it about my experience of an anxiety attack and the feelings of losing a loved one. I remember I was driving home to pick my kids up when I literally had to pull over on the side of the road and lay down, as the lyrics state. I'd lost a best friend and was overcome with so many emotions. I think it's important to talk about mental health, particularly as an Aboriginal man. Men don't talk about it enough and I want to normalise that experience."
Blending English and Noongar, the single is a powerful expression of identity and connection, continuing Boox Kid's commitment to language preservation. A proud Wadandi Bibbulmun Noongar man, the project has been long in the making, shaped by Gina Williams and the late Guy Ghouse, and deepened through his work in Koolbardi Wer Wardong and Wundig Wer Wilura. Working with language consultant Kobe Morrison, he calls the process both rewarding and energising: "It's joyful singing in language and shaping its flow with melody - our culture is a true strength of this country."
The accompanying video, directed and edited by Bardi filmmaker Luke Riches, a longtime collaborator whose credits include KGB (ABC), Struggling Songlines (SBS) and Lost Diamonds (NITV), expands the emotional landscape of the track, weaving together sweeping footage captured across Western Australia, from Nature's Window in Kalbarri to One Arm Point Ardyaloon, Fitzroy River, Fitzroy Crossing and Bremer Bay.
WATCH VISUALS HERE
Filmed on the lands of the Nanda, Bardi, Gooniyandi and Goreng people, the visual is grounded in the healing power of Boodja, Country. "Going through that period of anxiety, connection to Country was something that was always present and grounding," Boox Kid explains.
Named WAM Vocalist of the Year 2025, he's received national airplay across triple j, triple j Unearthed, RTR, JOY, 4ZZZ, 2SER and RRR, alongside Spotify's New Music Friday, Original Storytellers and Deadly Beats playlisting and coverage from Ones To Watch, Xpress Mag, The West Australian, NIT and Rolling Stone Australia. A compelling live performer, he has played St Kilda Festival, Perth Festival, Nannup Music Festival and BIGSOUND, supported George Ezra, Miiesha, Dice and Electric Fields, and recently joined Becca Hatch for Sounds of Bunuru.
With Ngany Kaartdijin (On My Mind), Boox Kid delivers a release that feels urgent, expansive and deeply human, a track that sits just as comfortably in the chest as it does on the airwaves.
Photo credit: Cole Baxter
LISTEN TO SINGLE HERE
Pronounced 'Nun Cart-idj-in' and translating to "On My Mind" in Noongar, the track surges with fast-paced indie pop energy and a distinctly Australiana edge, bright, driving and hook-heavy, while carrying a weightier undercurrent that cuts straight to the core. At once expansive and intimate, Ngany Kaartdijin explores anxiety, grief and emotional overwhelm, inspired by a moment where everything came to a halt.
Boox Kid shares, "Ngany Kaartdijin is quite a personal track. I wrote it about my experience of an anxiety attack and the feelings of losing a loved one. I remember I was driving home to pick my kids up when I literally had to pull over on the side of the road and lay down, as the lyrics state. I'd lost a best friend and was overcome with so many emotions. I think it's important to talk about mental health, particularly as an Aboriginal man. Men don't talk about it enough and I want to normalise that experience."
Blending English and Noongar, the single is a powerful expression of identity and connection, continuing Boox Kid's commitment to language preservation. A proud Wadandi Bibbulmun Noongar man, the project has been long in the making, shaped by Gina Williams and the late Guy Ghouse, and deepened through his work in Koolbardi Wer Wardong and Wundig Wer Wilura. Working with language consultant Kobe Morrison, he calls the process both rewarding and energising: "It's joyful singing in language and shaping its flow with melody - our culture is a true strength of this country."
The accompanying video, directed and edited by Bardi filmmaker Luke Riches, a longtime collaborator whose credits include KGB (ABC), Struggling Songlines (SBS) and Lost Diamonds (NITV), expands the emotional landscape of the track, weaving together sweeping footage captured across Western Australia, from Nature's Window in Kalbarri to One Arm Point Ardyaloon, Fitzroy River, Fitzroy Crossing and Bremer Bay.
WATCH VISUALS HERE
Filmed on the lands of the Nanda, Bardi, Gooniyandi and Goreng people, the visual is grounded in the healing power of Boodja, Country. "Going through that period of anxiety, connection to Country was something that was always present and grounding," Boox Kid explains.
Named WAM Vocalist of the Year 2025, he's received national airplay across triple j, triple j Unearthed, RTR, JOY, 4ZZZ, 2SER and RRR, alongside Spotify's New Music Friday, Original Storytellers and Deadly Beats playlisting and coverage from Ones To Watch, Xpress Mag, The West Australian, NIT and Rolling Stone Australia. A compelling live performer, he has played St Kilda Festival, Perth Festival, Nannup Music Festival and BIGSOUND, supported George Ezra, Miiesha, Dice and Electric Fields, and recently joined Becca Hatch for Sounds of Bunuru.
With Ngany Kaartdijin (On My Mind), Boox Kid delivers a release that feels urgent, expansive and deeply human, a track that sits just as comfortably in the chest as it does on the airwaves.
Photo credit: Cole Baxter
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