Words: James Frostick Artist image: Aaron Claringbold
Ela Stiles is today releasing a white-knuckled, adrenaline-fuelled remix of ‘Vilification Brunch’ – a similarly visceral number by post-punk foursome Voice Imitator. The remix swaps Voice Imitator’s motorik chug and echoing whispers for a wired pulsing synth thump, bringing the band’s deadpan and surrealist critique on modern living into sharp relief without lessening any of its minatory qualities.
Meanjin/Brisbane-based experimental-pop troika Spirit Bunny are today releasing the second track from their forthcoming album Uncanny Valley. Inspired and informed by relentless shellacking endured during sub-tropical summers, ‘Stomping’ sees Spirit Bunny maintaining composure even as sweat drips into their eyes and over their repurposed instruments.
Following hot on the heels of previous single ‘Temporary Solution’, Naarm/Melbourne-based indie rock quintet The Vovos are saying good riddance to bad rubbish with follow-up single ‘Spring Cleaning’. This animated number showcases the group’s mature attitude to dealing with unrewarding friendships – consciously uncoupling from low-value folks in favour of more nourishing relationships.
Words: James Frostick Artist image: Alex Gordon-Smith
Kaurna Country-based collective Dom & The Wizards are mere weeks away from the release of forthcoming record The Australian Cyclone Intensity Scale (out on April 2 via Tenth Court), but are squeezing in one more appetiser in the form of new single ‘Classical Antiquity Sunsets’. The track sees bandleader Dom continuing his marvellous storytelling streak, weaving sinister tales set to the kind of sun-warped music that can only emanate from his corner of the continent.Continue reading Premiere: DOM & THE WIZARDS – ‘CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY SUNSETS’→
Naarm/Melbourne gutter-rock all-stars CIVIC continue to build momentum towards the release of its debut long-play record Future Forecast (out later this month on Flightless Records) with second single ‘Tell The Papers’. This auditory assault, while direct and relentless, conveys a far-out tale that traverses time and space – existential subject matter put to a soundtrack that’s best suited for shaking those heavy thoughts out of your noggin.
Following on from last year’s barnstorming long-player Hammered, Naarm/Melbourne-based punk posse Jackson Reid Briggs & The Heaters are back with another gnarly offering. ‘Been Waiting’ is the first prickly piece of music from the group’s forthcoming fifth record Waiting In A Corner. The track is propelled by the group’s signature sense of raucous energy, but heightened production serves to highlight the sextet’s bruising appeal in greater detail.
After nearly a year and a half between releases, Naarm/Melbourne psych-punk trio Bitch Diesel are suddenly a flurry of activity, dropping a new four-song tape on the way to a full album later this year.
Words: James Frostick and Julian Teakle Artist image: Wil Moon Cover art: Brendan Boucher
Julian Teakle of iconic Nipaluna/Hobart two-piece The Native Cats is pivoting from TNC’s signature throbbing bass-heavy post-punk sound on his brand-new solo album. Via his own interpretation of stripped-back (but still punk-influenced) jangle, New Hobart (out today via Rough Skies Records) sees Julian exorcising his frustrations with the more aggravating aspects of modern living, delicately balancing the airing of grievances with personal musings on mental health, perseverance and living without regrets. We’re extremely privileged to be giving the record its debut spin, which we are sharing alongside a Q&A with the artist himself.
Words: James Frostick Band image: Ruby Gabe Varbørton and Bridghid Russell
A couple of years on from the release of introductory statement ‘Nil By Mouth’, dream-pop duo Devotions return with a lush double A-side single. Serene and surreal, both tracks boast blissful waves of luxuriant dream-pop sound – the kind that is effortlessly easy to sink into, but impossibly hard to extricate one’s self from.
Continuing its recent trend of bringing sounds from bygone decades into the present, esteemed label Chapter Music is today announcing the forthcoming release of Turn My Dial – The M Squared Recordings and more, 1981-84 – a reissue of tracks from Meanjin/Brisbane-born teenage-pop prodigies Tangled Shoelaces. Charting the group’s recorded work over a three-year period, this compilation showcases not only the group’s undeniable knack for song-craft, but also eerily prognosticates sounds that would come to shape Australia’s music scene in the ensuing decades.
Weirdo Wasteland is an Australian-based music blog that examines musical endeavour from the cultural fringe. The site regularly features reviews and interviews from the underground scenes from Australia and New Zealand. Weirdo Wasteland acknowledges the original custodians of the land upon which it operates. Sovereignty has never been ceded. To get in touch, contact: weirdowasteland (at) gmail.com
Weirdo Wasteland 