New tracks and first thoughts can be found here.
Words: James Frostick
Band image: Gus Hunt
Cover art: Jill Wilkinson
In just over a month’s time, Eora Country/Sydney group Shrapnel will release its new long-play effort Alasitas. Lead single ‘Orpheum Protocol’ showcases a sonic departure for the group, which builds upon existing guitar-centric foundations and accentuates them with some charmingly off-centre instrumentation – hinting towards a newfound freedom and flexibility in sound. Continue reading Premiere: SHRAPNEL – ‘ORPHEUM PROTOCOL’
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.
Continue reading Premiere: ELA Stiles / VOICE IMITATOR– ‘VILIFICATION BRUNCH’ (REMIX)
Words: James Frostick
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.
Words: James Frostick
Band image: Elizabeth Riley
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’
Words: James Frostick
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.
Words: James Frostick
Band image: Clint Morgan
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.
Continue reading Listen: JACKSON REID BRIGGS & THE HEATERS – ‘BEEN WAITING’
Words: Doug Wallen
Band image: Gunay
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.
Continue reading Premiere: JULIAN TEAKLE – NEW HOBART (ROUGH SKIES RECORDS, 2021)
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.
Continue reading Premiere: DEVOTIONS – ‘FINAL GIRL’ / ‘MODELING’
Weirdo Wasteland 