Naarm/Melbourne duo Vacuum sowed some sensational aural discord when they dropped their self-titled debut album through Heavy Machinery Records and It Records back in February. After letting our brains marinate in their brand of knotted industrial unce for just over a month, the duo is reaching out once more from the strobe and shadow to gift us with their self-directed and produced visual treatment for standout slice ‘I’ll Call You’ – an unsettling-yet-hypnotic montage that pairs perfectly with its sinisterly sneaking soundtrack.
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.
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.
Bedroom pop made with a punk attitude, the music of duo Baby Doll Eyes is a masterclass in scuffed-up energy and campy spunk. Yesterday the two-piece dropped a nine-track cassette full of bent and subversive jams via Dero Arcade and are keeping the release celebrations going with the visuals for standout track ‘Pizza Face Boy’, a punchy encapsulation of Baby Doll Eyes’ eclectic and electric approach to danceable discord.
Claire McCarthy of Heart Beach fame is stepping into the limelight with a new solo project called Pretty In Pink. Today marks the release of Pretty In Pink’s self-titled debut cassette, out through Eternal Soundcheck. The cassette’s ruminative lead track ‘Letters’ has been given a visual treatment to accompany the release, giving life to the wistful pondering and minimalist acoustic strum featured within.
Words: James Frostick Band image: Ross Coulter
Cover art: Richard Lewer
Naarm/Melbourne dream-pop two-piece Time For Dreams is today unveiling ‘A World Of Your Own’ – the second single from its sophomore album Life of the Inhabitant (out next year via It Records). Imbued with a palpable yearning couched within a sense of desperate loneliness, this serene lullaby-like composition navigates the the illusory nature of a one-true love – a idealised companion born from fanciful imagining and wanting.
Words: James Frostick Band image: McLean Stephenson
A year on from the release of its previous single ‘Weightless’, Warrang/Sydney crew 100 is back – announcing its signing to newly minted label Endless Recordings and the arrival of fresh material to boot. Truculent new single ‘Psych’ is a staunch and uncompromising scud of murky post-punk that lashes out at the poseurs, pricks and pinheads that exist within the masculine milieu.
CIVIC – one of Naarm/Melbourne’s most compelling proponents of rugged, rip-roaring rock and roll – return with a hot new 7″, out now via Flightless Records. ‘Radiant Eye’ is a heated slice of CIVIC’s signature sprint, boasting percussive kicks that leave dents and licks that leave scorch marks.
Words: James Frostick Artist image: Margarita Strateas
Nicolaas Oogjes is stepping away from the heat-beat release of NO ZU – donning a Stetson and a pair of Cuban heels, thereby transforming into his outsized cowboy-electronica and synth-sleaze persona Cong Josie. Today marks a formal introduction to the artist’s enigmatic sonic persona via new digital single ‘Leather Whip’. This rodeo is a throbbing piece of sweat-drenched hedonism and peacocking virility that cloaks a tongue-in-cheek self-awareness and earnest critique. It’s a striking and unpredictable turn for a figure who has built a career out of creative artistic pivots.
With new single ‘Jenny (Breathe)’, June Jones of Two Steps on the Water fame steps further into the spotlight as a solo artist. This is a song of survival, which June sings to herself and others who, in her words, are “hurting and [need] a place to rest, recalibrate, and breathe”.
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 