Words: Doug Wallen
Tuscan Ruins is the moniker of Melbourne-based ambient producer Tom Murchie, whose late-2018 release Miel was one of the hidden gems that flew under most radars last year. Featuring serene soundscapes and a crumbling natural grandeur, Miel is an engrossing listen and an incredibly strong showing from a creative entity still in its infancy.
Continue reading In review: TUSCAN RUINS – ‘MIEL’ (BLACK SPRING, 2018)
Words: James Frostick
Band image: Emily Herbert
Discordant Melbourne noise punks Synthetics are releasing their potent and acidic debut EP CRUX this month through Tender Collection. The EP is a cache of blasted and polluted noise, harnessed and focused into a potent sensory assault. Between the crunch and the clangour, Synthetics weave a brand of fury that is both nuanced and arresting. Continue reading Premiere: SYNTHETICS – CRUX EP (TENDER COLLECTION, 2019)
Words: James Frostick
Artist image: Katherine Rose
Make-up Artist: Grace Hudson
Alt-RnB duo Pillow Pro digs deep into the unsettling murk of anxiety on their new track ‘Hurricane’. The single and its associated visuals do a remarkable job at providing insight into the mental chaos synonymous with the wide-spread affliction, while also emphasising on the importance of self care and genuine support from friends and family.
Words: James Frostick
Not far removed from a frenzy of activity with their other project Terry, Al Montfort and Amy Hill slow things down a touch with their new two-piece project Sleeper and Snake. ‘Sugar and Gold’ takes a look at Queensland – a state built by mountains of sugar cane, colonial greed, the slave trade and oppressive heat.
Continue reading Listen: SLEEPER AND SNAKE – ‘SUGAR AND GOLD’
Words: James Frostick
Art: Eve Dadd + David Forcier
The Snakes have emerged from Melbourne’s swampy morass of punk with a phenomenally catchy interpretation of dissonant sleaze. The group will be putting a mini-LP out in March, but lead single ‘Snakes Bday’ is a perfect introduction to a band that is bringing a distinct edge to the scene.
Words: James Frostick
Band images: Jamie Wdziekonski
Melbourne’s Bananagun are dropping a brand-new 7” featuring some colourful examples of their 60s-inspired jazz-psych. ‘Do Yeah’ and ‘Top Cat’ shows the group’s expertise in not only recreating the sounds of their inspirations and precursors, but cunningly avoiding making it sound dated or rehashed.
Continue reading Premiere: BANANAGUN – ‘DO YEAH’ / ‘TOP CAT’
Words: James Frostick
Image: Jamie Wdziekonski
Erica Dunn – known to many as the magnetic guitarist and vocalist for bands such as MOD CON and Tropical Fuck Storm – has unplugged and mellowed for her solo guise Palm Springs. Palm Springs & Friends is Erica’s new album, out officially today through Tender Collection. The record is an incredible collection of outsider folk, plumbing the depths of Erica’s mind and offering eight tracks that are startling in their immediacy and lingering in their impact. It’s our pleasure to premiere the album in full, as well as to talk to Erica about the record’s formation and creative intent.
Continue reading Premiere: PALM SPRINGS – PALM SPRINGS & FRIENDS (TENDER COLLECTION, 2018)
