Words: James Frostick
Band image: Barry C. Douglas
A trio of Melbourne-based music veterans have teamed up to form an exciting synth-laced outfit. ATOM, which features members of Crime and the City Solution, The Moll Flanders Band and REPAIRS, is premiering the debut single from its forthcoming record In Every Dream Home. ‘Run Out’ is the name of the track, and it paints a grim picture of the inevitable finality of our system’s rampant excess.
Words: James Frostick
Masters of harsh soundscapes and monumental noise My Disco is back with news of a forthcoming record and a new song to boot. ‘Rival Colour’ is a masterclass of threatening minimalism. It’s a sparse collection of elements have been pieced together to create a truly unsettling arrangement.
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
Melbourne’s Pest is an amalgamation of some of the city’s finest proponents of hardcore punk. The group released an EP at the end of 2018 infused with fiery protest punk – potent, immediate and aggressive. Ahead of the band’s tour of New South Wales this month, we caught up with the group to talk evolution, the efficacy of protest songs in 2019 and how protest factors into the band’s overall ethos.
Continue reading Interview: PEST
Words: James Frostick
Image: Jamie Wdziekonski
Coinciding with an incredible showing and response at their mini-fest HEXFEST, incandescent Melbourne-based quartet HEXDEBT have announced that a new album is approaching on the horizon. The first taste of the record is ‘Covenant’, a brilliant and searing example of HEXDEBT’s near-unmatched intensity and barely contained fury.
Words: James Frostick
Band image: Jamie Wdziekonski
Cover art: Carolyn Hawkins
In 2012 and 2013, ANTI FADE Records released two seminal compilations featuring a bumper crop of Victorian artists, shining a spotlight on the sounds and styles of Melbourne the east coast of Australia. Nearly five years on and the record label is announcing a third compilation to be released on August 3. New Centre of the Universe Vol. 3 strikes a balance between the plethora of styles emerging from Victoria, assembling a stellar array of acts that encapsulate much of the state’s burgeoning underground scene.
Words: James Frostick
Artwork: Zoe Irving
Melbourne’s Mares are on the precipice of dropping their new full-length album Wherewithal on Friday June 1. Following a strong showing with lead single ‘Aeroplane Mode’, the band will be ushering forth nine tracks of gritty post-punk lathered in an atmospheric mood. The tracks within the album showcase a sharp dichotomy between blinding light and unassailable dark, an endless conflict set within the twists and folds of the mind. We’ve been given the opportunity to share with you the first listen of the LP, which will be out imminently through Psychic Hysteria.
Continue reading Premiere: MARES – WHEREWITHAL (PSYCHIC HYSTERIA, 2018)
