Year: 2020

Continuing their strong 2020 run thus far, Oppo will bring the new Reno4 series to Australia in October, sporting two 5G phones for the mid-tier market with a feature-heavy set that includes advanced low-light photography and videography modes, fast charging and the kind of display you’d typically expect from more expensive phones. The Reno4 5G…

With so much talent involved it’s a real shame that Dirt Music is unable to chart above underwhelming mediocrity, framing its narrative around a far more interesting back-story that is only sporadically hinted at. Based on the best-selling novel by Australian scribe Tim Winton, and adapted for the screen by Jack Thorne (Enola Holmes, TV’s…

Brisbane alt-folk group August River Band have today released their debut album Thank you Pain The Brisbane based trio – made up of Eev Ferreira, Gerard Kerr, and Lil Burrows – have developed a sound that fuses rock, folk and indie music. Their unique sound offers wonderfully juxtaposed chemistry between the tortured singer-songwriter, the classically…

Melbourne based singer-songwriter Daniel Trakell has today released his stunning debut album Warning Bell. Known for his delicate and evocative folk stylings, Trakell’s music sound can be described as George Harrison meets Elliott Smith. There is a lovely unification of ‘70s influences alongside a contemporary indie-folk sound. The singer-songwriter previously won Triple J Unearthed Artist…

Melbourne-based singer-songwriter BATTS returns with a brand new single. Written and recorded to feature on a collaborative cassette tape for This & That Tapes, “Dancing On The Moon” sees the musician return to pretty familiar interstellar territory.  The single came about following contact from Joseph Carlough, the owner of Philadelphia-based label This & That Tapes….

As the end of 2020 approaches and with everything the world has gone through this year, it may have left some of us feeling bewildered and overwhelmed. Whether your financial situation has changed, fitness levels have declined or your overall wellbeing has taken a toll, consulting with a wellness coach may be the first step…

The boys from Ballarat, Gangz, are about to release their latest single, “Evils”, and we’re thrilled to be able to premiere it today on the AU. It’s a fun summer-tinged tale of growing from the harder moments in your life. Speaking about their new single, the band says, “Evils is about embracing all the bad…

Young Franco has been making iso-2020 feel like we’re still ripping up a dance floor on the weekends even though in reality, we’re just vacuuming. His tracks are iconically electro-disco dance brushed with a stroke of hip hop that makes it impossible to sit still while listening. This year’s phenomenally successful track “Juice” feat. Pell…

Last week Kuya James released ISA, his debut album, which is a formidable collection of songs and collaborations with some of the exceptional artists from the Northern Territory. Kuya James is the moniker for James Mangohig. As well as his songwriting skills which are up in lights on this album, he is an accomplished producer….

Morrigan Crow has finally found a place to call home. Spending her days with her Wundrous Society classmates, and her evenings with the inhabitants of the magical Hotel Deucalion, Morrigan can now focus on her real task: mastering her growing Wundersmith powers. But something strange is happening in Nevermoor. Well, stranger than usual. Nevermoor’s peaceful…

When I first put on the pre-stream of Midnight Manor, the second album from The Nude Party, I’d just got home from a long day back in the office after seemingly having never left my house for the last six months. Just as I wondered what I was going to cook for dinner having forgotten…

Something For Kate have just dropped their latest single, “Come Back Before I Come Back To My Senses”. This is the fourth single from their upcoming album, The Modern Medieval, their first in eight years. It’s a slow builder, a love song, with two main protagonists featuring. These are excitement and fear. They know that pursuing…

Keeping travel dreams alive and setting goals has never felt more important. We can all agree that 2020 has been an unfortunate year so far, and almost every facet of daily life has been wrought by this ongoing global pandemic, the start of which now feels like forever ago. The arts has been one of…

In the early 2000s, Canadian group Hot Hot Heat, led by frontman Steve Bays, were tearing up dance floors with their unique blend of indie rock, dance-punk, and post-punk revival. While they never achieved overwhelming commercial success, the band maintained a devoted fan base right up until they called it quits in 2016. This week,…

Sydney 5-piece Goons, have their latest single ready to hit the airwaves, “Bella”.  This follows on from their debut release, “Home Run”, which was released earlier in the year. “Bella” is a rocking tune with a great message. It opens with some big guitar licks before lead singer The Great Lummox brings his a-grade vocals…

Gabrielle Carey may have written more in the field of biography, but is best known as the co-author of Puberty Blues, written alongside Kathy Lette. Her latest offering, Only Happiness Here: In Search of Elizabeth von Arnim combines the straight accounting of the twentieth century writer’s life with a form of literary analysis and memoir that has…

Not content with dominating the market for sports earbuds, Jabra has gone and put out what is easily one of – if not the – best business-minded pair of headphones of 2020. That’s no surprise given that the company isn’t at all new to this game, and their previous noise-cancelling enterprise headsets have received plenty…

Adelaide-born Alex Hosking is a name you might not have heard, but you’ll know her songs. As a songwriter with credits alongside Vera Blue, The Preatures, The McClymonts, M-Phazes and Jess & Matt, she’s now dishing out more tracks from her solo project. Having amassed impressive international airplay and charting success with her feature on…

This Saturday, 3 October, the AU review is presenting a livestream of Tia Gostelow, from 10AM AEST in collaboration with The New Colossus Festival as part of their ongoing program of live performances. Gostelow was initially booked to perform at The New Colossus Festival in New York City in March but was unable to do so…

Becky Rhodes is an indie-pop singer/songwriter based in Melbourne, and this week releases her debut EP, Wonder.  Rhodes grew up in Queensland, and attended the QLD Conservatorium of Music, before relocating to Melbourne to further her career. This EP has been in the works for quite some time, with Rhodes lining up Mark D’Angelo of The…

Is $379 too much to spend on a smart toothbrush? As we continue to look at smart home essential for the AU review, we were bound to run into the crossroad of hygiene and technology at some point. That brings us to Philip’s Sonicare DiamondClean 9000, an app-connected electric toothbrush that’s making some ambitious claims…

Keeping travel dreams alive and setting goals has never felt more important. We can all agree that 2020 has been an unfortunate year so far, and almost every facet of daily life has been wrought by this ongoing global pandemic, the start of which now feels like forever ago. The arts has been one of…

There’s a scene in the second episode of The Walking Dead: The World Beyond where our four teenage protagonists are hiding from “empties” (walkers, zombies) in a treehouse, chewing through the short time by playing Monopoly and passing a bowling ball around while bellowing “Big Moe” – the ball’s given name. It’s amongst the most…

As we move away from winter and into spring, those who love a good, hard spirit are looking for something a bit more vibrant on the palate. Although given that we haven’t quite left the erratic weather behind, something mature and full of enough fire to keep the chest cosy at night. That’s a delicate…

The Billymil family have lived in the small town of Darnmoor for three generations, and expectant parents Celie and Tom are preparing to welcome the newest addition. But tensions between Darnmoor’s Indigenous and settler families are rising. And the divide between the white run town and the Campgrounds, where the Billymils call home, is growing….

Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and 5 Seconds of Summer stalwart Ashton Irwin is all set to release his debut solo album, Superbloom at the end of October. He’s teased the album’s imminent arrival with the release of the single “Skinny Skinny”.  I don’t know what I was expecting the debut solo single from Irwin to sound like….

Keeping travel dreams alive and setting goals has never felt more important. We can all agree that 2020 has been an unfortunate year so far, and almost every facet of daily life has been wrought by this ongoing global pandemic, the start of which now feels like forever ago. The arts has been one of…

The multi-talented singer/songwriter/producer Hayden Calnin released his latest EP, Soon Forever last month. It’s a collection of four tracks, each lush and atmospheric soundscapes. Today we have the exclusive video premiere for the final track on the EP, the epic “As I Exit Parts I & II”. This track is unusual and worthy for its…

Keeping travel dreams alive and setting goals has never felt more important. We can all agree that 2020 has been an unfortunate year so far, and almost every facet of daily life has been wrought by this ongoing global pandemic, the start of which now feels like forever ago. The arts has been one of…

Music fans will often find their favourite tracks are bigger than their genre. In fact, some music is so big it permeates into an entire subculture. Australian DJ, Steve Wide celebrates this with two sharp new books, A Field Guide to Punk and A Field Guide to Post-Punk and New Wave. Both of these are…