Year: 2020

“Air Forces” is the new single from 23-year-old Muslim poet and songwriter Mustafa. The single, which is built around samples of a Sudanese tribal chant, follows the success of his debut single “Stay Alive”. Further, “Air Forces” marks the continued exploration of a musical style that Mustafa describes as ‘inner city folk music’. The move…

Want the short and sweet verdict on the Sony WH-1000XM4 over-ear headphones? They are exceptional, and by far the best I have ever owned. Although you probably already expected that. With the fourth-generation of the company’s insanely popular wireless headphones dominating 2020, Sony has once again come out and reclaimed the throne, defending against the…

The ever-creative, dessert-minded folks at Black Star Pastry may be most famous for the juicy flavours of watermelon and strawberries, but they never shy away from the quintessential hit of chocolate now and then. That’s most evident with their latest creation, the dramatic and hugely indulgent “Chocolate Mirage”. Adding to their already stacked and varied…

Writer/director Suzanne Lindon stars as Suzanne, a 16-year old student who is starting to feel a sense of ennui as she trudges through her daily routine of high school adolescence. Her mingling with her friends is becoming tedious and boring – evident in an amusingly awkward party sequence – and her outside life feels constrained…

The Godfather is my favourite film of all time, and it was my love of gangster films that led me to Mafia. Released in 2002, it is one of the most underrated and nuanced mobster stories of that or any hardware generation. Since then, the series has both vanished and returned to the fold, along…

If you haven’t eaten at Sandoitchi, now is the time to do so, as they are offering up a tasty discount on their menu. Situated in the heart of Darlinghurst, the cafe opened in 2018 and has become renowned for their delectable Japanese inspired dishes such as their katsu sandos and bowls. As of next…

Neo-soul singer-songwriter/producer Ange performed an intimate COVID-friendly show at The Vanguard in the lead up to the launch of her new single “Dead to Each Other” (featuring Chelsea Warner) on Wednesday night. The new track is available this Friday 25th September on Spotify, be sure to check it out! Photographer Belinda Dipalo was there to…

Melbourne-based alt-folk artist Riley Pearce has today released a new 6-track EP titled Maybe I Can Sleep It Off. The EP sees Pearce take a more of a band-like approach – with Pearce himself noting that it is quite a diversion from some of his previous releases. “Maybe Dad’s messages of “needs more chorus” or…

North Carolina singer-songwriter Dylan Gilbert continues to tease the release of his forthcoming solo album, I’ll Be The Lakebed, with the release of a new music video. Gilbert, a founding member of Charlotte-based genre-bending punks Hectorina, teamed up with director and performer Sarah Ingel for the music video for “Good News”. A week out from…

Today Dublin singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dunluvly drops his new single, “Too Late”. The single is the first release from his forthcoming EP Plethora.  Written, recorded and produced by Dunluvly in his home studio, the single is a delightful blend of the traditional and contemporary. You’ve got that beautiful fingerpicked guitar, so obviously rooted in the…

Huawei is known for rewarding high price tags with ambitious spec sheets, at least attempting to somewhat re-balance the tug-o-war between power and value. This year, that’s been most clearly demonstrated with the ridiculously pricey P40 Pro+, asking a lot, but giving just as much. Balance is hard to achieve the more the price hikes,…

Skullcandy has long been a reliable brand when it comes to personal audio devices, but truly wireless earbuds are still a relatively new line for them with the original Push released in 2018. This year, we’ve got the Push Ultra, sitting at at A$249.95, only slightly cheaper than the current price for Sony’s gold-standard WF-1000XM3…

After the insanity that was Preorder Day, we thought it might be a good idea to put together a list of all the Xbox Series X accessories you can preorder in Australia. Bare in mind, stock appears to fairly limited for launch so don’t be too disappointed if you miss out, and know that you…

The very first wave of PS5 accessories is on the way, and as we’re sure you can imagine, pre-order shipments are selling out fast. You’re going to need to move quickly if you want to snap any up. To make things a bit easier, we’ve rounded up all the official PS5 accessories dropping on launch…

On his debut solo album, Darwin-based producer Kuya James sets out to exhibit the talents of the broad Australian music community. ISA showcases the diversity that this country has to offer and, in the process, re-establishes the Australian identity. Kuya James, known off-stage as James Mangohig, was born to a Filipino father and a Dutch…

While plenty of attention is focused on Samsung’s super premium Z Fold2 device right now, the company has released the latest model in its dominant Galaxy S20 series, slimming a few things and straightening out the price point for a “Fan Edition”. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE takes much of what makes its more expensive…

With the release of their debut album, Melbourne five-piece Stevie and the Sleepers have achieved something rare in modern music – authenticity. Stevie Joy and Jason Fados have announced themselves as songwriters who can truly tell a story. Sonically, most of the time it’s a straight down the line Blues record. It flirts with Blues…

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…

2020 has been a rollercoaster year (to say the least). By this stage, you might have resigned yourself to spending all your time in your living room, venturing not much further than your garden. Amid the chaos and stress of the pandemic, however, many of us have turned to music for comfort, or as a…

As crammed as the name suggests, WWE 2K Battlegrounds introduces yet another entry to 2K’s “Grounds” series, off the heels of NBA 2K Playgrounds 2. The crux of these experiences revolves around the fact that they never take themselves too seriously. Over the top game play and stylised visuals keep this game from feeling like…

The UK based pop-rock band NAIPIA is making waves this year with their recently released official video clip for their track “Tightropes”. The single has a quick and upbeat rhythm with compelling lyrics of personal growth and balancing the light and darkness within us. Known for their songs about youth and personal journeys, the track…

Today we are premiering “Pipe Dream”, from Skyepaint, featuring Bares. Skyepaint is the moniker for Novocastrian synthpop songwriter/producer Amos Wellings. He has teamed up with Melbourne-based indie-pop singer/songwriter Bares to create a bright summery tune, just the tonic to dance away your problems.  “Pipe Dream” will be released on all streaming services tomorrow. “Pipe Dream” is an…

The first thing that strikes you about Greatest Hits’ new EP is that these songs are mature. They’re self-aware. You get the distinct impression that no-one has tried too hard to write them. This is a personal opinion, but I enjoy an Indie Rock outfit that isn’t afraid to pay respect to the prog rock…

Queer cinema has come through quite well over these past few years. We have had great examples like Call Me By Your Name, Love, Simon and Moonlight; foreign entries like BPM (Beats Per Minute), the Oscar-winning A Fantastic Woman and BAFTA-winning The Handmaiden and hidden indie gems like Princess Cyd, Beach Rats and God’s Own Country. All of these films have had critical acclaim and they…

It’s been two years since Newcastle indie pop quartet Vacations released their debut album. Now, the group have returned with their latest LP Forever in Bloom. The tracks on Forever in Bloom are full of bright synths, dreamy guitars and punchy drums, creating a danceable groove that is consistent for the duration of the album….

If you were hoping to replay Spider-Man: Remastered on your PS5, we bear some unfortunate news. We’ve known for a while that Insomniac’s Spider-Man was coming to PS5 alongside the stand-alone Miles Morales expansion. Questions have lingered over a potential upgrade path for Spider-Man PS4 owners moving to PS5. Fans who already own a PS4…

Ever seen a band post about current affairs on their socials, and then read comments where morons say something to the effect of “stick to music”? There’s a very good chance you have. IDLES are the type of band that this would occur to regularly. They’ve built a platform on their anti-establishment themes, lyrics, persona and…

Robin Hood is dead. A grief-stricken Will Scarlett takes on the mantle, struggling to balance the need to survive with the desire to end those who have taken everything from him. But he is not the only one calling himself Robin Hood; others have co-opted his friend’s myth, and their intentions are less than pure….

Razer has announced three of its most iconic gaming peripherals are getting the wireless treatment. The BlackShark V2 Pro, DeathAdder V2 Pro, and BlackWidow V4 Pro are part of the brand’s latest range of wireless flagship products. Now gamer’s will be able to enjoy their favourite games without the hindrance of cables getting in the…

Abi Tucker has a new single out “Friends for Life” taken from her album Who Do You Really Know, which was released in January this year. Many might remember Tucker as a star actor in several iconic Australian dramas, including The Secret Life of Us, Heartbreak High and McLeod’s Daughters. Parents may even recognise her…