Year: 2020

If you don’t want to play the waiting game and count the days before the likes of Joker and 1917 hit streaming services than this week is going to be good to you. For the next few days, from now until Wednesday 20th May, a digital download frenzy called Mega Movie Week is on, slashing…

Paper Mario, the king of Mario RPGs, is finally back. Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach are on their way to the kingdom’s annual origami festival, but something is amiss. Peach seems to be acting a bit strange. You might say her character has suddenly become … paper thin. All of this is surely the work…

Seattle-based artist, Scarlet Parke returns with her latest single “Pretend”, produced by Jake Crocker. After releasing her debut LP, Flight Risk, the artist is known for channeling raw emotions and experiences into her music. The track evokes nostalgic feelings towards an ex-lover with an eclectic side of smooth r&b-pop-trap beats. The recurring lyrics throughout the…

During these unprecedented times, when staying at home is of the utmost importance, us here at The AU Review are going to be doing everything we can to help readers live their best lives, indoors. As with many other media companies who typically focus on getting folks out and about, we’re shifting to adapt to…

GTA 5, one of the most popular and successful video games of all time, is free right now on the Epic Games Store. The reason the game has had such a dramatic cut in price is due to the Epic Mega Sale, a mid-year event that applies significant discounts to popular games. Throughout each week…

Steve Smyth is arguably one of Australia’s most talented singer-songwriters. These days Steve calls Barcelona home, and with Spain being one of the worst affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,  his lock-down conditions have been more stringent than most. I caught up with Steve a couple of weeks ago, as he was releasing “Yours Sincerely”, a…

Today’s new PlayStation State of Play broadcast was all about Ghost of Tsushima. Ghost of Tsushima is an open-world action-adventure game set in Feudal Japan. It follows a wandering samurai named Jin, who wages a solitary war against Mongols invading the island of Tsushima. In short, it’s exactly the sort of game PlayStation look for…

A follow-up to his first release in five years (“I Don’t Know”), “Doubting Thomas” is the new one from the reliable Josh Pyke and another strong offering from the veteran Aussie singer-songwriter. Pyke, in a statement, says the break allowed him to shed some “self-imposed rules” when it comes to songwriting, and that “Doubting Thomas”…

During these unprecedented times, when staying at home is of the utmost importance, us here at The AU Review are going to be doing everything we can to help readers live their best lives, indoors. As with many other media companies who typically focus on getting folks out and about, we’re shifting to adapt to…

Inspired by and recorded in the city of the same name, Seattle is the upcoming EP from Sydney garage-pop-punkers Bloods. Fronted by Marihuzka Cornelius/MC, and with Dirk Jonker on drums, and Mike Morgan providing guitar, bass and backing vocals, the trio’s latest is a love letter to 90s rock and iconic turn of the century…

The newest feature film for us to enjoy from the company of our own homes during isolation is one that was never acquired for big screen distribution. Coming from HBO Films (following the largest acquisition deal of the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival), Bad Education is the dramatised telling of a true story of corruption…

Melbourne band Howlite make their return this week, with new single “Infancy”. Offering insight into their forthcoming EP Not Here, the single sees the trio venturing into the territory of “dark” other-worldly pop. We’re excited to bring you this exclusive first listen ahead of tomorrow’s official release date.  Alison Thom’s beguiling vocal is what immediately…

Epic Games have unveiled Unreal Engine 5, the next iteration of their popular software development kit. The trailer, released this morning on social media, shows a lengthy real-time demo that spotlights two new systems — Lumen and Nanite. Lumen is a new system for dynamic global illumination. Its job is calculating how light should look…

2K Games has announced Mafia Trilogy, an apparent collection of all three mainline Mafia titles. This would include the original Mafia, Mafia II and 2016’s Mafia III. All we have to go on right now is the teaser trailer. The most interesting part is that footage from Mafia II lookin’ real good. You can check…

This afternoon, the 2020 ABIAs (Australian Book Industry Awards) were live streamed into the homes of book lovers across Australia. Winners were toasted, writers celebrated, and history was made, in more ways than one. Thanks to COVID-19 2020 saw the Award’s Gala held virtually for the first time in the event’s history. 2020 also marks the…

It’s getting more and more cost effective to join the traditionally expensive ecosystem of smart home security tech. Amazon’s Ring is giving a big nod to that fact with the announcement of its next-generation Video Doorbell, featuring significant improvements on the original model while maintaining its very attractive price of AU$149 The Amazon-owned company will…

The mid-range market has been a sweet spot for smartphones in the past few years, and Oppo are more focused on it than ever with the A91. While the Chinese company awaits the release of their much anticipated and super premium Find X2 Pro, it may be the A91 that ends up being one of…

During these unprecedented times, when staying at home is of the utmost importance, us here at The AU Review are going to be doing everything we can to help readers live their best lives, indoors. As with many other media companies who typically focus on getting folks out and about, we’re shifting to adapt to…

It’s been a hot minute between drinks for French artist Woodkid, whose acclaimed cinematic pop sees him sit somewhere in between M83 and Hans Zimmer. Tracks like “Run Boy Run” have notably popped up in shows like Umbrella Academy, and he also scored the 2015 Jonás Cuarón film Desierto. There’s an industrial feel to his…

The Birdman has returned. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2 finally remasters the first two games in the legendary series. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2 launches on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC via the Epic Games Store on September 4, 2020. Fans who preorder the game get early access to a…

Sydney based artist SMALLS is just a couple of days out from releasing his debut single, but for those of you who can’t wait that long, never fear! We’ve got the exclusive premiere of “Tail Lights” right here on The AU Review! Originally hailing from country NSW, SMALLS is the performing name of Will Robinson….

Sennheiser recently released the second generation of its acclaimed noise cancelling earbuds in Australia. Dubbed the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 earbuds, the AU$500 pins are impressively specced and boast a surprising battery life of up to 28 hours. Given the Momentum series has always been reliable when it comes to both performance and design,…

Qatar Airways has committed 100,000 free international flights to frontline healthcare professionals across the globe. As the airline’s way of expressing gratitude for their heroic work during the ongoing pandemic, complimentary economy class return tickets are being offered, with full flexibility on destinations and travel dates up until the end of this year. There’s even…

During these unprecedented times, when staying at home is of the utmost importance, us here at The AU Review are going to be doing everything we can to help readers live their best lives, indoors. As with many other media companies who typically focus on getting folks out and about, we’re shifting to adapt to…

Six piece outfit Papaya Tree never linger in one genre for too long. Drawing on their blended backgrounds as jazz students, indie contemporary producers, and morticians, their sound is as unorthodox as their histories, and latest single “Out In The Wash” is no exception. With 80s inspired synths and a wistful chorus, its a mellower…

Copenhagen duo ARES (Louise Andersen and Line Mortensen) have tapped into their inner supervillains with new track “Burn“. It’s a deliciously dark slice of electro-pop, with a catchy chorus inspired by Heath Ledger’s Joker. Of the track, ARES said: “We were playing with the image of setting everything you own on fire and just starting…

South of Tasmania sits The Wheel. It is the largest mountain in the world, almost triple the height of Everest. Accompanied by a small island, complete with its own formidable peak, The Wheel has been conquered by only one man – American billionaire climber Walter Richman. It’s been more than fifty years since Richman stood…

As of 15th May, Etihad Airways will officially operate a regular schedule service from Melbourne to London Heathrow, via its home hub of Abu Dhabi. The move comes as border restrictions begin to cautiously relax in wake of stabilising COVID-19 cases, and Governments begin to plan for further loosening of lockdowns. In addition, as of…

Alex the Astronaut has just dropped the first single, “Lost”, off her forthcoming debut album, The Theory of Absolutely Nothing. Her two previous EP’s To Whom It May Concern and See You Soon demonstrated her innate ability of this gifted songwriter to capture the zeitgeist of our times. With her songs, you always feel like…

Alexandria-based No. 5 Restaurant, Winner of the AGFG People’s Choice Award 2020, has teamed up with the ever-reliable Archie Rose to put together “Date Night” food and drink packages for at-home diners every Thursday. Priced at $99, the packages are available every Thursday of this month, and will rotate each week but generally contain numerous…