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Ahead of its official release this Friday, we’re excited to bring you the exclusive premiere of What We’re Fighting For, the new EP from singer-songwriter Patrick James. What We’re Fighting For is Patrick James’ first full length release in four years and marks something of a change in direction, with James trading in his guitar…

We’re excited today to be premiere, Until The Children Grow Old, the debut EP from the Brisbane via Sunshine Coast singer-songwriter Chakra Efendi. At only nineteen years old, Efendi has already built something of a dedicated cult both at home and overseas thanks to a series of demos posted to SoundCloud. Demos, which to date,…

In our 10th year of covering SXSW on the AU review, we’re thrilled to reveal the lineup for our first ever official showcase at the iconic Austin event. Partnering with our sister publication Hello Asia!, the event will feature three Australian acts and two acts from Japan and one from Korea. It’s all happening at…

We’re a matter of days away from the release of Pond’s eighth studio album, Tasmania. Pond declares Tasmania something of a sister missive to their critically acclaimed 2017 album The Weather. The thematics of both albums are kindred in many respects. Tasmania explores place, history, hints of colonialism, and nature’s unfortunate submission towards humans – themes that…

Ahead of its official release on March 7th, we’re excited to be premiering “Thrill Me”, the new single and accompanying music video from Melbourne’s AM Reruns (f.k.a. Lip Sync Chicks). Recorded and mixed by Robert Muinos (Saskwatch, Little May), the single is the second to be lifted from the band’s debut album, which is due…

Ahead of its official release tomorrow, we’re excited to be premiering “Once”, the bright and bold new single from Sydney’s Pirra, which sees the group experimenting with electro and dance elements in collaboration with emerging artist JFT a.k.a. James From Taree.  “Once” is an exciting blend of the band’s classic indie rock vibe with some…

Fresh from announcing three major international label and agency deals, Melbourne alt-pop artist Olympia is set to drop her brand new music video “Shoot To Forget” tomorrow, and we at the AU have your exclusive first look at the clip. Get your first taste of it here: If that taste doesn’t get you excited, here’s…

Born and raised in Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges, TJ Patrick blends personal experiences with bluesy riffs and folk-like sounds, and we’re super stoked to bring you an exclusive stream (plus music video!) of the Melbourne singer-songwriter’s latest single “Falling” ahead of its offical release on February 22nd. Scroll down for the Soundcloud stream and the video! Recorded…

Ahead of the offical release next week we are pleased today to be premiering the new film clip for “Luminate”, the recent single from Sunny Coast’s resident roots band Bearfoot.  Released in November, “Luminate” is dedicated to the time the band spent at the eponymous music festival in New Zealand back in early 2017, and…

Over the last 13 years of being involved in the music industry wearing one hat or another, if I’ve learnt anything, it’s that this industry is full of the hardest workers of any I’ve ever come across. Roadies who sleep in hammocks in the scaffolding of a festival stage so they can pack down your…

Ahead of its official release we’re super excited today to premiere the new music video for “Other Side”, the recent single from the ever delightful and chilled Bobby Alu. Released in November last year, the single is a fresh feel from the Byron Bay Uke strummer, drummer and singer, and the second taste from his…

Today we’re stoked to premiere the new single from Melbourne rockers The Paddy Cakes ahead of its official release on Thursday.  Recorded and produced by Dylan Adams (DMA’s, Skeggs, West Thebarton), “Depressing All” is all set to play a part in the quartet’s forthcoming debut EP, which is set for release on Friday March 22nd. …

Man, can a lot change in six months! When readying the release of last August’s Sweetener, Ariana Grande was arguably at what many would consider her peak.  The album was bathed in the then-glow of her whirlwind romance with SNL comedian Pete Davidson (he even got a song named after him), with the now-Grammy Award…

We’re pleased today to be premiering, Artifice, the new EP from New Zealand-via-Australia singer-songwriter Alanna Eileen.  The recording of Artifice saw Alanna heading across to the United States last October, for a ten day recording stint at Montrose Recording in Virginia, with production coming from Sparklehorse’s Alan Weatherhead. The EP’s eight tracks were written between July…

Last month the genre bending Australian musician Laura Imbruglia dropped “The Creeps”, a taste of her impending fourth album Scared Of You. Today, we’re excited to be premiering the accompanying hilarious music video, which was co-conceived with director and renowned photographer Nick Mckinlay. With the track taking a significantly different musical route to previous singles…

This year, like any other, sees the Adelaide Fringe Festival produce some of the most worthwhile shows to go see all year,. So many in fact, it’s hard to know where to begin! But we have found you the five shows you’ll not want to miss, when the festival takes over the South Australian city…

In prepping their third EP, Bodies, for release later this month, Melbourne indie rockers The Avenue have lifted the lid on their new single “suburbs.cities.towns”. Given the wide acclaim for Names, their sophomore EP released last year, we’re expecting this one to really take off, thanks to it’s poppy The 1975 vibe and perfect marriage…

Well, we’ve made it into 2019 and have put 2018 behind us, and in this new year, music is still going strong. We’ve recently been through Triple J‘s Hottest 100, where the top spot was rightfully stolen by Ocean Alley‘s song “Confidence”, beating the insanely popular “Sicko Mode” (Travis Scott, featuring Drake, Swae Lee and Big Hawk) by two…

Kyoto band Zahatorte are a genre-defying trio who blend old-world European cafe sounds with the undeniably Japanese penchant for perfectionism. They’ll be coming to Australia next month for the first time, and before we show them our own country, we asked them to share with us their nine favourite secret hangouts in their hometown. So…

With a career that already spans half a decade, the evolution of American indie duo, Girlpool, is second to none. For five years, Harmony Trividad and Cleo Tucker have composed music that captures your attention and implores you to listen by tugging at your heartstrings rather than invading your personal space and screaming in your face….

With Ocean Alley taking out the Hottest 100 over the long weekend, we’re excited to (finally) bring you the AU review’s own favourite tracks of 2018, with an eclectic mix of songs from Australia and around the world that we loved over the calendar year. 40. Tropical Fuck Storm – You Let My Tyres Down…

Whether you like it or not, it doesn’t look like the NSW state government are removing the shackles they first placed on Sydney’s once vibrant hospitality (and hence, tourism) industry in 2014. And while people continue to campaign against the paralysing ‘lockout laws’, it’s looking like adaptation is the best way to go, at least…

Gentrification hasn’t yet swept through Sham Shui Po, one of Hong Kong’s least affluent working class neighbourhoods in Kowloon. As one of the more underprivileged areas in the city, it’s certainly a few steps removed from the comparative polish of Central or Tsim Sha Tsui, but that doesn’t mean that tourists won’t find anything to…

James Blake has long stood as a unique and talented artist within his own niche of alternative electronic music, with a formidable knack for contemporary hip hop inspired soundscapes as well as the ability to craft twinkling ballads of melancholy. The two sides to his talent occasionally have crossed paths previously (his remix of ‘Timeless’…

Off the back of his seventh solo studio album, Storm Boy, Xavier Rudd is playing a few select dates across the country including two sets at ‘Twilight at Taronga’ – a picturesque harbour-backdrop amphitheatre surrounded by the chorus of Sydney’s Taronga Zoo. Ahead of his soon-to-be-sold-out shows, Xavier was able to chat about his newest album, his married…

Choosing your favourite game of the year is hard. We’ve done it every year since we founded The AU Review’s games section in 2014, and it never gets any easier. In 2018, we played so many incredible games that it became impossible to list and number every last one of them, so we opted not…

It’s time to look back on the incredible year of music from Australia and around the world as we count down our 40 favourite records from the year. We’ll rush through 40-11 and then get into the nitty gritty of our top ten releases… 40. Tinashe – Joyride 39. David Byrne – American Utopia 38….

On Wednesday we were excited to reveal our nominees for the 5th Annual AU Awards, celebrating the best in Australian music over the last 12 months. Now today we’re presenting the winners across all those categories, which are awarded based on both recorded and live merit. Australian Live Music Event of the Year (Metro) St….

It’s been another incredible year of film, with powerful indie projects and incredible blockbusters that saw packed out cinemas align with strong reviews from critics. As voted by the AU review contributors, here are the 21 films we rated above the rest this year… 21. Ocean’s 8 The Met Gala sequence itself is, admittedly, quite…

2018 has been a very difficult year for ‘best of’ lists where hip hop and R&B is concerned. The often intertwined genres haven’t seen this much quality output for years, constant head-turning and critically acclaimed albums from artists both old and new have made the past 12 months the best in the scene since 2012….