Album Reviews

Change is both uncomfortable and necessary, which is why it’s such a touchy but relatable subject in contemporary music. There comes a point in every band’s career where they must decide whether to continue doing what they know and their fans enjoy, or instead follow their instincts and pursue their own style. Naarm/Melbourne-based alt-rock act…

After five years, Ceres have made a triumphant return with the release of their sixth studio album, Magic Mountain (1996-2022). Although it appeared the band had taken a hiatus, they were, in fact, working on this double album in various forms over the past five years. Spanning a massive twenty-five tracks, this record is a…

Post-hardcore band Drug Church drop their fifth studio album today. PRUDE is an electrifying 28-minute record full of bangers, with a blend of punk rock, post-hardcore and alternative rock. It’s short and sweet, with each track packing a punch. Drug Church’s sound has evolved over the last thirteen years, and I’m confident that PRUDE is…

This past week, Australian indie-pop/rock sensations The Rions dropped their much-anticipated second EP, Happiness in a Place It Shouldn’t Be. The six-track offering arrives just in time for summer, destined to carry on the breeze and dominate airwaves all season long. It’s an energetic, heart-filled collection of groovers, set to become the soundtrack of festivals…

This week English alternative rock stalwarts Maxïmo Park release their eighth studio album Stream of Life via Lower Third Records. Despite logging 20 years in the industry and an impressive eight album discography, Maxïmo Park have crafted a release still brimming with energy. Rooted firmly in the sounds of the late ’90s and early 2000s,…

Elana Stone has been a professional musician for over 20 years, with the multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter’s résumé suggesting she’s vying for the top spot as Australia’s busiest musician. When she isn’t winning ARIA Awards with All Our Exes Live in Texas, lending her talent to Missy Higgins’ touring band, producing, podcasting, writing a musical, or…

As I dive into Bright Eyes’ latest offering Five Dice, All Threes released this week, I must admit the band — and its frontman, Conor Oberst — has long eluded my musical radar. Picking up a Bright Eyes album does feel like starting at the end of a long-running series, three decades in the making….

Following her acclaimed 2020 album Get Well Soon, Perth-based singer-songwriter St South (Olivia Gavranich) returns with an introspective, soul bearing five-track EP Big Sads. Known for her more sleek bedroom pop sound, Gavranich’s previous releases blended moments of shimmering, danceable pop with the occasional heartbreaker. With Big Sads, she’s peeled back the layers producing something…

With the release of their sophomore album Illuminator, American psychedelic rock quintet GIFT showcases a bold evolution in their sound and direction. The band brings together nostalgic electronic pop-rock elements with expansive, synth-heavy production, resulting in a sound that feels drawn from the wells of bygone eras but equally modern and current. Following their 2020…

The music of English singer-songwriter Alexander James O’Connor, better known as Rex Orange County, has always felt like a taste test: love at first listen or not for you at all. The 26-year-old musician’s indefinable genre fusion, best described by Google as jazz, hip hop, bedroom pop, indie rock and lo-fi soft rock is arguably…

Boston Manor‘s fifth studio album, Sundiver drops this Friday, September 6th and serves as the follow-up to their 2022 release, Datura. Sundiver, produced by Larry Hibbitt and engineer Alex O’Donovan, represents a clear departure from its predecessor, with a refreshing evolution in sound and style. “Datura (Dawn)” opens the album with a serene ambiance, featuring…

This week, American indie rockers Enumclaw released their second full-length album, Home In Another Life. Hailing from Tacoma, Washington, the band’s name references the small town of 12,000 people located about 45 minutes east of Tacoma. But beyond the census details of small-town America, “Enumclaw” is a Native American word meaning “thundering noise,” a fitting…

Since their debut EP Wett Weather in 2017, Teenage Dads have been captivating audiences far and wide. Their 2018 debut album, Potpourri Lake, quickly established the Victorian quartet as a force to be reckoned with, delivering an iconic sound that truly sets them apart in the indie music scene. Not ones to rest on their…

There’s no gentle easing into the second studio album from Sydney pop punk trio, Yours Truly. TOXIC bursts forth from the speakers, delivering a swift smack in the ears with opener “Back 2 U”, and then it’s full speed ahead for the rest of the album. Strap yourselves in, kids. Given this is a new line-up,…

There has been a long and keen wait for JPEGMAFIA’s latest album. Currently, he is at his peak of popularity following 2023’s SCARING THE HOES a collab album with Danny Brown. Fans have known that this album was coming and each of its many delays have only intensified the desire to hear it. With each…

What do you get when you combine two iconic, era-defining front men who together account for nine number-one albums, millions of record sales and a staggering 38 songs in Triple J’s Hottest 100? Well, mostly the answer is a question: Why didn’t this happen sooner? The real answer to that question though, is Fanning Dempsey…

From unflattering comparisons, unassailable legacies and assumptions of unearned success, following in the footsteps of a famous parent likely requires a little bit of masochism. No doubt the privilege, access, and prestige of being the offspring of a Beatle like Julian Lennon or Zak Starkey makes things easier, but the bravery to follow in those…

It’s no debate that there is an abundance of exciting heavy bands simmering in the Brisbane scene, but few tick as many boxes as Revoid. Today, the alt-metal quartet share their highly anticipated new EP Evergrey. Featuring the singles “Everything” and “Never Mind”, this six-track project is their most refined yet. Since their 2022 debut…

There’s a certain level of magic in guitar, bass and drum bands. In a world where this set up ever so slowly fades into extinction, The Buoys and their debut album Lustre feel like it could be the catalyst for the recommencement and reemergence of classic, solid and bloody fantastic guitar rock. The Buoys’ debut…

It’s fair to say that Windwaker have become one of the most exciting and beloved heavy exports of late. The Melbourne metalcore favourites have today unveiled their highly anticipated album HYPERVIOLENCE via Cooking Vinyl Australia and Fearless Records. Featuring the singles “SIRENS”, “Fractured State of Mind” and “The Wall”, the 13-track project is the band’s…

In Hearts Wake‘s latest album, INCARNATION, marks a triumphant return for the Byron Bay natives, who first burst onto the scene with their debut album, DIVINATION, in 2012. This sixth studio album, released on July 12th, arrives in the wake of the announcement of the upcoming departure of long-time vocalist and bassist Kyle Erich. Vocalist…

Late last week saw Kasabian drop their eighth studio album, Happenings.  It does feel like it’s been on the horizon for sometime, though, as the first single, “Algorithms” was released over a year ago, back in June 2023. As a Kasabian fan, I have to be honest and say that I’m still adjusting to the…

Three years after the breakthrough release of Mood Valiant in 2021, Melbourne’s own Hiatus Kaiyote return with an 11-track, genre-bending album, Love Heart Cheat Code, out now via Brainfeeder Records. Continuing their inimitable blend of neo-soul, funky jazz and psychedelia, this latest release firmly establishes the quartet as one of the most exciting, entertaining, and…

From humble beginnings uploading songs to SoundCloud while working at McDonald’s, Omar Apollo’s rise to fame has seen the artist swapping drive-throughs and bedroom demos for the Billboard charts and Grammy nominations. With the release of his sophomore album, God Said No, Apollo has put together his most cohesive and complete offering so far. With a…

As a music lover, I often find myself haunted by a persistent existential dread. I worry about the countless extraordinary songs in recorded music history that end up discarded due to artistic indifference or the constraints of genre standards and “radio-friendly” requirements. It’s a self-imposed anxiety, perhaps, but The Felice Brothers newest release, Valley of…

During Camila Cabello‘s tenure on the US talent reality series The X Factor in 2012 as a member of girl collective Fifth Harmony, at-the-time judge Demi Lovato singled her out during a performance to note that only she shined on stage. Given her mammoth success as a soloist it’s often easy to forget that Cabello…

Eight years on from their Somewhere Anywhere EP, The Mad Walls return to the psych rock scene with their debut LP Have You Heard the News? out today. Brimming with a signature blend of acid-dipped, soupy psychedelia sanded back and slapped with a lo-fi vintage varnish, there is something old and new, classic and novel…

The Story So Far is set to grace your ears today with their highly anticipated fifth album, I Want To Disappear, and what an exceptional treat it is. Formed in 2007, the band has built a reputation for infrequent but highly impactful releases, making this new album particularly special. Following the immense success of their…

New Jersey, probably unfairly, isn’t usually a name that immediately leaps out as a well-known producer of musical superstars. Yet the roster of huge hitmakers emerging from the garden state, from Frank Sinatra to Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi, suggests there is certainly something in the waters of the Jersey Shore. Baptized in that water and…

Following the widespread acclaim of her debut solo record Distance in 2020, New Zealand-born, Melbourne-bred, and now Los Angeles-based indie artist Jess Cornelius is set to release her sophomore album CARE/TAKING this Friday through Tender Loving Empire. With a strong 10-song offering, CARE/TAKING continues Cornelius’s style of heavily biographical and vulnerable songwriting, with reflections on…