Features

Canadian bluegrass four-piece The Dead South are heading to Australia and New Zealand for the first time ever this month, supported by The Hooten Hallers. The sold-out tour will see the beloved band play seven shows back to back up the East Coast, returning to Northcote Theatre in Melbourne before two shows at Auckland. Due…

The new year’s festivals have come and gone, and the next mighty explosion of music is the 2023 Laneway Festival. We’ve done the hard work for you, and assembled a list of all the sideshows. Many have sold out, but there are still a handful of shows with a few tickets left. Amongst the artists…

It’s that time of year when our team of music writers and editors get together to count down the 40 best albums of the year. And while this has been no usual year, the quality of music that has been released has been incredibly high. Suffice it to say, this has been a very difficult…

Far North Queensland indie-rock artist Maggie Slater is quickly proving herself as one to watch. The singer has a distinguished ability to write honest and passionate songs that move you, physically and emotionally, and bring them to life onstage. Her latest single “Pulp” – released 16 Nov – is her first new music this year…

Perth country-rock artist Siobhan Cotchin is quickly proving herself as one to watch on the rise with a slew of new music this year. The five-time WAM Award nominee released her latest single “How Does It Feel?” on 22 Nov, accompanied by the announcement of a national tour in December. Cotchin returned to Tone City…

Last week Central Coast artist NEAV (aka Niamh Watson) released her debut EP, ELEGY. The EP contains four songs previously released, namely  “Talking To The Devil”, “Built The Same”, “Silence Song” and the current single “Say Goodbye”, as well as two new tracks. If there is one take-out from this impressive debut, it is NEAV’s stellar…

Sydney indie-pop singer-songwriter/poet meadowhip has today shared her soulful debut EP Ruckus, a journal of transformation and acceptance. The solo project from Cara Walkam comes after a major haemorrhagic stroke in 2019 and sees her utilise music as an outlet to overcome self-doubt in this transitional part of her life. “After several months of intense…

Ghanian-born/Sydney-based rapper and producer Yawdoesitall is quickly cementing himself as one of the country’s most promising emerging hip hop acts. The exciting artist dropped his highly-anticipated debut EP Life I Chose last Friday and it’s already making waves. Recorded himself at his home studio, the seven-track project is equally chill and hype with a unique…

Melbourne prog metal outfit Circles have today shared the first of a two-part EP, The Stories We Are Afraid Of | Vol. 1, via Wild Thing Records. Featuring the singles “Sleepwalking”, “Dig” and “Echo”, the six-track project was produced and mixed by guitarist Ted Furuhashi and mastered by Luke Cincotta (Karnivool, Dead Letter Circus). The…

Who said breaking up had to be such a disheartening affair? Certainly not New Zealand reggae/dub outfit KORA.  Today they have released “Gone”, a heartfelt track detailing the end of a romance and the difficulty in coming to terms with its end. The song acknowledges heartbreak, yet has a vibrant and captivating silky smooth vibe. If…

Melbourne alt-pop multi-instrumentalist Albert Salt has today released his brilliantly quirky new EP We’re All Going to be Alright. Featuring the singles “I Know for Sure that I’m Not Sure” and “I Was Meant to be Home for Easter”, the four-track project combines fuzzy guitar and modern programming with Salt’s distinctly warm vocals. The songs…

Sydney’s Jet City Sports Club are in a rich vein of form, continuing to crank out joyfully infectious slices of indie pop. They’ve recently dropped the summer-laced “Feeling It All”, a song packed with emotion and a triumphant lush chorus. It has a poppier feel than their earlier tracks, but it’s done oh so well….

Sydney indie-rock quartet A.D.K.O.B. (A Different Kind of Busy) have made a strong return with their debut album Defender, released 31 Oct. Created during the 2020 lockdowns, frontman Mark Piccles impressively finished much of the album’s material over a two week period. This next phase of the band began as organically as their inception with…

Hobart rock trio Verticoli have proven to be one of the most promising acts from the south with their resolute new album The Echo, released 9 Nov. The 10-track project was in safe and confident hands, being produced by Jon Grace (Dear Seattle, Dune Rats, Kingswood) and mixed by Forrester Savell (Make Them Suffer, Karnivool,…

Perth’s electronic/pop artist Grace Sanders has today released her second EP, the captivating and intimate Nothing Is Personal. The material on the record was inspired by the trauma associated with the breakup of a long-term relationship. It’s an intimate record, with all the feels that you would expect from these events, but it doesn’t dwell…

We’re officially barrelling towards the end of 2022, a year that has been packed with international and local live music springing back to life after a series of crippling lockdowns. It’s been jam-packed, to say the very least, and next year is looking even stronger as some truly big-ticket acts like Elton John, Red Hot…

Perth indie-pop singer Madoc Plane has today released his debut EP Own Worst Enemy, featuring the groovy singles “Right Reason” and “Overdrive”. The four-track project showcases his dazzling vocals over shimmering guitars and ambient textures in a short but bold offering. As the title suggests, the EP explores the inner workings of Madoc’s mind and…

  We’ve been fans of Sydney duo Salarymen since their debut single “Please” was released in November of 2019. Fast forward three years, and today they are releasing their second EP, the fabulous Head in the Sand. For those late to the Salarymen story, the duo is a collaboration between Thom Eagleton (Wild Honey, Burn Antares) and Renee del…

Indie-quartet Wet Denim hail from Wellington, which is undoubtedly one of my favourite towns in New Zealand. A number of exciting bands have emerged from NZ in recent years and Wet Denim are part of the latest crop. Today they have released the single “Free”,  an exciting follow-up to their debut single, “Another Hit” which…

Brisbane pop-rock songstress Hope D has today returned with a groovy new single “Senseless” and announced her debut album Clash of the Substance will be out 10 February. Her latest offering is an honest confession of regret and vulnerability that taps into the core themes of the album: adolescence, substance abuse and heartbreak. Bright guitars…

When a talented artist passes away and their unreleased music makes it out into the world, it’s not always for the best. In the case of Sydney rocker Nick Weaver (Deep Sea Arcade, The Tambourine Girls), who sadly died of bowel cancer in April 2021, it is. The aptly-named posthumous record Won’t Let Go –…

Last week Sydney outfit Key Out released their third album, Afterville, following on from 2020’s Anthropomorphia. Afterville is an album that should be on everyone’s playlist. Continuing on from where they left off with the last album, each track on this latest LP is a gem with lushly layered instrumentation. The vocals are warm and…

Brisbane/Meanjin-based outfit Dusty emerged onto the scene in 2021, and have been winning fans over ever since. Delivering pop with relatable lyrics, their sounds track the lives of those listening in. The highs, the lows and the in-betweens are covered with infectious hooks and beautiful melodies. Today, Dusty have dropped their debut EP, Glitter, containing…

Last month WA singer/songwriter Finn Pearson released the earnest and vulnerable “Hard to Find”, a song that we loved so much that it was our Track of the Week. Initially, he may have found his songwriting nestled amongst the traditional folk singers, but these days you find him amongst contemporary folk and indie rock. Fans…

Jessica O’Donoghue is a creative and avant-garde artist, who creates what she describes as “Post-Baroque Dramatic Pop” music. She released Rise Up, her latest album last Friday, and that label seems to fit the bill perfectly. Classically trained at Sydney University, Victorian College of the Arts and London’s Covent Garden, Jess’s career has been eclectic and…

The must be something in the water in the South Coast of Sydney. The quality of the bands to come out of there in recent years is truly outstanding. Yes, Hockey Dad was one to do the trail blazing, and in more recent times we’ve seen The Vanns, The Terrys and Chloe Dadd making inroads….

AU favourite Bec Sandridge has today released her Lost Dog EP. It’s five tracks of lush indie-pop and is as accomplished in her guitar-pop as with the electronic forays that feature as well. The EP features her latest single, “Easy To Go Bad”, a personal, intimate and brooding track, of which Bec writes: “This one’s…

Wollongong’s indie-pop quartet Pirra have today released Spirals, their first record since their 2017 EP, Animal Kingdom. It’s a beautiful eclectic mix of straight-out dance floor bangers as well as other tracks that may appear a little more laid back, but suck you into a jiving vortex before you know it. The creativity of the…

Wollongong rock five-piece Satin Cali are back with killer new single “One of These Days” and a fun accompanying video, out today. Bright guitars and explosive vocals over a punchy rhythm section make this rocking track one of the band’s best to date. The empowering lyrics address life’s brevity with such conviction that you’ll forget…

Sydney singer/songwriter Able Joseph has recently released the tender and intimate track, “Lonely LA”. It’s a heartfelt song that tells the story of a couple who are treating their journey through life as one that is navigated by them as a team, and all that entails. It follows on from his previous single, “SOLO” which…