Interviews

Easy Life are the UK group making international headlines. The band recently took out the NME Award for Best New British act, where frontman Murray Matravers sung Maroon 5’s “She Will Be Loved” in the place of an acceptance speech. On top of that, they’ve recently been seen hot air-ballooning around the British countryside promoting…

MC Rulla Kelly-Mansell, a Tulampunga Pakana man from Kooparoona Niara, Lutruwita (Tasmania) has joined forces with Marlon Motlop, of Larrakia, Kungarrakany and Thursday Islander to deliver the inspirational song of empowerment and pride, “Black Swan”. These two proud indigenous Australians met whilst playing AFL for the Glenelg football club in South Australia. Bonding over their…

Crowded House are gearing up for their seventh studio album’s release, only this is the first with the band’s current formation. Consisting of original members Neil Finn and Nick Seymour, alongside newly added Mitchell Froom, Liam Finn and Elroy Finn; the band is family skewed which lends for complete openness and transparency as we discuss…

In 2020, Australian singer-songwriter and Nashville-resident Emma Swift released Blonde on the Tracks, an album of Bob Dylan covers. Covering Bob Dylan songs is nothing new of course, however this album has had widespread international acclaim. It’s a reflection on the quality of the interpretations of the songs, and the track selection which has placed this album…

Gracie Abrams has been surrounded by high-calibre creatives from birth, so it comes as no surprise that this Californian artist is on a viral trajectory. Her parents are blockbuster director J.J. Abrams and producer Katie McGrath, but despite her lineage, Gracie’s music ability is a standout as she pours out her diary through her lyricism. …

Paul Field AM is best known as the ex-manager of the children’s group The Wiggles, having been with the band since its inception through to 2020. Field, however, has lived many lives outside of that success from starting in The Cockroaches, to being a family man, meeting his wife over 40 years ago; to now…

Cian Ducrot is one of the most important talents coming out of Ireland. With an intimacy and honesty to his music that sits him alongside the likes of FINNEAS or Jeremy Zucker, Cian is a force to be reckoned with. And having recently signed with Darkroom/Interscope – the label that discovered Billie Eilish – he’s…

Hot Chelle Rae shot to international fame with their 2011 hits “Tonight Tonight” and “I Like It Like That”. Then suddenly, they disappeared from the spotlight. In a story that’s not widely spoken about, the band’s music was legally bound to a souring record and management deal. As guitarist Nash Overstreet tells us, “we got…

You Am I will release their eleventh studio album tomorrow, The Lives of Others. It’s been six years since their previous album was released, Porridge & Hotsauce, and hasn’t the world changed since then. In February they released the first track off the album, the highly lauded “The Waterboy”, and the rest of the album…

Alfie Templeman, the 18-year-old prodigal British musician, has released his first mini-album Forever Isn’t Long Enough, following the success of previous collections including Happiness in Liquid Form, Don’t Go Wasting Time and Sunday Morning Cereal. Featuring producer collaborations with UK electronic duo Jungle and music mastermind Kid Harpoon (Harry Styles, Shawn Mendes, Maggie Rogers), Forever Isn’t Long Enough draws…

Zoe Wees was Apple Music’s global ‘Up Next’ artist for April with only three singles to her name and at just 18-years-old. The German-born singer-songwriter has wowed international audiences since her debut track “Control” in 2020, went viral on TikTok with her next release “Girls Like Us”, and has recently backed it up with “Ghost”….

  In 2020, San Cisco released their strongest album to date, but with travel off the cards, the band was restricted to playing Between You and Me solely around Western Australia. The album debuted at the number five spot on the ARIA Album Charts and features hits such as “Reasons” and “When I Dream” which have…

Tash Sultana is set to perform on MTV Unplugged Melbourne on May 4th, following in the footsteps of some of Australia’s greatest artists. Joining the ranks alongside Amy Shark, DMA’s, Gang of Youths and Courtney Barnett, Tash gearing up for their first performance of their Terra Firma chapter, teasing that the performance will be littered with…

SAYAH has returned after a two-year hiatus with her latest single, “Fruit” – a collaboration with Sydney producer Taka Perry about a toxic ‘situationship’ she found herself in a few years back. The track is a pop bop that plays on the duality of wanting someone and getting them out of her life. Taka brings an…

This Friday marks the release of Manchester Orchestra‘s 6th Studio Album, the highly anticipated The Million Masks of God. You may have already heard the single “Bed Head”, watched the concert film (you’ll see the both later down this article), or even watched the video for the beautiful “Telepath”, which was released yesterday. Ahead of…

Hot off the heels of releasing her latest single “I’ll Be Lonely”, we caught up with Australian singer/songwriter Layla Kay. Kay has just returned to Australia amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic, after spending three years in the UK. While in quarantine, we spoke about what it’s been like returning home, writing her aptly named single while…

Yb. is Brisbane’s next big thing. And considering the track record of the city, he’s about to be huge. The recent writing rooms and nods of industry are a testament to his trajectory, with Touch Sensitive, Winston Surfshirt and Stevan all jumping at the chance to collaborate and the likes of Tom Misch sliding into his…

Introducing another member of TikTok’s Class of ’21, Ashley Kutcher – the Maryland artist going viral for her brilliant and beautiful songs crafted from comments and Tweets. Prior to her Internet fame, the American was graduating her nursing degree while performing occasionally at a local restaurant. But since her skyrocketing rise through the social media…

Max Leone has been making waves since his bold decision to drop out of Berklee College of Music and pursue his artistry in Los Angeles. The Portland-native draws from a vast pool of influences: from Jack Johnson inspiring his love of guitar, Tom Misch’s experimentation, Frank Ocean who he drew his pseudonym from, to his…

We’re big fans of EJ Worland here at the AU. His debut EP No One Left To Blame, which dropped earlier this month, was our Album of the Week. His single “Over The Pond” came in at 27 on our 40 Best Australian Tracks of 2020 too.  His is a sound firmly rooted in the…

Bob Evans, aka Kevin Mitchell, releases his sixth studio album, Tomorrowland, today but it’s also his first since parting with EMI Music. Mitchell calls it his “entry into middle age”, with shades of Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and The Cure. Tomorrowland is a vision long held by Mitchell and with the “silver lining” that COVID-19…

Pinkish Blu are an iridescent Adelaidean pop band that will have lyric-lovers falling head over heels for their romanticised intricacy.  Their debut EP, There’s no such thing as good people, had consistent airplay on triple j and earned them support spots with the likes of G Flip, The Reubens, Trophy Eyes and more. In fact,…

2021 is the year of JESSIA. The TikTok phenomenon uploaded a semblance of a song hook on January 1st, only to have the Internet demand to hear more. Now her hit single “I’m Not Pretty”, birthed through the platform and its power for collaboration, sits at over 46 million Spotify streams, 10.9 million TikTok views…

Western Sydney-born, London-residing Mali-Koa is best known as the older sister of Calum Hood – the bassist of global sensations 5 Seconds of Summer. However, she’s been cutting through the industry and making a name for herself outside of her family ties. In 2020, she released her debut album Hunger, featuring collaborators such as Grammy-Award…

Black Pumas released their debut album in 2019, just two years after the band’s formation. They have since become four-time GRAMMY nominees and performers. And then there was that small matter of being invited to play at President Joe Biden’s inauguration, and having their music featured in a Super Bowl ad. Their rise has been…

The Soul Movers are aptly named for their body-driven music that will have any seated crown writhing in their seats. Fronted by Lizzie Mack and Murray Cook (aka the original red Wiggle), the group combine electrifying guitar riffs with 60s soul groove and a sprinkling of pop to form a night that audiences could never…

Formed through Boston’s New England Conservatory of Music in the 2000s, Lake Street Dive has been a staple in the soul-rock scene, distinguished by their jazz prowess and genre transcendence. They hit the big time with their singles “Good Kisser” and “Rich Girl” from their 2018 album Free Yourself Up, only to back it up…

Thandi Phoenix rose to international prominence with her feature on Rudimental‘s 2018 track, “My Way”. In 2019, she wowed her fans with her eponymous debut EP including hits such as “Say It” and “Cleopatra”, and now she’s following it up with her latest single “Count Me Out”. The Sydney artist places her silken RnB voice on…

Middle Kids album Today We’re The Greatest is a triumphant follow up to the debut success of Lost Friends. Recorded in Los Angeles with producer Lars Stalfors (St. Vincent, Soccer Mommy), the Sydney trio track the journey of frontwoman Hannah Joy and bandmate Tim Fitz’s marriage and budding family. Hannah’s sense of love isn’t romanticised…

Maisie Peters grew to Internet fame since launching her YouTube back in 2015. Six years on and she’s rising to take over the globe with the success of her latest single “John Hughes Movie” (her favourite is Ferris Bueller’s Day Off).  Touting Taylor Swift as a fan and her inspiration, Peters is the next generation…