Interviews

‘Looking Past the Pandemic’ with Grievous Bodily Calm from Perth, Western Australia

Keeping travel dreams alive and setting goals has never felt more important. We can all agree that 2020 has been an unfortunate year so far, and almost every facet of daily life has been wrought by this ongoing global pandemic, the start of which now feels like forever ago. The arts has been one of…

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Naked Giants Band

‘Looking Past the Pandemic’ with Naked Giants from Seattle, USA

Keeping travel dreams alive and setting goals has never felt more important. We can all agree that 2020 has been an unfortunate year so far, and almost every facet of daily life has been wrought by this ongoing global pandemic, the start of which now feels like forever ago. The arts has been one of…

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‘Looking Past the Pandemic’ with Pillow Queens from Dublin, Ireland

Keeping travel dreams alive and setting goals has never felt more important. We can all agree that 2020 has been an unfortunate year so far, and almost every facet of daily life has been wrought by this ongoing global pandemic, the start of which now feels like forever ago. The arts has been one of…

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Imogen Clark

Interview: Imogen Clark on recording her EP The Making Of Me and moving to Nashville

Sydney singer-songwriter Imogen Clark drops her latest EP today, The Making of Me. It’s been a tumultuous 18 months or so for Clark. The cumulative effect of back-to-back European and Northern American tours, the ending of a significant relationship and other difficulties faced in her personal life, led to some much-needed soul-searching. This led to…

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Troye Sivan’s new EP In A Dream is just one of his many iso-accomplishments

Despite the relentless chaos 2020 has thrown everyone’s way, Troye Sivan manages to mould it to himself and wear it with ease. It comes as no surprise – the 25-year-old megastar has been adapting to walk through open doors his entire life. It’s how he can bill himself as a YouTuber-turned-actor-turned-global-pop-sensation and how we’re only…

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Briggs

Interview: Briggs on Always Was, pub trivia, and The Simpsons

Briggs, or Senator Briggs as he’s referred to as, has been charging through this year churning out project after project like the world was never in disarray. On top of his huge collaboration with Tim Minchin on “HouseFyre”, Briggs has also penned a children’s book and is gearing up to release his first body of…

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Interview: Camp 8 unpacks his brilliant EP Everything

There is a distinct skill required in distilling beauty from heartache. Reuben Apirana, the man behind the Camp 8 moniker, may have mastered it on his EP Everything. Produced by Hayden Calnin, the EP’s 22 minutes take you on a journey of heartbreak, loss and, ultimately acceptance. Apirana wears his heart on his sleeve as…

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Watch The Dead Love perform while getting inked at Sydney’s The Tattoo Movement

We may not be able to cram crowds into local gigs right now, but that isn’t stopping some unique live sets from going down. As part of the currently ongoing “Sailor Jerry Sessions” gig series that’s moving around Sydney, local grunge outfit The Dead Love made a return to the live music circuit last week…

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Track by Track: Leanne Tennant takes us through her new album Happiness is…..

In just a few years, Queenslander Leanne Tennant has made waves in the Australian music scene, securing three Queensland Music Awards and a Carol Lloyd Award in the process. Her third album Happiness is..… is out now and has already received praise and recognition, including a Top 10 spot in the 100% Independent Albums charts…

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Glass Animals

Interview: Glass Animals on Dreamland, vulnerability and recurring nightmares

Glass Animals are making their return with their third studio album, Dreamland, which presents an unusually personal collection of songs for frontman Dave Bayley. Previously, Bailey focused on other people’s narratives – How To Be A Human Being was inspired by interviews he conducted with strangers along their ZABA tour.  This time Bayley turned the…

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Interview: Aya Yves on “Smart Girls”, creative direction and tattoos

Aya Yves was introduced to the Australian music scene with her dark pop track “(in)Sanity”, which flexed her natural control over an acrobatics of vocals. Her latest offering, “Smart Girls” is equally impressive as it takes its audience on a journey through stripping back and rebuilding, layering an earworm plucked guitar and deep piano chords with…

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Emalia

Interview: Australia’s next R&B queen Emalia on “Suga Rush”, toxic relationships and mental health

Emalia is Australia’s next R&B queen. Think a 2020s Ciara or Ashanti. It’s about time our Aussie music scene crowned a local Alicia Keys and Emalia would easily qualify as a frontrunner. Over the past year, this Sydney singer has released four incredible R&B-pop singles that take her listeners through a darker journey of lust and…

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Fontaines D.C.

Interview: Fontaines D.C. (Ireland) chat A Hero’s Death, life in lockdown, and working with Aidan Gillen

This week marks the return of Irish rockers Fontaines D.C.. The Dublin-based band are all set to release A Hero’s Death, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut album Dogrel. The album’s success, including a Mercury Prize nomination, saw the band spend a considerable amount of time on the road. A transience that has ultimately…

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THE GLOW

Interview: DMA’S (AUS) on THE GLOW, live shows and ibises

DMA’S are Australia’s token Britpop band, having amassed an incredible following on home turf and through the UK. The four times ARIA-nominated Sydney trio have sold out London’s 02 Academy Brixton and were all set to be touring through the UK this month before the world went into lockdown. With their highly anticipated third studio…

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Jetlag The Podcast: LPX on the artist & label experience during quarantine and the BLM movement

Lizzy Plapinger of MS MR, who now performs as LPX – and is the co-founder of Neon Gold Records – is the guest on the fourth episode of Jetlag The Podcast’s second season, “An Industry Grounded”. Lizzy talks about what it’s been like releasing new music, including her latest single “Delayed Gratification”, and having to…

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Interview: Marvell (AUS) flourishing during lockdown and their latest single “19 Homes”

We caught up with Northern-beaches indie-rockers Marvell during the week, to talk about their latest release, “19 Homes” and how life has affected them during the current crisis. As you’ll see, they have positively thrived during these times. The band was formed in 2016, with the founding members being Tom and Max Marvell. No prizes for…

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Lime Cordiale

WATCH: Lime Cordiale play Tait’s 8 as they announce a live music comeback of intimate shows.

The iso-wait is over! Gigs are beginning to make a comeback as Lime Cordiale takes the lead with their string of already sold-out gigs being announced at Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory. Only there’s one restriction catch: all audience members will be seated in what is set to be a very intimate and possibly bizarre concert…

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Interview: Ocean Alley (AUS) on Lonely Diamond, secret recipes and the luxury of time

Ocean Alley have cemented themselves as a pillar within the Australian music scene. From taking out the inaugural top spot on triple j‘s Hottest 100 in 2019 to being a festival fixture across the country, it’s quite clear that us Australians quite simply cannot get enough. And thankfully not only do Ocean Alley hear this…

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Tim Minchin

Interview: Tim Minchin (AUS) on his debut album, his idols and pursuing multiple careers

Tim Minchin is undoubtedly in the ranks of modern geniuses. Across his career, he’s excelled in nearly every artistic pursuit. He has toured his comedy internationally, composed globally-received musicals, acting on and off iconic stages and created viral political anthems. His work has earned him numerous Edinburgh Festival Fringe Perrier Comedy Awards, multiple Olivier Awards,…

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Interview: Stevan (AUS) on Just Kids, summer romances and his newfound confidence

Stevan is inserting himself in the leagues of Chance the Rapper and Frank Ocean by dropping his debut body of work, his mixtape Just Kids. At just 19, he’s one of the most promising young talents in our horizons as a multi-instrumentalist and producer creating woozy modern beats that blend influences from the greats such as Stevie Wonder…

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Bruno Major

Interview: Bruno Major (UK) on To Let A Good Thing Die, unleashing the brain and songs to cry to

Bruno Major made waves with his debut album A Song For Every Moon, which he drip-fed to his followers with a song each month. A creative exercise which held him accountable to release music consistently through 2017. His soft-spoken heart-wrenching lyrics earned him some big name fans, including FINNEAS, who reached out to collaborate on a…

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Figure It Out

Interview: Tadhg Daly (UK) talks “Figure It Out”, creativity in lockdown, and the Jersey scene

London and the rest of the UK has been in lockdown since late March. That hasn’t stopped singer-songwriter Tadhg Daly from keeping busy and keeping creative. Since March, Daly has released two singles, live streamed, and continued to record in his home studio. His most recent release, “Figure It Out”, dropped on May 25th, with…

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Sports Team

Interview: Sports Team (UK) discuss their debut album and what it’s like to be Deep Down Happy

English band Sports Team are on the verge of releasing their debut album, Deep Down Happy, in June. Having postponed its release and all tours on the back of COVID-19, we asked lead singer Alex Rice a few questions about the album, what growing up in England was like, how his lockdown experience has been,…

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Interview: The Jungle Giants’ Sam Hales: A Major Life Remix & His Livestreaming Show

Cancelled gigs, social distancing and a deeper focus on technology are the reality of many artists right now. We had a chat with Sam Hales from The Jungle Giants about life after COVID-19 and his recent live streaming show. The Jungle Giants are known for their tours: it feels like there’s always another one around…

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Interview: Runaway Belles on lockdown, livestreams, and latest single “The Weekend”

Performers and housemates Tash Parker and Emma Angelesy have joined forces to create Runaway Belles. Fresh off the release of their first single, “The Weekend“, and a series of weekly livestream performances, we caught up with the Tasmanian folk duo to find out more! Firstly, thanks for your time girls! Pleasure! Thanks for having us….

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KIAN

Interview: KIAN (AUS) on “Every Hour”, turning 18 and growing as a musician

It’s been a full year since The AU Review caught up with KIAN, when the then 16-year-old dropped his debut EP BLISS. Since its release, KIAN has ticked off phenomenal milestones musicians decades his senior are waiting to achieve: he played Splendour in the Grass and Spin Off Festival, toured the UK and Europe with Conan Gray, travelled…

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Interview: Steve Smyth on recording his latest EP Blood in a church, and life in lockdown in Spain

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…

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Interview: Diet Cig (New York) on quarantine dreams, double denim and why streaming services needs to step up

While many bands are postponing their releases,  New York duo Diet Cig are delivering us a gem of a record in Do You Wonder About Me? this Friday. I caught up with the band over the phone last week to chat about releasing the album in these difficult times, and how they’ve leveled up in…

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Interview: Max Lawrence introduces us to his new single “Gasoline” and talks about isolation during these bizarre times

Melbourne musician Max Lawrence has a new single called “Gasoline” which is out now via online streaming. His music embodies passionate vocals infused with a smidge of electronic and dance music, but still maintaining those chamber pop credentials we’ve grown to love. I’m curious to watch and hear Max Lawrence’s music progression. I hope he…

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Birds of Tokyo

Interview: Ian Kenny of Birds of Tokyo (AUS) on their new album Human Design, isolating and healing his heart.

Birds of Tokyo have been a staple rock band in the Australian music landscape since their formation in 2004. In fact, they’re one of Triple J‘s three most played artists of the millennium, with over 70 of their songs featuring on the station’s rotation. It’s safe to say, our country loves anything this Perth outfit…

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