Interviews

Banjo Lucia is a singer/songwriter from Fremantle in Western Australia who is very much starting to make waves. She’s had a stellar 2022, releasing her debut EP, Peccadilloes to broad acclaim. As well as her own headline shows, Banjo has racked up some pretty great support slots, including Stella Donnelly on her national tour, San Cisco…

Central Queensland’s indie-country singer/songwriter Hayley Marsten is very much an artist on the rise. She burst out of the blocks in 2019 with her debut album, Spectacular Heartbreak, and since then has been winning over audiences with her poignant songs showcasing heartache, growth and discovery. Earlier this year she released “I’m Fine, Thanks”, a stunning riposte…

In the middle of their first Australian tour in several years, we sat down with In Hearts Wake frontman Jake Taylor to chat about the band’s new feature-length documentary Green Is The New Black. It holds a mirror up to the music industry and its relationship to the environment. The movie chronicles the making of…

The Driver Era are your latest sun-drenched Los Angelean obsession, un-polishing the pop shine with their own candid sound despite their glossy history. Rocky and Ross Lynch could easily be thought as pop machine products; Ross coming from his well-documented Disney training ground and Rocky joining him alongside their other siblings in their past project…

When I meet multi-hyphenate creative LÂLKA in Fortitude Valley’s Bakery Lane, the first thing I notice is her outfit. More specifically, I notice the handmade jacket with huge safety pins on either side of the collar and a linen panel neatly hand-stitched to the back — the panel features an illustration of LÂLKA in the…

Brisbane’s heavy scene is flourishing right now and one of the most exciting acts is emo punk quartet The Comfort. The lads are back with their first new music in three years in the form of their sophomore record, Experience Everything. Live and Die., out 11 November via Greyscale Records. We caught up with vocalist…

Hussy Hicks are one of the hardest working bands going around. And one of the most entertaining. With incredible guitar work from Julz Parker and the dynamic Leesa Gentz on lead vocals, their indie root n blues act is always a standout. It’s fair to say that 2022 has been a tough year for them….

The emo punk scene in Australia is flourishing right now and there are few bands who do it as good as Newcastle quartet Eat Your Heart Out. After a turbulent past few years, the local legends are set to release their second album, Can’t Stay Forever, on 9 September via Fearless Records. We caught up…

Melbourne alt-metal band The Last Martyr have been making waves over the last year and you’d better hold on tight if you’re down for the ride. Wild new single “Sugar” – released just two weeks ago – has already amassed over 10k streams, got triple j airplay and featured on Channel 7’s Friday Night Football…

The pandemic has seen some brilliant comebacks in the global music scene and Brisbane hard rock legends The Butterfly Effect are down for the ride. After releasing the latest single “Visiting Hours” from their fourth album IV (out 2 September), the band’s first album in 14 years is shaping up to be worth the wait….

bbno$ (“Baby No Money”) is the Canadian rapper behind huge tracks like the TikTok viral ‘edamame’ with Rich Brian and ‘Lalala’ with Y2K, as well as his early collaboration EP with Yung Gravy called Baby Gravy.  Last year, he dropped his third LP, Eat Ya Veggies, revered for its playful word-smithing that sent him into…

Local heavy fans are still buzzing from the announcement of a national co-headline tour with Brisbane hardcore outfit Deadlights and Gippsland metalcore act Mirrors earlier this month. The Ego’s Valley tour will stop at six cities this November, supported by Sydney’s Inertia, for a triumphant return to the stage after first performing together on Thornhill’s…

When you first hear the idea, it seems unusual – a beachside music festival in winter? But imagine you’re at a packed New Orleans-style bar, warming wintery cocktail or red wine in hand, listening to Frank Sinatra classics – suddenly it makes sense. Pair that with stunning views across the ocean and you’ve got the…

Sydney pop punk favourites Yours Truly have never been shy to looking inward and evolving with each release. After their most recent EP is this what i look like?, three of the four members embarked on an acoustic tour up the East Coast to celebrate the release in a new light. Originally intended as a…

Brisbane easycore quartet Grizzlyshark have been bubbling away at the surface these past few years, but today they boil over with their sizzling debut EP MOSAIC. Featuring the singles “TMS”, “What’s the Plan Gogglehead?” and “There’s No ‘I’ in Quaranteam”, the five-track project is a platter of fervent emo with pop punk hooks to satiate…

Brisbane melodic metalcore band Citadel are one of the country’s most promising heavy acts to emerge in recent times. With their latest single “Parasyte” out in the world, we caught up with them to chat all things about the track and what else they have in store. “Parasyte” touches on some deeply personal topics and…

In a special co-curated program with Light Adelaide, light and sound will converge at The Lab over four electric weekends with some of the most cutting-edge new music locally and nationally. We spoke with David Rogriguez of Godriguez about his upcoming performance with his band Godtet. Hope you haven’t had too many floods or anything…

Self-taught Grammy Award-winning producer Mura Masa is set to arrive on Aussie shores next week for the return of Splendour In The Grass, alongside his own sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne. The Guernsey-native has had a whirlwind of a career. From relocating to Brighton at 18, being nominated for the prestigious Grammy Awards and moving…

The UK’s alt-rock favourites Foals are back with their seventh studio album Life Is Yours, but their first as a three-piece outfit. Created through London lockdowns, Yannis Philippakis, Jack Bevan and Jimmy Smith transported themselves and now listeners to a utopian place for escapism. “Personally speaking, I was stuck in London for a year away from…

The multitalented Joel Martorana is a well-established name in the local rock scene. With his fingers dipped in more pies than we can eat, the musician/entrepreneur recently released his second single, “Throne”, as Colletto Bianco (Italian for ‘White Collar’). As well as the solo project, Martorana is also the frontman of Sydney emo punk band…

If you’ve been on TikTok recently, it’s likely you’ve left humming about sticking your head out a sunroof and blasting your favourite tunes, thanks to Nicky Youre. His viral song “Sunroof” with dazy is one of the most popular tracks on the entertainment app, clocking over 6.9 million creations to date and translating to 125…

Musically minded wine brand Headline Acts have created a new industry rewards program called Headline Access. In partnership with Muso, the idea is to nurture the careers of Independent Australian artists. The Release Cycle is the first iteration of this, giving one budding artist the opportunity to learn from industry names including Johann Ponniah (I…

Sam Fischer is one of Australia’s most streamed exports right now with his hit track “This City” – an ode to his love-hate relationship with his adopted home of Los Angeles. His latest offering “All My Loving” shares the same undercurrent of opposition, this time about recognising your shortcomings in a relationship and fixing them…

Alexisonfire remain one of Canada’s and the post-hardcore scene’s most influential bands. The charismatic quintet has returned with their fifth studio album Otherness – the band’s first full-length in 13 years – to be released 24 June via Dine Alone Records/Cooking Vinyl Australia. We caught up with vocalist and guitarist Dallas Green to chat about…

Perth alt-rockers Shangrila are looking to the brighter side of life with their latest offering ‘Sunlight’, released 13 May. After welcoming two new members to the band, they are celebrating the good times rather than dwelling on the downs of their 2021 EP Analog Youth. “We decided after the long and generally depressing COVID period…

We caught up with Australian composer Ashley Davies to talk about Gold, his latest musical release. The album is an instrumental interpretation of ten of the paintings that his Uncle Len produced. Together they tell the legendary story of Lasseter’s quest to find a massive gold reef in the Australian Outback. I like the wall…

There’s not a lot that revered Sydney hip hop duo Horrorshow haven’t done in their impressive 14-year career. Friends and collaborators since high school, the legends have returned with their new EP Good Problems, released 13 May via Elefant Traks. Featuring the singles ‘DMT’, ‘Yours & Mine’ and ‘Take It Slow’, the six-track project was…

Ireland’s Biig Piig is a lot more refined and delicate than the imagery of a boar. Her music is strikingly sincere and forthright, washing audiences with a calming groove that’ll have you popping on Biig Piig in almost every situation. And Australian and New Zealand fans will no longer have to resort to streaming, albums or…

As they’ll tell you, it’s very likely you’ve heard Drax Project without realising this pop RnB collective was from New Zealand. Shaan Singh, Sam Thomson, Matt Beachen and Ben O’Leary met while studying jazz, each specialising in their respective instruments when they came together to busk in order to pay their rent. The four quickly…

LANY are currently on Australian shores, making their way around the country as they soundtrack our heartaches and hangups in the largest venues they’ve played in Oz yet. Paul Klein and Jake Goss built an international fanbase with their 2017 self-titled album, and followed it up with Malibu Nights (you can read our past chat…