Music

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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New Spotify Playlist: 100 tracks we “Stumbled Upon” between 2014 and 2016

Stumbled Upon was a series of new music discovery, established by Kat Hunter on the AU review in 2014. It ran 116 installments between then and 2016, with then Editor-in-Chief Sosefina Fuamoli taking over from Kat in the final year. Along the way we discovered acts like Serina Pech (pictured), IV League, Harrison Storm, Slumberhaze…

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Track of the Day: Greatest Hits “Trying” (2020)

Australia-UK trio Greatest Hits have knocked it out of the park again with their latest single “Trying”, the third in a very young career, following the excellent “Mortals” and “Phil, Slow It Down”. Produced and mixed by Sean Cook (Bombay Bicycle Club, MGMT, Best Coast), “Trying” sheds light on the band’s endearing knack at weaving…

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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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Album Review: Protomartyr return with sinister Ultimate Success Today (2020 LP)

Post-punk Protomartyr return with their anticipated fifth album, Ultimate Success Today. Whilst the band wrote and recorded their album last year, the Detroit band eerily foreshadowed the ongoing battles the world is currently facing. Gracing our ears with a flair for enigmatic and avant-garde chords, their new album doesn’t disappoint with important philanthropic messages. Their…

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Exclusive Video Premiere: TILD “Wasting Time” (2020)

Sydney grunge-pop rockers TILD are about to release their latest single, “Wasting Time”, and we are stoked today to have the exclusive video premiere of this gem prior to its release tomorrow. The band have been busy since forming in 2019, releasing singles “Slowly”, “Wolf” and more recently “Make Up”. It has sweet infectious vibes,…

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Alive

Exclusive Single Premiere: Nuria “Touch” (2020)

2020 has been a prolific year for Tasmanian indie-pop artist Nuria, and she’s showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. On Friday July 31st, she’ll be dropping single number eight for the year, the punchy and powerful “Touch”. If like us, you can’t wait,  you’re in luck, as we’re bringing you this exclusive first listen….

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Gaspar Sanz

Track of the Day: Gaspar Sanz “On My Mind” (2020)

Sydney indie-rockers Gaspar Sanz are back with, “On My Mind”, their second single of the year. Written back in 2019, the single’s message of utilising your own oppression as a form of power has become all the more poignant and timely in the increasing mess of uncertainty that is 2020.  Recorded in Sydney with producer…

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Isaiah Firebrace shares five songs that changed his life

Isaiah Firebrace rose to national prominence after taking out the top spot on The X Factor Australia in 2016. The following year, he broke onto the global stage representing Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final with his single “Don’t Come Easy”, placing ninth. At just 20-years-old, this certified-Platinum singer has accomplishments under his belt that…

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Track of the Day: Sir Winston “Hollywood Hills” (2020)

Australian-born but New York-resident Sir Winston has a pumping new tune out for you, “Holywood Hills”. The song references a rather gnarly party where his girlfriend has taken some pills at a party in the Hollywood Hills, and the mayhem associated with that. Thankfully that’s a crisis not many of us have to endure. This…

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Thelma Plum, Miiesha and more to perform at 2020 National Indigenous Music Awards

The guest performers for this year’s National Indigenous Music Awards have been announced today. The awards, which will be broadcast on across TV, Radio and online on August 8th, will feature performances from national treasure Archie Roach, Gamilaraay singer Thelma Plum, Pitjantjatjara and Torres Strait Island R&B star Miiesha and more.  The evening will also…

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Ride For Rain

Exclusive EP Premiere: Ride For Rain Never Magenta (2020)

Sydney’s pop-punk outfit Ride For Rain are about to drop their latest EP, Never Magenta, and we are thrilled to be able to give you a listen to it in full today, prior to its release on Friday. We are also premiering today the video for the third track on the EP, “Let Go”. This is…

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Track of the Day: Something For Kate “Waste Our Breath” (2020)

Though Melbourne’s Palais Theatre may be begging for some life right now, a new music video from Aussie music royalty Something For Kate fills out the empty venue as the three-piece perform on stage to no one. A rush of energy courses through “Waste Our Breath”, the second single lifted from SFK’s first album in…

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WAM’s Song of the Year Awards party goes virtual this week

It’s become pretty much the norm these days, but WAM (West Australian Music) are taking the Awards Party for their 2020 Song of the Year competition online this year. The virtual awards party will be coming to you live from WAM’s Facebook page, this Wednesday, July 29th from 7:30pm (AWST). With Odette Mercy on MC duties,…

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Track of the Day: Milq “Summer Again” (2020)

Although summer seems far away, Canadian indie-pop band, Milq’s latest single “Summer Again” gives us those nostalgic feels for warmer weather and young love. Extracted from their self-produced debut EP, tired. this track is the quintessential tune for reminiscing on our youth and past experiences of infatuation and lost love. The tone of the song…

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Oracle Sisters

Guest Playlist: Oracle Sisters (FRA) reveal the tracks that influenced their debut EP Paris I

Parisian trio Oracle Sisters released their debut EP, Paris I earlier this month via New York independent label 22Twenty. Mixed by Noah Georgesen (The Strokes, Marlon Williams), the EP is an ode to their adoptive home and its imagined futures. Over the past twelve months, in the build up to the EP’s release, the band have worked to build…

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Exclusive Single Premiere: Sammm. “Four Eyes” (2020)

Brisbane’s Sammm. has doubled-down on dreamy indie-rock with his latest single “Four Eyes”, a poignant track which unpacks a sense of bruised optimism. As elegant as it is angsty, the single channels the style of bands like The War On Drugs and Real Estate with ease. Sammm., otherwise known as Samuel Geddes, puts on one…

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Best female rappers

100 of the greatest songs by women in hip hop

It opens with Erykah Badu rhyming over a beatbox from Rahzel, and closes with Missy Elliot threatening to slap you right across your melon. We’ve put together a 100-deep playlist for this month’s Hip Hop and R&B Retrospective, celebrating women in rap by spotlighting some of our favourites from the 80’s (Roxanne Shante, Queen Latifah,…

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Album of the Week: E^ST takes us through the highs and lows of life on I’m Doing It (2020 LP)

If you told me back in 2014 when E^ST released her first single that it would be another six years before we heard a full album from her, I’d have definitely tried to call your bluff.  It feels like E^ST has been around much longer than someone who’s only now releasing their debut album. After…

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Five UK bands you should be listening to in 2020, according to Bloxx

Fronted by the enigmatic Fee, West London indie rockers Bloxx have been on quite the roll leading up to their debut album Lie Out Loud. That continues with the release of third single “Off My Mind”, a stadium-sized earworm perfectly highlighting those strong pop sensibilities fast making them one of the most exciting UK bands…

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Track of the Day: GL “Pistachio” (2020)

Melbourne electronic-pop duo GL have just dropped their first single of the year, “Pistachio”. In further good news for the band, they’ve announced that their forthcoming sophomore album,  You Read My Mind, will be released on the 25th September on their own label, Pool Records. “Pistachio” follows on from “Night Habit” which was released in September…

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Exclusive Single Premiere: Mardi Wilson “Part Time Lover” (2020)

Raw and brutally honest, “Part Time Lover” is the new single from Brisbane singer-songwriter Mardi Wilson. Tt’s a bit of a departure from previous songs like “Runaway” and “Don’t Stop”, lifted from a forthcoming debut album while further highlight Wilson’s undeniable talent at spinning her own feelings and experiences into compelling songs. Based on something…

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Track of the Day: Joesef Feat. Loyle Carner “I Wonder Why” (2020)

Joesef may be tight-lipped on his debut album, but the increasingly popular artist isn’t hiding his extraordinary talent on new single “I Wonder Why”. A static R&B jam, the new single sees Joesef hook up with fellow Brit Loyle Carner for what is easily one of the most lush, aesthetically beautiful songs out right now….

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Exclusive Single Premiere: Sarah Goodwin “Look Forward” (2020)

Aussie pop artist Sarah Goodwin has already built a solid reputation for genuinely uplifting, summer-soaked singles like “Waste My Time” and “Darker Shades”, a steady collection of blissful bops that now welcomes a new addition. Premiering today on the AU review, “Look Forward” is the new single from the Brisbane based singer-songwriter, simply diving into…

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Track of the Day: Mylk “Snooze” (2020)

Melbourne indie-outfit Mylk have just released their latest single, “Snooze”. The band has been on the scene since late 2017 and have dropped just the four singles since then. Their maxim appears to be quality over quantity, and “Snooze” certainly fits in with that proposition. “Snooze” opens with forty or so seconds of sweet guitars…

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Exclusive Video Premiere: The Marlenes “Breaking Out of Touch” (2020)

Get ready for a lot of deep, lingering looks and hazy 60’s style vocals as Melbourne band The Marlenes croon their way through “Breaking out of Touch.” Lifted from their recently released Advertise on the Moon project, the woozy soft-sway of surf rock rolls over a heady hit of psychedelia as lead Michael Proctor’s relaxed…

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Track of the Day: IJALE Feat. Rara Zulu “Hotlines” (2020)

Melbourne-based Australian-Nigerian emcee IJALE has served up the first taste of his upcoming debut EP Wildly Disparate Sounds with the conceptually powerful, aesthetically smooth “Hotline”. More than just a song, the hip hop artist has expanded upon the idea of having a safe space for the Black community and other people of colour to vent…

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Exclusive Single Premiere: The Valla “Shut My Mouth” (2020)

Only earlier this year, The AU Review premiered their single, “Ice Cream” and now The Valla return with another smash hit called “Shut My Mouth”. After releasing their debut EP Just Chemicals in 2019, the notable newcomers have been pushing the boundaries and making themselves heard. Whether it’s rocking out in secret house concerts, hosting…

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Live Music Journalists to be recognised for the first time at the 2020 National Live Music Awards

It was announced earlier this week that the 5th Annual National Live Music Awards would be returning in 2020, delivering an event on October 20th at The Triffid in Brisbane – as part of the opening night festivities at BIGSOUND. The event, which normally holds 8 events around the country, will only hold the one…

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Exclusive Single Premiere: Resin Moon “The Middle” (2020)

Alice Springs based producer Resin Moon has found his voice in a town so rich in culture, camaraderie and artistic experimentation. As he recalls, the artist found his home in remote Central Australia follows a few years of travelling and trying to find hone his craft, a path to self-discovery which has led to his…

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