Music

I’m sitting in my car. It’s about 6:07, traffic is heaving through the city and all I can think about is crashing on the couch, heating up some food and maybe chucking some Netflix on the telly. I’m exhausted, ready for the day to end but than suddenly my ears prick up. Brae Fisher is…

Last month saw Sydney-based singer-songwriter Odette embark on her first headline national tour supporting her debut album To A Stranger. The tour proved to be a massive success, with the twenty-one year old playing to sold out crowds at each stop! This week she’ll be heading out on the road again, this time supporting The Cat Empire as…

Marriott’s millennial brand Aloft hotels is once again kicking into high gear for their annual Project: Aloft Star, a good ol’ fashioned band comp that, for the past few years, has been uncovering and amplifying unsigned musicians from across the Asia-Pacific region. Fashioned as an “artist discovery competition”, the program is nearing its grand final…

Brisbane may be the capital of the Sunshine State, but the first day of BIGSOUND saw very little sun amongst the downpour. But the wet weather did little to dampen the excitement of the members of the Australian music industry gathered for the festivities. Everyone soldiered on through the wet weather – wearing free ponchos supplied…

Day one of Brisbane’s BIGSOUND was met with pouring rain but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the night! Featured in this gallery are a few of our favourite performances from Alice Skye, Bugs, CLEWS (pictured), Voiid and The Beths:

We’re big fans of Julien Baker here at the AU, so we were stoked to hear that the Memphis singer-songwriter has teamed up with Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus for a new side-project: boygenius. What initially started as a series of chance encounters, performances and a bit of pipe-dream has evolved into a forthcoming EP…

It has been two decades since Ms Lauryn Hill branched out into a solo career, releasing her seminal The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and watching it become one of the most acclaimed, awarded and influential albums of its time. She’s been busy touring it around the world for the all important 20 year anniversary, and…

This year at Gamescom, the Video Games Live orchestra performed selected arrangements from the Overwatch original soundtrack. The performance was amazing, its heroic themes accompanied by some of the game’s iconic cinematic shorts. A video game soundtrack played live, particularly by a full orchestra, is something that’s only come into vogue in the last decade…

The 19th annual AMERICANAFEST will take over many of Nashville’s iconic music venues later this month. Running from the 11th – 16th September the festival is a great opportunity for artists – emerging and established – to showcase their work, form international ties and win sponsors. Australia’s national music export initiative, Sounds Australia, will be…

Melbourne was again reminded of its amazing homegrown talent as the Gasometer was treated to Eilish Gilligan’s sold out performance on Saturday night. EIlish, joined by both Max Quinn and Essie Holt helped the sellout audience forget about the cold and rain with their exuberant sets and loving songwriting. The stage setup was reminiscent of…

Fresh from making waves in the Australian and international indie-pop scene, Adelaide’s The Montreals, are back with their latest offering “Y2K” – a track that’s sure to soothe you out of your midweek slump. Since first launching onto the scene in 2016 with their acclaimed debut EP Indigo Club, the eclectic South Australian quartet have…

Kicking off next week, Australian Singer-Songwriter Julia Jacklin is touring some massive venues across North America with Swedish sister-Duo First Aid Kit. Starting on September 9th, the two groups will play no less than 19 shows together across the States and Canada, with one of their Brooklyn dates already sold out. For those unfamiliar with…

Sydney based artist Old Cities’ self-titled debut EP was released on Friday, mixed and produced by the man himself, Jordi White. Old Cities I paints the last 10 years of White’s life, written and recorded around the globe, each song embellished by these distinct influences. The EP carries an anthemic design, conjuring comparisons to Coldplay, Gang of…

From that mesmerising bounce, spun into a tribal-like dance, to the wispy vocal performance from Sydney artist Sparrows reminiscent of a vocalist like Lykke Li, “Over & Out” is a strong case for the return of euphoric dance-pop in 2018. The singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist, born Jessica Nitties, has chosen to put this solid work…

It dropped to 4 degrees both nights of Snowtunes 2018, so what did the organisers do to combat the crowd getting frozen? They assembled a lineup that would be sure to have the audience dancing, rocking and partying for hours on end. With pyro and Co2 cannons for nearly every set and boasting the likes…

Iceland Airwaves will be celebrating its 20th year in November. And some of Australia’s freshest talent have joined the massive line-up to help celebrate. Four Aussie talents have been announced to join a lineup of more than 220 acts – from 26 countries – for the cardinal Reykjavík event, which recently made news for being the…

BIGSOUND officially kicks off in Brisbane tomorrow, and our man on the ground this year will be Tim Byrnes. Tim has narrowed down his five must-see acts for the festival. Take a look: Wax Chattels Auckland, New Zealand trio Wax Chattels play bass guitar, keyboard, and a two-piece drum kit. But with those barest of…

Flight Facilities’ Wednesday night set in Melbourne was a mammoth accomplishment of lighting and sound. The duo, Hugo Gruzman and James Lyell, adorned in their now famous flight outfits, encouraged the crowd to join in on one of the biggest parties a mid-week show the city has ever seen. Accompanying them on the opening night of their…

The recent Kanye West release schedule has brought happiness to skinny jean wearing hipsters, and serious hip-hop fans alike. Following the meteoric success of Pusha T’s Daytona, the focus shifted to Kanye’s solo album Ye, and his collaborative project with Kid Cudi. Ye was the first true Kanye project to come from the Wyoming era,…

Austen, a 23 year old songwriter from Brisbane, has dropped the video for her latest single ‘Too High To Cry’ and it’s a red-hued split-screen insight into Austen’s clever writing. The song is artfully crafted to present the duality of its meaning, with the songwriter suggesting: “I wanted the video to have vulnerable and down to…

“Devestation laced in my presentation” Ka’s delivery of this line from Orpheus, part of a collaboration project with producer Animoss, is one of the best stylistic summations of an album written in recent memory. The duo, operating under the pseudonym Hermit and the Recluse have worked together on a beautifully dark piece of music, heavily…

I recently wrote that there were some record labels that were invariably on the money. Here’s another example: Colemine Records. Based out of Loveland, Ohio this independent label consistently pumps out high quality 45’s and LP’s from the best Soul and Funk bands you’ve maybe never heard of (but you should have). One of my favourite…

Spring is right around the corner! The night’s will be getting longer, and a helluva lot warmer. So there’s no better time to get out and enjoy some live music, and Melbourne, you’ve got some killer gigs coming up next month! Here are our picks for the best live music events not to miss in…

On the back of the soulful and romantic The Divine Feminine, Mac Miller has returned with another album cut from this cloth. Swimming is similar in style, but more mournful and self-reflective than romantic and starry-eyed, with welcome introspection from Mac, reminiscent of his earlier rap-oriented projects like Watching Movies With The Sound Off and Faces….

One of the few country rock bands set to play BIGSOUND next week are WAM Award winners The Little Lord Street Band, and today we’re excited to premiere their new music video “Waking Up Next To You” from their third EP of the same name. Here’s everything you need to know about the single and…

Sydney based producer and musician Oh My My stuns with his scintillating new single, “Woe, My Heart”. Breaking onto the scene earlier this year with the dark and sultry “Animal House”, this latest effort sees him switch lanes, opting for a brighter, more sincere sound. If “Woe, My Heart” is a sign of things to…

The Sydney Opera House will play host to seminal alt-rockers The Breeders, and founding member of Animal Collective, Panda Bear in November and December. Making their return to Australia with their iconic lineup, The Breeders are celebrating the release of All Nerve, their first album in a decade. Meanwhile, Panda Bear is also making his Australian debut…

Field Day is returning to Sydney in 2019 for another New Years Day celebration. Now in its 18th year, the annual music festival held at The Domain has become renowned for it’s friendly atmosphere and killer line-ups. The 2019 instalment is no exception judging by the stellar line-up that dropped this week, featuring artists such…

There’s been a cultural revolution happening on the Gold Coast over the past five years. An increase in funding for arts and culture, the development of a Music Action Plan, exploration of regulatory reform for music venues and associated zoning and the establishment of a new generation of multi-purpose music venues has led to more…

Beginning the evening strongly, Essie Holt had a large role to play in building the atmosphere for the rest of the night, with the Melbourne producer perfectly setting the scene and helping to harness the rooms burgeoning energy with her dance-pop anthems. Her earlier singles “Magnetise” and “Underwater” held their own through her set, and…