Music

A dedication to his mother, Melbourne hip hop artist AMVN has presented a beauty of a new single in “Mama Don’t Worry” this week. A strong release fuelled by gorgeous harmonies and a narrative that comes from an earnest and heartfelt place, “Mama Don’t Worry” is a note of appreciation to the ladies who’ve done so much in…

Hiatus Kaiyote are returning to Sydney this month, staging an unmissable show at the City Recital Hall as part of Vivid 2018. Of course, the chances to see the Melbourne band are rare ones of late, but it’s no surprise that where they pop up, the shows sell right on out. Internationally acclaimed, and beloved by…

The emergence of young songwriter Alice Skye over the last year has been incredibly impressive and with her tour with Emily Wurramara set to be announced for mid-2018, more crowds around the country are going to be seeing what so many of us have known of Alice for a while now – hers is a talent that is…

I first became familiar with Portugal. The Man almost ten years ago, off the back of their fourth LP The Satanic Satanist. Since then, I’ve seen them grow into one of the most in-demand bands in the world. Their latest album, Woodstock – their eighth and first in four years – has easily been their…

Currently looking ahead to Canadian Music Week, Melbourne group Howlite are excited. The release of their newest single “Orchestra” has further positioned the band as ones to watch this year and as we find out from songwriter and vocalist Alison Thom, their journey of bringing “Orchestra” to life was one anchored with emotional weight. Congratulations on “Orchestra”! Understandably,…

Ahead of his Australian return in May, South African songwriter Jeremy Loops takes us through his latest album, Critical As Water. A striking new release from the award winning musician and performer, Critical As Water sees Loops embracing a new chapter of songwriting and the messages behind the album are just as notable. As he explains, these tracks are statements…

You may know her for her covers on Youtube alongside popular Youtubers Kurt Hugo Schneider and Sam Tsui, but after the release of her latest single “Rainbows”, Kirsty Collins is set to become the household name. With a soulful melody and vibrant tune, “Rainbows” is a tune that’s sure to get you up and jumping about in no time. If you can’t…

Mere hours before Biffy Clyro made their triumphant return for Melbourne fans, we find ourselves in the guts of The Forum, where tech crew and band members are readying themselves for showtime. Soon enough, we’re joined by the Johnston brothers – James and Ben – raring to go off the back of a momentous gig in Auckland only a few nights prior….

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over twenty years since the release of the debut LP from Welsh rockers Stereophonics, Word Gets Around. With hit singles like “Local Boy in the Photograph” and “A Thousand Trees”, the album set the stage for the group to eventually become one of the UK’s biggest act; with almost all…

Back in the country for some sick headline dates as well as this year’s Groovin’ The Moo tour, Royal Blood caught up with us in Sydney just to check in and see how everything has been since the last time we sat down in this part of the globe. You may have seen Ben Thatcher chatting with us about…

I was out having a Thai dinner with friends recently, the day after I first sat down to listen to the second album of Sydney band DMA’s. As we sat down and ordered a vast variety of dishes for this midweek banquet, it dawned on me that this dinner I was about to pay $30…

This week, I had the chance to catch up with Black Panther composer Ludwig Göransson while he was in his LA based studio, working on a new Childish Gambino record. We spoke about working with Childish, as well as Kendrick Lamar, who curated Black Panther: The Album and performed a number of tracks for its…

Atmospheric and breathy, the opening of Fluir‘s “Change” will have you from the beginning. The lead single from the artist’s forthcoming EP, “Change” saw Fluir team up with PNAU’s Sam Littlemore on production, which may be why these sounds come across as familiar. Anchored by a great dance beat, “Change” really highlights Fluir’s vocals and of course,…

With the 2018 Gold Coast Music Awards coming up next month, we took some time out to catch up with Bobby Alu – one of the talented individuals you’ll be able to catch performing as part of the Gold Coast Music Awards Live Lineup on May 3rd! Having been on the road consistently with Xavier Rudd over the…

Running out in Central Australia since 2011, Sista Sounds has been providing a platform for Indigenous women and girls in remote communities to engage with music and storytelling through the medium via a range of workshops and mentoring sessions with mentors from around the country. The grassroots music program facilitated by MusicNT has seen awesome results…

Okay, okay, we know we’re a bit early on the proper hype train but screw it, Kendrick Lamar is touring. And touring properly. Not just chucking a Melbourne and Sydney show alongside his headline Splendour in the Grass appearance. K.Dot has shown love to fans in Adelaide and Perth too, locking in dates in South Oz…

After fifteen years and (soon-to-be) six albums, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone disagreeing that Parkway Drive are Australia’s metal kings. In the lead up to the group’s sixth album Reverence, frontman Winston McCall is excitable. Partly due to the vegan sandwiches we are eating, but also due to the discussion about the variance between…

On Friday night, the art space otherwise known as Oxford Arts Factory in Sydney was busy and buzzing for the Mess album launch tour for The Hard Aches, the two-piece from Adelaide. Forgetting how bad parking was in Darlinghurst but playing it off as being fashionably late, I dragged my two friends along to the…

Earlier this month, Melbourne’s Shiva and The Hazards released their debut EP Future Cult Classics – a record rich in groove and nods to psych-rock classics of decades gone by. With their single “East India Empress”, Shiva and The Hazards embrace some serious throwback vibes, further exploring mesmerising sound and visuals with their recently released music video….

“Your Orbit” brought Ecca Vandal together with Sampa The Great for one collaboration we didn’t know we had wanted so badly. Fusing confidence with fiery rhythms and lyricism, both artists combined their own unique flair to make a track that espouses female empowerment and a sick throwback vibe with the official music video. Using Sydney as their base,…

Yukon Blonde are back! Heading back into the studio with Tony Hoffer to record album Number Four in Critical Hit, the Canadians have produced some of their best yet, if new single “Love The Way You Are” is anything to go by. This is the first material since 2015’s On Blonde album was released and sees Yukon Blonde…

Debuting on the Australian iTunes Charts at Number 1, Hayley Kiyoko is consistently proving that she is a force to be reckoned with, and her latest video – “Curious” – is no different. Off her debut album Expectations, which features hit R&B artist Kehlani, the beautifully shot video has garnered almost 8 million views in under 2 months….

The capital of Finland may be better known for efficient and eye-catching design, jovial saunas and superb produce, as opposed to Europe’s most quintessential tourist attractions, but the city also plays host to one of the continent’s most increasingly sought after annual music and arts festivals. The acclaim regularly surrounding Flow Festival speaks volumes for…

Canberra brewing company Capital Brewing Co. will be unveiling a brand new beer for Groovin’ The Moo punters this weekend – the Royal Brew, a 6% Blood Orange New England IPA for UK duo Royal Blood, who are playing the festival as part of their biggest ever tour of Australia, which kicks off today, April…

Tomorrow (Saturday 21st) is Record Store Day – a day for celebrating everything vinyl, everything limited edition, not to mention it being a day where music fans can give back to their local record stores. For another year, stores around Australia will be showing out for RSD, with special in-store performances scheduled for shops throughout the…

Recently, we caught up with Melbourne indie rock artist Gabriel Vargas, who has recently been revelling in the release of his latest single, “Like Wolves”. An extremely personal release that has seen Vargas open up possibly more than ever before on record, “Like Wolves” is a strong statement from the songwriter, one he tells us more…

Lisa Crawley has been making herself well at home within the local Melbourne music scene and also abroad, heading to Canada to take up a residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Spending the last year writing and performing Cabaret with Elizabeth, as well as touring and arranging for symphony orchestras, Crawley has returned well…

Back in 2013, Adelaide music fans were given the opportunity to sample a bit of a tasting platter of what Byron Bay crowds were feasting out at Splendour in the Grass. The Spin Off Festival – initially held at the Wayville Showgrounds – saw Lana Del Rey perform her debut Australian show, while it’s following event at…

If you were in dire need of some good vibes on April 19th, The Corner Hotel had an abundance of them. I’m unsure how vibes are measured or if there is even a limit to vibes per square metre, but seriously, it was the epicentre. If we start with the local hip-hop, beat and groove-heavy…

It’s been about six months since Alex Lahey headlined a hometown show and she was apparently missed. Two sold-out nights in a row at 170 Russell confirms that. Enjoying the release of her debut record from last year, I Love You Like A Brother; the crowds had more than enough time to become familiar with…