Music

The return of Descendents to Australian shores has been one fans have been hanging out for, and that’s an understatement. When the legendary group released their Hypercaffium Spazzinate album last year, there was a sense of reinvigoration felt off the first few playbacks. Speaking with drummer Bill Stevenson ahead of the Australian tour, this rush of inspiration…

Ahead of their show at The Great Northern in Byron Bay, we catch up with two of our favourite Novocastrians, Leroy and Kat from The Gooch Palms. I’m interviewing these guys simply because the admiration has been there since day dot. They bring a lot of originality to the scene. With their deadpan humor they portray, they show us that…

The 2017 Rock & Roll Writers Festival has unveiled its complete line up following the event’s special launch event in Melbourne overnight, with a final batch of speakers announced, as well as some great developments for the festival in this, its second year. Concentrated on exploring the relationship between writing and music, the RRWF will be held…

You know those one-hit-wonder bands who play a gig on Letterman that goes viral and then we never hear from them again? Maryland based synth-pop trio and general unstoppable force Future Islands are not one of those bands. Future Island’s fifth studio album, The Far Field, will be released April 7th via 4AD/Remote Control Records and…

Vancouver based fuzzy-rock trio The Courtneys are returning to your earholes in the form of their second album, The Courtneys II, dropping February 17th via Flying Nun. Following first cuts from the record “Tour” and “Silver Velvet”, third track “Minnesota” has just dropped and could be the cosiest, most charming snippet yet. These guys are…

Spoon fans out in Australia can be expecting a short but nevertheless sweet return from the Austin, Texas rockers next month! Two shows have been set up for Melbourne and Sydney, the band’s first headline shows in Australia since 2015. Bringing their highly anticipated new album Hot Thoughts out with them, Spoon have much to catch…

Emerging artist Claz is currently putting the final touches on a new EP that will further stitch him into the fabric Aussie hip hop’s new wave of young artists coming through. Hailing from Adelaide, Claz has been working on his craft through 2016, securing support slots for the likes of Thundamentals and Oddisee, all the while launching 7th Floor Blues….

In what’s become like a bittersweet farewell present (at least, for the next few months), Gang of Youths have this week dropped a brand new track for fans in “What Can I Do If The Fire Goes Out?”. If you were able to catch the boys performing recently at the Laneway Festival, you would’ve been amongst…

The first time I properly came across Sampha‘s work was via his vocal work on SBTRKT‘s fantastic 2014 self-titled album. “Hold On” still captivates me to this day and it set off a little spark of admiration for the songwriter out of South London. The versatility behind his voice and his music neatly and deftly flits from the…

After much anticipation, Methyl Ethel announced their second LP Everything is Forgotten, available on March 3rd. We spoke to Jake Webb to discover the in’s and out’s  and what you can expect of the band’s new LP. First established in 2013, the band began their journey on Triple J Unearthed, sharing their work for music…

You don’t want to miss this electrifying line up coming to Australia in March. Presented by The Operatives and Astral People,  Beats1 primetime show Soulection will be coming to Australia. Teaming up with three big acts Jarreau Vandal, SOSUPERSAM and LAKIM, Soulection aims to present the next big things – an expertly curated bill of artists pushing boundaries. This isn’t…

Electronic UK duo Disclosure have revealed to fans over a written note that they’ll be taking a break from music in 2017. Posting the note to their Twitter and Facebook account, the boys will be ‘taking some time off and enjoying some much needed rest.’ Still eager to be performing at the UK Wildlife Festival in June,…

Kicking off a brand new feature column at the AU, we’re digging through our playlists, record collections, not to mention linking up with some of our favourite writers to find out what album’s they’re really digging at the moment. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be checking in with different writers to find out what’s been on…

The Byzantines are soon to be hitting the road with their new EP, You Pull It, but ahead of game time, we’re sharing their latest music video for “Top Boy” today! The Adelaide crew heads to the office this time round, as a dodgy as hell boss is plotted against for the ultimate takedown. Check The…

The 25th anniversary of WOMADelaide just got that little more epic, with the announcement of A.B. ORIGINAL being added to the 2017 bill this week. Fresh off the back of a successful Laneway Festival tour, Briggs and Trials (along with a super special guest roster of artists) will be appearing in Adelaide’s Botanic Park next month for a spitfire set…

Influenced by her highly politicised upbringing in Tel Aviv, self-awareness and sexual assault cases, it’s impossible to ignore pop Queen Noga Erez’s latest single. Cut from her forthcoming debut album titled Off the Radar (released June 2nd), her new single “Pity” takes on a disturbing case of assault that was documented by several bystanders who chose…

The Wombats have been coming to Australia for years now and for many fans, they’ve grown up with the British group as the wave of indie rock that came through during the early 00’s reached Australia. Their debut album, A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation still remains a beloved favourite amongst fans – it’s hard…

We haven’t seen Milky Chance in Australia since 2014 but best believe, the reception for the German duo upon their return for Groovin The Moo this year stands to be one helluva good one. Their single “Cocoon” has enjoyed much success out in Australia and with a new album in Blossom due out on March 17th,…

It’s no secret that we’re big fans of WAAX. The fact that the group is soon to be on the road with Kingswood is just an added bonus. So, in the meantime, we’re enjoying the latest music video from the Brissy punks – cast your eyes on “Same Same”, below! Linking up wit Creative Clones, WAAX filmed the clip…

Honeyblood are definitely something to beheld, if you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing the Scottish duo perform yet. We were lucky enough to catch Stina and Cat at SXSW a few years ago and we’ve been keeping tabs since – their sophomore album Babes Never Die is a killer record and it’s with this collection of…

More globally renowned names have been announced as speakers for the SXSW Conference this March. Already announced have been identities from across the fields of film/TV, tech and music; including the likes of Zane Lowe, Lee Daniels, Nile Rodgers and Adam Grant, while this latest announcement definitely comes packing with some more talent. For the music nerds, Fleetwood Mac‘s own Mick…

Some new goodness from Perth’s Our Man in Berlin! They’ve been favourites of ours for a little while now and in their new single “A Lightbulb Mind”, the band has returned to the forefront after taking time out to regroup last year. Different directions, different inspirations and life in general had the band members eventually come…

The hills are definitely going to be alive in South Gippsland in March. The 9th annual ‘Festival of Friends’ and the line-up for The Hills Are Alive is all killer, no filler. For three days, the farm comes alive with music, comedians, food, field games, and for the really committed, free camping. Featuring the likes of Cloud Control, Dope Lemon, Amy…

Ryan Adams will be back out our way in a few months with his 16th (yes, 16th) album Prisoner – tune your eyes to this one, you won’t want to be missing tickets to these shows. The Grammy nominated songwriter will be hitting some his biggest stages yet on this tour, visiting New Zealand and Australia in…

US rockers Against Me! will be back in Australia this year for the Groovin The Moo tour and have this week announced a slew of headline dates to show off their new album, Shape Shift With Me. Also announced to be joining them on the road will be Melbourne’s Camp Cope, who’ve already gotten their 2017 off to a…

Regardless of whether you’re looking at what’s happening in your own artistic/creative community or abroad, it’s safe to say that young people are coming through in waves with ambition and the nous required to bring their bold concepts to fruition. The establishment of indie record labels, arthouses, festivals and magazines are just some of the ways…

US artist Anna Wise is gearing up for the release of her sophomore EP The Feminine: Act II (out February 17th) – further exploring some gorgeous alt-R&B vibes. Her single “Coconuts” is breathy and groove-filled, a great example of the production behind her work and where she’s still to go. Most recently, Wise has released a music…

Sometimes you have a good idea that seems too crazy to work. Thankfully, if you can manage to throw it into the ether (or in this case, the internet) and not strangle it to death it might just take on a life of its own. When the thought came to me one freezing June night…

Following incredible online success, hang drum group, Hang Massive, will perform in Australia for the first time as part of their global tour in 2017. From 11th to 22nd March, Hang Massive will bring their unique combination of the hang, sublime vocals and crispy beats to Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Hang Massive will…

As we sit patiently waiting for that full Joyride album to eventuate, the don himself has kicked off a brand new series of music to keep fans happy in the meantime. Putting his own spin on some Australian tunes, the ‘Twilight Driving Series’ is going to be producing some no doubt brilliant gems over the next…