Welcome to our first playlist update of the year, with ten new additions landing in our Discovery Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify. Leading the charge as Track of the Week is “Things We Wanna Say” from Pacific Avenue, setting the tone for what’s shaping up to be a huge year ahead.
“Things We Wanna Say” is a pulsing slice of indie-rock that captures the bittersweet shift from youth to adulthood, wrapped in the band’s trademark warmth and momentum. Lifted from their upcoming second album Lovesick Sentimental (out March 6), the track reflects on friendships formed during those formative years — and how distance, time, and change can quietly reshape them. There’s a nostalgic ache at its core, but it’s delivered with a sense of uplift, driven by chiming guitars and a soaring, heartfelt chorus. It’s a song that feels both personal and universal, and a fitting centrepiece as Pacific Avenue usher in their next era.
Released earlier this week “skins” is the euphoric new single from Western Sydney’s FRIDAY*; and a first taste of new music since the release of his breakout debut EP. The track is inspired by a New Year’s Eve night surrounded by friends and goes some way to capturing the dopamine hit and euphoria of a really good night out. There’s a bit of a early 00s electro/indie vibe going and the track is bursting and skittering with life and kinetic energy.
Next up is AU favourite Courtney Barnett with “Site Unseen”, the latest taste of her forthcoming fourth album Creature of Habit, due out March 27 via Fiction Records. The track is a quietly affecting meditation on uncertainty and acceptance, shaped by the perceptive lyricism that’s defined Barnett’s work from the very beginning. Featuring harmonies from Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee, “Site Unseen” leans into the beauty of not having everything figured out, capturing a moment of emotional openness amid personal and creative change. It’s an understated but powerful glimpse into a bold new chapter for one of Australia’s most cherished songwriters.
An AU favourite, Canadian indie-folk artist Mia Kelly announced her forthcoming album, Big Time Roller Coaster Feeling (out May 22nd) this week; dropping a brand new single along the way. “Coin in the Cake”is all about the moments and people that make life feel special, and is inspired by a family tradition. In the week of Blue Monday; frankly we could all just a bit of those wholesome good vibes, no? Australian fans will be able to catch Kelly at the Nannup Music Festival, Port Fairy Folk Festival and Blue Mountains Music Festival, along with additional dates with Blair Dunlop. Find out more via her website.
“Not Enough” from Daughter, marks the 10th anniversary of their incredible album, Not To Disappear. Originally written during the album’s sessions but left unfinished, the track has finally been brought to life a decade on, recorded together in London in late 2025. There’s a familiar stillness and emotional weight to “Not Enough” — Elena Tonra’s voice hovering delicately over restrained instrumentation — that feels instantly connected to the Not To Disappear era while carrying the quiet perspective of time passed.
“City Walls” from Archive, is lifted from their forthcoming 13th studio album Glass Minds, due out February 27. Haunting and slow-burning, the track is anchored by a truly arresting vocal from Pollard Berrier, unfolding with the kind of cinematic soundscape Archive have long mastered. It follows earlier singles “Look At Us” and “Wake Up Strange”, and arrives alongside a brilliant new video directed by Maxim Kelly — a visual companion that’s as absorbing as the song itself.
“Chomping at the Bit” from GIMMY, is the second single from her forthcoming EP Labour of Love. Dialling back some of the recent punk ferocity in favour of jangly indie-rock and a subtle post-punk edge, the track takes aim at hustle culture and the quiet burnout that can come with always chasing what’s next. There’s an immediacy to its up-tempo drive and reverberating vocals, pairing emotional honesty with an anthemic lift that lingers long after the final note.
And now for something completely different. Ishaaq Aarkistra is the brainchild of Swedish Indian artist Isak Klasson, and earlier this month he released his new album Arikomban Space – recorded with a cast of his favourite musicians. “Grunderna” is the album’s opening track and really showcases the fusion of Western and Indian musical styles, with its mixture of synths, flutes and raga-based riffs. It’s just so much fun and the level of musicianship is off the charts.
Finally, also added to the playlist this week is “Everybody”, the anthemic choir-powered folk rock single from Australian artist MAXON; and “Red Thread” the latest shoegaze-tinged single from Brooklyn rockers Evil Twin.
Catch all the new music updated every Friday on Apple Music:
and on Spotify:
Here’s the complete list of new additions this week:
Pacific Avenue “Things We Wanna Say”
FRIDAY* “skins”
Courtney Barnett “Site Unseen” ft. Waxahatchee
Mia Kelly “Coin in the Cake”
Daughter “Not Enough”
MAXON “Everybody”
Archive “City Walls”
Ishaaq Aarkistra “Grunderna”
GIMMY “Chomping at the Bit”
Evil Twin “Red Thread”
Header image credit: Matt Sav
