Posts in category

Backseat Downunder

New releases from Australia and New Zealand

News: GANGgajang set to headline Nimbin Roots Festival in October 2024

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Premiere: Naarm/Melbourne Twin Sisters, Idol Minds, Enchant with ‘Needed You’ – A Mystical Odyssey Through the Intricacies of Love

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Live Gallery: Warpaint at the Oxford Art Factory 23.10.2023

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There have been rumours circulating all year, but it’s official now: a collaboration between two giants of the Australian indie scene – Steve Kilbey from The Church and Glenn Bennie from the Underground Lovers has resulted in a new album, ‘Sakura Flower’ under the name of Bennie’s side project GB3. ‘Sakura Flower’ has added input …

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Adelaide pop core band NO NO NO NO NO, along with a brilliant name, have delivered a chockfull gritty new single titled ‘Sharksfin’. Arrayed with fuzz and polyphonous entities, its modern sensitivities embolden a new resolute energy with emphasis on emotional weight. NO NO NO NO NO, abbreviated as NX5, convey their inexorable strengths through …

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Wellington-based musician Alba Rose has just released her self-produced, sophomore single Holding On – a sweetly reflective indie-soul track, mixed by London-based Jim Macrae (Jordan Rakei, Leifur James, Arjuna Oaks) and mastered by Bravo Bonez at Wellington’s PureSound Studios. This follows the artist’s August release of debut single, the contemporary soul, jazz-edged Eve, and marks …

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‘Walk The Desert’ is the third charming single off New Zealand dream popsters French For Rabbit‘s forthcoming album ‘The Overflow’, out November 12th  via Reckless Yes in the UK, Europe, and North America, AAA Records in NZ and Australia, and A Modest Proposal in Italy. The singles released so far (‘The Overflow’ and Ouija Board’) evoke a dreamy mysticism – floating, …

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North Arm is essentially the work of Roderick Smith, and his new album ‘Bring The Daylight’ is as light as air and just as refreshing. The opening title track is an absolutely gorgeous, reflective track bursting with a sense of melancholy and quiet resolve. Smith repeats the line ‘I’m coming home’: an expression itself that …

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Directed by Jonathan King, Damien Binder has released a sumptuous video for his slow burning, yearning single ‘Don’t Know What’. Mostly a black and white piece with colour only present in a brief shot of the iconic photo of Binder, it consists of Binder performing in an archetypal Australian pub, with a nod to the …

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I’ve waxed lyrical about the genius that is Johnny Hunter – one of the most exciting acts in the world at the moment. Their glam theatrical approach is mesmerising and exciting and their songwriting recalls the best of post punk movement with sonorous vocals, icy, edgy guitars and anthemic choruses. Jonny Hunter have just released …

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The warm sunshine glow emanating from New Zealand band Mild Orange‘s new single ‘Time Of Our Lives’ is blinding and reassuring. The glitchy syncopated percussion trickles under a hazy array of guitars and the melancholic vocals that float over the surface reflect the nostalgic themes. The track was inspired by singer Josh Mehrtens memories of …

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On the day his other band The Aerial Maps releases its majestic ‘Intimate Hinterland’ album (reviewed by me here), Maps’ sticksman and brother of singer Adam Gibson, Simon Robert Gibson today unveils for us his new single ‘Laying Low’. Low key and low-fi, Gibson shares his brother’s ear for capturing snapshots of life in a …

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The poetry of Adam Gibson is raw and intimate. It reflects the harsh sunlit terrain of Australia through his epic widescreen portrayal of the environment and the compelling forces of nature, while somewhat antithetically delving into the minutiae of everyday life with crystal clear observations grounded in hope, love and compassion. In the company of …

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