Backseat Downunder
Track: Western Australia’s Methyl Ethel serves up a swirling, dazzling single ‘Neon Cheap’ and announces tour dates
There is one thing patently obvious when listening to Methyl Ethel’s new single ‘Neon Cheap’: this is a band forging it’s own aural adventure and the result is something that is quite unique and highly impressive. Sweeping along on an almost funky flow – gently splashing guitars and a off-beat rhythm – the vocals are …
Track: Tiny Little Houses drive straight out of Melbourne with a quirky ‘Car Crash’
The new song from Melbourne indie band Tiny Little Houses is a terrific humour-infused number with all the bottled up energy from a year burdened by lockdowns bursting out. It’s a refreshing drink from a cooling fountain. There is a frenetic and wry delivery: an arch observational veracity fueling a driving guitar-based pop. The lyrics …
Jordan Rakei curates latest ‘Late Night Tales’ and it’s an atmospherically soulful release
The latest compilation from the artist-produced mix series, Late Night Tales, has been curated by multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and producer Jordan Rakei. Rakei’s edition marks the first release of Late Night Tales’ 20th year, with Fila Brazillia in 2001 serving up the first of many mixes for music connoisseurs the world over. Subsequent compilations were released …
Track: Dead Can Dance members Lisa Gerrard and Jules Maxwell unveil another sparkling single ‘Deshta (Forever)’ from their forthcoming album ‘Burn’
The unique and exotic sounds of Dead Can Dance, fusing medieval music with gothic undertones and ambient textures are detectable in the shimmering new track ‘Deshta (Forever)’ from Dead Can Dance members Lisa Gerrard and Jules Maxwell. This follows the release earlier this year of the single ‘Noyalain (Burn)’ reviewed here. With Indian and Middle …
Track: Sydney’s Abby Bella May unveils the bright and bubbly new track ‘Bindii Patch’
There’s something evocatively Australian about suffering minor multiple injuries from a Bindii patch – a prickly monstrosity that lurks in the depths of the most unprepossessing yet beckoning green lawns during the summer months. Sydney artist Abby Bella May has charmingly built this phenomena into her delightful new indie pop single ‘Bindii Patch’. This is …
Track: Wildheart release the visceral excoriating and ultimately cathartic single ‘Backburner’
While hardcore is a genre I usually don’t write about, a track like ‘Backburner’ from Brisbane band Wildheart shines with such a passion. Termed ‘melodic hardcore’ to be precise, which is a much more accessible genre, I presume, than non-melodic hardcore – what makes ‘Backburner’ so special is the deep heartfelt messages and the pure …
Track: New Zealand’s Emily C. Browning releases the slinky electro pop delight ‘I Wasn’t Into You Anyway’.
Based in Christchurch, New Zealand, Emily C. Browning, with a background in Jazz and a career playing guitars for others, has just released her first solo work – the lovely single ‘I Wasn’t Into You Anyway’. There is a smart self-deprecatory sense of humour evident in both the song and the accompanying video – Browning …
Track: Sydney electro-pop duo Micra release luscious double singles ‘Undercover Lover’ and ‘I Should’ve Listened’
Ivana Kafedjiyska and Robbie Cain together are the Sydney-based duo Micra and they have just released a luscious pair of tracks that are awash with dream pop motifs and a languid air. Centred around Kafedjiyska’s ethereal vocals and a soft and billowing synth bed, ‘Undercover Lover’ has a classic pop melody and a wistful pace. …
Track: Julia Stone’s single ‘Fire In Me’ stokes the flames ahead of new album ‘Sixty Summers’ released 30 April
Once a wanderer in the dreamy, folk wilderness, Julia Stone has well and truly shaken off the delicate gossamer of ballads past. Single Fire in Me from forthcoming album Sixty Summers is evocative, energetic and seemingly powered by electric, Goldfrapp-esque propulsion. The song was co-written with songwriter/producer Dann Hume and features a Bond-like string section …
Album Review: Brisbane’s dreamy pop exponent Cloud Tangle returns with the gloriously ambient ‘Swells’
Last year’s debut album ‘Kinds of Sadness’ by Brisbane solo artist Cloud Tangle was a sign of something special brewing in the home studios of Amber Ramsay – it was one of our favourite Australian/New Zealand releases for 2020 and indicative of a prodigious talent. Cloud Tangle is back with the album ‘Swells’ – another …