Brisbane

News: MF Tomlinson announces new album and unveils the cinematic title track ‘Die To Wake Up From a Dream’ ahead of UK dates.
We’ve always been huge fans of Australian-born UK resident MF Tomlinson and it is exciting to see he will be releasing a new album entitled ‘Die To Wake Up From a Dream’ on 11 July via PRAH Recordings. To give a hint of what treasures lie within the record, the title track has just been …

Album Review: Brisbane’s Tape/Off unveil a magnum opus in the epic new album ‘Fort Sensible’ ahead of national tour.
Listening to the new album by Tape/Off is like journeying across the wide open landscapes of Australia where the scenery dramatically changes and yet remains breathtaking and stunning throughout. And threaded through every note is a larrikin sense of humour (the album title itself is an obscure Homer Simpson reference). The result veers from unhinged …

Premiere: Left Cassette are ‘Always Kinda Late’ – a shimmering anthemic blast of indie pop.
‘Always Kinda Late’ from Meanjin/Brisbane-based indie-rock act Left Cassette is a thoroughly satisfying blast of Brit-pop influenced indie rock that shimmers with its anthemic delivery. There are traces of fellow compatriots DMAs and, internationally, Kings of Leon in the sparkling guitar riffs and scaling choruses, a passionate and euphoric track resulting in an indelible pop …

Premiere: Meanjin/Brisbane’s Zanna Black unveils the gorgeously evocative track ‘This Town’ – a glorious, ethereal paean to dispossession and loss.
Meanjin/Brisbane singer/songwriter Zanna Black is releasing a gloriously ethereal track ‘This Town’ tomorrow and we are inordinately honoured to bring you an early listen. ‘This Town has a delicate, fey delivery, filled with a whimsical whirl that is enticing and transfixing. Black’s voice dances through the ether, drenched in a yearning melancholia, a bed of …

News: Mess Esque return with new album ‘Jay Marie, Comfort Me’ set for release in March, and a stunning single ‘Take Me To Your Infinite Garden’.
It’s been just over three years since Mess Esque – the stunning collaboration between Helen Franzmann (McKisko) and Mick Turner (Dirty Three, Tren Brothers) – released their self-titled album (see my review here), and today they have announced a follow-up entitled ‘Jay Marie, Comfort Me’ due for release on 28 March 2025 through Drag City …

News: The iconic Ups and Downs announce 40th Anniversary tour with the brilliant The Crystal Set
In big news for those of us with fond memories of the paisley-tinged jingle jangle scene in Australia in the eighties, the iconic Ups and Downs have announced they will be celebrating their 40th anniversary next year with a tour. To add icing to an already enticing cake, the hugely underrated The Crystal Set from …

Track: Fingerless are facing the ‘Monster’ of self doubt in their intense, anthemic new single.
Long time favourites here at the antipodean outpost of Backseat Mafia, the irrepressible Fingerless are back with the deliciously restrained and haunting tones of ‘Monster’. Eschewing their normal psychedelic-tinged upbeat pace, ‘Monster’ is a caged beast coasting on simple delicate guitars supported by pounding epic percussion with singer channelling a better version of Chris Martin, …

Premiere: The ethereal Cloud Tangle is ‘Dreaming Again’ and the result is an album of enticing sonic bliss.
Meanjin/Brisbane’s Cloud Tangle, the nom de plume of the glorious Amber Ramsay, is releasing her third album ‘Dreaming Again’ this week, and you can get an early listen of this exquisite album premiering here thanks to the dynamic duo of 4000 Records and False Peak Records. Cloud Tangle creates sonic architecture that lives up to …

Track: Velociraptor keep ‘Falling’ with another slice of quirky hyperactive indie pop ahead of new album.
After a hiatus, Meanjin/Brisbane band Velociraptor blessed us with the come back single ‘Computer Future Part 1’ back in March (read my review here), and just to prove this was not a flash in the pan, they are back with the quirky ‘Falling’, accompanied by an hilarious video. It precedes the release of the band’s …

Premiere: Eyes Ninety have electrified ‘Visions’: a buzz saw track off their new album ‘Neon Brown’ ahead of live dates.
We are absolutely delighted to premiere the new single and video for the track ‘Visions’ from Meanjin/Brisbane band Eyes Ninety as they release their new album ‘Neon Brown’ through Swashbuckling Hobo Records. With a rough hewn staccato guitar riff and an insistent fuzz in the distance, ‘Visions’ is packed full of angular attitude and a …