naarm

EP Review: ‘Accelerator’ – life speeds up for the brilliant HighSchool in this haunting epic release ahead of European tour.
Today, the imperial HighSchool release their EP ‘Accelerator’ via [PIAS] Australia, and it fulfils all promises made by the series of singles that anticipated its release. Based in London but coming from Naarm/Melbourne the band normally consists of brother and sister Rory and Lilli Trobbiani (related to Frank Trobbiani from The Wreckery) and Luke Scott, but Lilli …

Live Review and Gallery: The Ronson Hangup, George Lane, Melbourne 19.04.2024
Melbourne psych-pop supergroup The Ronson Hangup – featuring members of The Anyones, Dallas Crane, The Church, Even, Paul Kelly’s band and Courtney Barnett’s band, launched their most recent single ‘SSDD (Same Shit Different Day)’ at the very Bohemian George Lane venue in the equally Bohemian St Kilda suburb of Melbourne. The venue was intimate enough but the …

Track: ‘Kiss Me (Kill Me)’ – RINSE and Hatchie team up for a shimmering union in a widescreen epic.
Partners in crime, Naarm/Melbourne-based artists RINSE (Joe Agius) and Hatchie (Harriette Pilbeam) have just delivered another brilliant dream pop/shoegaze delight in ‘Kiss Me (Kill Me)’ – a track that harks back to their previous brilliant collaboration ‘Back Into Your Arms’ from RINSE’s magnificent EP ‘Wherever I Am’. As can be expected from these outrageously talented …

Track: Rinse is no ‘Stranger’ to us – he’s back with a shimmering new single with Caroline Loveglow, live dates and news of signing to Cohort Records.
Now ensconced in Naarm/Melbourne, former Meanjin/Brisbane dream pop maestro Rinse (the nom de plume of multi-instrumentalist and producer Joe Agius) has just announced his signing to Cohort Records (home of the marvellous Juice Webster) and celebrated with the release of another shimmering gem ‘Stranger’, with Los Angeles-based producer and songwriter Caroline Loveglow. Of course, Rinse’s …

Premiere: Kitschen Boy are in their ‘Happy Place’ – a bright sparkling world of exuberant pop, with tour news.
We are pleased to give you an early listen to the joyous new single ‘Happy Place’ from Melbourne’s Kitschen Boy before its release tomorrow. ‘Happy Place’ is a bright jangling track that soars on an indelible melody with its scaling chorus and a brilliance that reminds me of eighties pop from bands like Haircut 100. …

Track: Arty Ziff spins another floating electronic dreamy cloud in ‘acetone ft Cry Club’
Arty Ziff, the nome de plume of Naarm/Melbourne producer Mitch Kelly, has released the summer spinner ‘acetone’ with the assistance of band Cry Club. It’s an aquatic delight that positively beams rays of sunshine as it bubbles along with the sweet, melancholic vocals of Cry Club’s Heather Riley. According to Art Ziff: ‘acetone’ is about …

Track: We’re flattened by Holly Hebe’s sparkling ‘Hat Hair’ – another luminescent single from the Naarm/Melbourne chanteuse extraordinaire.
Holly Hebe has produced a series of stunning singles and an EP exemplified by her gossamer silk vocals and air of wistfulness and dreaming. Her new single ‘Hat Hair’ continues in this immersive style with its floating melodies, a touch of humour and air of dreamy melancholia. It’s another perfect slice of airy pop delivered …

Track: Beans release a psych-infused ‘Dreaming Daisy’ ahead of album release.
Fronted by The Murlocs drummer, Matt Blach, Melbourne garage/psych band Beans return with a dreamy, fuzzy psychedelic single ‘Dreaming Daisy as they prepare for the release of their new album ‘Boots N Cats’ in March 2024 through Fuzz Club. ‘Dreaming Daisy’ is a chemically enhanced journey, with a thundering ambulant bass in the chorus and jangling guitars …

Album Review: Eilish Gilligan is ‘The Final Girl’ – a cathartic journey through pop’s dark labyrinth.
A longtime favourite of ours here at Backseat Mafia, Eilish Gilligan continues to release the most evocative and distinctive music that is without peer. Her electronic pop is differentiated by her ethereal vocals and her passionate delivery, soaked in an air of pain and regret and yet distilled by a resilience and strength that creates …