Posts Tagged ‘Australian’

STELLA DONNELLY – ” Beware Of The Dogs “

Posted: February 5, 2019 in ALBUMS, MUSIC
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There’s something simultaneously wonderful and woeful about being able to meet up with friends for a fleeting moment. Despite enjoying your time together, you know it won’t last long and something’s changed about them that you can’t quite put your finger on. It’s a bittersweet feeling that increases as adulthood marches on, and gets thrown into high gear if you’re a touring musician spending most of your time on the road. Australian singer/songwriter Stella Donnelly explores the consequences of a transitory life on her newly released single “Lunch,” from her debut album “Beware of the Dogs”. Her voice rises up high and clear, like an Australian version of CHVRCHES’ Lauren Mayberry, as she sings, “You’ve got plots and persuasions and time to explain / But I’ve only got time for lunch / And I get homesick before I go away.”

This is taken from Stella Donnelly’s debut album, Beware Of The Dogs, due out 8th March. “This is my favourite song on the record,” she says. “I wrote this about the feeling of displacement I get when I go on tour and come back and nothing feels the same. There’s a disconnect there.”

“Lunch” by Stella Donnelly off ‘Beware of the Dogs,’ out March 8th on Secretly Canadian

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STELLA DONNELLY – ” Old Man “

Posted: January 15, 2019 in ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Australian singer/songwriter Stella Donnelly has announced her debut album, “Beware of the Dogs“, due out on March 8th via Secretly Canadian, and the news arrived with a great new single, “Old Man” and its accompanying ‘90s-inspired music video. On the song, Donnelly serves up more of her signature biting critique with extra helpings of humor and ballsiness. “Oh are you scared of me old man, or are you scared of what I’ll do?,” she sings, almost teasing, but meaning business. Another timely lyric follows: “You grabbed me with an open hand. The world is grabbing back at you.” Donnelly sings sweetly, but the men in her songs ranging from her mean boss in “Mechanical Bull” to the powerful desk-dwellers in “Old Man” are anything but.

Donnelly sticks up for herself with grace and wit, and if this first single is any indication, Beware of the Dogs will be a smart, satirical introduction to what’s sure to be an exciting career in music. The Perth songwriter has a U.K Tour set for April/May She will be at the Bodega on the 5th May 2019.

TERRY – ” I’m Terry “

Posted: January 13, 2019 in ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Melbourne’s Terry has perfected a blasé, disaffected take on indie pop that smartly avoids cynicism and sarcasm. Last year’s I’m Terry, their third album in three years, is another strong collection of unassuming pop hits—often flat and plodding in that Australian way but always richly melodic, and with a warm homemade aesthetic that reflects the modesty typically found down under. Terry’s one of those bands that could’ve existed at any point in the last 30 or 40 years—they would’ve fit right in on Flying Nun—but are also always unmistakably themselves.

I’m Terry. 
They are Terry. Three LPs in three years that continue to fulfil their promise of their first 7”s: one moment a witty “art” punk Wire scramble, the next moment a dumb “pub” punk oi stomper, the next a beautifully orchestrated shimmering soundscape of rudimentary melodies cascading over one another; the point being these are disparate but always succinct songs soaked in melodies, vocal harmonies that sing-song verses and terrace chant choruses, all peppered with flourishes of synths, horns and violins.
They perfected this almost immediately, and each record is a masterful fulfillment, and so…I’m Terry.
There are so few bands attempting lyrics along these lines, so it’s worth to point toward them, as this is Terry: please be kind. We are spared the righteous indignation of identity politicians, but the empathy here for those under the boot of the colony, of the fortress, of the rich and privileged, and the disappointment and disgust at the effects of what we are calling toxic masculinity informs their more aggressive lambast, and this is delivered in an overt lyricism that doesn’t disintegrate into preach or self loathing lamentation.
There’s an unbridled joy in Terry at the experience of making songs in times they are clearly contrary to, the empathy and the pleas for kindness and all that… I’m Terry is an expression of a humbling kindness, and 2018 needs more Terry! 

MONTERO – ” Performer “

Posted: January 1, 2019 in MUSIC
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A dayglo psychedelic rock album isn’t exactly the first place you’d look for the raw emotions of a breakup album, but Montero’s Performer is exactly that. It’s maybe the first breakup album that should come packaged with a tab of acid, as the cartoonist and musician packs songs about fleeing a relationship (“Montero Airlines”), retreating into yourself (“Caught Up In My Own World”) and into substances (“Tokin’ The Night Away”) into songs that sound like his vivid marker drawings. It came out in January, which seems a lot longer than 11 months ago, but it’s a perfect companion for all seasons, a soft hug in the crush of reality.

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Montero is Australian musician and artist Ben Montero. New album Performer was recorded at Mark Ronson’s Tileyard studios in London. It is co-produced by Ben, Jay Watson of Tame Impala/Pond/Gum, and Grammy Award winning engineer Riccardo Damian. All instruments were played by Ben, Jay and Riccardo, save some violin by Emily, a waitress from the studio cafe, and electric piano from Ben’s uncle Jason.
Performer glories in the widescreen soft rock tradition, updating the romantic classicism of golden era love songs with a psychedelic pop brush. Montero’s music evokes the extended soundscapes and textures of 70s prog, the easy listening adult weirdness of Jimmy Webb and Burt Bacharach, and the sports arena pounding of vintage MOR rock – sometimes all in the space of one song. With an emphasis on clear vocals, soaring melodies, lush instrumentation and dreamy glam pomp, Performer ventures into gently surreal realms of romance, yearning, and wonder.
As a visual artist, Ben’s much-loved comic-based style highlights the universality of small human moments via a cast of furry (or sometimes slimy) friends. His art has graced album covers, t-shirts and posters for Mac Demarco, Ariel Pink, Kurt Vile, Pond and others. Ben has lost count of the number of fans who have had his drawings tattooed on their body. His Facebook page Ben Montero Sketchbook has more than 80,000 fans.
In Australia, Montero has played with Ariel Pink, Kurt Vile, John Maus, Yeasayer, Sonny & the Sunsets and The Bats.
Ben currently lives in Athens, Greece and his live band are made up of members of Greek psych heads Acid Baby Jesus, plus other friends. 
Released February 2, 2018

STELLA DONNELLY – ” Thrush Metal “

Posted: December 25, 2018 in ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Someone give Stella Donnelly one of those vintage ribbon microphones and an early slot at the comedy club. Actually, a guitar and a venue stage should suffice for now, but let it be known that this Australian singer/songwriter rivals Mrs. Maisel in her abilities to pair humor with heartbreak and absolutely command a room. She’s an ace with a crowd, but her real talent for wordplay shows up in the masterful lyrics on her debut EP, Thrush Metal, a name that only serves to sound “cool,” . That title might only be a slick word-pairing, but the music itself is chock full of meaning—wise words on awful men, victim blaming and dwindling relationships, as well as blossoming ones.

Boys Will Be Boys is my attempt at making sense of society’s tendency to blame the victims of sexual assault and rape and make excuses for the perpetrators. It was also my way of dealing with certain events that were occurring in my life at the time. The video itself was intended to express the burden of victim blaming and sexual assault on the victims themselves as the mundane aspects of life go on. A song is just a song but at the very least I hope it will open up difficult yet important conversations between family members, friends, government bodies, organisations and most importantly, boys and men.

It’s hard to decide which is more the standout track, the searing “Mechanical Bull” or “Boys Will Be Boys,” a #MeToo anthem for the ages. Thankfully, we don’t have to choose, but the latter is the song many needed to hear in 2018, especially after Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court: “Boys will be boys” is not a viable excuse for, as Donnelly puts it, “invading her magnificence.” Nor is beer. In fact, there’s never an excuse. And maybe all of the tracks on Thrush Metal are standouts. This EP is a truly magnificent bud to Donnelly’s blooming discography.

Stella Donnelly’s ’Thrush Metal EP’, out digitally released on June 22nd 2018 on Secretly Canadian.

HATCHIE – ” Sugar & Spice ” EP

Posted: December 16, 2018 in MUSIC
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Australian singer-songwriter Hatchie released her debut EP, Sugar & Spice, in May, and she’s been kicking up quite the shimmery storm ever since. In September, she played two festivals back-to-back, and she also recently played a sold-out string of tour dates with Alvvays and Snail Mail (what you might call an indie fan’s dream lineup). Hatchie’s irresistible dream-pop is sugar to the ear, but it’s not always lyrically sweet. On her EP’s title track, Hatchie is regretful, singing, “Sugar and spice / I should’ve taken your advice.” She’s not only thoughtful, but also clever in her compositions: Hatchie strikes the perfect combination between acoustic and synth, her pop occasionally moonlighting as something folksier. “Sure,” the first song on Sugar & Spice, uses looping drum machines and consistent synth, but it’s softened by soft acoustic guitar as Hatchie fires off question after question. “Why did you do it? / You couldn’t just laugh and walk away?”

On her debut EP Sugar & Spice, the young Australian songwriter Hatchie has established herself as one of the smartest and most eloquent voices in indiepop. Written in the glow of her first romantic relationship, these five songs deliver grandiose melodies in the vein of Carly Rae Jepsen (“Sleep,” “Try,” “Sugar & Spice”) and glimmering arrangements that recall the sparkly jangle of Real Estate. By exploring the space, implicit in the project’s title, where the saccharine euphoria of budding romance ends and its grittier complexities begin, Hatchie has found a recipe for success.

JEN CLOHER – ” Live At The Loft and Loew’s “

Posted: November 19, 2018 in ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Almost a year after the release of her extraordinary self-titled fourth album, Jen Cloher releases a gorgeous acoustic EP ‘Live at The Loft and Loew’s’.

The live EP features exquisite performances captured at Wilco’s famous Loft studios in Chicago and from within the decaying glory of New Jersey’s iconic Loew’s Theatre. These are performances of sparse beauty, laying bare the elegance, simplicity and rawness of Cloher’s songwriting. They are a reminder that the multi-award-winner’s recent albums have established her as one of the most important song-writing voices in the country.  l love Jen stripped back to acoustic, you can hear her gentle, luring vocals that take you into the beautiful songs, she sings with feelings and emotions.

The Live at The Loft and Loew’s EP will be available as a super-limited edition vinyl pressing available only at Cloher’s upcoming shows.

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Released July 20th, 2018

Recorded by Tom Schick at The Loft, Chicago, OH USA and Loew’s Jersey Theatre, Jersey City, NJ in 2018

OH PEP ! – ” I Wasn’t Only Thinking About You “

Posted: October 26, 2018 in ALBUMS, MUSIC
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The sophomore release from the Australian folk-pop duo Oh Pep! is irresistable pop bolstered by the pair’s talented musicianship. Olivia Hally, who plays guitar and sings, and Pepita Emmerichs, who masters both fiddle and mandolin, met while attending a performing arts high school in Melbourne nearly a decade ago, and they could easily have had careers as studio musicians. But, instead, they write pop songs , some of the year’s best at that. On ” I Wasn’t Only Thinking About You…”, Oh Pep! seem to take cues from both Taylor Swift’s 1989 and First Aid Kit’s The Lion’s Roar, the latter an obvious comparison considering both FAK and Oh Pep! are female folk duos. But Oh Pep! exist in a sphere all their own: Songs like “Your Nail And Your Hammer” recall Swift’s sparkling pop production while also playing up First Aid Kit-worthy bluegrass sounds and lyrical metaphors. “Cold little heart breaks apart with your nail and your hammer,” Hally sings.

From their ode to rock bottom on “Hurt Nobody,” to their tremendously fun tribute to girl-gabbing on “What’s The Deal With David?,” Oh Pep! cover a scope of emotion on I Wasn’t Only Thinking About You…, that’s part breakup album and part coming-of-age opus.

New Oh Pep! album ‘I Wasn’t Only Thinking About You’ out now!

WHARVES – ” Mo’s Desert Clubhouse “

Posted: October 14, 2018 in MUSIC
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Aussie indie rockers Wharves have shared their new single “Mo’s Desert Clubhouse”, a jaunty belter with ferocious guitars and spooky vocals. It is the second single off their debut EP “Sooner or Later”.

Wharves waltz right back into the spotlight with this new single it’s a jaunty belter with ferocious guitars and spooky vocals. The second single off their debut EP, ​Sooner of Later, which is due out Friday 5th October, Wharves latest offering found its charm with creative input from producer and mixer Steven Schram (Paul Kelly, San Cisco).
The track follows the release of ‘High School Hero‘, the EP’s first single and all-round mover and shaker. The band’s lead singer, Matt Collins, describes: “The music for this track came from our Saphire Session in March 2018. we stayed in a beautiful house near the beach in Coffs Harbour and jammed for 3 days straight. We pretty much wrote the music there and then.”

Collins also explains: “The lyrics were inspired by a roadtrip I took in May and the part owver of the Gold Coast arts venue Mo’s Desert Clubhouse. She was explaining her frustrations with the local Council pretty much bullying them into closing. I can’t stand how narrow-minded people in power can be, the arts are one of the most important things in life, without art, life isn’t worth living. It’s not a crime to dance.”

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Release date:5th October 2018

MIDDLE KIDS – ” Salt Eyes “

Posted: October 14, 2018 in MUSIC
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Middle Kids share new single ‘Salt Eyes’

Australian band members Hannah Joy, Harry Day and Tim Fitz – aka Middle Kids – have shared brand new track ‘Salt Eyes’. The Australian band released their debut album ‘Lost Friends’ back in May but they’ve already shared the new non-album track.

Of the track, Hannah explains: “‘Salt Eyes’ is when you get those red-dry-eyes after a big cry. Sometimes we try to live large but actually it makes us feel small. ‘Salt Eyes’ is what we get when we’re searching for freedom but haven’t found it yet.”

Middle Kids are due to support Bloc Party on their upcoming Silent Alarm tour, before heading out on their own UK tour in November.

Middle Kids – “Salt Eyes”, out now on Domino / Lucky Number / EMI.

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