“Who’s to Say,” the latest single by local singer-songwriter Jack Hudson, is brand new but it already sounds like a classic. With thoughtful, soul-searching lyrics, powerful vocals, and a stellar performance from his band, made up of Benjamin Graham (drums), Chris Pearson (bass), Daniel Khoury (keys), and Piper Rodrigues (backing vocals), this track is everything you want it to be.
“This project is about sharing my experiences, thoughts and beliefs as a young man, through songs I birthed on my acoustic guitar,” Jack said of his current music. “The thrill of the project has been taking my raw tracks to the studio to collaborate in real-time with some of my best friends and favourite players. It felt like the right time and place to make music with the people I have in my circle. Whilst it is early days for this project, I am excited as I know a lot more music is to be written and released. After the events of 2020 and 2021, I just can’t wait to get out on the road and share this project with the world”.
Hopefully that means Jack will announce some shows really soon.
The Superjesus may be back touring together, but Sarah McLeod hasn’t closed the door on her solo career. Fresh from her tour with her bandmates, she’s announced she’s bringing back her One Electric Lady shows, which see Sarah performing with a special dual-output guitar.
“I designed a guitar that could play bass and guitar at the same time, so when I add beats I sound like a three-piece band,” she explained. She also plays many songs on the piano, which she only learned on the 2021 tour. I hear those shows were amazing, but we can probably expect even better this time around.
With her one-woman show, Sarah can deliver more intimate, stripped-back arrangements of her solo material. And yes, there’s also be acoustic versions of your Superjesus favourites and some choice covers. Put these dates in your calendar friends!
1 June 2023 – Imperial Hotel, Kabi Kabi Country/Eumundi
2 June 2023 – Jindalee Hotel, Meeanjin/Brisbane
3 June 2023 – The Royal Hotel, Turrbul Country/Nundah
10 June 2023 – The Grace Emily, Tartanya/Adelaide
15 June 2023 – Sooki Lounge, Wurundjeri Country/Belgrave
16 June 2023 – The Workers Club, Ngár-go/Fitzroy
22 June 2023 – The Brass Monkey, Tharawal Country/Cronulla
23 June 2023 – The Vanguard, Eora/Sydney
24 June 2023 – The Heritage Hotel, Bulla/Bulli
25 June 2023 – Lizottes, Mulbinba/Newcastle
Image used with permission from Revolutions per Minute
There’s no rest for the wicked, or the wicked talented. Fresh from shows with Lime Cordiale, Boorloo/Perth act COTERIE will keep the party going through winter with their own headlining gigs. Dubbed the “Honey Dance With Me,” after a fan-favourite track from COTERIE’s debut album, these concerts promise to get you moving and grooving.
“We’re so excited to be hitting the road again playing some of our favourite cities and towns in Australia, enjoying all the beautiful sights, and of course, hanging with our awesome fans,” says COTERIE. “We’re stoked knowing many of these fans will be seeing us live for the first time, so we want to make it really special for everyone who comes along!”
Here are all the dates you need. Tickets are on sale now.
1 June 2023 – Transit Bar, Ngunnawal/Canberra
2 June 2023 – Factory Theatre, Eora/Sydney
3 June 2023 – Hamilton Station Hotel, Mulumbinba/Newcastle
8 June 2023 – Solbar, Kabi Kabi/Maroochydore
9 June 2023 – Miami Marketta, Yugambeh/Gold Coast
10 June 2023 – Princess Theatre, Meeanjin/Brisbane
16 June 2023 – Lion Arts Factory, Tandanya/Adelaide
17 June 2023 – Corner Hotel, Naarm/Melbourne
23 June 2023 – Tanks Arts Centre, Gimuy/Cairns
24 June 2023 – Be Social Festival, Yuwibara/Mackay
30 June 2023 – Metro City, Boorloo/Perth
Bundjalung Country/Gold Coast rapper Juwan has blown me away with his new single “Vent.” It’s a powerful single with introspective lyrics that reflect on Juwan’s upbringing and his place in the world.
“’Vent’ reminds me of when I was 13 writing lyrics in class while the teacher thought I was doing work,” Juwan said. “It’s 100% myself and my thoughts being channelled from my soul onto a page, and then onto a soft yet hard beat by my brother, SOLLYY. Unapologetically straight from the heart.”
Juwan has already dropped a couple of singles and two mixtapes, but this powerful song might just be the thing to catch the attention of the mainstream.
Image used with permission from Sony Music Australia
Tassie punk-rock act Luca Brasi announced their upcoming tour in style recently, appearing in the triple j studios for Like a Version. As a Goo Goo Dolls fan, I get a little protective over the band’s material, but Luca Brasi’s take on “Iris” is utter perfection.
Luca Brasi were joined in the studio by Naarm/Melbourne indie-folk act Eaglemont, who’ll not so coincidentally play support on all these upcoming shows. OK Hotel are also on the stacked bill. Luca Brasi should be in fine form, as they’ve just wrapped up shows with Canada’s Alexisonfire. Tickets are on sale now.
6 May 2023 – Du Cane Brewery, Launceston
12 May 2023 – Cambridge Hotel, Mulubinba/Newcastle
13 May 2023 – Crowbar, Eora/Sydney
19 May 2023 – Max Watt’s, Naarm/Melbourne
20 May 2023 – The Zoo, Meeanjin/Brisbane
2 June 2023 – Jive Bar, Tartanya/Adelaide
3 June 2023 – Rosemount Hotel, Boorloo/Perth
Image used with permission from Deathproof PR; credit: Tom Wilkinson
Magic was always going to happen when two of the greatest female voices in Australia’s heavy music scene collaborated. “Imposter,” the latest single from RedHook (fronted by Emmy Mack) and Yours Truly (fronted by Mikaila Delgado) is an epic break-up anthem. If you’ve been wronged my sisters, you’re going to want to turn the volume up on this one.
“There’s no head-fuck quite like discovering that the person you love most, and who you think you know better than anyone else, has been lying to you and manipulating you the entire time,” Emmy confirmed of the song’s inspiration. “At first, it feels like death, you grieve for the person you loved as if they’ve died, and yet somehow they still exist. It’s almost as if some kind of evil, alien life force has taken up residence inside their body and is walking around wearing their skin. Eventually, it causes you to question your own sanity; you question whether that person who meant so much to you ever really existed at all.
“This song was already so special to me and one of my absolute favourites off the record. We approached Mikaila to be involved because we love Yours Truly so much and thought her voice would sound amazing on the track. But what I didn’t realise was that she’d actually been going through an eerily similar situation to mine in her own personal life. We trauma-bonded a lot during the process of putting ‘Imposter’ together and the extra vocal parts and lyrics that Mikaila added still give me goosebumps every time! She took this song to a whole new dimension and I’m so grateful to her for it. This is our joint break-up anthem and we hope it empowers other people who’ve been through similar nightmarish bullshit to stay strong.”
The clip is the perfect accompaniment. If you love cult sci fi flicks like Species and Jennifer’s Body, you’re going to be all about this.
There are plenty of opportunities to see RedHook in the coming months, with the band joining Smashing Pumpkins’ The World is a Vampire Tour, headlining their own shows to support the recent release of their EP, Postcard From a Living Hell, and playing a couple of extra festivals. Get onto it fans!
The Australian Idol finale is becoming a distant memory, but Jessica Mauboy’s song “Right Here, Right Now” is still on regular repeat at my place. I was introduced to the song through Jessica’s performance on the show, and honestly it was one of the night’s real highlights. So given that Saturday evening, I figured it was about time I gave it some love here on Sounds of Oz.
“The only thing we can control in life is our present, and it’s a song that’s about finding peace and joy through accepting where you are now and leaning into it,” Jessica explained.
This is one of my favourite Jessica Mauboy tracks. Her voice is always strong, but hearing it soaring over those horns and keys is extra special. I also love those optimistic lyrics that remind us to embrace the now, warts and all.
Jessica will be back on our screens soon as part of The Voice Australia judging panel.
Image used with permission from Warner Music Australia
Lipstereo has just dropped their new single “Feedback,” the latest installment from their 2022 EP, Modern Mythology. It’s a bit more radio-friendly than their frenetic first single “Stop,” so it might just help them find a wider audience.
Lipstereo are certainly surrounding themselves with the right people. You can hear the stamp of master record producer Mark Opitz AM in that wall of guitars. Mark invited this technique when working with bands like AC/DC, The Angels, and INXS, and it’s used to great effect here.
“Feedback” is a fan favourite when Lipstereo play live. Hopefully they’ll announce some dates soon so we can all join in the fun. Until then, crank up the volume!
Image used with permission from Michael Matthews Media
Meeanjin/Brisbane electronic act and producer Du0 has joined forces with local hip-hop act Reo Cragun for his latest single “Overdrive.” With its sparkly synthesisers and pulsing beats, this irresistible track should make your Thursday easier to swallow. I’m getting real Daft Punk vibes, which might not be surprising as it was mixed by Nicolas Essig, who previously worked with the iconic French duo.
“I’ve been a big fan of Reo for a long time and to get the opportunity to work with him on ‘Overdrive’ is a dream come true,” Du0 explained. “I wanted to touch on some of my previous more funky tracks, so I focused on funking up the bass guitar to tie in with some more fluffy synth sounds in the chorus. I also got my previous collaborator Fingazz (who has worked with Snoop Dogg, Bruno Mars and Machine Gun Kelly) on there to lay down some vocoder and talkbox. Lyrically, it is about the freedom of young love and going all in on someone.”
“Overdrive” comes from Du0’s EP FLOAT, which drops on April 19.
I’m not going to say that sharing Ryan Martin John’s Myers-Briggs personality type has made me gravitate towards his new song “INFJ”, but it probably hasn’t hurt. There’s also that cool country-folk sound that reminds me of some of my favourite artists like Tom Petty and Jackson Browne. All in all, it’s really good stuff.
INFJ stands for introverted, intuitive, feeling, and judgemental. Being all those things works well for writers like us, but it no doubt makes performing challenging.
“As a musician I’m often wanting to use my platform for good change, but because I’m introverted, I find it hard to be a loud voice among the rabble,” he admitted. “This song acknowledges that and makes peace with it in a triumphant declaration.”
“INFJ” comes from Ryan Martin John’s debut solo album Goodness Gracious Graceless, which drops on April 28.
