Author: Lauren Katulka

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Talk Talk” – The Faim

I wasn’t sure that I’d write a review for The Faim’s sophomore album Talk Talk. I’ve already raved about four singles, so how much more could I say? As I listened to this superb album, again and again, I realised I couldn’t let its release pass without saying something. It’s just that good.

I’ve mentioned it before but it bears repeating: The Faim are creating some of the best pop-rock anthems you’re going to hear. They’re somehow polished but full of heart, the kind of tracks that make you want to punch your fists in the air and sing along to those catchy choruses. After releasing so many fabulous songs, you might wonder what The Faim have left in the tank. But the other tracks are anything but filler. I discovered new favourites like “You (And My Addiction)” and the epic closer “ERA” which are every bit as good as those singles that came before. I remembered just how good those singles are too. I’ve heard tracks like “The Hills” and “Me Because of You” so many times since their release, but they’re showing no signs of fatigue.

If you already know how good The Faim are, Talk Talk is everything you hoped it would be. And if you’re yet to jump on the bandwagon, this album is the perfect introduction. Press play, turn up the volume, and enjoy it. Just don’t be surprised if you hit the play button a few more times before the day is through.

Talk Talk is out now. After delighting crowds in the United Kingdom and Europe, The Faim are about to set off on an Aussie tour with fellow Whadjuck/Perth act Bad Weather and Naarm/Melbourne band Terra.

15 July 2022 – Vision Studios, Boorloo/Perth (ALL AGES)
16 July 2022 – Jack Rabbit Slims, Boorloo/Perth
21 July 2022 – The Brightside, Meeanjin/Brisbane
22 July 2022 – Newcastle Hotel, Mulubimba/Newcastle
23 July 2022 – The Lansdowne Hotel, Eora/Sydney
24 July 2022 – La La La’s, Woolyungah/Wollongong
29 July 2022 – Transit Bar, Ngambri/Canberra
30 July 2022 – Evelyn Hotel, Naarm/Melbourne
31 July 2022 – Enigma Bar, Kaurna/Adelaide

Images used with permission from Good Intent; feature photo credit: Jake Crawford

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Karen Harding Starts Releasing Songs From Debut EP

Karen Harding has already released six singles, and there’s plenty more on the way. Today marks the release of “I’ve Got a Secret,” the title track of her debut EP. I think this haunting number might be Karen’s best yet. I love the dramatic instrumentation, which adds an extra level to her haunting vocals. Written during last year’s lockdowns, it explores the fear and anxiety so many of us experience when we let ourselves be vulnerable.

Karen will drop one track from the EP every month until all four songs are out in the world in October. You can purchase the EP in digital or EP forms through her Bandcamp page.

Image used with permission from Karen Harding

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Yb. Strips it Back For “Sleeping Without Me”

Meeanjin/Brisbane-based artist Yb. has taken a sonic left turn for his sophomore single “Sleeping Without Me”. With earthier, more acoustic-driven sound than his first single “Change Your Mind”, Yb. shows he’s an artist who loves to keep fans guessing. This track explores the difficulties of sustaining a relationship when one person is emotionally distant.

“While one party has so much love to give, the other struggles to tap into their emotional side. It almost always leads to complications,” he explained.

“Sleeping Without Me” comes from Yb.’s forthcoming EP, which is out later this year. There are plenty of opportunities to see him live before then, so make sure you don’t miss out!

20 July 2022 – Factory Theatre, Eora/Sydney (supporting Biig Piig)
21 July 2022 – Corner Hotel, Naarm/Melbourne (supporting Biig Piig)
28 July 2022 – The Royal Bondi, Boondi/Bondi
29 July 2022 – Vic on the Park, Bulanaming/Marrickville
5 August 2022 – The Brightside, Meeanjin/Brisbane (supporting Golden Vessel)
12 August 2022 – Northcote Social Club, Naarm/Melbourne (supporting Golden Vessel)
13 August 2022 – Mary’s Underground, Eora/Sydney (supporting Golden Vessel)

Image used with permission from Gyrostream PR; credit: Nanda Soe

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

SoSo Build You Up With “D.R.E.A.M.S”

It’s always a good time with Eora/Sydney pop-punk act SoSo releases a new single. The band might insist they’re “offensively average”, but when keep releasing quality tracks like “D.R.E.A.M.S” I have to respectfully disagree! Like so many great pop-punk anthems, “D.R.E.A.M.S” gives the middle finger to the naysayers. However, rather than dwelling on the negatives, it celebrates people who refuse to listen to the critics and keep forging on.

“So-called friends told me music wasn’t for me, to give up, that I could never get anywhere with it.” Rhys de Burgh, lead singer of SoSo explained. “If I had taken the advice of those ‘friends’ and given up way back then instead of following my dream, then we’d never have created SoSo. To whoever listens to ‘D.R.E.A.M.S’ – if you want to create, if you want to chase something different and unique, just go and do it. Don’t give a fuck whether those around you approve or not, just go do what you love.”

“D.R.E.A.M.S” is the second track lifted from SoSo’s sophomore album, which is slated for release in February 2023. It can’t come soon enough!

Image used with permission from GYRO PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Daniel Shaw Makes a Mark With “drunk high low”

Getting his start busking from the age of eight, Daniel Shaw is an artist committed to his craft. All that hard work is starting to pay off, as Daniel recently signed with Island Records Australia. His first release under the label is “drunk high low,” a relatable pop song that marries upbeat melodies with dark themes of overthinking and overdrinking.

“I battle with self-expression sometimes, I’m not good with uncomfortable situations and conflict, I run away from them. In this song I point out how my coping mechanism was to drink, I felt that anxiety and depression went away, and I could handle it, I was fine,” he admitted. “I wasn’t in a good place, I’d moved out fairly suddenly, but the reason the song is called ‘drunk high low’ is because it was just that cycle of getting drunk, feeling alright – which is the high – and then I went right back to feeling low and the cycle would start again.”

Daniel has spent the last year writing songs for his new EP, which will drop later this year.

Image used with permission from Island Records Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Emily Lubitz Goes Solo With “Like I Do”

Tinpan Orange vocalist Emily Lubitz is striking out on her own with the charming new solo single “Like I Do”. This might be Emily’s solo debut, but her experience gained through more than a decade in the business shows here. It’s a seasoned effort that should please her fans and win her some new ones.

“When a relationship spans many years it contains many lifetimes. This song is about looking back to when things started and how different it is now. How our lives turn and curve and the common denominator is the person we have shared it with,” Emily explained. “Actually, our partner changes and curves too and so do we, so maybe the common denominator is love. From being young musicians in Melbourne, drinking bourbon and pretending we know everything, to being the parents of three children and realising we know very little, it’s a big range. And we are still learning. ‘Like I Do’ is a love song too.”

Emily will hit the road next week to support the release of “Like I Do.” Here are all the dates you need:

17 July 2022 – Brunswick Artists Bar, Iramoo/Brunswick
18 July 2022 Regal Theatre, Boorloo/Perth (with Paul Kelly and Paul Grabowsky)
19 July 2022 – Regal Theatre, Boorloo/Perth (with Paul Kelly and Paul Grabowsky)
29 July 2022 – The Citadel, Murwillumbah
30 July 2022 – The Junk Bar, Meeanjin/Brisbane
31 July 2022 – Dust Temple, Currumbin

Image used with permission from This Much Talent; credit: Lilli Waters

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

CLAUDIO Drops Gorgeous Single “Losing You (One Day at a Time)” With Award-Winning Video

CLAUDIO’s new single “Losing You (One Day at a Time)” was only released recently, but it’s already earned a swag of awards for its stunning film clip. The music video took home gongs at international film festivals in Rome, Berlin, and New York City. Featuring ballet dancer Rose Alice, it’s such a glorious piece of creative work.

While you’re marvelling at the clip, make sure you pay attention to CLAUDIO’s incredible vocals. This soulful song is the perfect soundtrack for this visual feast.

“It’s inspired by the witnessing of self-sabotage in real-time; and feeling powerless against the momentum of trauma patterning,” CLAUDIO explained. “I came to the difficult-to-swallow understanding some years back via a rapidly failing relationship, that self-awareness is not always enough to outrun the deeper wiring of the subconscious.”

A self-described “sonic scientist”, CLAUDIO is a vocalist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. Rest assured, we’ll be hearing a lot more from her.

Image used with permission from On the Map PR; credit: Blair Gauld

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Get Your Groove On With NECTAR’s “Find a New Friend”

Boorloo/Perth four-piece NECTAR are bringing the funk to your Tuesday with their latest single “Find a New Friend”. If your workday needs a lift, crank this up and I swear it’ll feel better, even if it’s just for a few minutes! It’s a little bit disco, and a whole lot of fun. Listen closely to the lyrics and you’ll realise it’s got a little more bite than its retro feel suggests.

“’Find A New Friend’ is a toxic tale from beginning to end of an obstructive relationship where with its close you realise the only healthy thing to do was move on,” the band explained. “The story is cohesively told over a bright and euphoric instrumental slowly but surely building up to the climax where the person finally ‘moves on’ over intense and washy sounds. When compared to its content and more satiated counterpart “Found A New Friend”, you can start to see how things can change for the better after you leave an obstructive relationship, and the light that can bloom in your life from that person.”

You just know these guys will raise the roof live. Catch NECTAR supporting The Buoys at the Indian Ocean Hotel this Friday, July 8.

Image used with permission from Beehive PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

KEZRA Wows Me With “Back Home”

Take a moment to stop what you’re doing and listen to “Back Home,” the latest single from Naarm/Melbourne singer-songwriter KEZRA. This is a song that deserves more than becoming the background of your workday or late lunch. It demands your full attention so can catch every lyric, every emotion, every note. I’ve got chills.

“I started writing this song on the floor of my living room, strumming along on my guitar, but feeling very uninspired during lockdown. So, I plugged in my vocal harmoniser pedal, in the hope that it would give me some inspiration and help me write in a more creative way. It first began with the slow paused chord changes on the guitar. Then the lyrics – ‘I was taken back to the house where we met’ came to me whilst using my harmoniser and this instantly set the tone for where the rest of the song needed to go,” KEZRA explained.

“There was something special about the imperfect and mechanical sounding harmonies, that made these lyrics hit deeper. The guitar pauses are almost echoing that feeling of being stuck, reminiscing on the past, replaying old memories in your mind and not being able let go. Towards the end, the strumming is so aggressive with distortion, building up with anger, kind of like a cry for help by the end of the song.”

I’m pretty excited about this song. It’s truly special. I’d almost forgotten that I wrote about KEZRA’s music before the pandemic, but she’s definitely back on my radar after hearing this.

Image used with permission from Good Intent; credit: Corey Adams

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Anieszka Drops Dreamy New Single, “Human”

If you’re coming down from the night before or just enjoying a lazy Sunday, you’re going to love the soothing soulfulness of “Human,” the title track from Anieszka’s forthcoming EP. Anieszka cleverly celebrates her Mauritian heritage here while creating something that’s so fresh and cool.

“I have wanted to incorporate traditional Mauritian elements into my music for years, and when I started writing this one I knew [producer] Chelsea Warner had to be part of the creating process. I wanted the ravanne (traditional Mauritian drum) to be at the core of the song, and to almost be a never-ending rhythm, kind of like a heartbeat. We also have the maravanne (also known as a kayamb) which is a traditional percussion instrument, and the triangle. This trio forms the basis for Mauritian Sega music,” Anieszka explained. “I’ve never heard a fluid blend of R&B/Soul with a traditional Mauritian beat, and I wanted to be the first to do it. I’m excited for people to learn more about my culture, and to connect with the song on a pure human level too.”

If you love this, Anieszka won’t leave you waiting too long to hear more. Her Human EP drops on July 7.

Image used with permission from Beehive PR; credit: Hannah Badorrek