Author: Lauren Katulka

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Isy Cappo Shows Her Sassy Side With “Rebound Girl”

Southern Highlands-based singer-songwriter Isy Cappo is just 16 years old, but after two years in the business, she’s releasing music with real maturity. And as you might expect, it’s only getting better. Her latest track “Rebound Girl” is a hook-laden pop track with relatable lyrics and a chorus that will have you singing along.

Isy is getting a lot of love from community radio, Triple J Unearthed, and Atomic Radio at the moment. Give her a follow on Facebook to stay across it.

Image used with permission from Play MPE

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Rita B Explores the Highs and Lows of Getting Away With “Travel Companion”

Remember travel? It’s becoming a distant memory for many of us, but Sydney singer-songwriter Rita B makes us nostalgic for holidays with her beautiful new folk ditty, “Travel Companion.”

“Travel Companion” explores the ideas of escapism and isolation. As Rita B explains, it also touches on “safety as a woman in those spaces, in particular, whilst travelling. It’s a relatively stripped-back (singer-songwriter) track – not played with the band. Layers of sound, such as backing vocals and violin are added to create a melancholy, dream-like vibe as the track progresses.”

Creating a music video for a song about travel was always going to be challenging right now, so Rita did the only thing you can do: she went outback. This gorgeous video, directed by Maisie Cohen, captures the dramatic, arid beauty of regional New South Wales.

“Maisie Cohen was the brainchild of the project, who quite literally turned a song about road tripping, into a road trip throughout regional NSW. The destination was Mungo National Park with its unique and arid landscape, visiting many quirky/colonial regional towns along the way, taking advantage of the signature architecture and landscapes there within,” Rita explained. “It was ironic as I was able to share this journey with Maisie as well as Drew Norley and Ariki Hita, who helped with the video production. We all got along really well and were great ‘Travel Companions’. I really wanted to dance the waltz because I thought it complimented the longing feeling in the song and managed to include some scenes of beautiful Kiera dancing with me which added to the dreamlike element of the song. A few of my family members feature in the clip, my sister and her partner are mentioned in the storyline and my niece played the role of my imaginary daughter. Really proud and chuffed that they participated”.

Rita B is scheduled to play the following shows in the coming months. Hopefully they go ahead!

28 October 2021 – Get Folked Punk @ LazyBones Lounge Restaurant and Bar, Marrickville
4 December 2021 – The Townie, Newtown (with Josh Shipton)

Image used with permission from Beehive PR; credit: D.H Norley

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Rock Out With A Swift Farewell’s “Sunburn”

Sydney pop-punk act A Swift Farewell are back with “Sunburn,” a track that uses the physical pain of sun exposure as a metaphor for the wrong kind of relationship. By the time that chorus kicked in with powerful vocals from Emma Mather, I was right on board.

Like so many bands impacted by lockdowns, A Swift Farewell had to pivot on the single’s music video.

“We initially wanted to film a live music video of us playing the song at our headline show. However, with the ever-changing situation, we had to find an alternative,” explained the band’s drummer, Dwayne Morris. “Sarah, our bassist, messaged us one day and showed us a homemade green screen idea. From there, we hit up our good friend Robbie and the rest is history. It was a fun experience, especially since I got to hit my drums for the first time in god knows how long.”

Hopefully it won’t be too long before A Swift Farewell plays those live shows they’re craving. Until then, crank this one up!

Image used with permission from Good Intent; credit: Robbie Walcott

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Young Robin Drop New EP “Imago” Today

With Perth act Young Robin dropping their new EP Imago today, I thought it was the perfect time to bring them to your attention. These guys have grown a massive fanbase in Western Australia, selling out shows up and down the West Coast, but I think it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the country is turned on to their sound.

My favourite track on the EP is the current single “Violent.” This catchy indie bop had me grooving from the get-go. Sophian Manik (vocals and guitar) and Jed Begho (lead vocals) co-wrote the track, which has a deep personal meaning for them both.

“For me, this song is about internal struggle and finding peace through personal discovery and faith,” Jed explains. “For Sophian, it’s written from the perspective of his relationship with his significant other during the Covid pandemic. It’s about the struggles he had and how they persevered through it and came out stronger at the end. Even though the song is called ‘Violent’ the song does not refer to any form of physical violence, but more so mental battles that we have faced.”

Wrap your ears around it and I know you’ll want to listen to the rest of the tunes from Imago. Get onto it music lovers!

Image used with permission from Habit Music Co.; credit: Mastu Photography

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Brisbane’s Selfish Sons Deliver Anthemic New Pop-Punk Track, “Hard Enough”

In the tradition of bands like Good Charlotte and My Chemical Romance comes Brisbane’s own band of brothers, Selfish Sons. The trio is made up of brothers Jordy and Finn and their pal Jonty. Jonty met the brothers in a commercial audition room at the age of eight, so surely he’s considered part of the family now! Together they’ve just released their new single “Hard Enough,” and I can’t stop listening.

This is a slick piece of pop-punk with an infectious guitar-driven melody and a chorus you’ll find yourself singing along with before the song’s out. No wonder these guys have recently inked deals with LA management teams Connexion Music and Goodlife Management. Expect to hear a lot more from these guys once the country opens up and they can tear up stages again!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“We Must Be Dreaming” – Outer South

Melbourne’s Outer South captured my heart last year with the singles “By the Morning” and “Home,” so I was thrilled to wrap my ears around their debut album, We Must Be Dreaming. It’s an apt title for this dreamy collection of indie-folk tracks. With the reality of the pandemic looming large for so many of us, drifting off with Outer South is a great option.

Opening with “By the Morning” reminded me of all the reasons why I love this band. It sounds like a modern lullaby, tender and calming. By the time the first new-to-me track “Half Way” began, I was already in such a blissful, receptive state. Outer South delivered more of what I love with the other tracks, warm acoustic tones overlayed with gentle electric guitars, sublime vocals, lyrics that run like short vignettes, giving us a glimpse at relationships we don’t know but feel a part of for a time. The lyrics of “Everything’s Alright,” which explore the idea of pretending life’s okay, really resonated right now. “Drag” starts off so subtle but builds to a gorgeous crescendo of longing. It’s so easy to get swept away by this music.

With just seven tracks and a runtime of a little more than half an hour, We Must Be Dreaming is the definition of short and sweet. By being selective about their material, Outer South ensures every song on this album is special. If you find yourself wanting more, just remember you can always hit play again.

Images used with permission from Outer South

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“3” – Ngaiire

It’s been five years since Ngaiire delivered her outstanding sophomore album Blastoma, but she’s finally graced us with another LP, the aptly named 3. That’s a long time between releases in the music world, but perfection takes time. Her latest release is a thoughtful collection of music that’s impressed me every bit as much as the tunes that came before.

Ngaiire introduces us to her vocal chops with the lush title track. The album takes a left turn with “Shiver,” a cool soul-pop number with bounces along with an infectious rhythm. Beats give many of these tracks a fresh poppy feel. I found myself grooving along to tunes like “Takeover” and “Moonshine.” Just when you think you’ve figured the album out, she takes another left turn, stripping away the beats for the piano-driven, spoken word beauty of “Akura.” She follows it up with “Him,” a modern gospel anthem that shows another side of this talented performer.

Ngaiire is an artist who loves surprising us. I swear I heard the distinctive sound alert for train announcements layered under Ngaiire’s vocals in “Shoestring.” And why not? Her sound is complex but never confused. It can be out of the box, but delivered with such confidence that you happily go along for the ride. And it’s all anchored by that incredible voice, dripping with soul, an honest expression of her heart. So many singers these days push their vocals, as if they want to prove to us that they can sing all the notes and do all the runs. Ngaiire is a lot more understated, ensuring that it’s her message that takes centre stage rather than the notes she hits.

Ngaiire set such a high bar for herself with Blastoma, but 3 is every bit as good. If you loved the music that came before, you’re going to adore this. If you’re yet to discover how special Ngaiire is, there’s no time like the present. Unless this nasty virus gets in the way, Ngaiire will tour 3 around Australia and New Zealand later this year. Here are all the dates you need:

5 November 2021 – Altar Bar, Hobart
6 November 2021 – The Croxton, Melbourne
7 November 2021 – Theatre Royal, Castlemaine
12 November 2021 – City Recital Hall, Sydney
18 November 2021 – The Gov, Adelaide
19 November 2021 – The Rosemount Hotel, Perth
25 November 2021 – The Tuning Fork, Auckland
26 November 2021 – Meow, Wellington
4 December 2021 – UC Hub, Canberra
13 January 2022 – The Triffid, Brisbane

Images used with permission from Remote Control Records; main photo credit: Dan Segal

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Joe Mungovan Drops Hot New Single “Give Me Your Love”

South Coast singer-songwriter Joe Mungovan brings the sexy with his cool new jam “Give Me Your Love.” Before you press play, Joe sets the scene.

“Imagine yourself on a warm summer day in a beautiful city somewhere in Europe. You’ve been spending every day exploring the city, drinking wine in the sun and everything is new and exciting. On top of all of this, you’re falling for a person you’ve just met. ‘Give Me Your Love’ is the soundtrack.”

OK, got that visual in your head? Good. Now take a listen.

Joe directed the video with Mikey Conlon in his hometown of Kiama.

“We were quite restricted with making this video,” he admitted. “The initial idea for it had to change quite drastically when the second lockdown became quite serious in NSW. I decided to make it a one-shot through my beautiful hometown of Kiama. We came up with a rough map of where we wanted to go and winged it a few times. Although we stumbled across a few hurdles (car doors not opening and lights falling over) we got there in the end.”

“Give Me Your Love” gives us a little taste of what’s in store when Joe drops his long-awaited debut album A Flower in the Weeds this November.

Image used with permission from Beehive PR; credit: Mikey Conlon (Conlon Creative)

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Montgomery Drops Stunning New Single “Close to Being Apart”

It was love at first listen when I heard “Close To Being Apart,” the dreamy new pop bop from Melbourne singer/songwriter/producer Montgomery. All those titles should clue you in to her talent. Press play and there’ll be no doubt. I must admit, I wasn’t familiar with Montgomery’s music before, but I quickly remedied that after listening to this track. Her latest effort explores the idea of moving through life, forging new connections and letting old ones go in the process.

“I wrote ‘Close To Being Apart’ last year after moving house. There’s a mix of emotion when you’re packing up and moving on to a new place that holds no memories. I found myself reminiscing, holding on to sentiment, while another part of me was desperate to start a new chapter,” Montgomery explained. “’Close To Being Apart’ acknowledges that tension of wanting to move forward or change direction, while still clinging to old memories. Even those I’d proudly thought I‘d already let go of.”

“Close To Being Apart” is our first taste of Montgomery’s sophomore EP, which is due out later this year.

Image used with permission from Habit Music Co.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Charlie Collins Releases New Banger for the Broken Hearted, “Just My Luck”

Failed relationships are no fun, but sometimes the songs that come out of them are. That’s the case with “Just My Luck,” the upbeat new single from Charlie Collins. If you’ve ever invested your heart in the wrong person, you’ll want to crank this one up.

“It’s about the feeling of always throwing yourself in the deep end, but the other person isn’t there to catch you when you fall,” Charlie explained. Thankfully it’s not something she’s had to worry about lately, as she began writing the track in her living room with partner Mitch Sexty. The track went to the next level when Charlie began collaborating with Gabriel Strum, aka Japanese Wallpaper, at Sydney’s Forbes Street Studios.

“Just My Luck” is the latest track lifted from Charlie’s forthcoming sophomore album. There’s no word on a release date, but this song should tide you over until it drops.

Image used with permission from Island Records Australia