Author: Lauren Katulka

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Gusset Releases Fun New Single, “Never Let Me Know”

Weekends aren’t quite the same in the time of COVID, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some feel-good tunes on your Saturday. If I were planning a backyard BBQ, “Never Let Me Know” by Perth band The Gusset would definitely make my playlist.

It’s got a quirky upbeat vibe that reminds me of European acts like Phoenix and The Kooks. But then there’s also a little surf-rock vibe that roots the sound back here in Oz.

“The track describes a time in our lives where we constantly feel the pressure to succeed and to continuously move forward in all aspects of life, whether it be music, work, or relationships,” the band explained. “In order to achieve what we want, we often put pressure on ourselves which can in turn, affect us in a detrimental way, both in a work and social setting. Sometimes it becomes just all too much and you feel as if you just want someone to just stop you and let you know where you are at is just okay.”

If you like what you hear, why not get some merch? It’s one of the best ways to support your favourite bands while we’re all in iso. Those long-sleeved tees and hoodies are perfect for the cooler weather ahead!

Image used with permission from Beehive PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Ari Channels Old School R’n’B Vibes With “Slow Down”

It’s not a particularly sexy time for many of us right now. Live-in couples are spending more time together, but PJs and tracky dacks have become our new work uniforms! If you need a little inspiration, look no further than “Slow Down,” the sexy new single from Ari featuring Coast & Ocean.

“I love this song soo much!” gushed Ari. “I had such a great time recording the song and turning it into what it is! Working with Coast & Ocean is a vibe! And I know there will be more music from the two of us.”

Ari has performed alongside the likes of Lime Cordiale and Bootleg Rascal and made appearances at Splendour and Peak Music Festival. No doubt we’ll be hearing a lot more from him once this COVID-19 thing is wrapped up and we can get out and appreciate live music again!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Rock Out With Ragdoll’s New Track, “Follow the Leader”

Perth rock band Ragdoll has just dropped an electric new single “Follow the Leader,” and it’s a straight-up instant classic. It’s got that timeless feel of an anthemic stadium rock track with a little ‘90s grunginess and a fresh feel that ensures it never feels like a throwback. I can also attest that it sounds at its very best when you crank your speakers way up.

“Musically we wanted Follow the Leader to capture the live energy of a Ragdoll show, and that has as much to do with the way the song sounds as the way it feels,” explained the band’s guitarist Leon Todd. “I personally feel these are some of the very best vocals Ryan has done to date, and the way he and Cam play together as a rhythm section really gets to shine on this song. Plus, I’m totally addicted to that main riff!”

Ragdoll aren’t used to sitting still. They played countless shows since setting out in 2015, including the Rocklahoma festival, a support slot for Skid Row at the Whisky a Go Go, and gigs in Europe and Australia. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we see them back on stages doing what they do best.

Image used with permission from Firestarter Music

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Guadion Takes “TV Shows” Launch Online

With Ed Sheeran stepping back from the music business, there’s a vacancy for an acoustic-guitar playing singer-songwriter. Enter local lad Guadion, he’s stepping up with his folky pop to fill the void. He recently dropped his single “TV Shows,” and it goes down pretty easily.

You might actually think you were listening to the latest Ed Sheeran track if not for the reference to Kyle and Jackie O on the radio. Guadion has a similar storyteller quality and an ease about his music that draws you in.

“TV Shows is a small part of my life,” he explained. “I began writing the tune when I was working on a small farm in a rural area in Canada’s Saskatchewan. In this place I was turbulent. I never knew what I wanted to do. So I taught myself to play guitar and sing inside a grain silo every day after work. I was also going through a difficult stage of adolesence; through this song I was aiming to express my current feelings with music. Every time I’d think of the things I was going through I’d write a little bit more of the song. It’s not the first song I ever wrote, and definitely not the last, but it holds a long journey of my emotions, my memories and my thoughts.”

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Guadion has decided to take the single launch online. He’ll play an intimate set streamed via YouTube and Guadion’s Instagram page (@guadion_music) tomorrow night at 7:30 pm AEST.

Image used with permission from On the Map PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Doko Rock Out With “Maybe Leave a Light On”

Is time in iso getting you down? Sydney band Doko is here to lift your spirits with its feelgood new indie-rock track “Maybe Leave a Light On.” The track is a real banger with lyrics exploring how to successfully navigate the darkness of a tumultuous relationship. Listen to it just once and I bet you’ll be singing it for the rest of the day. It’s just that catchy.

The creepy music video was inspired by the band members’ time watching the iconic performances of Countdown in their youth. They had a blast making it, just as you will watching it.

“This was definitely the most fun we’ve had shooting a video, miming along to the song the way bands did back in the ‘80s, on a stage blanketed in smoke.” explained Doko.

These guys are most at home on stage and have already supported big names like Eskimo Joe, Alex Lahey, and Ali Barter. The band was all set to embark on their biggest tour to date but then COVID-19 came and put those plans on the back burner. Doko promises to get back on the road as soon as it’s safe. Until then, crank this one up!

Image used with permission from Arow Agency

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Annie Hamilton Shows Creativity With Solo Music and Fashion Line

A singer-songwriter, musician, visual artist, and fashion designer, Sydney’s Annie Hamilton is a true creative talent. After making waves as the guitarist of Little May, she’s going it alone with her self-titled first solo EP. The release, which drops on May 1, features the brand-new single “Panic.” It’s a cool, retro-sounding song that Annie describes as a conversation with her anxiety. The new lyric video really lets you home in on those powerful words.

Along with previous releases “Kitchen” and “My New Tattooed Chameleon,” Hamilton reveals the journey of an artist navigating and documenting her personal journey. The songs examine everyday experiences, both profound and mundane, to create a portrait of this exciting Aussie talent.

“This EP is the culmination of the last few years spent finding my voice as a solo artist. These songs have come from a place of introspection and experimentation, following my intuition while improving my production and engineering skills in the process,” Annie explained.

Along with the EP, Annie Hamilton is also releasing a limited-edition capsule fashion collection. You can pre-order the first piece, the shirt worn in her “Kitchen” music video, now.

Image used with permission from Inertia Music; credit: Rosie Fitzgerald

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Smith Street Band Earn First Number One Album

Music has been a lifeline for so many of us during the coronavirus pandemic. So it’s thrilling to see the nation embracing one of our own and giving The Smith Street Band their first number one album this week. Don’t Waste Your Anger is the perfect isolation soundtrack, with all the angst you need for such a difficult time in history. The new single “The End of the World” is a case in point.

The Smith Street Band’s album is keeping company on the ARIA albums charts with Artists Unite for Fire Fight, which sits at number six, and Calm from 5 Seconds of Summer, which is at number eight.

Over on the singles charts Tones and I is our lone representative in the top 10. Her monster smash “Dance Monkey” is heading back up the charts and currently sits at number 10.

Here are this week’s complete top 10s. What have you been listening to?

Top 10 Albums

1. Don’t Waste Your Anger – The Smith Street Band
2. Future Nostalgia – Dua Lipa
3. After Hours – The Weeknd
4. Fine Line – Harry Styles
5. When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? – Billie Eilish
6. Artists Unite For Fire Fight – Various
7. Blame it On Baby – DaBaby
8. Calm – 5 Seconds of Summer
9. Hollywood’s Bleeding – Post Malone
10. Diamonds – Elton John

Top 10 Singles

1. “Roses” – SAINt JHN
2. “Blinding Lights” – The Weeknd
3. “Toosie Slide” – Drake
4. “Don’t Start Now” – Dua Lipa
5. “death bed” – Powfu
6. “Intentions” – Justin Bieber feat. Quavo
7. “Break My Heart” – Dua Lipa
8. “Say So” – Doja Cat
9. “Supalonely” – Benee feat. Gus Dapperton
10. “Dance Monkey” – Tones and I

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Morgan Joanel Releases Cool New Single, “Disappear”

Perth singer-songwriter Morgan Joanel has given me goosebumps with her sultry new single “Disappear.” This track is a masterclass in restraint, with smoky vocals and a cool groove. I can’t help thinking of cool ‘90s outfits like Portishead and Mazzy Star when I listen to it.

Morgan’s far from a household name, but she’s working in the business for the last decade. It’s a labour of love that’s taken her around the world and seen her signed to one of the world’s biggest record labels. Like so many musical journeys, it hasn’t been a fairytale ride though. Morgan recently moved back to her hometown of Perth and it seems the change is doing her good. While her time with a major label left her feeling creatively confined, she wrote “Disappear” in just 15 minutes. Hopefully that’s a sign her creative juices are flowing again.

Image used with permission from Firestarter Music

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Ali Barter & Oscar Dawson Release Iso Track for Support Act

Yesterday my husband and I marked one month since locking down. We’ve taken this shit pretty seriously, ordering our groceries and never stepping any further than the kerb to put the bins out. We’re getting a little sick of staring at the same four walls to be honest, something Ali Barter and her boyfriend Oscar Dawson of Holy Holy can undoubtedly relate to. They’ve just released a love song for the isolation age, “Four Days.”

Of course, any song written in the confines of the pandemic will hardly be roses and rainbows. This track addresses the frustrations that come from time trapped together. It came about after the pair spent two weeks together following Ali’s return from the USA. Triple J’s Hing and Hobba challenged them to write a song about the ordeal over 24 hours, including listener lyric suggestions. It’s all for a good cause, with proceeds from the song’s streams and sales going to Support Act’s COVID-19 Emergency Appeal.

”The crisis is having a massive effect on the music industry and especially the folks involved in touring – session musos, roadies, sound engineers who literally can’t work now,”Ali explained. “Support Act is the best way to get much-needed funds and assistance to those people. Super happy to put something out there to make people smile and raise some money!”

So get streaming or purchase the single to help the fundraising efforts! You can also make additional donations through the Support Act website.

Image used with permission from Inertia Music

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Running With the Wolves” – Azure Ryder

I might be in the minority, but I don’t mind this period of isolation. I am missing certain things of course, and I have my worries. But I’m enjoying the slower pace. Work has quietened, and rather than thinking too far ahead about that I’m relishing the opportunity to take a little more time for passions. I’m spending a lot of time with music, enjoying the kind of deep listening that comes when you’re not trying to get a million things done at the same time. Rather than listening once or twice, then moving on to the next thing, I’ve spent all day listening to Running With the Wolves, the debut EP from New South Wales’ Azure Ryder. It’s made my day that much brighter.

That I could listen to this EP on repeat when it has just four songs is a testament to their quality. Each one is a standout, anchored by Azure’s warm, husky tone and honest songwriting. The opening track “Dizzy” is a powerful meditation on the importance of being open, to relationships and life in general. “Wolves” is a delicate acoustic guitar ballad, a poignant moment that is much gentler than you might expect of a song referencing wild animals. We emerge from the dreamy “Wolves” with “Stir the Dust,” a call to arms that harnesses pain as a force for change and growth. The EP ends with “Crimson,” a poetic exploration of a complicated relationship. Azure weaves references to nature through her songs. The sky, the rain, the earth, fire, these elements ground these songs and give them an even greater, tangible beauty.

“This is really the beginning of my story,” Azure explained “these songs are my leap of faith, taking control over the way I choose to wear my heart over my chest. I believe that feelings know no limits and music allows for that freedom. I hope that this EP will remind whoever listening that it is okay to feel everything, it’s okay to be human, it’s okay to feel alive! Own it, every little piece of yourself, that’s yours and no one else’s.”

I am so impressed with Running With the Wolves. It’s an accessible collection of songs that gets richer with every listen. I can’t wait to hear the rest of Azure Ryder’s story unfold. Running With the Wolves is out now.

Image used with permission from Universal Music Australia