Author: Lauren Katulka

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Get to Know Hallie Ahead of EP Tour

If you saw Holy Holy on their recent tour, you may be wondering who was the incredible young support act with the Joni Mitchell-esque vocals. That’s Hallie, and with her EP set to drop on Friday, there’s no better time to get across the music of this Brisbane-based artist.

I featured her single “Nice as Rice” a few months back, but if you missed that make sure you don’t miss her latest single “Stuck In Mud.” It’s a powerful ballad with such a strong emotional core, a fact that’s made all the more surprising when you understand it’s the only song on the EP that wasn’t inspired by Hallie’s own experiences.

“It’s about two people in a relationship that just stay because it’s comfortable, which at the time it was written, I saw a lot of in my friends’ relationships,” she explained. “I think I didn’t realise it then, but looking back this song was a bit of a metaphor for my relationship with life. I was in a bit of a lull and felt safe, but not satisfied. For me ‘Stuck in Mud’ is a reminder to get out of my comfort zone and that constant security can’t teach you much. It’s a piece full of angst, frustration and muffins, and I am so connected and proud of this piece.”

“Stuck in Mud” comes from Hallie’s debut EP, Wink Wink Nudge Nudge. To celebrate its release, Hallie will get back in the tour bus. If you missed her supporting Holy Holy or are in the mood for a second helping, these are all the dates you need.

19 October 2019 – The Retreat Hotel, Melbourne
25 October 2019 – Vic On The Park, Sydney (supporting Annie Hamilton)
26 October 2019 – The Foundry, Brisbane (supporting Asha Jefferies)
31 October– Strawberry Boogie @ Unibar, Wollongong

Image used with permission from Habit Music Company

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

GraceJean Send Spirits Soaring With “Turn Away”

The working week seems to be dragging on, but Melbourne indie folksters GraceJean are here to lift your spirits with their romantic new single “Turn Away.” Take a listen and I’m sure you’ll be captivated by their sublime harmonies and organic sound.

“Turn Away” is the first single lifted from GraceJean’s debut album Long Black Road, which drops on October 4. They’ll celebrate its release with shows in Victoria and Queensland, including a very special hometown launch show on October 5. Here are all the dates you need music lovers!

5 October 2019 – Thornbury Theatre, Melbourne
19 October 2019 – One Tree Hill, Spring Gully
25-27 October 2019 – Tablelands Folk Festival, Yungaburra
1-3 November 2019 – Happy Wanderer Festival, Benalla
23 & 24 November 2019 – Queenscliff Music Festival, Queenscliff

Image used with permission from Beehive PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Charge Your Glass and Listen to Sketchy Fancy’s “Pub Rock”

With their new album Good. Bad. Happy. Sad available on all major streaming services now, it seemed like the perfect time to introduce you to South Sydney quartet Sketchy Fancy. The five-piece has got me grooving with the album’s lead single “Pub Rock.”

I love the vibrant horns, the wailing electric guitars, and the old-school storyteller vibe of the lyrics. If you’re vibing it too, make sure you dive into the rest of Good. Bad. Happy. Sad. It’s an eclectic collection of songs, but I guarantee it’s got plenty more gems. If you like what you hear, catch Sketchy Fancy at Bulli’s Heritage Hotel on September 27.

Image used with permission from the A&R Department

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Matt Joe Gow Delivers Stunning Kate Bush Cover

I love a great cover. They started to get a bad wrap around the height of the reality TV singing contest craze, but I think it takes real skill to interpret a song everybody knows and put your own stamp on it. Matt Joe Gow’s take on Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” is the latest cover to delight my ears.

It’s more subtle and sultry than Kate’s version, with a great Americana feel that really brings out the emotion behind the lyrics. If you want to hear it and his fantastic originals live, make sure you catch Matt Joe Gow at one of his upcoming performances.

15-17 November 2019 – Healesville Music Festival, Healesville
7 December 2019 – Bayview Country Art Club, Bittern (with Andrew Swift)

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Millington Releases Positive New Single, “I Am That”

Life’s good for Millington, who is currently touring Europe and the United Kingdom with fellow Melbourne act Pierce Brothers. In that spirit of celebration comes his latest single “I Am That,” a life-affirming ditty all about embracing yourself and your voice. It’s a topic Millington understands all too well, as he used music to overcome a pronounced stammer.

“Music gave me the opportunity to communicate and express myself deeply, work things through whilst telling myself to sort my shit out when things got/get challenging and difficult,” he explained. “I have been speaking and thinking in rhythms for as long as I can remember.”

Millington hopes to tour Australia really soon, but in the meantime if you’re abroad, do yourself a favour and check him out with Pierce Brothers at the following shows.

25 September 2019 – Rotown, Rotterdam
26 September 2019 – 013 Jupiler Zaal, Tilburg
27 September 2019 – Melkweg, Amsterdam
28 September 2019 – La Madeleine, Brussels
29 September 2019 – Le Gibus Club, Paris
1 October 2019 – Doornroosje, Nijmegen
3 October 2019 – O2 Academy, Oxford
4 October 2019 – Thekla, Bristol
5 October 2019 – O2 Institute, Birmingham
7 October 2019 – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
8 October 2019 – Òran Mór, Glasgow
9 October 2019 – The Deaf Institute, Manchester
11 & 12 October 2019 – The Garage, London

Image used with permission from the A&R Department

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Lakyn Drops Stellar New Single “Choir Girl”

Kiwi-born, Melbourne-based artist Lakyn shows tremendous growth with the release of his new single “Choir Boy,” his first new music since releasing his EP “& Pains” last year. It’s an introspective track, interesting sonically but with some really powerful lyrics front and centre.

“Choir Boy’ is about timing and being at peace with where you’re at. It’s about knowing that wherever you are with your expectations, it’s important to remind yourself that you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.” Lakyn explained.

You might have seen Lakyn supporting acts like Vera Blue, LAUV, and Eves Karydas. However, in November he’ll take top billing with his own headlining shows celebrating the single’s release. Catch him at the following venues.

7 November 2019 – Grace Darling, Melbourne
14 November 2019 – Low 302, Sydney

Image used with permission from Island Records

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Vanns Rock Your Socks Off With “Deranged”

South Coast indie rockers The Vanns hit all the right notes with their new single “Deranged.” Just see if you’re not ready to sing along when that chorus kicks in!

“The song came about whilst I was staying over in London and I had up until the first chorus written with a rough melody,” explained Jimmy Vann. “Once I brought the song home it took a whole new direction of meaning.”

“Deranged” comes from The Vanns’ highly anticipated debut album Through the Walls, which drops on October 25. They’ve honed their live show supporting acts like Catfish and the Bottlemen and Ocean Alley, but they’ll be in the spotlight headlining their own album shows and appearing at some hot festivals later this year.

26 October 2019 – Hidden Lanes Festival @ The Zoo, Brisbane (FREE)
26 October 2019 – Gold Coast 600, Gold Coast
2 November 2019 – Stay Gold, Melbourne (Under 18s and 18+ shows)
9 November 2019 – Djerriwarrh Festival, Melton
14 November 2019 – Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide (18+)
15 November 2019 – Mojo’s, Perth (ALL AGES, Under 18s permitted with guardian)
16 November 2019 – The Sewing Room, Fremantle (18+)
7 December 2019 – The Metro, Sydney (ALL AGES)

Image used with permission from Beehive PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Conrad Sewell Releases Another Super Track From LIFE

The hits keep on coming from Conrad Sewell’s LIFE album. If you weren’t one of the music lovers who took this album to the top of the charts, make sure you take a listen to his new single “Big World.” I think this might be my favourite on the album, a sentiment that I share with Conrad himself!

“I wanted to write a song that summed up my life to date, and how many up and downs you go through to make your dreams come true,” he explained. “Starting from the day I was born, ending with what I want written on my gravestone. It’s a song that really sums me up as a person, from my love of the ‘90s and California to the fact I think anything is possible in this great big world of ours.”

Take a listen, and if you love what you hear, remember there’s more where that came from. Conrad’s LIFE album is in stores and on your favourite streaming services now.

Image used with permission from Sony Music Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Free Time” – Ruel

They say you have a whole lifetime to create your first release. The second is much harder, because it typically comes with the pressure of time. Leave it too long and no one will remember you. Rush it though, and the quality may suffer. If Ruel experienced any angst in creating his sophomore EP Free Time, it doesn’t show. At 16 years old, he’s releasing music with more confidence and swagger than many musicians twice his age.

Three of the seven tracks from Free Time were released as singles, so I wondered whether I’d have much to say by the time the EP dropped. But there’s plenty more to fall in love with here. Speaking of love, it’s the dominant theme here, but it’s explored with a maturity beyond Ruel’s tender years. That makes his music so relatable, whether you’re discovering love for the first time as Ruel might be or you’ve got a wealth of experience behind you.

You might assume that Ruel released his strongest songs as singles, leaving lesser tracks behind. But every song on this EP has such quality. There’s real variety too, from the joyous soul-pop stylings of “Painkiller” to the poignant piano ballad “Hard Sometimes.” No matter the tone, Ruel’s distinctive, emotive voice is front and centre. It’s easy to get lost in it, but make sure you tune into the lyrics, which Ruel says are his most personal to date.

Free Time is a stunning EP which celebrates the evolution of this promising Australian talent, and hints at even better things to come. Ruel has a few more headlining shows at home and in New Zealand before heading to the United States and Europe. Somewhere in there he also finds time to come back home and support Shawn Mendes! Here are all the dates you need!

22 September 2019 – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide
24 September 2019 – Festival Hall, Melbourne
28 September 2019 – Shed 10, Auckland
1 October 2019 – Odeon, Hobart
4 October 2019 – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
5-6 October 2019 – Yours & Owls Festival, Wollongong
8 October 2019 – Great American Music Hall, San Francisco
10 October 2019 – Columbia City Theater, Seattle
12 October 2019 – Holocene, Portland
14 October 2019 – The Biltmore Ballroom, Vancouver
19 October 2019 – Subterranean, Chicago
21 October 2019 – Velvet Underground, Toronto
22 October 2019 – The Foundry at the Fillmore, Philadelphia
25 October 2019 – Songbyrd Vinyl Lounge, Washington, DC
28 October 2019 – The Bowery Ballroom, New York
29 October 2019 – The Loft, Atlanta
31 October 2019 – The Studio at Warehouse Live, Houston
1 November 2019 – Cambridge Room @ House of Blues, Dallas
3 November 2019 – Fonda Theatre, Hollywood
6 November 2019 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane (supporting Shawn Mendes)
9 November 2019 – Spark Arena, Auckland (supporting Shawn Mendes)
14 November 2019 – Vulkan, Oslo
15 November 2019 – Vasateatern, Stockholm
17 November 2019 – DR Koncerthuset @ Studie 2, Copenhagen
19 November 2019 – Huxleys Neue Welt, Berlin
21 November 2019 – La Gaîté Lyrique, Paris
23 November 2019 – Manchester Academy 2, Manchester
25 November 2019 – Electric Brixton, London
26 November 2019 – O2 Institute 2, Birmingham
27 November 2019 – Saint Luke’s Glagsow, Glasgow
30 November 2019 – The Academy, Dublin
2 December 2019 – Die Kantine, Cologne, Germany
4 December 2019 – Melkweg Max, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Image used with permission from Sony Music Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Building Blocks” – THIA.

THIA. lays her heart bare with her new EP Building Blocks. This collection explores heartbreak and loss, the moving on and the difficulties that come with doing so. The opening track, “Intro,” introduces us to her angelic voice, but there’s so much more to this talented singer-songwriter.

“Breathe” is a heartbreaking look at the aftermath of a relationship, those moments when you feel like you have lost not just the object of your affection but every single part of yourself. Its lyrics are devastatingly raw and so compelling. “Holding Your Hand” explores similar territory but with a different attitude. Rather than the desperation and devastation, there’s a steely resolve here. THIA. understands her worth and refuses to accept less than she deserves. There’s a cool confidence here, despite the chaos. “Higher Ground” is a natural progression and the most joyful track on the EP. There’s an acknowledgement of loss but also acceptance and an optimism that something better is just around the corner. I love its vibrant trumpets and cool groove.

The EP closes with the stunning “Stuck,” an eloquent exploration of that limbo so many of us find ourselves in when a relationship is failing, yet we’re not quite ready to say goodbye. Here THIA. gives her most emotional and vulnerable performance on the EP. It’s utterly affecting, and leaves a lasting impression long after the final guitar chord.

Building Blocks is available on all major streaming services now. THIA. will play The Workers Club in Melbourne on October 3.