Dharug Country/North-Western Sydney band In Good Hands put their heart and soul into their latest indie rock single “Integrity.” You can really hear the emotion in Jack Kenyon’s vocals, which add gravity to the introspective lyrics.
“Integrity is a song about questioning whether or not the decisions you are making at any one time are in line with the morals that you were taught as a child and by other people you respect,” the band explained. “It’s a song about checking yourself, and letting your actions speak rather than your words.”
In Good Hands will officially launch “Integrity” with a hometown show at The Chippo Hotel on August 9. Tickets are on sale now from Oztix.
When I hear someone is touring Australia and I’m not familiar with their work, I love taking a deep dive and discovering what they’re all about. My latest discovery is Cordovas, a Nashville band that produces what the press release calls cosmic Americana. It’s a pretty off-the-wall description, but once you listen, it all makes sense. It’s a little Southern rock, but these guys push the envelope too much for it to sit neatly in that box. It’s incredibly cool.
Take a listen to their four albums and get yourself across their music, if you aren’t already. Cordovas have built a devoted fanbase in the US and Europe for their outstanding live shows, and they’re bound to do the same in Australia. If there’s any justice, they’ll be moving on to bigger venues next time, so see them up close and personal while you can!
For a fresh new track with an old school flavour, check out “Won’t You Decide,” the latest release from Naarm/Melbourne 10-piece Mondo Freaks. It sits somewhere around that funk-soul realm popularised by Luther Vandross, George Benson, and Teddy Pendergrass with its silky smooth vocals and addictive groove that just won’t quit.
Mondo Freaks was formed by in-demand session musos Luke Hodgson on bass and Graeme Pogson on drums. On vocals you hear Aaron Mendoza, who also plays keys in Mondo Freaks. He’s one of five vocalists in the band, so they’re always going to keep you guessing.
“Luke came around and we quickly found ourselves locking in together. I distinctly remember as I sung the pre-chorus idea, a quiet ‘Yes!’ slowly whispered from behind. Luke and I were onto something,” Aaron recalled. “‘Won’t You Decide’ is a sensitive song but it makes you wanna dance at the same time. I love those kinds of songs! To be honest, it was the impetus that led to a burst of creativity for me. Ultimately resulting in co-writing more material for the album. An opportunity I will forever be grateful for.”
“Won’t You Decide” comes from Mondo Freaks’ self-titled debut album, which drops on October 17. Click the link to order your limited-edition vinyl copy.
Image used with permission from Revolutions per Minute PR
Maybe it’s the musical theatre nerd in me, but I love hearing music with a bit of drama. Something bold, something unapologetically marching to the beat of its own drum. So I was thrilled to wrap my ears around “Lovechild of the Greatest,” the latest track from genre-bending Yugambeh Country/Gold Coast talent Holy Basil. This song came about during a period of deep creative reinvention for Holy Basil. It’s brave, fearless, and so much fun.
“This track is about me re-inventing myself into my truest form. That person is the Lovechild of Kate Bush and David Bowie. They’re two of my greatest inspirations and creative guides, so this song is also a small homage to them,” Holy Basil said.
If this it what comes when Holy Basil reinvents herself, I can’t wait to hear more as she steps forward into this new musical chapter.
Gloomy winter weather has well and truly set in, but I’ve got a big smile on my face after listening to “18,” the latest single from Boonwurrung Country/Mornington Peninsula artist MAXON. Closing my eyes, it transported me to a road trip, somewhere warmer, somewhere far from the 9-to-5 grind, somewhere with endless possibilities. While listening is a joy, make sure you don’t miss the insightful lyrics.
“When you’re 18, all you want is to be a little older,” Max said. “And when you’re older, the industry wants you to be 18 again. I wanted to write this to remind myself – and anyone who needs to hear it – that age is nothing, and music is everything.”
While MAXON’s talents are front and centre, “18” is really a community effort. It features Mia Dyson on guitar and backing vocals, and a choir of locals including Kerryn Fields, Mathilde Anne, and Cousin Leonard.
“18” is the first single from MAXON’s debut album Talking With Strangers, which we should hear early next year.
Today acclaimed Wonnarua Country/Hunter Valley-based singer-songwriter Melody Pool releases her gorgeous third album Our Eternal Garden. Coming nine years after her last, this stunning psychedelic-folk album sees Melody channelling her grief, trust, and curiosity into songs that build on her sound and take it in new directions. I caught up with Melody to chat about this beautiful new album, how she feels making music after an extended hiatus, and her exciting touring news.
You’re releasing your new album Our Eternal Garden today. What can you tell me about it?
I guess mainly that I’m extremely proud of it. I wrote a lot of the songs when there were heaps of life changes happening for me, my dad getting sick etc. It was an exercise in surrendering to grief really and trying to redirect my approach to pain and existential dread by working with it rather than pushing up against it.
This is actually your first album release since Deep Dark Savage Heart in 2016. You were really honest about needing to step back from your music career and prioritise your mental health not long after you released that album. How does it feel to be making music again after that time away?
That break was exactly what I needed to be able to get back into music. I was really lost beforehand and so disconnected to why I was doing it. Those years helped me realign with the ‘why’, and I fell back in love with creating, and problem solving and challenging myself musically which is what I’d lost. So, rather than it just feeling good, it actually just feels right now.
The press release says this album is “a bold expansion of her sonic and lyrical world.” How would you say that your music evolved between this album and Deep Dark Savage Heart?
I’d say it’s wildly different haha. I don’t know, I hear DDSH now and I just hear a lost little girl who let others listen and decide things for her, who didn’t value her own opinion or taste. I feel like the sound has really been formed into something that reflects me now, and lyrically/musically it’s just far more realised. But that’s just my opinion lol.
You recorded Our Eternal Garden entirely to tape, which is such an old-school way of doing things. What influenced that decision?
There is a record by Linda Perhacs called Paralellograms that I adore, and I’d said to Chris [Dale] (my producer, who’s also my partner), that I was obsessed with that vocal sound and the density and warmth of it and he was like “Maybe we should just go to Golden Retriever and record to tape,” so we did. There wasn’t some huge determined decision really, it kind of just worked out that way and became something we just said “Yeah, let’s try that” to.
As a music buff, I was really impressed to read that the album’s photos were shot by Henry Diltz, who has photographed music legends like The Doors and Joni Mitchell. How did you get him on board?
Through a publicist I was working with at the time. It was such a beautiful experience getting to share some time with Henry, and he gifted me a beautiful print of Joni he had signed at the end of it. He is a really beautiful man with a very special spirit. I feel so lucky to have gotten to chance to spend some time with him and hear his stories.
You’ve actually been compared to Joni and Leonard Cohen. What is it like to hear those sorts of comparisons?
In some ways you just shrug it off because they’re the greats, you know? It feels like, yeah right. I wish. Haha. In others, it kind of makes sense. They’re huge influences for me, I’ve spent years absorbing and pondering on their songs and whatever you expose yourself to, you tend to lean toward when you start creating for yourself.
You’ll be playing some international shows to support the release of Our Eternal Garden. Where can fans expect to see you?
I’m kind of bouncing all over the UK, and then heading to Germany. So I’ll be in Ayr, Scotland, London and surrounds, Bristol, Staffordshire, Yorkshire. I have always wanted to spend a lot more time in the UK as I have heaps of family there so I’m very excited for that. And then we’re doing some shows in Germany around Frankfurt, Bremen, some smaller towns like Eisenach and Lübeck and Dedesdorf, a few that I visited last year and LOVED. So excited to head back there too.
I assume Australia will always be part of those plans. Do you know yet when you’ll play locally?
Yes! Through October and November we’re doing a little city run which will include Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, and then my hometown show in Newcastle, and we have a little gig regionally in Grenfell as well.
What can music lovers expect from your upcoming shows?
A lot of heart, emotion as allllways with me. Also I’m from regional NSW so a fair bit of gasbagging too haha
Have you got a message for your fans out there?
Love ya’s. Come see a show. Always love to hug a fan x
Our Eternal Garden is out now on all your favourite streaming services. You can also purchase a vinyl copy through Melody’s Bandcamp page. She’s also just announced her world tour dates, so make sure you see her anywhere you can.
Molly Millington made lemonade out of lemons when she wrote “Your Villain.” This fabulous song came out of a really tough time for Molly. You can hear that when you tune into the lyrics, but they’re wrapped up in such a shimmery pop melody that you might miss the darkness unless you’re listening for it.
“This song was written cathartically to make light of a pretty heavy situation. I found myself in a toxic relationship, I left myself behind trying to keep them safe and happy,” Molly recalled. “When I realised I needed to get out, they told me I was selfish. He had me convinced for a little while that I was a bad person, and it took all my strength to snap out of that and realise that just because that was their narrative, it didn’t mean it was true.”
“Your Villain” is the first new music from Molly since she released her 5 Stages EP in 2023, but she won’t leave us waiting too long for more. I hear she’s got plenty of new music to share with us, so make sure you follow her on Instagram to learn about all the new tunes as they drop.
Image used with permission from Nettwerk Music Group
The gloomy weather we’re having has left me a bit flat. I’ve looked to new music today to wake me up but nothing was quiet scratching that itch until I discovered “The Mill,” the new single from greater Naarm/Melbourne act Saint Victoire. This energetic folk song has a bit of a Maggie Rogers, Angie McMahon vibe, so if you’re into those artists I know you’re going to love it.
“Writing ‘The Mill’ was actually quite a bizarre experience,” reflected Saint Victoire’s frontwoman Heidi Waddell. “I was having a dream that I was performing the song to a big room of people, and somewhere in the dream, I realised I was dreaming. I woke myself up and quickly wrote down everything I could remember. The way I’ve interpreted the song—because it doesn’t even feel like I really wrote it, more like it was given to me to sing—I think I must have been processing my exhaustion in my sleep, and my frustrations about this system I feel caught up in that sends me a bit crazy. So I guess it just came out to this dream audience.
“I feel the weight of the expectations we put on ourselves to constantly produce, to try and fit into a mould that society deems ‘acceptable’—and even then, we’re told our best effort isn’t enough, as if what we do is where our value lies. This song is about acknowledging all of that and saying, ‘I won’t take it all on me. Don’t take it all on you.’ Just don’t give those ideas power anymore.”
If you’re digging “The Mill” as much as I am, the good news is there’s more fresh music from Saint Victoire around the corner. They’ll release their sophomore EP I Once Loved You, Summer on August 7.
Award-winning singer-songwriter Steve Lane delivers the goods with his latest single “A Song You Can’t Write No More.” Steve Lane has long created stellar music that plays with pop,folk, and Americana sounds, but the psychedelic elements of this one are something new. The lyrics, which champion authenticity, as always hit home.
I also love the music video, which shows Steve’s nephew and emerging Naarm/Melbourne artist Darcy Shilton shaping a limestone block into a sculpture inspired by this track. It’s such a unique concept for a music video, but it’s utterly mesmerising.
“A Song You Can’t Write No More” comes from Steve’s fourth album, Where The River Meets, which will be released on October 5. He’s all play the following shows around its release:
I’ve always joked to my family that I might be a more religious person if we had gospel churches in Australia. I can take or leave the Hillsong style of worship music, but soulful songs of praise get me going. I hadn’t come across the music of Kirk Franklin before, but I started listening when the press release for his upcoming Aussie tour came across my desk. I am hooked! Whether you’re true believer or a heathen like me, it’s really good stuff.
What I love most about Kirk’s music is the way he brings gospel into the 21st century. The roots are there, but he blends it with R&B, funk, hip-hop, and pop elements. It’s fabulous. Fans can experience the magic live when he visits Australia for the first time this December.
