Category: Album Releases

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Kirsty Lee Akers Is Country’s Brightest Star

With a new album scheduled to drop on April 1, it’s the perfect time to remember why Kirsty Lee Akers is one of the darlings of the country music scene. She’s the only person to win the Australian country industry’s three biggest honours: Toyota Star Maker, Telstra Road to Discovery, and a Golden Guitar. Her fun new single “When I Miss You Most” proves why. It’s such a bubbly little song, with an upbeat feel that helps mask the pain of its lyrics.

“When I Miss You Most” comes from the new album Burn Baby Burn. Most of it was recorded in Nashville to give it that classic country feel. This is the first album Kirsty’s released through Maven/Sony Music Australian, and critics are already buzzing that it may be her best yet!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Luca Brasi Releases New Single Ahead of Album

Tasmanian punk act Luca Brasi has never put a foot wrong with me and the trend continues with the brand new single “Anything Near Conviction.” It has everything I loved about the previous singles: insightful lyrics delivered with plenty of passion and a proper punk ethos.

Luca Brasi frontman Tyler Richardson says it’s “The song that centres around giving yourself a kick in the arse to do better in life and for those you love. A not-so-gentle reminder that you gotta give everything you can.”

“Anything Near Conviction” comes from Luca Brasi’s third album If This Is All We’re Going to Be, which will be available on CD, LP, and for digital download April 29. If everything we’re heard from the band of late is anything to go by, it’s going to be a corker.

Image used with permission from Deathproof PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Mayfair Kytes Release Amazing Animated Clip for “Sleepyhead”

Melbourne quartet Mayfair Kytes has released one of the most visually stunning film clips I’ve seen in some time to accompany their latest single “Sleepyhead.” It’s the work of Melbourne artist Thomas Russell, who storyboarded, hand-animated, filmed, and directed the video. Contemporary dancer Geoffrey H Watson also lends his talents to the clip.

The video’s blown me away, but the song’s pretty lovely too.

“Sleepyhead is a meditation on two themes, one being the creative process versus the logical world and how choosing your own destiny can lead you down a long road of self-discovery that might clash with more pragmatic streams of life,” explained Mayfair Kytes’ lead vocalist and songwriter, Matt Kelly, “and secondly, it is about dealing with the depression that often comes with such a way of being.”

“Sleepyhead” comes from Animus, Mayfair Kytes’ debut album, which hits stores on April 1. Mayfair Kytes will launch the album with a show at The Workers Club in Melbourne on April 8 and another at The Vanguard in Sydney on April 28.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Great Awake Do Pop-Punk Right

In the 90s I remember music fans going nuts for pop-punk, an offshoot of punk music. I appreciated its accessibility but also felt this more melodic music lost the rebellion punk music was meant to represent.

South Sydney’s The Great Awake have gotten the balance right though. Tracks like “Departure Lounge” have a raucous real heart that hearkens back to the glory days of punk. They’re paired with great melodies though that should help it appeal to people who don’t ordinarily listen to the genre.

“Departure Lounge” comes from The Great Awake’s debut album, Reasons For Leaving, which drops on February 24. They’ll celebrate the album’s release with the following shows.

4 March 2016 – Front Gallery, Canberra
5 March 2016 – Dicey’s, Wollongong
6 March 2016 – Frankie’s, Sydney
12 March 2016 – The Exeter, Adelaide
19 March 2016 – Fat Louie’s, Brisbane
26 March 2016 – Valve Bar, Sydney
1 April 2016 – Bar 303, Melbourne
2 April 2016 – Cherry Bar, Melbourne
8 April 2016 – Brisbane Hotel, Hobart
9 April 2016 – Fresh Cafe, Launceston

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Opia’s EON Available Today

Perth rockers Opia are making a splash with a brand new single and album. The epic “Standing Still” is the third track lifted from the band’s album EON, which was released today.

Like the other album tracks, “Standing Still” was recorded and engineered at North Fremantle’s Electric City Studios. It somehow manages to sound polished without losing its guts, which is a tricky thing to achieve.

Opia will launch EON for their hometown fans at Amplifier Bar on February 26.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Weeping Willows Announce Album Tour

I love individual artists and bands, but I think there’s something so special about a duo. When you find two people whose harmonies blend, who have a natural chemistry that draws listeners in, it’s like nothing else. Perhaps that’s why when I set out to listen to “River of Gold,” the lead single from The Weeping Willows’ forthcoming album Before Darkness Comes A-Callin’, I actually listened to their entire Soundcloud playlist.

It’s a tough call, but I think “River of Gold” could be the strongest track among them. I love its dark brooding nature, those sublime harmonies, and the frenetic pace of the banjo keeping time.

We’ll hear more from Before Darkness Comes A-Callin’ when it’s released on 4 March. The Melbourne duo will support its release with a run of shows from March to June.

4 March 2016 – Basement Discs, Melbourne
5 & 6 March 2016 – Snowy Mountains Country Music Festival, Thredbo
10 March 2016 – Royal Oak Hotel, Launceston (with Ange Boxall)
11 March 2016 – Spring Vale Wines, Cranbrook (with Ange Boxall)
12 March 2016 – Republic Bar & Café, Hobart (with Ange Boxall)
13 March 2016 – The Pizza and Wine Club, Kyneton (with Ange Boxall)
14 March 2016 – House Concert, Ferntree Gully (with Shane Nicholson)
18 March 2016 – Babushka Bar, Ballarat (with Mitch Power)
19 & 20 March 2016 – The Basin Music Festival, The Basin
25 March 2016 – Billyroy’s Blues Bar, Bendigo
27 March 2016 – T’Gallant Winery, Main Ridge
1 April 2016 – Harmonie German Club’s ‘Friday Night Live’, Canberra
2 April 2016 – Django Bar, Marrickville
4 April 2016 – Jane’s, Wollongong
17 April 2016 – Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh (with Bill Chambers)
24 April 2016 – T’Gallant Winery, Main Ridge
29 April & 1 May 2016 – Mount Beauty Music Festival, Mount Beauty
6 May 2016 – The Singing Gallery, McLaren Vale (with Andy & Marta)
8 May 2016 – The Wheatsheaf Hotel, Thebarton (with Andy & Marta)
20 May 2016 – Bendigo Folk Club, Bendigo
17 June 2016 – Berwick & District Folk Club, Berwick

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Luke Daniel Peacock Impresses Ahead of Album Release

Luke Daniel Peacock has already made his mark on the music scene through his work with Brisbane band Halfway and development on the AIR nominated Vic Simms’ tribute The Painted Ladies Play Selections. But with his first solo effort We’ve Come a Long Way, Darling, he may just get the props that he deserves.

“We’ve Come a Long Way, Darling actually came together very quickly,” he explained. “Myself and some good friends (Rohin Power, Jhindu Lawrie, and Greg Cathcart) had a window of free time, so over a few days we got access to a studio, picked ten of my songs, and jammed them out. It was quick, spontaneous, and all in-house,” Luke says.

That spontaneity certainly comes through in the current single “Fruits of Our Labour.” I’m hearing a little Springsteen in its bluesy grittiness. The lyrics are also first class.

We’ve Come a Long Way, Darling gets a CD, digital, and vinyl release on 5 February.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Cub Sport Offer Karaoke Party for Album Pre-Orders

The weather plaguing my local area has just been miserable. But Cub Sport’s latest single “I Can’t Save You” is the perfect antidote, a shimmery summery gem that is virtually guaranteed to get your toes tapping.

The track is the latest lifted from Cub Sport’s forthcoming album This Is Our Vice. If you love the track, it’s probably worth pre-ordering the album. Not only do you get an instant download of “I Can’t Save You” and “Only Friend,” you’re also in the running to win a karaoke party with Cub Sport.

If you fancy pitting your vocal talents against the band, head on over to the JB Hi-Fi website. And remember that Cub Sport are playing the following shows with Saskwatch later this year.

2 March 2016 – Studio Six, Sutherland
3 March 2016 – The Basement, Sydney
4 March 2016 – Baroque, Katoomba
5 March 2016 – Small Ballroom, Newcastle
6 March 2016 – 5 Church Street, Bellingen
12 March 2016 – The Triffid, Brisbane
26 March 2016 – Fat Controller, Adelaide
1 April 2016 – Club 54, Launceston
2 April 2016 – Republic Bar, Hobart
6 April 2016 – Karova Lounge, Ballarat
7 April 2016 – Workers Club, Geelong
8 April 2016 – Corner Hotel, Melbourne
9 April 2016 – Theatre Royale, Castlemaine

Image used with permission from Title Track

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Davey Craddock Releases Stunning “Peaceful Bay” Single

Give me a well-written, sensitively delivered folky number and I’m won over every time. So I was always going to fall for “Peaceful Bay,” the stunning new single from Davey Craddock. The track comes from Davey’s debut album City West, which is due out on February 5.

Davey wrote the track while hiking the Bibbulmum track which runs from Perth to Albany.

“Peaceful Bay is one of the only towns on the track where you camp in a settlement and not in the bush and it’s inspired by a girl a friend and I met in the townsite,” he explained. “She said she’d just moved down there from Perth, was pregnant and had morning sickness. We were knackered and didn’t have time to talk and properly meet her but I thought it was a really brave and unusual move to come from the city to this tiny, isolated fishing town. So by torchlight in a hot tent I filled in the blanks and made up what I thought her story may have been and that formed the basis for the song.”

Davey’s recorded the song at RADA Studios in Perth, but I think this live version really brings out the heart of the song. Are you loving it as much as I am?

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Mia Dyson Comes Home for EP Tour

Mia Dyson is one of those musicians that never seems to put a foot wrong. She’s done it again with her latest single “Tearing Up the Lawn,” a gutsy rock track from her EP Right There, which drops on February 19. The EP features songs Mia wrote with her husband over the last 18 months.

“My husband Karl and I have been writing together for over a year, since I put one of his poems to music,’ she explained. “We loved the process so much that the entire EP was written together.”

Mia splits her time between Australia and the United States, but she’ll be back on home soil in March to support the EP’s release.

“This will be my first headline tour in more than a year at home so I’m really excited to be returning, especially with some new songs in tow which I’m super proud of,” she said in a press release. “’Tearing Up the Lawn’ got an amazing response when we dropped it for the Waifs shows last year and I can’t wait for everyone to hear the rest of the EP.”

You can hear the EP’s songs live at the following shows.

9 March 2016 – Lizottes, Newcastle
10 March 2016 – Newtown Social Club, Sydney
11 March 2016 – Old Hepburn Hotel, Hepburn Springs
12 & 13 March 2016 – Port Fairy Folk Festival, Port Fairy
16 March 2016 – Mojos, Fremantle
17 March 2016 – Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane
18 March 2016 – Estonia Brunswick, Melbourne
19 March 2016 – Forth Valley Blues Festival, Forth Worth
20 March 2016 – Glenmaggie Blues & Roots, Glenmaggie

Image used with permission from SGC Media