Meeanjin/Brisbane quintet Fresco Kyoto has really impressed me with their new singer “You Save Me.” Their sound is so beautifully layered and frontman Robbie Balmer’s vocals are incredible. They’ve been garnering comparisons to Rufus Du Sol and Hayden James, which I can certainly hear, but they’ve also got that indefinable something that sets them apart.
Talking about the single’s inspiration, Fresco Kyoto explained “A person has realised that they have entrapped their love in a relationship that is proving to be defined by their own flaws. Through self-sacrifice the person determines the way they rise above their ailment is on their own, and that their partner must move on to a better life. This song is an ode to time and the revelations it unveils.”
It seems these guys have a lot of hometown support, recently winning Best Live Artist and Best Emerging Artist awards from Brisbane Council and supporting acts like Custard, Jaguar Jonze, and Greta Stanley at local venues. Surely this track is the one that makes the rest of the country sit up and pay attention.
Image used with permission from beehive; credit: Vivid Visual Co
Singer-songwriter Eves Karydas has won me over with her nostalgic new single “Last Night When We Were Young.” This beautiful ballad beautifully captures the freedom of youth. I’m smitten.
“We had spent the day at Jon’s [Buscema, writer/producer] house alternating between the swimming pool and the studio, chatting about the fast-moving feeling of life,” she recalled. “Where does all the time go? It’s like we’ve suddenly woken up, we’re adults, we have responsibilities.”
Eves said the song came out of a time when she felt she was taking things for granted, and wanted to hold on cherishing the small moments that really mattered more.
“Like at the start of a new relationship when the hours feel like minutes, and you know those moments aren’t going to last forever. That’s the feeling we wanted to capture in the song.”
Austin Mackay is one of those artists who is so good, it’s hard to stop at just one song. I intended to give his latest single “Dancing Through the Fire” a listen to decide whether to write about it or not. That was about three hours ago, because I found myself listening to the entire Dancing Through the Fire EP. Multiple times. It’s honest folk-rock with just a sprinkling of pop to make it extra irresistible. As for the single, I can imagine cranking it up on my next road trip. The synths and sax make it sound so good, but this track came from a fairly difficult chapter of Austin’s life.
“’Dancing Through The Fire’ is a song that I wrote about the realisation of a relationship that was falling apart right in front of me,” he explained. “That initial moment when clarity kicked in and I finally saw the warning signs that had been there all along … I noticed the string of bad habits and unhealthy compromise that caused me to become so far removed from myself. But for some unknown reason I tried to hold the damn thing together.”
At least he got a great song out of it, right? Austin is currently touring all over the country. Catch him at one of his remaining shows:
28 October 2022 – The Workers Club, Naarm/Melbourne
29 October 2022 – Commonfolk, Boonwurrung Country/Mornington
31 October 2022 – Westernport Hotel, Yallock Bulluk Beek Country/San Remo (FREE)
4 November 2022 – The Chippo Hotel, Eora/Sydney
5 November 2022 – Bitter & Twisted Festival, Minderibba/Maitland
17 November 2022 – Beach Hotel, Cavanbah/Byron Bay (FREE)
18 November 2022 – Felons Barrel Hall, Meeanjin/Brisbane (FREE)
19 November 2022 – Solbar, Kabi Kabi Country/Sunshine Coast
27 November 2022 – Summer Sesh Festival, Gumbaynggirr Country/Coffs Harbour
Image used with permission from Habit Music Co.; credit: Kieran Tunbridge
Eora/Sydney indie-pop act Loretta are back with a new single “dad’s mercedes”. I fell pretty hard for these guys with the release of “Late Night” last year, and I’m so glad they’re back on my radar. Its optimistic energy is just what you need to feel better about your Monday morning.
“Lyrically, this one came from a time in our lives when we felt like love had lower stakes,” the band explained. “Exploring the narrative of two young lovers chasing after one another, in a place where you may be ready for love and relationships and all that comes with it; but one of you can’t quite commit, both being fully aware of each other’s feelings. It comes from a happy place where nothing feels like it needs to be too serious. We made sure to capture that feeling sonically; it needed to feel youthful.”
Loretta are currently playing shows around the eastern states to support the release of “dad’s mercedes”. They’re at it again this weekend with shows in New South Wales. Catch them at the following venues in the coming weeks.
Many of us met Thndo when she appeared on The Voice earlier this year. However, I didn’t feel like I really got to know her musically until the release of her Life in Colour EP a few months back. She’s continuing to reintroduce herself to audiences with the release of her new single “Fall”. It’s an utterly captivating piece of neo-soul that perfectly showcases the creativity and vocal chops of this exceptional artist.
“I’m really excited for people to hear my latest offering,” she enthused. “I completely wore my heart on my sleeve with this track, and said all the things I felt I couldn’t when I was still in my last relationship.”
I let you know about thndo’s The Reintroduction tour months ago, but if it slipped your mind you can still get tickets to the remaining dates.
27 October 2022 – Mary’s Underground, Eora/Sydney
28 October 2022 – The Street Theatre, Ngambri/Canberra
29 October 2022 – Wangaratta Jazz Festival, Wangaratta
17 November 2022 – Lefty’s Music Hall, Meeanjin/Brisbane
18 November 2022 – Imperial Hotel Eumundi, Kabi Kabi Country/Eumundi
19 November 2022 – Wynnum Fringe Festival, Wynnum
Image used with permission from This Much Talent; credit Leila Maulen
Nocturnal Animals has released their latest track “Passive Tone”, an anthem for anyone who’s ever weathered a rocky relationship. It starts out like an acoustic guitar ballad, but those drums and aggressive vocals kick in soon enough.
“Passive Tone is about the feeling of someone not being able to say it to your face; they speak in a passive tone making you feel like you aren’t worth their time,” the band explained.
There’s more where this came from, with Nocturnal Animals dropping their long-awaited debut EP Paint a Picture on November 4.
Sunday Lemonade are back to charm you all over again with “Runaway.” If you’re familiar with this Naarm/Melbourne duo, you know what you’re getting. Their organic folk songs are super sweet, with melodies that instantly lift you up and make you feel better about the world. This single doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but if it ain’t broken, why try fixing it?
“‘Runaway’ is a pop/folk story of reciprocated but unspoken lust, exploring the fascinating hints and moments with another human yet frustrating lack of courage to actually act on it,” the twosome explained. “The fairy tale dream of what would happen if that person would hurry up and grab your hand, take you on an adventure and you’d finally have the chance to fall in love.”
Sweet Lemonade will perform at the Passport To Airlie 2022 Finals, part of the Airlie Beach Festival of Music, Whitsunday Sailing Club in Ngaro Country/Airlie Beach on November 3.
Whatever you’re doing right now, stop and take a moment to listen to Michael Day’s new single “Psych or the Priest.” It’s a gorgeous folk song with such subtlety that you might miss its beauty if you don’t pay attention. Give it your full focus though and I know you’re going to fall as deeply as I have.
“The song started as a reflection on the emotions I had around the time, specifically the feeling of drowning,” Michael explained. “As I sat on a train, thinking about the past number of years, thinking ‘What just happened?’, I felt like I was watching life as a montage and had no control over any of it, which left me feeling somewhat sad and useless, and maybe for the first time, I felt the feeling of hopelessness.
“I think this is me processing life and reflecting on my own actions and how they affect others. I hope others would hear it and be encouraged to self-reflect on how their actions influence and even hurt others, that wouldn’t be a bad thing. Maybe this song is just me feeling sad feelings and saying it’s OK to sit here for a moment.”
Michael recently celebrated the release of “Psych or Priest” with some shows around his home state of Western Australia. Hopefully it won’t be too long before he announces some dates around the rest of the country. We all deserve to hear more of his music.
Image used with permission from On the Map PR; credit: Rhyan Lyndon-James
Sounding like the lovechild of LANY and The Band Camino had a baby, local outfit PRETTY TALKS has really impressed me with their sophomore single “Hurt Me”.
“’Hurt Me’ is a snapshot of a relationship in its most tumultuous moments, a relationship breaking down, where neither person is necessarily at fault,” the band explained. “The outcome being that one person decides to put everything on the line whilst the other has already mentally checked out. It’s that feeling of “I know we’ve both made mistakes in this, but let’s give it one last chance”. It’s also about the moments of weakness; when you realise it’s not evolving in a positive way and you wish you could pretend it was just how it used to be”.
The single’s release also comes with a video filmed in and around bassist Hadi Ansell and drummer and backing vocalist Tommy O’Brien’s previous place in Sydney’s inner West. The clip brings to life a concept from singer and guitarist Liam Deans, who has a keen interest in filmmaking and screenwriting.
“The Hurt Me music video is aesthetically inspired by the English television show ‘Skins’, combined with an early-2010’s Tumblr-esque Pinterest board,” he said. “An emotional, volatile and messy relationship paired with a dirty, youthful abandon. It felt like an honest and real song to write and a beautiful thing to create on film. I scripted, storyboarded, directed and edited the music video, so it was great seeing all my tiny little concepts slowly come to life. We endeavour to build a world around our art and band, so we played with the ideas of hiding Easter eggs and band member cameos throughout this clip, adding another layer of meaning in which we are part of this universe that we build our songs in.”
Another single will drop in the not-too-distance future, but until then, PRETTY TALKS are feeling pretty proud of this one. As well they should!
“From writing, producing and recording the song, to developing, writing, shooting, editing the music video, it all feels like a joyful sigh of relief. It feels like we’ve created a real piece of well-rounded art with ‘Hurt Me’,” Lian added. “Something that conveys the story in the gritty romantic aesthetic that we wanted.”
Image used with permission from On the Map PR; credit: Megan Donnelly @megs_and_the_negs
Femme nu punk/grunge act DOWNGIRL prove they’re a real force with their latest single “Manic.” The press release says “the song hits like shots of cinnamon whisky – hard, fast and to dizzying effect, with a sweet but spicy aftertaste.” Honestly, I couldn’t have said it better myself.
“‘Manic’ was written during Sydney’s last pandemic lockdown as a back and forth via the WWW,” the band said. “It explores mental health issues and the responsibility we must take for them during a time which is insular and introspective.”
DOWNGIRL will take their “Manic” tour to The Lass in Mulubinba/Newcastle on November 12 before wrapping things up at Cherry Bar in Naarm/Melbourne on November 19.
