Category: Releases

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Steele Syndicate Drop Exciting New Single “Weekend’s Coming”

I promise it’s just a coincidence that I’m bombarding you with weekend-inspired tracks. The latest is “Weekend’s Coming,” the awesome new single from Meeanjin/Brisbane outfit The Steele Syndicate. This song defies genre, with elements of indie rock, funk, and soul. If those cool vocals don’t get you, the horns definitely will.

“The tune is a cathartic release from the day-to-day grind, and taps into the shared human experience of hard work for something important,” explained lead singer Steele McMahon. “Even in the hardest of times, what gets us through is knowing what we’re fighting for. And the weekend is always just around the corner.”

“Weekend’s Coming” is the title track from The Steele Syndicate’s forthcoming album. The band are currently playing shows along the East Coast. Catch them at the following venues:

17 September 2022 – Under The Trees Festival, Bailai, Gurang, Gooreng Gooreng and Taribelang Bunda Country/Boyne Island
23-25 September 2022 – Wallaby Creek Festival, Gimuy-walubarra Yidi/Cairns
14 October 2022 – Eleven Dive Bar, Kabi Kabi Country/Maroochydore
5 November 2022 – The Princess Theatre, Meeanjin/Brisbane

Image used with permission from Kick Push PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Joan & The Giants Encourage You to Shake Up Your Routine With “The Weekend”

Yes it’s Wednesday, but I can’t be the only one waiting for the weekend. I can’t make the week go any faster, but I can bring you the musical version of “The Weekend,” the dreamy new single from Boorloo/Perth act Joan & The Giants. This track challenges the “living for the weekend” mentality, encouraging us to see the magic in every day.

Vocalist Grace Newton-Wordsworth was inspired to write this song early in the pandemic, when lockdowns and a shift to working from home helped us all break out of our usual routines.

“There was an excitement and a lack of responsibility that was so refreshing and turbulent. I think when we started getting back to reality and going to work and grinding to push a music career again, that pressure and ‘baggage’ came back onto my shoulders, and I really didn’t want to live purely for ‘the weekend’ or wait for a Friday night to feel some kind of relief,” she explained.

“The Weekend” comes from Joan & The Giants’ debut EP Me & You. They’ll launch it for hometown fans at the Rosemount Hotel on September 30.

Image used with permission from Kick Push PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Ayla Channels “Bitterness” in New Pop Single

“Bitterness” has never sounded so good as when Ayla’s singing about it. The Kabi Kabi Country/Sunshine Coast native elevates the sweetness in the emotion with her latest alt-pop single. Don’t worry though; those lyrics have still got some bite.

“This song came out of one of the strongest heartbreaks I’d ever felt – a friendship. Writing it was a way to process the hurt I felt at the time,” Ayla explained. “Sitting with the song for around two years, I’ve been able to reflect on it as a sentiment of the darker elements I felt about the situation at the time. In a way I was embarrassed by the feelings I’d had, but I think that both listening to and writing music helps to process your thoughts and feelings – some of which you don’t want to carry around with you. You can get it out, and then let it go.”

After recently signing to Italian label Ego Records, Ayla might just be set for global domination. Watch this space!

Image used with permission from Beehive PR; credit: She Is Aphrodite

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Montaigne and Tom Thum Join Hilltop Hoods for Latest Banger, “A Whole Day’s Night”

The quality collaborations from Hilltop Hoods just keep on coming. Fresh from their pairing with Eamon, they’ve enlisted old friends Montaigne and Tom Thum for their latest track “A Whole Day’s Night”. As you might imagine, it’s pretty brilliant.

“‘A Whole Day’s Night’ is a response to our own song, ‘What a Great Night’. It’s a reflection on how we look at the same situation 15 years later. How what we considered a celebration back in the day, could be considered a regret in the present,” they said. “The song had a real ‘1955’ feel to it, so we decided to get the line-up of Hoods, Montaigne, Tom Thum and One Above back together. And it feels like we found that same chemistry again.”

In case you missed it, Hilltop Hoods have been playing sold out shows all around the country on their first national tour in three years. There are still a few tickets for the remaining shows, but they won’t last long. You have been warned!

10 September 2022 – Rod Laver Arena, Naarm/Melbourne
17 September 2022 – RAC Arena, Boorloo/Perth
24 September 2022 – Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Tarndanya/Adelaide

Image used with permission from Island Records Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

SIDNEY Calls Out the “NICE GUY” With Empowering New Single

SIDNEY slams those guys who aren’t as nice as they seem in her new pop bop, “NICE GUY”. Just be warned; once you hear it once you will not be able to get this earworm out of your head. I’m not sure that’s a bad thing though!

“’NICE GUY’ was written as an attempt to take the power back after a pretty devastating rejection I went through during lockdown,” she reflected. “[NICE GUY] was definitely the ‘I’m over it, screw this guy, I deserve better’ moment. We really wanted this to be a crowd-pleasing uptempo bop, for anyone who was told they weren’t good enough, didn’t look the part or were never issued an apology for hurtful life-altering comments. This one’s for you!”

After recently travelling around the country supporting Harrison Storm, SIDNEY will play Wesley Anne in Naarm/Melbourne on September 15 supporting Charlie McCosh at her “When I Look in the Mirror” single launch.

Image used with permission from Soda Music Group

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Alana Jagt Celebrates Hometown With “Stars of Napperby”

She lives in Tarndanya/Adelaide, but listening to Alana Jagt’s latest single you’d be forgiven for thinking she grew up around saloons in America’s south. There’s a cool, smoky quality to “Stars of Napperby” that perfectly showcases Alana’s raspy vocals. I don’t care what time it is; grab yourself a neat whisky to sip on while you savour this one.

“Napperby is where I grew up, a small village on the edge of Wangyarra (Mount Remarkable) National Park in South Australia’s mid-north,” Alan explained. “There’s not much there, no shops and almost no light pollution at all. So the stars are spectacular. The song is a reflection of my time there, in awe of the sky and the ranges and the beautiful Napperby Gorge, and my feelings looking back at it all.”

If “Stars of Napperby” is any indication, Alana’s debut LP Goodbye Grote Bollen will be epic. You can preorder a limited edition 12” vinyl copy now before it drops on October 7. Soon after she’ll bring the album’s songs to the people of Victoria and South Australia. Catch her if you can!

12 October 2022 – Ararat Live, Djabwurrung Country/Ararat
13 October 2022 – Shotkickers, Naarm/Melbourne
14 October 2022 – Golden Vine Hotel, Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung Country/Bendigo
15 October 2022 – Macedon Railway Hotel, Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country/Macedon
30 October 2022 – Folkloria Festival, Myallina Dooronga/McLaren Vale
18 November 2022 – Three Brothers Arms, Kangowirranilla/Macclesfield
25 November 2022 – Grace Emily Hotel, Tarndanya/Adelaide (album launch)

Image used with permission from Kick Push PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Geniie Boy’s New Track Bound to Make You Feel “Better”

The weekend’s far too far away, but Geniie Boy are here to put a spring in your step with their feel-good new pop single “Better”. If Alisha Todd’s summery vocals and that slick drum motif don’t make you smile, nothing will.

“The old saying – ‘if you love something, you’ve gotta let it go’ is almost the entire moral of this story, and that perhaps if we ‘let go of our hold’ on things, we can see the bigger picture more clearly,” Alisha explained of the song’s inspiration.

I also adore the film clip, which seems inspired by quirky cult flick Frank. Surely three giant paper mache-headed musicians are better than one!

Image used with permission from Kick Push PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Siobhan Cotchin Does Country-Rock Right With “Fill My Cup”

I fell in love with Siobhan Cotchin’s brand of country-rock when I heard “Growing Pains” a couple of months ago. Now I’m even more enamoured with the release of the follow-up single “Fill My Cup.” If you ever thought music with a country bent wasn’t for you, this track might just change your mind.

“‘Fill My Cup’ is a song about being exhausted from life and wanting to know if there’s anything more than what we already have right now. It’s about my fear of not reaching my potential and trying to understand my place in the world,” Siobhan explained. “I have written a lot of songs about this existential dread that I think everyone feels and it really helps me cope with those thoughts. I’ve also always wanted to write a drinking song that goes a little deeper and more introspective, but is also fun and anthemic. This song is for anyone who feels a little lost and is struggling to find meaning in these insane times. It has been a crazy few years and I want people to know that they’re not alone.”

Siobhan is currently at BIGSOUND but she’ll be back in her home state of Western Australia soon enough Catch her anywhere you can!

6-8 September 2022 – BIGSOUND, Meeanjin/Brisbane
9 September 2022 – Green Door Wines, Dardanup/Henty (with Didirri)
10 September 2022 – Mojo’s Bar, Walyalup/Fremantle (single launch)
15 September 2022 – Rechabite Hall, Boorloo/Perth (with Bob Evans)
24 September 2022 – Good Day Sunshine Festival, Undalup/Busselton
28 September 2022 – Astor Theater, Boorloo/Perth (with The Whitlams)
29 September 2022 – Astor Theater, Boorloo/Perth (with The Whitlams)

Image used with permission from Beehive PR; credit: Duncan Wright

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Rock Out to Pacific Avenue’s New Track, “Leaving for London”

A song about the one that got away has never sounded as much fun as “Leaving for London”, the latest single from Pacific Avenue. Rather than mourning her loss, Pacific Avenue celebrates her freedom in this feel-good pop-rock track.

“‘Leaving For London’ is about loving and wanting to be with someone, but at the same time ensuring you’re doing what’s best for them, and understanding what makes them happiest, even if that means not being able to be with them. It’s about doing your best at supporting who you love, to become who they want to be.”

Pacific Avenue are busy bees, recently supporting Louis Tomlinson and currently on the road with Crooked Colours. They’ll also play Festival of the Sun later this year. Catch them at the following venues!

9 September 2022 – Margaret Court Arena, Naarm/Melbourne (with Crooked Colours)
10 September 2022 – Hordern Pavilion, Eora/Sydney (with Crooked Colours)
9 December 2022 – Festival of the Sun, Birpai/Port Macquarie
10 December 2022 – Festival of the Sun, Birpai/Port Macquarie

Image used with permission from Good Intent; credit: Charlie Hardy

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Feel the “Pain” With Mt. Nadir

We’ve all heard of musicians writing and recording songs online, but meeting and forming a band over the internet is a little rarer. However, that’s exactly how Queensland band Mt. Nadir got together. After listening to their debut single “Pain,” I reckon it’s going pretty well for them.

This track is a sucker punch of emotion. The vocals from frontperson Frankie Rosbrook are the perfect vehicle for those angsty lyrics.

“”Pain” is the break-up feeling, the dark and empty, the absence of a future that stays in your body a bit too long. Heaviest in quieter moments, it’s the deeply irrational, the ‘you & nobody’ could possibly understand the things I feel,” Frankie explained. “All though it may seem gloom, it also serves as a reminder that just as fast as these times can come on; just as fast they will pass. In a way, it provides an anthem for the common doubt and knowing that the darkness is a natural aspect of the human existence.”

Mt. Nadir recently launched the single in Meeanjin/Brisbane. Hopefully it’s not too long before they bring their show to the rest of the country. We’re ready!

Image used with permission from Footstomp Music