I absolutely love a quality cover version. I think there’s real skill in reinterpreting someone else’s song and encouraging listeners to hear it in a new way. So I’m really impressed with Bud Rokesky’s stripped back version of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart.” This gentle guitar and piano arrangement retains some of the moodiness associated with the original but it’s so much more current.
“’Love Will Tear Us Apart’ is one of those songs that never ages,” Bud said. “It’s honest and undeniable. I wanted to strip it back to let it sit heavy between beauty and ruin.”
Bud is easing himself into the New Year, but he is confirmed to play Meatstock at Sydney Showgrounds in Eora/Sydney on May 2.
Image used with permission from Warner Music Australia
Eora/Sydney duo The Admired are coming at you with a nostalgic new emo-pop banger, “Fame&Money.” Its 2000s vibes should get you bopping in your seat, if you can resist taking a full dance break! It’s less than two and a half minutes of musical goodness.
Frontwoman Bianca Davino said “Fame&Money” is “the spark that really kicked off our direction for The Admired,” so if you’re not already on board with their music it’s a great introduction.
Bianca and guitarist Max Jacobson did some serious heavy lifting here, writing, performing, producing, and engineering the track in their home studio. Nat Sherwood (BESTIES, Stand Atlantic, Yours Truly) took care of mastering duties.
“Fame&Money” is the last of three tracks that make up The Admired’s mini-EP, appropriately titled 3 songs. They plan to build on their sound and record a new EP this year.
AYDAN is one of those artists who just seems to get better and better over time. He made it all the way to the final on the seventh season of The Voice Australia and while I appreciated his charisma, I wasn’t convinced he had that special sauce that would see him break the reality show curse. Then I saw him in Jagged Little Pill several years later and I became a convert. Now he’s wowed me all over again with his latest original single, “Gabriella.” This feelgood banger is inspired by a fleeting connection AYDAN made with a girl at a Silk Sonic show in Las Vegas.
“I met this girl sitting in front of me,” AYDAN recalled. “After that night, I never saw her again. She went back to Minnesota, I went back to Australia, and that was that. It leans on a movie-like one-night romance – youthful, spontaneous, romantic, adventurous, and fun. That spark of connection that only lasted a moment, but stays with you forever.”
There’s more new music on the way from AYDAN, who’ll release his debut EP later this year.
Pierce Brothers are really some of Australia’s quiet achievers. Every album they release is so solid, with back-to-back alt-folk bangers. They hit the top of the charts, but there’s never a lot of fanfare leading up to the releases and ARIA and the other awards bodies never seem to acknowledge the work. Radio doesn’t play them. They perform across Europe, the United Kingdom, North and South America, and Australia, but most people I speak to don’t know them. If you’re yet to discover Pierce Brothers, might I suggest pressing play on their latest album, Moonrise? It’s so fantastic. It’s the band’s fourth studio album, so once you’re hooked there’s plenty to explore.
“I’m so stoked to have this album out in the world!” Jacks said about the recent release of Moonrise. “We worked hard all year in between heavy touring to get this over the line, and it was a monumental effort from everyone involved! Some of the tracks on this album are some of the proudest I’ve been in songwriting, storytelling and production! … And some of those tracks absolutely go off live! Can’t wait to touring them globally in 2026!”
Pierce Brothers are currently playing shows in Europe and the United Kingdom, but they’ll be back on Aussie shores this March for some festivals and headlining shows. The siblings are known for their engaging high-energy sets, and after so long on the road they’re bound to be in fine form. Wherever you are, don’t go sleeping on this one. I am kicking myself for making holiday plans when they’re in my part of the country, but I don’t want you to miss out! Tickets for all shows are available now from the links.
In the 2010s, fantastic songs like “Ivy” and “Afterthought” put Eora/Sydney act Winters End on my radar. However, in 2020 they disappeared from view when founding member Christopher Pinto passed away suddenly from a head injury. After several years of grief and soul searching, his sister and collaborator Marissa Pinto has decided to continue Winters End in her brother’s memory. The new single “Deadtree” is a heartbreaking tribute to Christopher. Marissa’s voice has always captivated me, but I’ve never been quite so moved by it as I am listening to this song.
The recording sees Marissa reuniting with Winters End’s longtime producer Lachlan Mitchell, known for his work with The Whitlams and The Jezabels. It was recorded at Parliament Studios and mastered at Studios 301 by Steve Smart.
Winters End will support Ocean Wizard at Wombat Brewery in Yuin Country/Ulladulla on January 17 before a hometown headliner show at Oxford Art Factory on January 24 to promote the release of “Deadtree.”
If you like your pop music with edge, you’ll appreciate “Sidelines,” the latest track from Naarm/Melbourne chanteuse CARDAMONE. She gives a stellar vocal performance on this brooding track which explores the idea that in the aftermath of a relationship, things aren’t always as they seem.
“Sidelines is about acting like everything is great when it isn’t,” CARDAMONE said. “He thinks I’m living it up, but underneath I’m a mess.”
CARDAMONE has performed at some of her hometown’s best local venues including The Toff in Town, Birds Basement, and the Evelyn. Follow her on Instagram to learn where she’ll pop up next.
Rubibi/Broome-based artist Amy Pania is laying her heart bare under a brand new musical moniker, Amyrah. She admits her latest single “Inside Out” is the “rawest” track she’s ever released.
“I wrote it at the bottom of an emotional pit, struggling with my mental health and these cycles of anger that left me seeing red, but creating the song became the moment I finally climbed out,” she said.
Amy’s voice is gorgeous, soulful and brimming with emotion. And I love when artists aren’t afraid to be vulnerable and so authentically themselves. This is pop music that matters. I can’t wait to hear from Amyrah this year.
Image used with permission from Blue Music Services
Last year I felt division within Australia in a way I’ve never felt before. I happened to catch a train full of people heading to Eora/Sydney for an anti-immigration march. It was packed with white retirees holding flags sounding off about migrants taking over their country. I watched in horror as one man said loudly that he should have worn his steel-capped boots as an Asian woman apologised while trying to make her way through the crowd and get off the train. That same night an Asian man wearing a Make America Great Again cap asked me whether I had a problem with him. Of course I said no, swiftly looked down, but wondered what would have happened if I’d answered in the affirmative. A couple of months later, I found myself sitting in a crowded park during a local seafood festival, trying to enjoy my fish and chips, when more white Boomers began sounding off about immigration. Then of course there was the terrorist attack in Bondi, a frightening reminder that hatred against people based on they are can turn deadly.
I’m naïve enough to think that the tragedy at Bondi and the acts of brave Aussies like Ahmed al-Ahmed may help remind us that we are one community and that our differences make us stronger. I’m also naïve enough to think music can make a difference. So in that spirit, I wanted to post about “Our Land” by Colin Lillie, a Scottish immigrant living in Mparntwe/Alice Springs who’s pretty proud to call Australia home. He’s joined by diverse contributors who played their parts from all parts of the country: Norman Daymarringu, Liam Jangala Price, Xueyan Chen, Gretta Ziller, Pete Denahy, Brad Bergen, Wayne Davis, and the stunning Austranesia Choir from Cairns.
“Its refrain, ‘We belong to this land,’ captures the essence of those who’ve come from all corners of the world to call Australia home”, Colin said. “The song is both personal and universal – a declaration of love for a country that welcomes, unites and inspires.”
Wayne Davis of Treetop Media shot the gorgeous video to highlight the contributions Colin’s collaborators and the parts of Australia they call home. He also made a feature-length documentary which follows Colin’s journey across the country meeting elders, artists, and everyday Aussies, which will be released later this year. After the 2025 we’ve just had, art like this which celebrates togetherness is exactly the sort of thing I want to champion in 2026.
It’s been far too long since Faker set the charts ablaze with tracks like “This Heart Attack” and “Hurricane,” but the voice behind the music, Nate Faker, is back doing what he does best. Coming 14 years after his last single, “Comet” has a classic feel that I know you’ll love.
“It’s about a comet crashing down into the middle of your street, home, neighbourhood, town, and life and trying to stand your ground, even though it feels ridiculous to do so,” Nate said. “It’s about what the world is at the moment, and trying to find an optimistic spin. Ultimately, we’re surviving. Sometimes you can see the comet coming, and there’s no point running, you just have to face it.”
What a return to form this is. Thankfully Nate won’t leave us waiting too long for a bunch more music. He’ll release his new album Enjoy Your Problems later this year. I also hear he’ll play some full band shows in 2026, so there are plenty of reasons for Faker fans to get excited.
With so many of us caught up in “New year, new me” sentiments, I figured it was only right to ease into the year with some positivity. “The Blueprint,” the latest single from local folk-pop act Ellis King, definitely fits the bill. It’s sweet and romantic, the kind of track that reminds you how lucky you are to have someone special or restores your faith that this kind of love is possible.
“I think I can call Blueprint my first love song,” Ellis said. “It’s about finally finding what feels like ‘real’ love, after a lifetime of relationships that never felt fully stable, natural, or complete. It reflects on the chaos, the lessons, and the people I thought were right for me but weren’t, and how those experiences shaped me to recognise the real thing when it arrived…This song is about building something lasting with someone who sees you fully, (flaws and all) and how different that feels compared to the versions of love I thought I knew before. It’s about creating a home, not just in a place, but in a person (and a spotty dog).”
“The Blueprint” comes from Ellis’ EP Everything That Comes After, which drops on February 20.
