Strap yourself in for “My Body’s Changing,” the energetic new single from Melbourne’s indie darlings Press Club.
This track packs such a punch, with its frenetic sound and emotional, raw vocals. You’ve got no choice but to just hang on and enjoy the ride.
Press Club’s latest single release caps off a bumper 2017 for the band, who has racked up more than 40 shows since playing their first only in February. They included support slots for the likes of WAAX, Slowly Slowly, Tired Lion, and Japandroids as well as slots at Bigsound and Kings St Crawl festivals. You can catch Press Club at a slew of upcoming events including Fairgrounds, Festival of the Sun, Falls at Marion Bay, and NYE on the Hill.
Something so special happens when talented siblings make music together. They seem to understand one another, coming together with rich musicality and on point harmonies. That synchronicity can only be amped up when we’re talking about twins. So I’m thrilled German twin brothers Jan and Josef Prasil, known as Amistat, decided to leave their homeland and settle in Australia.
The pair were born and raised in Germany, but decided to leave the country for Australia, the land of their father’s birth, in 2012 after hearing so many stories about the place.
“When we arrived we were struggling to find work so we picked up some musical instruments and started busking to survive!” Josef said. “Jan really took to the guitar while I sung along. We realised pretty quickly that we had a unique sound and people wanted to listen to us back home and that is how Amistat was formed.”
Amistat’s new single “The Coward” is one of the best folk tracks I’ve heard in some time, an understated yet powerful song about living your most authentic life.
“The Coward is about knowing who you are deep inside but not being able to let it out,” Josef explained. “People are very fast with making assumptions and judging you based on what you look like but little do they know about what’s inside of the person.”
Amistat have just sold out a string of shows in Europe and they’re ready to impress music fans here along the East Coast. See them before they get massive at the following shows.
2 December 2017 – Chapel off Chapel, Melbourne
6 December 2017 – Lass O’Gowrie, Newcastle
7 December 2017 – Front Gallery, Canberra
9 December 2017 – Record Crate, Sydney
14 December 2017 – Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
15 December 2017 – Milk Factory, Brisbane
27 December 2017 – 1 January 2018 – Woodford Folk Festival, Woodford
I associate Shelley Segal with quirky, upbeat folky ditties. But she’s showcasing a much darker, more layered sound on her latest single “Somebody Like You.” It’s a real departure for this Melbourne songstress, but I like it!
“Somebody Like You” charts Shelley’s struggles as an 18-year-old forming a relationship with a man outside her Jewish faith. Shelley fought for the relationship and ultimately moved out of home after the tension with her family got so great. While she’s not religious now, she says “I know that many people still experience this tension between their families, traditions and the person they love for various reasons, religion, race, gender, orientation. The truth is, you cannot help or control who you love.”
Shelley is currently based in Los Angeles, but she’ll be back on home soil to play some single launch shows in her home state over the summer.
29 December 2017 – Yard Bird, Bendigo (FREE)
4 January 2018 – Cally Hotel, Warrnambool (FREE)
12 January 2018 – Paynesville Wine Bar, Paynesville
Fridays are fun days, with the weekend so close you can smell it and the workday just a little more laidback than those in the rest of your working week. Add that extra spring to your step with “S.W.E.A.T,” the new party anthem by Melbourne singer-songwriter Ruva.
This is such a fun uptempo track with an African flavour that undoubtedly comes from Ruva’s Zimbabwean heritage. It also shows a different side to Ruva, who has been making a splash as part of the national casts of leading musicals like The Lion King, We Will Rock You, and currently, Beautiful.
“S.W.E.A.T is a call out to all people around the world!” Ruva said. “I see this song as an anthem for people from all walks of life coming together and celebrating what it means to be human. Differences aside; especially the way the world is going these days we need bit more unity in our lives.”
With real talent and plenty of swagger, we’re sure to see a lot more from Ruva.
Thursdays can be so tough. The weekend is approaching, but it still feels too far away. What you need is some music to put a spring in your step and a smile on your dial. Hit play and take a little time out to listen to “Burnout,” the latest single from Sydney alternative pop-rock act The Phase.
This is such an endearing song with a great summery vibe sure to get your toes tapping. It reminds you to stop sweating the small stuff and start enjoying what really matters, a lesson we probably all need to remember during our working weeks!
The band’s founder Luke Mangraviti says “This song is for all the people working hard to make money but are always too burnt out after working so hard to ever enjoy it.”
Catch The Phase supporting Gaspar Sanz at The Vic on the Park in Enmore on November 30.
Image used with permission from the A&R Department
To me, the very best music is the stuff that moves you. I don’t care how well you can sing or how proficient you are on an instrument. If you’re not making me feel something, I don’t want to know. That’s why I’m really excited about Sydney singer-songwriter Andrew Samuel and his new single “Luck Feels Good.”
The track recounts a night so many of us can relate to, where an unexpected blossoming romance manages to turn a terrible house party around. There’s an optimism to it, but also a sense of melancholy, almost as if the good mood could turn at any moment.
“Luck Feels Good” comes from Andrew’s forthcoming EP Enmore Road. Sydneysiders can hear more from it when Andrew launches the single at Lazybones in Marrickville on November 8.
Brisbane’s Jordan Rakei isn’t yet a household name, but his exciting neo-soul sound is gaining some serious attention here and abroad. If you’ve never seen him live, his recently released Spotify Live session, recorded at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London, lets you experience the magic of his music.
The four-track streaming EP features Jordan’s pal, the equally talented Alfa Mist, for a sublime cover of Frank Ocean’s “Lost.” If you’re impressed by what you hear, make sure you see Jordan when he returns to our shores to support his recently released album Wallflower next year. Since he’s living in London at the moment, we don’t get so many opportunities to see him live. Tickets are on sale now for all these shows.
29 December 2017 – Here’s To Now @ Coriole Vineyards, McLaren Vale
1 January 2018 – Freedom Time Melbourne @ Coburg Velodrome, Melbourne
5 January 2018 – Rosemount Hotel, Perth
11 January 2018 – The Triffid, Brisbane
12 January 2018 – Metro Theatre, Sydney
13 January 2018 – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Cover versions are a tricky business. When you take a song beloved by many, it’s often judged more harshly than any original. And when you take on an iconic Aussie band like Silverchair, the knives are likely to come out. As a born and bred Novocastrian, I might be a harsher critic than most. I haven’t like everything I’ve heard from Spawn (Again): A Tribute to Silverchair, but Hands Like Houses has risen to the occasion with a cover of “Ana’s Song (Open Fire).”
This is probably my favourite Silverchair song, and the Canberra band brings just the right mix of pathos and aggression to it.
“It’s impossible to be an Australian band and not have some recognition and appreciation for the huge role Silverchair has played in Aussie music, and the pathway it created for rock in particular,” Hands Like Houses frontman Trenton Woodley explained. “Daniel Johns has such a strong songwriting style, so when were were asked if we were interested in this compilation, it was an intimidating but exciting prospect to try and bring in our own take on their music, while still retaining and respecting what made them such massive hits. We’re stoked on how it came out and hope it, along with the rest of the compilation, does justice to the significance of Silverchair’s role in Australian music history!”
Spawn (Again): A Tribute To Silverchair hits stores on November 17. Hands Like Houses will remind Australia of its own original talents with an acoustic tour next year. It’s something we don’t often see from bands that rock as hard as Hands Like Houses, so if you’re a fan you’ll want tickets to these shows.
18 January 2018 – The Toff In Town, Melbourne
19 January 2018 – The Basement, Sydney
20 January 2018 – The Foundry, Brisbane
21 January 2018 – Capital Brewing Co, Canberra
Image used with permission from Unified Music Group
In a couple of weeks Harry James Angus will release his highly anticipated new EP I Saw Red, featuring songs from his latest musical project, a show called Struggle With Glory. If the title track is any indication, it will be truly spectacular.
The EP, which is released on November 16, features four original gospel jazz tracks inspired by Greek mythology. The trumpet sounds we love in Harry’s most famous project, The Cat Empire, are there, married beautifully with the double bass, piano, and a soaring gospel choir. Is it ambitious? Absolutely! But do the risks pay off? After watching this video of the title track performed live, I’m sure the answer will be a resounding yes.
If you didn’t catch Struggle With Glory at The Church of Bang Bang Boogaloo or at one of Harry’s Parlour Gigs earlier in the year, don’t worry. He’ll take the show to music and arts festivals and other major events over summer. With a nine-piece band and a gospel choir in tow, these performances should be epic. More dates will be announced soon, but the following are already locked in:
18 & 19 November 2017 – Mullum Music Festival, Mullumbimby
21 November 2017 – Melbourne Music Week, Melbourne
14 & 15 March 2018 – Adelaide Festival, Adelaide
Born and raised in country Victoria, Keira is living out her dreams as a travelling musician, touring the world and recording music in Los Angeles. Her latest effort is “Make You Mine,” a catchy country-pop track penned during Keira’s American tour earlier this year.
The single gives us a taste of the music Keira’s making to follow up her breakthrough debut EP Forever Roam. I can’t wait to hear more!
