Category: Releases

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Bronte Alva Lays Past Bare With “Taylor Swift”

Dharawal/Wollongong-based indie-rock artist Bronte Alva has wowed me with her new single “Taylor Swift.” It’s a deeply personal song that recounts Bronte’s own experiences dating someone ten years her senior as a teenager.

She says the song captures “Heartbreak and growing pains within the power imbalance of dating an older man in my teens. I was 17. He was 27. He was my gym instructor. A week before my 18th birthday he ghosted me. I felt angry, sad, betrayed, played, manipulated and pretty damn stupid. It wasn’t until later with a lot of reflection that I realised it wasn’t my fault. One song in particular that connected to me was ‘All Too Well’ by Taylor Swift. It follows her reminiscing on her experiences dating an older man and all that comes with it. I wrote the song when I was 18, ruminating and reminiscing on the experience. It taught me my worth and ultimately those were growing pains that got me to where I am.”

Bronte has a stack of gigs coming up. Catch her at the following venues:

11 August 2023 – Botany View Hotel, Gadigal/Sydney
18 August 2023 – The Basement, Ngunnawal/Canberra
19 August 2023 – The Alley Band Room, Gadigal/Sydney
20 August 2023 – Icebreaker Festival, Gadigal/Sydney
26 August 2023 – Stag and Hunter, Mulubinba/Newcastle
1 September 2023 – Klok Fest @ La La La’s, Dharawal/Wollongong
14-15 October 2023 – Yours & Owls Festival, Dharawal/Wollongong

Image used with permission from Good Intent

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Joan & The Giants Impress With “Sleep Alone” Single

I think Joan & The Giants are one of the best bands on the local music scene. I seem to fall a little more in love with them with every release. “Sleep Alone” is no exception. If you’re yet to discover how brilliant this band is, let yourself get swept up in this dreamy rock ballad. Vocalist and songwriter Grace Newton-Wordsworth said the song was inspired by the repression she felt growing up.

“I loved most of my childhood, but there were definitely some difficult times where I felt quite trapped in my body – I grew up in a loving but intense Christian home and while I still hold onto a lot of the core kind values, there were some parts of my childhood experience that were incredibly suffocating,” she admitted. “I spent years hiding my sexuality, and parts of myself that I still struggle to be open with. The line ‘You take me back to when I was a kid, begging for someone to save me. It leaves me frozen, trapped in the morgue again’ – I feel like sometimes relationships can bring a lot of sadness to the surface of things you’ve been holding onto your whole life. When you finally meet someone who you open up to, a lot of wounds can be opened with that.”

Joan & The Giants are just about the wrap up their first headlining tour, but you can catch the at their final show tomorrow night at The Bird in Boorloo/Perth.

Image used with permission from beehive; credit: Ashlyn Burley

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Kee’ahn & Emma Donovan Team Up For First Archie Roach Foundation Single

Australia lost one of its brightest stars when it lost Archie Roach last year. But his legacy lives on through the Archie Roach Foundation Singing Our Futures program, which pairs emerging First Nations artists with Indigenous mentors. The first release from the program is “Take No More,” a powerful collaboration by up-and-coming North Queensland talent Kee’ahn and acclaimed Indigenous singer Emma Donovan. It’s a true First Nations anthem celebrating how elders across time have stood strong in the face of ongoing challenges so that hopefully the path will be easier for future generations.

“We started writing ‘Take No More’ around Invasion Day Jan 26th. Both of us were feeling a lot of emotions that come with the date and feeling inspired by grassroots mob who organise to educate and liberate our peoples,” Kee’ahn recalled. “We spoke about how our leaders across generations stand strong and staunch against ongoing challenges, the act of carrying the torch forward passed down from your elders so our future generations can do the same or ideally won’t have to at all. We spoke about solidarity and how liberation is a joint fight with many hands needed. It also feels like this song has grown over the year, during which time beautiful Black leaders and changemakers have passed on into dreaming – this song feels dedicated to them. To Uncle Archie Roach and Aunty Ruby Hunter and to Uncle Jack Charles. They inspire me/us to sing our truth for our past, present and futures.”

“Take No More” is the first track lifted from the Singing Our Futures EP, which will drop later this year.

Image used with permission from On the Map PR; credit: Jacinta Keefe

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Machine on a Break Releases Strong Single “Honestly”

Meeanjin/Brisbane act Machine on a Break has made a big impression on me with her latest single “Honestly.” It’s bold and epically cinematic with lyrics that really speak to the heart.

“Honestly is about finding out your partner holds wildly different political views to yourself, those which you consider to be harmful,” she explained. “I wrote ‘Honestly’ as I was realising, I wasn’t going to be able to stay in the relationship and I think differences of opinion are important for us to grow as people, but being closed-minded about topics that have the ability to be harmful to others is where I take issue. I was so genuinely blindsided by his opinions when he first told me because he seemed like such an open-minded person and politics had just never come up in our earlier conversations. I’ve learned my lesson and I always ask early on when I’m getting to know someone now.”

Machine on a Break shot the single’s video with director and editor Luke Agius.

“The storyline is a fight playing out via a game of chess after my partner reveals he has a different political view by the addition of a blue tie to his outfit while we are out together. I am wearing red to symbolise an opposing political view.”

Machine on a Break will support Wicked Envy at The Duke of Enmore in Eora/Sydney on August 11. It’s a free gig, so if you’re local there’s no excuse for missing it.

Image used with permission from Good Intent

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Sarah Yagki Raises Mental Health Awareness With New Single “Just Like Me”

Eora/Sydney alternative-pop artist Sarah Yagki has just dropped a powerful new single “Just Like Me.” Make sure you listen to the lyrics which come from such a personal place.

“The song is written about my experiences watching a friend last year harm themselves in a manic episode and raises awareness for mental health and suicide prevention,” Sarah explained. “The song explores watching a loved one go through their lowest points of mental health and trying not to lose yourself in the process of helping them.”

Sarah is so committed to the cause that when she launched the single recently at Oxford Art Factory, she donated more than $1,000 in ticket sales to Beyond Blue. Don’t worry if you missed it; Sarah is playing a stack of shows all around the country in the coming months:

5 August 2023 – The Front, Ngunnawal/Canberra
6 August 2023 – Birdhouse, Wiradjuri Country/ Wagga Wagga
18 August 2023 – Kelly’s on King, Eora/Sydney (supporting Abbey Lane)
31 August 2023 – Beach Hotel, Cavanbah/Byron Bay
1 September 2023 – Finnian’s Irish Tavern, Guruk/Port Macquarie
2 September 2023 – Flow Bar, Biripi Country/Old Bar
3 September 2023 – Sauce Brewery, Eora/Sydney
6 September 2023 – UNSW, Eora/Sydney
10 September 2023 – Black Bear Lodge, Meeanjin/Brisbane
20 September 2023 – The Hamilton Station, Mulubinba/Newcastle
21 September 2023 – Royal Bondi, Eora/Sydney
28 September 2023 – The Old Bar, Naarm/Melbourne
1 October 2023 – The Workers Club, Naarm/Melbourne
20 October 2023 – The Hamilton Station, Mulubinba/Newcastle
22 October 2023 – Birdhouse, Wiradjuri Country/ Wagga Wagga
25 October 2023 – UNSW, Eora/Sydney
26 October 2023 – The Hamilton Station, Mulubinba/Newcastle
29 October 2023 – North Gong, Dharawal/Wollongong
17 November 2023 – The Bird, Boorloo/Perth
25 November 2023 – Waywards, Eora/Sydney

Image used with permission from Good Intent

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

BESTIES Drop “racecar” Single Ahead of Big Supports

If the caffeine hasn’t quite kicked in yet, press play on BESTIES’ new single “racecar.” I guarantee this energetic pop-punk track will wake you up.

“Nat and I wanted to distill all the fear and frustration of growing up so desperate for success that it can completely distort how you interact with the people around you — as if you’re already carrying around the regret and shame of being a failure before you’ve even given up,” explained BESTIES’ vocalist Max Pasalic. “’racecar’ is all about those anxieties coalescing in a sort of ‘dinner party from hell’ scene that I’m singing about in the song (‘dinner party, gin, barcadi, tell me what’s new with you, I’m sorry but I seem to have misplaced what I gotta prove’).”

BESTIES have got some choice support slots coming up in the coming months. Make sure you arrive early enough for their sets at the following gigs:

17 August 2023 – Oxford Art Factory, Eora/Sydney (supporting Somber Hills)
30 September 2023 – Northcote Social Club, Naarm/Melbourne (supporting Between You and Me)
1 October 2023 – Crown & Anchor, Tartanya/Adelaide (supporting Between You and Me)
6 October 2023 – Black Bear Lodge, Meeanjin/Brisbane (supporting Between You and Me)
7 October 2023 – Waywards, Eora/Sydney (supporting Between You and Me)

Image used with permission from Capital Artist Group

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Wayside Drop Killer Double Single, “Parallax Error/Asymmetry”

Naarm/Melbourne band Wayside are bringing the angst to your weekend with their new double A-side single, “Parallax Error/Asymmetry.” I love that these two tracks give anyone new to their music a great introduction. “Parallax Error” is a hard-hitting song that takes me back to classic emo and nu-metal sounds. “Asymmetry” is a brooding ballad that’ll send shivers up your spine.

Recording these songs and others from their forthcoming sophomore album helped Wayside tick an item off their bucket list: working with Will Yip. That’s right; the Grammy-nominated producer has worked with the likes of Panic! At the Disco, Circa Survive, Anthony Green, mewithoutYou, and now our own Wayside.

“We were asked what our number one goal as artists were, to which we both replied … to work with Will Yip,” said vocalist/guitarist Thomas Davenport says. “From the very beginning songwriting was always our number one focus, so to be given the opportunity to work with Will was quite literally a dream come true. We both followed his career and had tremendous
respect for him as a producer, but more importantly, as a songwriter.”

After touring with Don Broco, The Comfort, and the massive Movements and Boston Manor shows, Wayside are about to join Dream on Dreamer on their upcoming dates. Make sure you arrive early to hear more music from their upcoming album, due out later this year.

11 August 2023 – Max Watts, Melbourne
12 August 2023 – Uni Bar, Adelaide
25 August 2023 – The Triffid, Brisbane
26 August 2023 – Crowbar, Sydney

Image credit: Cian Marangos

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Eaglemont Releases “Vodka Pineapple” Ahead of Cry Club Support

Eaglemont has offered up a tasty sample of her upcoming debut album with the release of her latest single “Vodka Pineapple.” It’s got an uplifting indie pop-rock vibe, but make sure you clock those confessional lyrics. They’re really something special.

“Vodka Pineapple’ is inspired by a painful realisation I had where I was the protagonist in the downfall of my relationships and it was all my fault… and then somehow we turned it into a pop song,” explained Bridg Jessop, the talent behind Eaglemont. “In line with the thread that runs through the entire record it’s a glorified diary entry that recounts events, often with haunting hindsight. Not that you should use creating art as therapy singularly (you should probably just go to therapy).”

Expect to hear a little bit more from her debut album and your old favourites when Eaglemont launches the single and supports Cry Club next month.

5 August 2023 – The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar, Naarm/Melbourne
25 August 2023 – The Vanguard, Eora/Sydney
26 August 2023 – Tomcat, Meeanjin/Brisbane
2 September 2023 – Northcote Social Club, Naarm/Melbourne
9 September 2023 – Crown & Anchor, Kaurna/Adelaide

Image used with permission from Habit Music Co; credit: Tim Lambert

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Meres Delivers Powerful New Single, “Ocean View”

When you think about ocean views, you probably feel a sense of calm. Banish that thought. “Ocean View”, the latest single from Kanamuluka Lutruwita/Launceston-based punk quartet Meres isn’t more likely to fire you up than soothe you. Vocalist Mary Shannon penned the song after reading an article predicting the environmental damage humans are likely to cause by 2050.

“This song is fuelled by a sort of ‘exhausted by it all’ anger and feelings of disempowerment, while trying to balance these feelings with the narrative that we are responsible for our own well-being and our own happiness,” she explained. “Who cares if young people don’t have a future? At least the internet and fat cats can remind them that it’s their own fault, even though real change is in the hands of corrupt pollies who couldn’t give a fuck about life beyond their own.”

It’s got some heavy subject matter, but “Ocean View” is also a damn good time. If you love grunge music with a message, you’re going to love this one.

Image used with permission from Habit Music Co; credit: Cameron Jones

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Sophian Bringing Back Summer With “Moments”

Winter’s chill has well and truly set in, but “Moments,” the latest track from Boorloo/Perth indie-rock act Sophian is bringing the sunshine. It’s such a cool summery track, with a great guitar groove and celebratory lyrics. And it’s always the right time of year for that.

“Those dreamy and lush guitar tones make you feel like you are just enjoying a day down at the beach or driving down the coastline. A song that makes you feel at peace and lets you just enjoy the moment,” the band confirmed. “Sometimes all you want to do is slow down and just enjoy the moment you are in. The way we live life today sometimes makes it hard. We’ve been programmed to move so fast, and it’s created this feeling of having to constantly keep moving. It can get tiring. You can be your own worst enemy sometimes. ‘Moments’ focuses on those feelings and is a song about learning to enjoy the moment no matter how hard it can be sometimes.”

After supporting acts like COTERIE, Bootleg Rascal, and DICE, Sophian are stepping into the spotlight with a string of headlining dates. Catch them when you can!

5 August 2023 – Old Habits Neighbourhood Bar, Boorloo/Perth
1 September 2023 – The River, Noongar/Margaret River
2 September 2023 – Froth Craft Brewery, Noongar/Bunbury

Image used with permission from Good Intent