Darkinjung Country/Central Coast talent Chelsea Berman adds some modern production to her usual country sound with her latest single “Going There.” Pop-country crossovers aren’t exactly new, but I’ve never heard one sounding quite so fresh.
This song sounds great, but it’s also incredibly relatable. After going back to the wrong person too many times, Chelsea channelled her frustrations into this fantastic track. Canadian songwriters Lydia Sutherland and Aaron Pollock helped her with the lyrics before Mulubinba/Newcastle producer Rhys Zacher added his magic.
Given their name, you might expect Meeanjin/Brisbane band Reckless Coast to create laidback acoustic tunes to soundtrack your beach tunes. Press play on their latest track “Gossip” and in just a few seconds you’ll realise they’re not that band. Not even close. Reckless Coast can rock with the best of them, so strap yourself in and enjoy the ride.
“Gossip was written to cause pure chaos live,” said songwriter and frontman Jaeden Ogston. “I wanted an anarchic energy to the song, and I think we definitely delivered on that!”
“I can’t get enough of playing this song live,” added bassist India Raine. “Our energy goes full throttle and I love seeing the crowd’s uncontained response.”
Are you getting the idea that this band loves being on stage? Fresh from supporting Aussie rock icons The Poor, Reckless Coast will play shows along the East Coast next month. Here are all the dates you need:
3 March 2023 – The Espy, Euro Yuroke/St. Kilda (FREE)
4 March 2023 – Bad Decisions, Ngár-go/Fitzroy
16 March 2023 – Hamilton Station Hotel, Mulubinba/Newcastle (FREE)
17 March 2023 – Burdekin Hotel, Eora/Sydney
19 March 2023 – Last Rites, Yaegl/Yamba
31 March 2023 – Tomcat, Meeanjin/Brisbane
Image used with permission from Reyco Records; credit: Will Johnstone
Start your day right with Eora/Sydney pop-punk act A Swift Farewell’s bold new single “Sorry”. If the effects of your coffee are starting to wane, this track should give you the adrenalin rush you need to get to lunchtime.
“‘Sorry’ explores a time where I felt like every negative situation I was in was caused by me,” vocalist Ryo Sprott explained. “Relationships falling apart, band members leaving, etc., I felt like I was responsible for other people’s feelings and for making them leave me. The line ‘Held you too close / I squeezed your life away’ was written about an ex who broke up with me. At the time, I thought that it was my fault because I had cared too much, tried too hard and had suffocated them instead of giving them space. I found out later it wasn’t the reason they had left.”
The track comes with a fantastic music video filmed, directed, and edited by Dunelabs’ Oliver Clarke.
“The storyline of this video follows the song’s theme: feeling like your words and action are hurting someone else,” added A Swift Farewell’s guitarist and songwriter Sarah Bonnet. “The first actor is spitting black paint, which represents the words coming out of his mouth, as well as his actions. The second actor is crying black paint, which represents the hurt that these words and actions caused. The first is trying to say he’s sorry, but it’s too late and he can’t fix the damage that’s already done.”
A Swift Farewell will celebrate the release of “Sorry” with a trip to Naarm/Melbourne for Perish Fest on March 18.
Image used with permission from Good Intent; credit: Jack Fontes
Budjerah is already one of the hottest emerging artists in the country, and he’s set to get a whole lot bigger in the coming months. He’ll play massive stadiums around the country supporting Ed Sheeran and slots at For The Love Festival. He’s also just dropped a fabulous new single, “Therapy,” penned by superstar songwriters Sarah Aarons (John Legend, Demi Lovato) and Stint (Kesha, Panic! At the Disco).
“When I first heard the demo for ‘Therapy’, it hit me at the perfect time. I was going through a few things and the song really nailed how I was feeling at the time,” Budjerah admitted. “Therapy is about frustration in a relationship. It’s the thoughts and feelings that can erupt when you don’t understand each other and that can be tough to deal with. Therapy can come in many forms, but taking a step back and getting an outside perspective is something that has helped me.”
You’ll have plenty of opportunities to see Budjerah this year, starting with all these dates:
Meeanjin/Brisbane punk band Pilot Crisis have burst onto the scene with their debut single “Misguided.” The track was penned by their kickass frontwoman Evie Cowen after her own experiences with the country’s broken social service system.
“At the time that I wrote ‘Misguided’, I was in a position where I could no longer work and had to quit my job. My situation had made me rely heavily on the system and that’s where I noticed an insane imbalance in true support for people who actually need help”, she explained. “The world was being misguided by the pain we were all experiencing. We were trying to fight it, but all in vain as we continued to get hit while we were down—that’s at least how I felt.”
Pilot Crisis are already planning an EP, so we’ll hopefully hear a lot more from them this year.
Image used with permission from Habit Music Co; credit: Will Johnstone
British singer Maisie Peters is making the most of her first trip to Australia. She’ll play seven headlining shows alongside her support slots with her friend and mentor, Ed Sheeran. If you’re not familiar with Maisie’s music, her latest single “Body Better” is a great introduction. It’s such a fun pop song, but it’s also got some really relatable lyrics that address the insecurities many of us feel when an ex moves on.
“Body Better” comes from Maisie’s forthcoming sophomore album. Limited tickets for all her shows are available, so get onto them!
I think there’s just enough summer left for a summer anthem, right? Jack Botts has dropped one of the season’s best, “All Day,” ahead of the independent release of his debut album Sucker for Sunsets. The eclectic release sees Jack exploring genres and pushing himself as a songwriter.
“There are some styles I had just never given a shot before, like country,” he laughed. “I wondered ‘it’s one of the biggest genres in the world, but why is it so big?’ So I really dove in and started to appreciate why people relate to it. It became a personal challenge for me then… if I wanted to keep writing the same songs, I guess I could, but there’s no growth in that. I want to keep growing and surprising myself and others.”
Jack is currently supporting Vance Joy in North America, but he’ll be back on home soil soon enough for his own headline shows supporting the March 31 release of Sucker for Sunsets. Just days after appearing at BASSINTHEGRASS, he’ll be in Europe for some more headlining shows. No matter where in the world you are, here are all the dates you need:
15 February 2023 – FirstOntario Concert Hall, Hamilton (supporting Vance Joy)
17 February 2023 – Kemba Live!, Columbus (supporting Vance Joy)
18 February 2023 – Chicago Theatre, Chicago (supporting Vance Joy)
19 February 2023 – State Theatre, Minneapolis (supporting Vance Joy)
3 March 2023 – Paramount Theatre, Seattle (supporting Vance Joy)
4 March 2023 – Paramount Theatre, Seattle (supporting Vance Joy)
9 March 2023 – Fox Theatre, Oakland (supporting Vance Joy)
10 March 2023 – Fox Theatre, Oakland (supporting Vance Joy)
11 March 2023 – YouTube Theatre, Los Angeles (supporting Vance Joy)
16 March 2023 – SOMA, San Diego (supporting Vance Joy)
18 March 2023 – Arizona Financial Theatre, Phoenix (supporting Vance Joy)
21 March 2023 – Austin City Limits Live @ The Moody Theatre, Austin (supporting Vance Joy)
23 March 2023 – Coca-Cola Roxy, Atlanta (supporting Vance Joy)
24 March 2023 – The Fillmore Charlotte, Charlotte (supporting Vance Joy)
25 March 2023 – The Anthem, Washington, D.C. (supporting Vance Joy)
31 March 2023 – Lion Arts Factory, Tartanya/Adelaide
1 April 2023 – The Rosemount, Boorloo/Perth
14 April 2023 – The Triffid, Meeanjin/Brisbane
15 April 2023 – Factory Theatre, Eora/Sydney
28 April 2023 – 170 Russell, Naarm/Melbourne
20 May 2023 – BASSINTHEGRASS, Larrakia Country/Darwin
23 May 2023 – Nochtspeicher, Hamburg
24 May 2023 – Privatclub, Berlin
25 May 2023 – Jaki – Klub im Stadtgarten, Cologne
26 May 2023 – Muffatwerk, Munich
8 June 2023 – Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh
9 June 2023 – Cluny 2, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
10 June 2023 – The Castle Hotel, Manchester
11 June 2023 – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
14 June 2023 – Bergenfest, Bergen
21 June 2023 – Patronaat, Haarlem
22 June 2023 – Cafe ‘t Rozenknopje, Eindhoven
23 June 2023 – Theater Walhalla, Rotterdam
12 July 2023 – The Louisiana, Bristol
14 July 2023 – The Prince Albert, Brighton
15 July 2023 – The Lexington, London
28 July 2023 – The Watering Hole, Perranporth
Image used with permission from Cult Logic; credit: Kieran Tunbridge
Palestinian-born and Naarm/Melbourne-based talent YARA is bringing some smooth neo-soul to your Valentine’s Day with her dreamy new single “Back of the Uber.” A rideshare vehicle isn’t an obvious place for romance, but I’m swooning over this one.
“This track embodies the desperate desire of wanting to belong to someone’s heart. Going on the journey of dating someone new, experiencing them losing interest and connecting the dots through Uber rides,” YARA explained. “I find myself processing every date, every great and shitty experience on the way home. There’s something so therapeutic about being in the back of a car, with no task at hand, free to let my mind go and stare out the window, listening to my favorite sad late-night song.”
“Back of the Uber” gives us our first taste of YARA’s upcoming debut EP, Lonely Love Affair, which drops this May.
Image used with permission from Stagedive; credit: @clairegiuffre
I’ve been a fan of Pacific Avenue ever since they dropped their single “Easy Love” back in 2021. A debut album is long overdue, but fans will be happy to know it’s just a few months away. Until then, get your ears around their latest radio-friendly single “Spin Me Like Your Records.”
“The main theme behind writing ‘Spin Me Like Your Records’ was to get a fun, upbeat track that we could dance around to and have as a really nice moment in our live set for festivals,” the band explained. “We got to a point where we thought we’d finished the album and had a listening party with our label, publisher and management, and while we loved it, we all thought it could use some straight-up-and-down classic rock songs. So, we wrote our last single, ‘Leaving For London’, another album track, ‘Modern Lovers’ and finally this single, and I don’t think the album would be the same without them. It’s just another silly song about being hopelessly into someone.”
Pacific Avenue’s debut album Flowers hits stores on May 5. They’ll play Hamilton Station Hotel in Mulubinba/Newcastle on March 18. Fresh from those recent festival appearances, I’d be surprised if we don’t see more shows announced to coincide with the album’s release really soon.
Image used with permission from Good Intent; credit: Charlie Hardy
It’s been five years since Conrad Sewell charted in this country. If there’s any justice, we’ll see him back in the top 10 with the release of his fantastic new single “Ferris Wheel”. It’s the definition of radio-friendly, ultra-catchy, upbeat goodness.
“’Ferris Wheel’ is a song about a second chance, never giving up on your dream, life, or love,” he explained. “Life is hard but you never know what’s around the corner. I wanted the song to have a very nostalgic 90s feel to it and really paint that picture.”
When you’re taking a listen, make sure you let the rest of his new tracks play out. They’re all brilliant, suggesting Conrad’s new album Precious, which drops on March 3, will be awesome. Conrad is currently on tour. Catch him at the following venues at the end of the month:
24 February 2023 – York on Lilydale, Wurrundjeri Country/Mount Evelyn
25 February 2023 – Village Green Hotel, Bunurong Country/Mulgrave
Image source: Eva Rinaldi @ Wikimedia Commons
