Category: Single Releases

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

James Chatburn’s Soulful New Song is More Than Ok

Berlin-based Australian singer-songwriter James Chatburn has floored me with his new single “Ok Ok (Be a Man).” It’s a beautifully soulful song that explores concepts of masculinity and self-acceptance.

“For the last few years, I have been challenging my views on masculinity and how I have perceived myself and other people based on what I had learnt growing up,” James explained. “It’s like looking to the men that you have grown up with, hang out with now, how we have grown, how we haven’t, and who can we really look up to as a role models.”

This one is Good with a capital G. Stop what you’re doing and take a moment to really listen. I guarantee you won’t be sorry!

Image used with permission from KATSU.; credit: Shari Annabell Marks

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

JXCKY Celebrates Solitude With Pop Bop “Mad Invite”

Melbourne queer pop act JXCKY has just dropped his first track under TEAMWRK Records, and it’s an absolute banger. “Mad Invite” flips the script on a party snub, reminding us that a party without JXCKY isn’t a party worth having!

“The concept for Mad Invite stems from a lot of restless nights in high school where I had to watch all the popular kids create memories and feel like they could belong … and then walk into school the next day and hear all about it,” he admitted. “Growing up in that setting and still harbouring feelings of resent towards the idea of loneliness, Mad Invite is my way of sharing that story and learning to be comfortable with being by myself.”

Crank this one up loud next time you’re having a party for one and it’s bound to make you feel better!

Image used with permission from JXCKY

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Rock Out to Liquid Zoo’s New Track, “I Don’t Want to Be Me”

Newcastle’s Liquid Zoo hooked me in from the first second of their latest single “I Don’t Want to Be Me.” But this track has more than a killer bass line on its side. Its infectious sound is the perfect counterpoint to its self-deprecating lyrics.

“The song is about coming to the realisation that your past actions were wrong and how that affects those around you and pondering the idea of not wanting to be yourself as a self-punishment,” the band explained. “We wanted to present this melancholy idea in a happier contradictory light.”

Liquid Zoo have shared stages with local legends like Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Pacific Avenue, and King Stingray. It’s only a matter of time before they’re selling out their own headline shows, but before that they’ll join The Good Love at The Vanguard on May 19.

Image used with permission from Good Intent

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Hayley Marsten Answers the Critics With “I’m Fine, Thanks”

I’ve got nothing but good vibes today with the weekend looming and Hayley Marsten’s latest track “I’m Fine, Thanks” on repeat. This super catchy pop number is the perfect clap back to people who questioned her resilience in the past.

“I sure was sick of people speaking for me about what my album Spectacular Heartbreak meant for my emotional state,” she said. “After it came out, there seemed to be this narrative that I was still spectacularly heartbroken and that I was ‘lucky’ that my ex had ‘given’ me an album. When actually that was not the truth. Never one to let somebody else have the last word, this chorus just fell out and Kieran [Stevenson] and I wrote it a week after we wrote ‘Drowning Myself’.”

Hayley is currently crowdfunding album number two. Head to Pozible to show your support. You can also catch her at one of her upcoming gigs:

29 April 2022 – Songs You Know and Love @ The Triffid, Brisbane (FREE)
30 April 2022 – Venue TBA, Brisbane (supporting Andrew Swift)
27 May 2022 – Holler (A Celebration of Americana Music) @ Home of the Arts, Gold Coast
28 May 2022 – Heartsville Hoedown @ Lefty’s Music Hall, Brisbane
3 June 2022 – Songs You Know and Love @ The Triffid, Brisbane (FREE)

Image used with permission from Footstomp Music

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Pacific Avenue Are Back With Smashing New Single, “Give It Up For Yourself” & Midyear Tour

Pacific Avenue really impressed me with their single “Easy Love” last year. In fact, it was my most-streamed track on Spotify. But I think the Gerringong band might have topped it with “Give It Up For Yourself”. It’s a bright, shimmery indie-rock banger that somehow fuses psychedelic and Brit-pop vibes.

“’Give It Up For Yourself’ is a song that acknowledges and celebrates your life, everything that you are, and everything that you have overcome,” the band explained. “When I was writing the lyrics, I wanted to keep in mind the importance of taking a step back and appreciating how far you have come, no matter how far along you are in achieving your dreams. This song is about giving yourself some credit because if the younger version of yourself could see you today, I’m sure you would be proud.”

A song this good is only going to sound better live, so Pacific Avenue are taking it to capitals all around the country in the middle of the year. Catch them near you, supported by last year’s Unearthed High Competition winners, The Rions.

17 June 2022 – Mojo’s, Perth
18 June 2022 – Jive Bar, Adelaide
24 June 2022 – The Brightside, Brisbane
25 June 2022 – Howler, Melbourne
2 July 2022 – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney

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

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Get Your Groove On to Heavy Wax’s “Can’t Shake the Thought of You”

With Silk Sonic scooping the Grammys, its clear music lovers have a taste for classic funk and soul. If tasty horns, a tight rhythm section, and soulful vocals are your idea of heaven, you’re going to love what Gold Coast outfit Heavy Wax serve up. One listen to “Can’t Shake the Thought of You” and you’ll be hooked too.

“It’s about the rush of feeling a connection with a new person for the first time and the excitement of what’s to come,” explained lead vocalist Quin Samin. “Where did it come from? Well, we’ve all felt it, so hopefully it resonates with the listener.”

“Can’t Shake the Thought of You” comes from Heavy Wax’s self-titled debut album, which drops on May 6. These guys are fast developing a reputation as one of Queensland’s hottest live acts. You can see what all the fuss is about at one of their upcoming shows:

7 May 2022 – Roots Festival @ Home of the Arts, Gold Coast
11 June 2022 – Melting Sunsets @ Kingston Butter Factory Cultural Precinct, Kingston

Image used with permission from Footstomp Music

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Euan Hart Releases Cool New Single, “Snowflake”

As cooler weather sets in, there’s no better time to listen to “Snowflake,” the latest track from indie-folk act Euan Hart. The melody is simple but the poetic lyrics take this song to the next level. Make sure you tap into them as you listen to this one.

“‘Snowflake’ is about wanting someone you can’t have, or more specifically haven’t had in a long while,” Euan explained. “Then when you think it might work out, they make you too damn nervous to be fully yourself, like you were before you met them. It’s quite funny because I wrote this a couple weeks before I met someone I was really attracted to, and didn’t quite understand my own lyrics, until the situation came to fruition. Be careful what you wish for!”

The song comes with a gorgeous video that Euan directed and produced alongside Jack Moran and Eddie Yabsley.

“Myself, Jack Moran and Eddie Yabsley went away to a lovely town called Sofala for three days to film this beauty,” Euan added. “We were massively inspired by the classic Australian film ‘Wake in Fright’, and Jack wanted to put a new spin on it. The feeling of being lost in the epic Aussie landscape in a beige suit is a funny one – it’s so clean and once it gets a mark on it, it’s pretty easy to let it get wrecked. I kept mine clean”.

Euan will celebrate the single release with a show at Sydney’s Golden Age Cinema & Bar on May 7. Get onto it!

Image used with permission from Habit Music Co.; credit: Jack Moran

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Kinder Drops Exciting New Single, “Rasta”

Ghanaian-Aussie sister duo Kinder are celebrating their culture with “Rasta”, a floor-filler that shares their father’s story.

“Rasta is the story about our dad Kofi and his journey to Australia, where he literally walked across a desert in search of a brighter future. From Ghana to Libya, Europe and finally here,” explained Savannah Osei. “The making of this song was a long process for us. It started off very simply with a vocal chant Briony [Savannah’s sister] came up with walking on the street and recorded it as a voice memo in 2019. We came up with the basic melody, lyrics and started working with a few different producers first with Tasker and Mickey Kojak, then with Kim Moyes of The Presets, the song kept developing further and further, it was an amazing experience to keep pushing the beat along to where it is now”.

They thought they’d finished the track, but then they came across demos from local MC Gold Fang. They knew he could take the song to the next level, so Gold Fang recorded a freestyle verse during last year’s lockdowns. The sisters enthuse that “it was really the last missing piece of the puzzle”.

If you love what Kinder are laying down, make sure you catch them at one of the following shows:

1 May 2022 – Big Gay Day, Brisbane
12 June 2022 – Laundry Bar, Melbourne
17 June 2022 – Civic Underground, Sydney

Image used with permission from Warner Music Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Faim Release Nostalgic New Single Ahead of UK/EU Tour

Perth-born act The Faim have got me reminiscing with their nostalgic new rock track “ERA”. It’s a bit of a shift from the hard-hitting rock we’re used to from the band, but it’s great to hear them changing things up and showing a softer side.

“‘ERA’ is about closing one chapter of your life and beginning the next,” bassist and keyboardist Stephen Beerkens explained. “Reminiscent of our own journeys up until this point, the song touches on the trials and tribulations we face every day and the aspects in our lives we’re grateful for.”

The Faim will play major summer festivals and headlining gigs across the United Kingdom and Europe this summer. If you’re lucky enough to be soaking up a summer in the Northern Hemisphere, you can catch them at the following shows:

1 June 2022 – L’Etage, Rennes
2 June 2022 – Ninkasi, Lyon
3 June 2022 – La Laiterie Artefact, Strasbourg
3-5 June 2022 – Rock am Ring, Nurburgring
8 June 2022 – Tranbendo, Paris
9 June 2022 – The Black Lab, Wasquehal
10-12 June 2022 – Download Festival @ Donington Park, Castle Donington
11 June 2022 – Sin City, Swansea
13 June 2022 – Stereo, Glasgow
15 June 2022 – Northumbria Students Union, Newcastle Upon Tyne
16 June 2022 – Omeara, London
17 June 2022 – Engine Rooms, Southampton
21 June 2022 – Klub Hydrozagadka, Warsaw
22 June 2022 – Hole Berlin, Berlin
23 June 2022 – Logo Hamburg, Hamburg
25 June 2022 – Schwarzer Bar 2, Hannover
26 June 2022 – Felsenkeller Leipzig, Leipzig
27 June 2022 – Legend Club Milano, Milano
29 June 2022 – Kulturfabrik Kofmehl, Solothurn
30 June 2022 – La Nuit De l’Erdre @ Parc du Port Mulont, Nort-sur-Erdre
30 June – 3 July 2022 – Rock Werchter @ Festival Park, Werchter
7 July 2022 – Melkweg Amsterdam, Amsterdam
8 July 2022 – Musilac, Aix-Les-Bains

Image used with permission from Good Intent; credit: Jake Crawford

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Oceanique Shine With “Emotional Weight”

Western Australian sister act Oceanique are making the most of the long weekend with shows all around the state to support their gorgeous new single “Emotional Weight”. If stunning vocal harmonies make you weak at the knees, you’re going to want to hear this. This beautiful folk ballad is accompanied by an equally stunning video created by local filmmaker Tashi Hall, with creative input from the siblings behind Oceanique, Maddy and Jess Larkman.

“We really wanted to create that feeling of the push and pull of life, with the lighter scenes conveying how people can see you only from the outside, sometimes there is a greater emotion kept within that people don’t see,” the sisters explained. “So, we wanted the blue-toned scenes to feel more weighty, to show that emotion. We feel very grateful to have worked with Tashi on this project, it was so much fun to film, and it was a perfect mix of creative minds!”

Tashi was also full of praise for Oceanique.

“From the first meeting to the final edit, Maddy and Jess were a treat to collaborate with,” she gushed. “Their many wonderful ideas made the experience of filming the music video so fun and exciting to create together. Their communication and comfortability in front of (and behind the camera) helped facilitate an all-round smooth and calm process that was exceptionally enjoyable. They each have such a wonderful and warm presence that is a joy to be around – and a beautiful experience to capture on film.”
If you’re in Western Australia, don’t miss your chance to see Oceanique at their upcoming intimate gigs.

22 April 2022 – Vancouver Arts Centre, Albany (with Tracey Barnett)
23 April 2022 – House Concert, Bunbury (with Tracey Barnett)
24 April 2022 – The Cidery, Bridgetown (with Tracey Barnett – FREE)
25 April 2022 – Settlers Tavern, Margaret River (with Tracey Barnett – FREE)
29 April 2022 – Four5Nine, Perth (supported by Tanaya Harper, Cecilia Brandolini & Ruby Taylor)

Image used with permission from This Much Talent; credit: Bridget Julie-Anne