Etoile Marley’s first name means “star” in French, so it’s not surprising that the night sky inspired her new single. “Moonlight” is a cool, sultry electro R’n’B track that is quite frankly out of this world.
Etoile’s rich voice really drew me into this one, but I was impressed to learn just how much creative control she had. She wrote and produced the song, which sounds just as polished as anything coming out of the big studios. Apparently this single gives us a big clue about the theme of the music from Etoile’s album, which is scheduled for release in 2022.
If you need something to get you going this Monday morning, take a listen to RedHook’s new single “Sentimental Surgery.” With elements of rock, punk, and pop, this track from the Sydney act demands to be played loud.
“’Sentimental Surgery’ is a punk party anthem inspired by the shared woes of lockdown (and feeling like a total cliche for writing a song about the shared woes of lockdown),” explained lead singer Emmy Mack. “Given what we’ve all been going through these past 18 months, I found it really difficult to write a song about any other topic. So instead of trying to, I decided to embrace the cliche and create a piece of music that expressed those sad feels, but also flipped them in a way that hopefully cheers people up, puts a smile on their face and makes them want to dance.”
Now that NSW’s lockdown has lifted, RedHook are looking forward to getting back on stage. Catch them at the following shows next year:
20-23 January 2022 – UNIFY Gathering 2022 @ Tarwin Meadows, Gippsland
28 January 2022 – Max Watt’s House of Music, Melbourne
4 February 2022 – The Zoo, Brisbane
5 February 2022 – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
11 February 2022 – Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide
12 February 2022 – Jack Rabbit Slim’s, Perth
26 February 2022 – Full Tilt @ Bella Vista Farm, Sydney
2 April 2022 – Halloween Hysteria III @ Mansfield Tavern, Brisbane
If you’re in one of the parts of the country where dancing in clubs is becoming a distant memory, take a listen to “Baby, I Feel Love,” the latest track from Perth act Supathick. In an era where disco tracks are few and far between, this funky eargasm is a breath of fresh air. It had me from that killer bassline. Supathick wrote the track with Matt Sevier who lends his vocals to the recording.
“We wrote this song with Matt a couple years ago and honestly, I feel like I’ve had it stuck in my head since 2019. It’s nice to get some uptempo funk back into the world. We recorded the track late last year with Sam Ford (POND, Abbe May) and Matt levelled it up with his gritty vocals. We think it’s a fresh change up from our usual Supathick vocal style,” explained Superthick’s guitarist, Christian Zappia.
You know this is the kind of music that will be a blast live. If you live in Western Australia, you can experience it when Superthick play Freo.Social on November 19.
Image used with permission from Beehive PR; credit: Daniel Hildebrand
Melbourne artist Albert Salt is here to brighten up your weekend with his cool new single “Family Tree.” It’s an endearing folky pop number that explores the closing doors of relationships.
Albert says he was inspired to write a Krautrock song after watching Radiohead side-project The Smile play at the live-streamed Glastonbury festival, “but it quickly became an alternative pop track. I had been listening to Silversun Pickups and was very influenced by the vocal harmonies and delivery they used in their song ‘Lazy Eye’ which I think you can hear in ‘Family Tree’.”
“After I had recorded the instrumental I got to work on the lyrics. With my most recent EP and last single I had drawn from extremely personal situations to write the lyrics, and found that it had been my best work despite it being very revealing and intimidating. I decided to go down the same path with this song and it explores the aftermath of the ending of close friendship but framed in a way to make it appear as if it was a romantic relationship.”
Albert took charge of the creative process, recording and producing “Family Tree” in his home studio. He then enlisted Nick Bond (Juno Disco, Aeroplane Mode, Kitschen Boy) for mixing and Joe Carra at Crystal Mastering (King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Pond, Hiatus Kaiyote) to give it a final spit polish. The result is a song that effortlessly combines summery vibes with a little bit of pathos.
Image used with permission from Habit Music Co; credit: James Vinson
Tom Mac beautifully captures a moment in time with his latest single “Macedon.” It’s a beautiful modern love song with a distinctively Australian flavour. It tells the story of two people who meet online: one from Bendigo and one from Melbourne. They decide to meet halfway on the top of Mt Macedon and see what happens from there. Tom Mac wrote the song in “a 30-minute rush of emotional energy after an abrupt and unexpected end to a budding love story.”
“The rush of emotional creativity came from a deep feeling of despair. It almost felt like an out-of-body experience, one of those profound moments where you realise there’s something much bigger than you at play, and I wouldn’t call myself religious. The pure power of music was in full flight that night.”
Sometimes even the best love stories don’t last, but if you come away with a song as fantastic as this it’s not a total loss.
Sydney pop-punk act Afterthought have me bouncing around my home office with their energetic new single “Homebound.” Crank it up, have a jump around your space, and I swear you’ll feel better.
The song comes with a colourful video that references ‘90s boy band clips and reaction videos. It didn’t pan out quite the way the band planned, but during a pandemic I think we’ve all realised nothing ever does! Thankfully what they’ve captured is pretty brilliant.
“We came up with the idea of having a few people we know act like they’re watching this music video we had filmed and either rating it or hating it,” explains the band. “We filmed in the day before lockdown started, and we had so many cool people lined up to make little cameos. Unfortunately, as the new lockdown was shaping up rough, we ended up having the crew, Tadhg’s fiancé, a work mate and Marty’s dad.”
Since forming in 2018, Afterthought have built a loyal fanbase through some choice support slots for Yours Truly, A Swift Farewell, Closure, and Headstrong. Hopefully it’s not too long before we see them back on a stage soon! After listen out for their self-titled EP which drops on October 22.
I’m a sucker for a good country duet. Think pairings like Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, and Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. I’m not sure whether Canadian Dan Davidson and our own Hayley Jensen will collaborate as regularly as those legends, but I do know I’m into their first pairing, “Really Shouldn’t Drink Around You.”
It was written by Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, and Trevor Rosen, who are country royalty. They’ve written tracks for people like Chris Young, Trisha Yearwood, and Randy Rogers Band, so you already know this song is really catchy. But there’s a great chemistry between Dan and Hayley that really sells these playful lyrics.
Only time will tell whether this is the start of one of those great duetting partnerships that lasts for years, but I love this match-up. Hayley will set out on her Breakin’ Hearts tour later this year. Catch her at the following venues:
27 November 2021 – Country Rocks Festival, Canberra
20 January 2022 – Wests Diggers Club, Tamworth
3 February 2022 – Vinnie’s Dive Bar, Southport
4 February 2022 – The Met Hotel, Toowoomba
7 February 2022 – Johnny Ringo’s, Brisbane
10 February 2022 – Brass Monkey, Cronulla
12 February 2022 – Tumut River Brewing Co, Tumut
13 February 2022 – Canberra Southern Cross Club Woden, Phillip
18 February 2022 – The Toff in Town, Melbourne
19 February 2022 – Commercial Club, Albury
23 February 2022 – Lizotte’s, Newcastle
24 February 2022 – Django at Camelot Lounge, Marrickville
25 February 2022 – Laurieton United Services Club, Laurieton
26 February 2022 – Halekulani Bowling Club, Budgewoi
Image used with permission from Social Family Records
Renée Millner has one of those voices that’s stopped me in my tracks. It’s so compelling that once I listened to her new single “So Much,” I needed to explore the rest of her back catalogue. It’s so distinct, so rich, so textured, just see if it doesn’t draw you in too. Once you’re hooked, I’m sure you’ll appreciate the positive vibes her latest release delivers.
“There’s so much love around all of us,” Renée confirmed. “There’s an abundance of good in the world, and it’s there all the time if we know how to receive it. And yet it seems to me that, so much of the time, we just aren’t aware of it.”
Renée wrote the song as a personal pep talk, but she hopes it might inspire others to rise up.
“Like most artists I know, I haven’t been immune to the opinions of others. I’ve often taken on someone else’s opinion rather than trusting my own. But when I dug down into my own choices, and what really matters to me, what came up most strongly is that I really do have the capacity to offer myself genuine love and support.”
Renée Millner is Australian-born but New Zealand-based. Give her a follow on Facebook to learn when she’s playing across the ditch and here at home.
Image used with permission from the A&R Department
If you’ve been craving some guitar-driven pop, take a listen to Eli Greeneyes’ new single “She Don’t Care.” It’s super catchy with impassioned vocals that will have you invested in his story.
“She Don’t Care is about someone from my past who came along at a time when I was having a lot of mental health issues,” Eli explained. “Their intentions were extremely different to mine and I was listening to them too much instead of trusting my own intentions and instincts! I lost myself. When I wrote it I thought it was their fault, but now I realise that I also played a part in letting it take that direction. I had to write this song to gain back my true ‘not taking shit’ self.”
While this song sonically reminded me of Oasis, the film clip takes me back to The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony.” Watching Eli sing directly to the camera as the woman yells in his face reminds me so much of the performance Richard Ashcroft laid down in that classic ‘90s video.
Eli is about to tour Australia with recent collaborator Drapht.
“My shows are an opportunity to meet and understand my fans with what they connect with the most about my music,” he said. “What am I saying that makes them feel heard and understood? That all comes down to singing the lyrics for me. Expressing them in that up close and personal way so the story hits straight to the heart.”
Catch Eli with Drapht at the following shows:
14 October 2021 – Freo Social, Fremantle
15 October 2021 – Wintersun, Geraldton
16 October 2021 – Exmouth Fishing & Game Club, Exmouth
22 October 2021 – Mermaid Hotel, Dampier
23 October 2021 – Pier Hotel, Port Hedland
24 October 2021 – Roebuck Bay Hotel, Broome
29 October 2021 – Settlers Tavern, Margaret River
30 October 2021 – Prince of Wales, Bunbury
31 October 2021 – Leisure Inn, Rockingham
5 November 2021 – Forth Pub, Forth
18 November 2021 – Kalgoorlie Boulder Racing Club, Kalgoorlie
19 November 2021 – Pier Hotel, Esperance
20 November 2021 – Studio 146, Albany
Image used with permission from On the Map PR; credit: James Mooney
As “Freedom Day” approaches in New South Wales, I’m enjoying the calm that comes with a weekend at home. While I’ve itched to get out on more than one occasion, I sort of appreciate my weekends being free of commitments and obligations. If you relish the calm too, you’ll love the cool, ambient sound of Deb Suckling’s new single “Clean Me Out.” The vibe of this one takes me back to acts like Mazzy Star and Massive Attack, both of which influenced Deb in her career. The song’s sound might pay tribute to these bands, but it tells a very personal story.
“‘Clean Me Out’ was one of the first big experimental pieces for me and was instrumental in me taking the road forward in making a whole album,” Deb explained. “I had just had a massive skin cancer cut out from the back of my head and was forced to lie low for a few weeks – Clean Me Out was recorded on garage band in my bathroom and made me realise how fragile life is – and how getting rid of old wounds was absolutely crucial to being able to move on in life.”
“Clean Me Out” is the latest single released from Deb’s solo album Worthy, which drops on October 31. Deb will celebrate the album’s release with a free all-ages show at the Brisbane Powerhouse on November 7.
