Camp Luna shows just how much you can do on a budget with his latest single “Honesty.” It’s got such a beautiful lush electro-pop sound, but the Brisbane act made it in bedrooms with minimal production equipment. Clever stuff! This song also has such heart. It’s exactly what I needed to hear at the end of a far-too-long week.
“There is something about having to put it out there; a self-awareness that can become an insulator; an armour of sorts,” Camp Luna explained.
This is only Camp Luna’s second release, but it certainly hints at a big future for this Brisbane artist.
Plenty of us have felt disconnected for much of this year. Many of us couldn’t see our loved ones, and I think most of my readers are missing the buzz of connecting with strangers in music venues. With isolation weighing heavy on our minds, Fletcher Gull’s latest single “City is Busy” really strikes a nerve.
Fletcher wrote the track after a chance encounter with an old-school punk in North Melbourne.
“She talked to me for a while, telling me about how her life used to be great in the ‘80s but now the city’s busy, cold, and lonely,” he recounts. “She said she used to have fun with her friends and motorbike around Australia, but now she can’t even sit on the street without getting fined or arrested. She was tired of everything and old with nothing to look forward to, just waiting to be crucified.”
It’s a sad story, but one that’s balanced beautifully by Fletcher’s pop sensibility and the nostalgic lyrics.
“This video features Fletcher as a salesman. I like the idea of an old-school salesman as a life disrupter,” explained the clip’s director Theo Miller. “They’re like preachers, people who knock on your door and call your life into question. I like the boldness of that. I see a bit of that in the song, it’s bold and direct, like a Jehovah’s Witness but not as exclusive.”
It’ll probably be a while before we see Fletcher Gull on stage in the busy city of Melbourne he calls home, but until then make sure you give his Facebook page a follow. He’s been posting some great live videos of new music to come.
Perth singer-songwriter Paige Valentine has given me goosebumps this morning with her latest track “Fool.” It’s full of heartbreak and angst, but its summery sound gives it a hopefulness that balances the dark. The lyrics are direct and relatable and Paige’s voice has such an alluring tone.
“‘Fool’ was very much written as a continuation from the story of my first single, ‘Pure’,” she explained. “It examines the complex and melancholy journey through heartbreak, questioning whether the reward was ever worth the risk. It explores the feelings of unkept promises and unfinished plans, while also remembering the nostalgic warmth of a past connection.”
Live music is back in full force in Western Australia. If you’re lucky enough to live there, catch Paige Valentine at the following shows.
11 December 2020 – Assembly Yard, Fremantle (with Riley Pearce)
20 December 2020 – Clancy’s, Dunsborough (FREE)
21 December 2020 – The Quill Collective, Vasse (SOLD OUT)
Image used with permission from This Much Talent; credit: She is Aphrodite
Eliott wowed me with her last track “Circles,” and she’s serving up the goods again with her latest single “Home.” It’s a poignant ballad which homesickness she felt after months touring and writing abroad and just how good it feels to reconnect with everything that’s familiar to you. While the song was recorded long before the introduction of border restrictions, the song hits a little differently during the pandemic.
“I think there are so many people at the moment who are away from their home and haven’t seen their family in months,” Eliott said. “I think it’ll really connect with people because of that, but I also hope it makes people take a step back and reflect on the special times they’ve had with their families and really appreciate it.”
The song’s already emotional, but the music video takes the intensity up a notch. It shows Eliott’s family hearing the song for the first time, after they’d spent so many months away from her.
“Home” is so special, but that video is just the cherry on top. Apparently, Eliott has spent the year hard at work on new music, so hopefully this is the first of many new releases we’ll hear in the coming months.
Image used with permission from Island Records Australia
Sunshine Coast duo The Dreggs have been spreading more good vibes of late. The release of their last single “Call Me Home” was one of the pandemic’s highlights, and now they’re one of the first bands taking their music to the masses with an extensive tour. Those shows coincide with the release of their latest single “Keepsake,” which has definitely won my heart. Those dreamy nostalgia-drenched lyrics, gorgeous vocals, easy acoustic guitar sounds, I’m all about it.
“Keepsake is a track touching on the beauty of vulnerability and the importance of allowing people into our lives, regardless of whether they bring us pain or joy,” the band explained. “The act of wearing someone’s heart ‘like a keepsake’ is playing on the idea of wearing a sentimental object, such as a pocket watch or a pendant from a loved one.”
There are still a few dates left on The Dreggs’ “Keepsake” tour. Catch them at the following venues. Make sure you call ahead to check tickets are still available given COVID restrictions.
4 December 2020 – The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
6 December 2020 – Miami Marketta, Miami
10 December 2020 – The Factory, Sydney
12 December 2020 – The Jive Bar, Adelaide
18 December 2020 – The Northern Hotel, Byron Bay
Eliza & The Delusionals are sparking indie-rock nostalgia with their latest single “Sentimental.” Their first release since March’s A State of Living in an Objective Reality EP, the track has that late ‘90s, early noughties cool laidback sensibility that I’m really vibing.
The band has worked with some heavy hitters on the release of “Sentimental.” They co-wrote the track with our own Sarah Aarons (Cosmo’s Midnight, Childish Gambino) and U.S. songwriter and producer John Hill (WAFIA, Portugal. The Man). Producer/engineer Dylan Adams (DMA’s, Skeggs, Troy Sivan) also played his part in the song’s sound.
This song came out of a weird time for the band. “Just Exist” earned enough airplay in the U.S. for the band to lock in their first American festival slots and solo gigs, and then COVID-19 hit. Not a band that’s willing to wallow, this song and other new material came out of a desire to keep moving forward musically, despite the odds.
“We’re super proud of this song, it’s one of our favourites to date,” confirmed frontwoman Eliza Klatt. “Kurt started playing some chords in a tuning he made on the tour bus. We knew we were going in for a writing session, so after coming up with a few ideas around the chords, we brought it into the studio with Sarah and John, and they really helped bring it to life. After having a few months of listening to the demo over and over, myself and Kurt added a bridge and the other parts before taking it into the studio with Ruby and Tex to record it.”
From the sound of things, we’re going to hear a lot more from Eliza & The Delusionals in the near future. And that is a verry good thing.
Unseasonably warm weather calls for a soundtrack that’s sultry and soulful. Melbourne chanteuse Kinkora has you covered with her latest single “You Got Me.” It’s a lot more low-key than her up-tempo debut “Set You Free,” but that shift in sound shows us another side of this super talented singer. The sparse arrangement also lets her voice shine. And what a voice it is. If you loved female R’n’B acts of the ‘90s like Aaliyah and Brandy, this is going to be right up your alley.
Kinkora penned the lyrics to thank the people who helped her through some hard times.
“I’ve dealt with pretty full-on anxiety for a long time. The song is primarily a thank you to my partner who has supported me and provided me with so much love and care during challenging times – and also to my family/friends who are always there for me. It’s a song rooted in gratitude,” she explained.
Kinkora should drop more new music really soon, so keep your ears out for that!
LUPA J’s new album To Breathe Underwater is out now, a fascinating collection of songs that showcase the diversity of this daring Aussie artist. It’s such an eclectic mix of tracks created during the COVID lockdown. Even when the tracks don’t resonate with me (and on such a diverse album, I think it’s hard to please everyone all the time) I appreciate LUPA J’s bold bravery.
The track that’s hit me hardest is the current single, “This Suburb.” It’s a lot quieter and more introspective than most of the tracks on this album, which ensures it really stands out.
“‘This Suburb’ is one of the most raw and vulnerable songs I’ve ever made. It sits a little outside my ‘usual’ pop-dance style but I think it might be my personal favourite on the album. I don’t always feel up to being so lyrically honest and emotional, sometimes I just want to make techno tracks with little to no vocals – but when I feel capable & ready of writing a song like this it’s a really incomparable, cathartic experience,” they explained. “This one still makes me teary to listen to sometimes – it’s about the intensity of an attachment that’s to not only a person but a place and a life you’ve become so wrapped up in together.”
LUPA J worked closely with Kat Silverosa to translate her musical vision into a gorgeous music video.
“While writing the song I had all this fantastical imagery in my head of a body becoming one with a place, almost like this singular organism, as seen in the chorus lyrics:
I’ve grown to love this suburb
My skin is a sticky sap
It’s grown into your walls
And around the vines out the back
Kat Silverosa, the video director, translated this into a really beautiful stop motion style concept where we used paint and liquid to visually meld me into a space. I’m very proud of how it turned out.”
To Breathe Underwater is a dynamic listening experience, but if you’re short on time make sure you at least check this song out. It’s really something special.
Apollo Blue celebrates classic rock sounds with his new single “Moonchild.” One look at the cover and you know this South Australian-born, Melbourne-based performer isn’t your average musician. His androgynous look takes its cues from David Bowie and I can hear a hint of Freddie Mercury in his commanding vocals. There are elements of glam rock and psychedelic rock here that help this single really stand out among the current crop of releases.
“’Moonchild’ was written in the middle of the night after I had left a grungy gig and was strutting home in the rain through wintry Melbourne with my favourite black boots and silver glitter pants on,” Apollo Blue recalls. “I felt free and powerful still reeling from the excitement of the nightlife. I noticed an onlooker from their balcony and wondered who they were and what they thought of me: a mysterious platinum blonde racing through a storm in the middle of the night. I developed this into an ominous character, The Moonchild, who only emerges at night and lives off of rain clouds and stormy skies. I had a rock energy coursing through my veins and I couldn’t wait to get home and transform that feeling and fantasy world into music. The song was written before I could even reach the keyboard … the Moonchild is a metaphor for the powerful, confident force that we all possess inside of us.”
This is such a cool track, but something tells me listening to the recording isn’t the best way to experience it. Can you imagine hearing those insane vocals in person? Hopefully with Melbourne opening up, it’s not too long before music lovers can see Apollo Blue on stage.
Nothing makes you understand your flaws quite like the downtime we’ve had through the pandemic. With my husband working from home since mid-March, we’re discovering just what nightmares we both can be. So “Nightmare,” the latest single from Sydney’s Sloan Peterson, is ticking all the boxes for me. It’s a sugary sounding indie-pop track with a dark undercurrent that’s perfect for these pandemic times.
“The beauty of songwriting is creating a story or poem with emotive concepts; it could be elements of truth, exaggeration or completely fictional” she explained. “‘Nightmare’ is shining a light on the fact that perhaps my expectations in life could come across unrealistic at times, but on the other hand does that really make me a nightmare or just a strong-minded woman who knows what she wants. It’s written in a playful relationship sense but questioning the construct of being deemed bossy or controlling rather than assertive or driven. I think it’s something a few people might relate to, whether it be a personal, social or professional circumstance.”
With a new EP slated for release early next year, we’ll be hearing a lot of Sloan Peterson in the near future.
Image used with permission from Warner Music Australia
