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
It’s safe to say that 2020 hasn’t turned out the way any of us expected. Queensland’s Leonie Kingdom has paid tribute to a year that’s been memorable for all the wrong reasons with her folky new single “2020.” However, don’t expect your typical pandemic soundtrack. This song examines the little things that pile up rather than the enormity of the global health crisis.
“It magnifies all the ‘non-event’ things that went wrong this year whilst subtly ignoring the elephant in the room that is the global pandemic. This is not your ordinary ‘sad’ song; the upbeat production married with pitiful lyrics give the overall song a lighthearted feel.”
Leonie teamed up with animator apricotbanana for this cute clip.
Leonie is currently supporting Sons of the East on their You Might Think tour. It wraps up on Friday night, November 20, at Selina’s at the Coogee Bay Hotel.
The indie-punk scene is a bit of a boys club, but Good Pash show that women can be every bit as brash and energetic as the men. The female-dominant five-piece has just released their new single “Delete Me,” which comes complete with a fab B-side “Get Your Mind on Other Things” so you can get to know them better.
Good Pash says their current single “is for everyone who has ever had to tear themselves away from something they loved – a job, a friend, a relationship, a drug dependency – that just wasn’t working out for them anymore. You fight your mates, your parents, and yourself over it but deep down know that it’s no good and have to find the courage to say ‘I love you, I’m leaving’ and let it go.”
“Delete Me” comes from Good Pash’s forthcoming EP. Expect to hear a few more songs from that release when the band launches the current single with two COVID-safe shows at Waywards (The Bank Hotel) in Newtown on December 4. Those extremely limited tickets are available now from Oztix. They’ll also play Waywards’ Best Served Loud event on November 20.
With international travel off the table and border closures isolating so many states, it’s easy to feel a bit fractured from the rest of the world these days. But Loiter reminds us of what great things can happen when we come together. The band features a British expat and lads from Newcastle and Brisbane, and they’re pretty fantastic. Once you hear their new single “In This Town,” I’ll bet you’ll want to hear more.
“When I wrote the lyrics to ‘In This Town’, I was in a dark place. A volatile relationship was due to end as she was moving away, and although I knew it was probably for the best, in my immaturity I didn’t want it to,” explained frontman Daryn Yeats. However, the song took on new meaning when he moved to Australia and joined Loiter.
The band just dropped the music video for what will be their only single release for 2020. Hopefully, the new year brings plenty more music from these guys.
Image used with permission from Habit Music Co; photo credit: Will Johnstone
I’m really digging the retro vibes of Midnight Drags’ new single “Ronnie” this morning. It’s got such a great power pop feel. But before you hit play on that bad boy, be prepared, this song will get stuck in your head. I guarantee you’ll be singing the catchy chorus throughout your day.
“Ronnie is a love song about yearning, regret and ultimately meeting one’s fate,” explained Lucas James, the man behind his exciting solo musical act. “It was (loosely) written about someone I know who went to jail. It’s written from the perspective of their confused and tormented loved one waiting on the outside.”
Lucas recorded the track at his studio with his talented musical friends Ashley Naylor (Even, Paul Kelly Band), Bill McDonald (Stephen Cummings, Frente), and Brett Wolfenden (The Casanovas, Wolfmother). No wonder it sounds so good.
“Ronnie” is our first taste of the new Midnight Drags album Bad Business, which should drop early next year.
Strap yourself in for “Same Blunt,” the latest track from Victorian trio THE RIOT. It’s a high-energy mix of hip hop, reggae, rock, and punk, and I am here for it.
Like so much great music, the track came together in a single day over some weed and cheap beers. “It all started with that guitar riff you hear at the beginning of the song, then everyone threw in their own spice,” said lead vocalist JD.
Like their debut single “Dog in the Shade,” “Same Blunt” was produced by Matt Corby and Alex Henrikkson.
“[Henriksson] was really able to take our disjointed pieces and glue them together,” JD confirmed.
I don’t know about you, but as we await those U.S. election results this is just the type of revolutionary music I needed to hear today.
Image used with permission from Island Records Australia; photo credit: Finnian Francis Mullen
After taking a 10-year break from the music industry, Victorian singer-songwriter Kiefer is back in a big way. His latest track “Under Fire” is a stunning single with powerful lyrics about letting go of a relationship and moving forward through adversity.
This track gets the balance right, with honest vocals and a polished sound which reminds me a little of Birds of Tokyo and Gang of Youths. Kiefer worked with ARIA-nominated producer Simon Moro on his comeback single, developing it from its original demo to this stellar recording.
With such quality music like this in his back pocket, I’m glad to welcome Kiefer back to the scene.
Image used with permission from the A&R Department
