Category: Single Releases

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Waxflower Drops New Single for BLM Charities

Brisbane pop-punk quartet Waxflower is doing its part for racial equality with the release of “Sixteen Floors.” All proceeds from the track will benefit Black Lives Matter and Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service.

You won’t be disappointed supporting the cause with your streams and downloads, because this track is an absolute belter. Waxflower frontman Tristan Higginson drew from his own experience in the aftermath of a relationship.

“’Sixteen Floors’ was written at the end of a relationship, and along with my anxiety and panic disorder I was facing a new kind of sadness, with the backbone of my emotional support system gone,” he explained. “The song served as a vessel for all the negative thoughts and emotions that I wanted to externalise, but couldn’t. I remember that writing session being very fast, and very cathartic.”

Waxflower recently signed with Europe’s Rude Records, home to American Hi-Fi, Blood Youth, The Maine, and heaps more. Something tells me it’s only a matter of time before Waxflower follows in their footsteps and gain a global following.

Image used with permission from Habit Music Co

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Paige Valentine Shows Her Soul With “Pure”

Fremantle singer-songwriter Paige Valentine has floored me with her beautiful new single “Pure.” It’s an exercise in restraint, with sparse synths giving her stunning vocals space to shine. Paige co-wrote the song with her friend and current The Voice contestant Matt Gresham.

“I was beginning to witness a number of friends’ long-term relationships being tested and drew a bit on personal experience, when two people who love each other seem to drift apart chasing different dreams, or going through hardships, or just generally changing as people. Matt already had the chords ready to go, I ad-libbed the first verse and chorus while he was playing guitar. We both knew we were onto something really special and something that really hit a nerve, Matt even asked if I wanted to continue writing it – it was intense,” she recalled. “We finished the song half an hour later … vulnerable, personal, challenging songwriting. I went to Sydney and did some pre-production with Billy Otto, before returning to Fremantle and finishing the single with Dylan Ollivierre (The Money War). ‘Pure’ is about trying to remember why you love someone and wanting to get back to that innocence of when you fell in love.”

Paige has been making waves in her native Western Australia. She’s already been nominated for five WAM awards and been a finalist in the Vanda & Young International Song Competition. Something tells me we’ll see big things from her in the years ahead.

Image used with permission from This Much Talent; credit She is Aphrodite

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Sing Along to Stonefox’s New Indie Pop Stunner, “White Caps”

“White Caps” is no traditional love song, but it tells the start of a story with a happy ending for Stonefox lead singer Jenna Russo. This melodic electro-pop single explores those heady feelings that come when finding someone you click with.

“White Caps is about a relationship where you’re so infatuated with someone that no matter how much they could hurt you, you’re always going to be there for them. When we wrote White Caps, I was falling in love with a girl who had a boyfriend,” Jenna explained. “I did everything I possibly could to show her how I felt, but she had no idea. I was so enthralled, that even though I knew I’d probably get hurt, I wasn’t going to give up. Ironically things ended up great in the end, she’s my girlfriend now.”

“White Caps” gives us our first taste of Stonefox’s next EP As You Fall In, which drops on August 14.

Image used with permission from GYRO PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Wolfpup Gives Me Chills With Emotional New Track, “Empty Lanes”

If you didn’t know better, you might think “Empty Lanes” is Amy Shark’s latest release. However, this brilliant new track is the work of Sydney singer-songwriter Wolfpup. There are certainly some similarities between their vocal tone, an unflinchingly honest approach to songwriting, and willingness to experience with electronic sounds. However, I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all. Amy Shark is a massive star, and with just as much talent Wolfpup might blow up in just the same way.

“I’d spent a year interstate, when I came home, everything had changed. Maybe it was me. Maybe it was the people around me,” she explained of the song’s inspiration. “All my former coworkers had moved into new jobs, my friends had finished their degrees, everyone I knew had gone places. I’m not sure, I think it’s a part of growing up. I couldn’t relate to anyone anymore, I couldn’t share my stories, and I didn’t understand theirs.”

I really dig this song and cannot wait to hear more from Wolfpup.

Image used with permission from the A&R Department

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

TSTY Releases Perfect Pop Single, “Broken”

Perth act TSTY reminds us how pleasurable listening to quality pop can be with their new track “Broken.” This is no fluff; it’s irresistibly catchy with just the right amount of edge. Let’s take a moment to appreciate those vocals from Chezni Watson too. They’re powerful and resist so many of the tricks and trills so many modern pop acts overuse.

Before the pandemic broke, TSTY was playing to packed venues in their hometown. Their live sets caught the eye of local producer Michael Bono, who couldn’t wait to work with them.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with world-renowned musicians from bands such as 5SOS, Twenty One Pilots, Blink 182 and Fall Out Boy, and when I saw these guys play live, I instantly knew they had something special,” he said.

Take a listen to “Broken,” and I’m sure you’ll agree with him. The track comes from TSTY’s recently released EP, Stuck in a Photograph.

Image used with permission from Australian Radio Promotion

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Lamalo Releases Brilliant New Single “Jungle Train”

It can be hard to find your groove on Mondays, but the new track from Sydney-based producers Lamalo should help you out. “Jungle Train” is an exciting new single, complete with ethereal flutes and angelic vocals from Little Green. It’s so original, with elements of jazz and EDM combining in such a unique way.

“’Jungle Train’ is about freedom and empowerment. It’s about feeling trapped in our day to day lives and slowly breaking down the barriers to become the people we really want to be. It’s about realising who we really are and not hiding anymore,” Lamalo explained. “I think that the recent pandemic has also made a lot of people realise what is actually important to them. Having space from our daily routine has helped us discover who we are inside.”

I love how this sounds, but it also makes me wish I could experience it with a sweaty crowd embracing its groove. Lamalo has played with big names like The Kite String Tangle and Midnight Pool Party and wowed crowds at boutique festivals including Rabbits Eat Lettuce and Red Deer Arts and Music Festival. Hopefully it’s not too long before they’re doing all that again soon!

Image used with permission from Good Intent

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Brayden Sibbald Drops Gorgeous New EP, We Can Only Move Forward

I’ve been fangirling over Western Australian singer-songwriter Brayden Sibbald for a while now. Now that his latest EP We Can Only Move Forward has hit streaming services, I couldn’t be more excited. The EP opens with the brand-new single “Afterglow,” which must just be his best track yet.

“I wrote Afterglow during a time last year when I was feeling really unproductive and unmotivated,” Brayden explained. “I realised that it’s okay to cut yourself a bit of slack – you have had achievements and done things in the past that you can be proud of and you will do things like that in the future – that it’s okay to just ‘be’ for a while.”

That’s exactly the kind of message I think many of us need during this crazy pandemic. I know I’m personally feeling distracted and unproductive, but maybe that’s okay for now. I love this track, so I was surprised to hear it almost ended up on the cutting room floor.

“I struggled to find a feel for the song that I liked when I wrote it, and it almost didn’t make the EP,” Brayden admitted. “We almost culled it again in the studio after trying several different versions and making no headway, but once we cracked it it’s become one of my favourite tracks from the record.”

We Can Only Move Forward, featuring “Afterglow,” is on your favourite streaming services now. Give it a listen music lovers! And Western Australians, since you are crushing this COVID-19 thing, make sure you get out and support Brayden when he launches the EP at Clancy’s Fish Pub in Dunsborough on July 25.

Image used with permission from Habit Music Company

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Paul Roth Embraces Americana Sound With “L.A.”

Aussie expat Paul Roth is giving me nostalgic vibes with his new single “L.A.” He says the Americana track was mostly inspired by the TV show Californication, but I can’t help thinking about classic West Coast rock acts like The Eagles and Jackson Browne as I hear it.

“I like how sometimes sad songs can sound happy and vice-versa,” he explained. “I really like how it works here as it gives a sense of peace, contentment and happiness in what on the surface seems like a sad song lyrically.”

Paul is taking advantage of the downtime from touring and focusing on recording and releasing more new songs throughout the year.

Image used with permission from Paul Roth

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Grace Turner Releases Beautiful New Single, “Half Light”

Inspiration can strike in the strangest of places. For Newcastle’s Grace Turner, the Hunter Valley Gardens provided unexpected creative fuel. She wrote her latest single “Half Light” while walking around the regional NSW attraction with her family.

The song is deceptively simple, using just a single chord and exploration of the word “half.” But it’s so much more than that, something beautiful, ethereal, and emotional. Grace says the song explores “the dualities we have within ourselves and the many potentially conflicting parts of the personalities we live with. It also explores the world of half-truths we live within as a society. I am constantly questioning the world around me and how I fit into it and what makes me who I am.”

While the song came together in a moment, its recording was more fractured. She started laying it down at Melbourne’s Sound Park Studios, then moved to a Hunter Valley tractor shed, then to her drummer’s bedroom studio. Yet somehow it all comes together in this stunning, cohesive piece.

“Half Light” comes from Grace’s debut EP Half Truths, which drops on August 7.

Image used with permission from Gyro PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Elaskia Destined For Big Things With “Calling Out My Name”

Central Coast talent Elaskia is here to put a spring in your step with her latest pop bop “Calling Out My Name.” It’s a shimmery slice of feel-good music that inspires optimism. And couldn’t we do with a little more of that these days?

Elaskia penned the track and enlisted fellow Coastie Rod McCormack for production. It was mastered by Chris Gehringer at New Jersey’s Sterling Sound. His production credits including the songs of Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Drake, so Elaskia is in great company!

“Calling Out My Name” has already featured in Netflix’s reimagined “Dynasty” and “Marvel’s Runaways.” With her knack for ear-pleasing pop, I predict more big things to come from Elaskia!

Image used with permission from Elaskia Music