Perth quartet The Skelton Collective are spreading good vibes with their latest single “All I Wanna Be.” It’s a jazzy, funky little number about embracing life, the opportunities it presents, and positivity.
This is the second single from The Skelton Collective’s new EP Choosing Happy. A largely self-recorded and produced venture, it’s been a labour of love for this talented local band.
The Skelton Collective will showcase songs from the EP and a few surprises at their upcoming shows. Catch them tomorrow night at Fremantle’s Sonar Room or on June 22 at Studio 9 in Kelmscott.
Image used with permission from the A&R Department
Sydney rapper CASA X shows he can write rhymes with the best of them with the release of his sophomore single “Lighting Fires.” In a world where so many rappers put on a front, CASA X’s honest, introspective lyrics, which show real life is often far from the glitz and glamour they portray, really stand out.
“I want to give people an insight of what a struggling artist lives through,” he explained. “The highs and lows, the torment of success, and to consider what the price of fame is really worth.”
CASA X’s thought-provoking approach to his artistry extends to the music video, as he explains. “We used multiple symbolic transitions such as water to fire, industrial to nature, and disoriented to a clear state, in order to show the rebirth of an artist.”
CASA X will soon release his upcoming album 100Faces. Until then, why don’t you give this stellar single another listen?
Going back to work after a long weekend is never easy, but Sydney’s Latchy is here to make your day a little brighter with his new synth-pop gem, “Just Call.”
I’m getting serious Passion Pit and LANY vibes from this feelgood track. Latchy originally conceived it as a break-up song, but somewhere along the line it morphed into a poignant love letter to Australia. After working for an airline for several years, Latchy knows all too well the emotions that can come with leaving this beautiful country of ours time and time again!
2019 is set to be a big year from Latchy, with several singles in the pipeline and, if we’re really lucky, a tour.
Guy Sebastian seems to always have a smile on his face in his new role as mentor on The Voice, but he’s had a hard year. In 2018 he lost his good friend and bandmate Luke Liang. But never one to dwell in the darkness, he’s created one of the most positive tributes you’re ever going to hear, his new single “Choir.”
“Luke made my life better and made life more fun. When I first sat down I was grieving and started writing a ballad and it was slow and it was just not Luke Liang, so I ripped it up and started again,” Guy explained. “I wanted to write something that was more joyful and that made people want to think of his life and celebrate it rather than feel grief, because I know he wouldn’t want that.” Sebastian laughs fondly. “So that’s where ‘Choir’ was born, which is poignant but fun and uptempo.”
This song is such a fitting tribute to a man who brought laughter and light to those around him. I always appreciate Guy’s work, but I think this track is one of the best he’s released in a couple of years. He’ll play it, all the songs you know and love, and new music ahead of its release later this year on his upcoming Ridin’ With You tour. Tickets go on sale on June 14 for the following shows.
6 September 2019 – Festival Theatre, Adelaide
7 September 2019 – Regal Theatre, Perth
12 September 2019 – Wrest Point Casino, Hobart
14 September 2019 – The Arts Centre, Melbourne
21 September 2019 – The Star, Gold Coast
22 September 2019 – QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane
3 October 2019 – The Star, Sydney
Graace bowled me over with her heartbreakingly honest EP Self Sabotage last year. She’s back with “Have Fun at Your Party,” a track that picks up where she left off with its aching intimacy.
I love the way this track combines electronic and pop influences. But it’s the lyrics and heartfelt delivery that really strike a chord. It’s so vulnerable and raw, everything I loved about her earlier material with perhaps a little extra polish.
“I was ‘dating’ someone when I started writing this. We went a lot of the first few months together trying to deny how we felt about each other, constantly pushing one away then pulling them back,” she explained. “I wanted the listener to picture me drinking all night because I couldn’t stop thinking about them while they were out, because at the end of the day I was head over heels.”
After spending the last month touring in the United Kingdom and Europe, Graace is in fine form. She has several local shows coming up, including a pair of launch shows celebrating her latest single release.
8 June 2019 – Curve Ball @ Carriageworks, Sydney
29 June 2019 – Falcona 10th Birthday @ The Woolstore, Melbourne
4 July 2019 – Wesley Anne, Melbourne (single launch)
6 July 2019 – Low 302, Sydney
Melbourne alt-rock act The Beautiful Monument has delivered a delicious taste of their forthcoming new album with the release of their latest single “Stay.”
It’s an epic, yet deeply personal, track which reminds me a little of something we might hear from Paramore or our own Tonight Alive. It explored frontwoman Lizi Blanco’s feelings leaving home for the first time.
“If I hadn’t have moved away from my family, The Beautiful Monument wouldn’t exist. Everything happens for a reason and sometimes it’s hard to understand at the time, but it all ties in and makes sense eventually,” she explained.
“Stay” comes from The Beautiful Monument’s new album I’m the Reaper, which drops on June 28.
Image used with permission from Deathproof PR; credit: Steven Cook
Sydney emcee Imagine the Rapper has released your perfect Saturday soundtrack, his vibey new single “When the Doors are Closed.”
Featuring guest vocals from Victorian singer-songwriter Shaun Black, the track has a laid-back party feel that pays a nod to pop, R & B, and hip hop. Imagine the Rapper’s rhymes have a distinctly Aussie flavour that should appeal to local listeners. He says the track was inspired by his stint living and working in a Hunter Valley pub.
“Naturally working in hospitality I felt most relaxed at closing time “When The Doors Are Closed.” As soon as we shut I was out the back by the fire bucket drinking with his mates until the sun came up,” he explained. “The song pretty much sums up that build up to that moment, the story of some mates coming together and enjoying each other’s company over more than a few cold ones and doobie or two.”
“When the Doors are Closed” was conceived and created at the Grow My Music songwriters retreat. What a testament to its benefit for local musical talent!
Wollongong-via-Melbourne duo Cry Club are back with single number three, “Two Hearts.” The band says it’s the closest thing they’ve written to a love song. I say it’s the best thing they’ve ever released.
“I’d come out of a relationship where I’d ignored so many red flags because I was so desperate for someone to love me! Which is not healthy,” vocalist Heather Riley explained of the song’s inspiration. “I think I was so scared of being alone that I didn’t care. That’s probably the core of the song: this kind of deranged loneliness that makes you so desperate and pathetic for a connection that you stop thinking rationally. You replay it in your head, create imaginary scenarios, think of all the ‘what-if’s – it’s exhausting!”
Cry Club have played big stages over the last 12 months, including the Yours and Owls Festival, Bigsound, and Laneway. Tomorrow night they’ll support Sweater Curse at The Grace Darling in Melbourne. If you’ve got tickets, make sure you turn up early for their set!
Image used with permission from Future Popes; credit: Giulia McGauran
Sydney indie-pop act Bel Woods has burst onto the local scene with her first single “Running.” It might be her debut, but there’s a confidence in the track that reminds me of classic female-fronted acts like The Pretenders and The Motels.
It’s so interesting to hear how the song evolved too. It started life as a samba ballad, but over the years it’s morphed into the high energy indie-pop track we hear today. It might have been a couple of years in the making, but the song’s narrative about two people drawn to one another against their better judgement is timeless.
“Running” is a really strong start from Bel Woods and hopefully a great sign of things to come for this talented Sydneysider.
Alice Springs born, Virginia raised, and now living in Melbourne, Jayden McGrath has been exposed to a wealth of musical influences through his travels. They all come together in his genre-defying new single “Conditions.” It’s a little pop, a little rock, a little R’n’B, with a sprinkling of other elements as well, yet it all comes together so seamlessly.
That catchy, unique sound drew me in, but the song’s inspiration is every bit as fascinating.
“’Conditions’ is a track that came up for me in a rather dark period of my life,” Jayden explained. “After some big changes, I started to question the meaning and purpose of my life. At the time it felt like every step forward sent me two steps back. ‘Conditions’ is a kind of morbid acceptance of everything being dull for me at this point in time. Luckily since then, things have changed!”
Jayden will launch “Conditions” this Friday night, June 7, at The Evelyn in Melbourne.
