Category: Single Releases

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Max C Bud Releases Cool New Single “I Guess it has to Be That Way”

Sydney-based urban act Max C Bud shows he only gets better with age with the release of his sophomore single, “I Guess It Has to Be That Way.” Personally I prefer the extra lyrical edge and melodic core this song has over Max’s debut single “Temptress.” Once again the track sees him collaborating with Sam Croft of Boo Seeka, who is helping him push himself and develop as an artist.

“IGIHTBTW is my most boundary pushing track to date,” Max explained. “Sam and I wanted to use a range in my vocals that I hadn’t explored before, and the result is a cruisy melody that is a lot of fun to sing, and hopefully gets people moving along.”

“I Guess It Has to Be That Way” is available at all your favourite digital outlets now.

Image used with permission from the A&R Department

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Skelton Collective Inspires With “She”

Perth-based family band The Skelton Collective are spreading good vibes with their inspirational new single “She.” The track champions self-discovery, confidence, and the quiet power of choosing a path of happiness.

“When you listen to it, you simultaneously want to be She and feel like She already,” explained the group’s lead singer and saxophonist Jess Skelton.

The Skelton Collective will play a few shows in their home state and Victoria next year to celebrate the recent releases of “She” and the EP it comes from, Choosing Happy. Catch them at the following venues.

24 January 2019 – Moldy Fig, Brunswick East
25 January 2019 – Relux, Reservoir
26 January 2019 – Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbotsford
23 March 2019 – Toodyay Music Festival, Toodyay

Image used with permission from the A&R Collective

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Kids at Midnight’s Single “By Your Side” is One for Retro Music Fans

Kids at Midnight, the alter ego of Melbourne’s Jane Elizabeth Hanley, is giving me serious nostalgia with her latest single “By Your Side.” It’s an unashamed ‘80s throwback with lush synths, a killer pop sensibility, and ethereal vocals that would make Kate Bush jealous.

“I’ve spent a long time toiling on producing the sound that I want. It’s been years trying to get there. I think I’m finally at the place that I can faithfully reproduce the sound I hear in my head. It’s really exciting for me to know that what I’m releasing to the world is what I wanted the song to sound like,” Jane enthused. “ ‘By Your Side’ is a very special song to me; it’s the first single from my debut album and I’ve written, recorded, engineered, produced and mixed it myself. So it’s all Kids At Midnight, it’s really my heart out there for everyone.”

Listen out for that Kids of Midnight debut album, scheduled to drop early next year.

Image used with permission from Beehive PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Sounds of Oz readers! If your ears need a break from the overplayed Mariah Carey and Wham! Numbers, I’ve got you covered. Wollongong’s Kay Proudlove has released a somewhat more cynical track delving into the more cynical parts of the holiday. “Gift Card” has enough wit and wisdom that it’s not as dour as it seems on paper!

“The inspiration for ‘Gift Card’ came on a day when three separate people told me they couldn’t believe it was nearly Christmas. This was in October. It struck me that it’s something people say every year, which got me thinking about what people go through around Christmas – good and bad,” she explained. “I feel like there’s always this sense of time slipping away and that no one is ever prepared. But it can still be kind of exciting, which is where the lyrics ‘magical and desperate’ come from. There are so many mixed feelings about the festive season and I tried to capture some of those in this song. It’s very much a biographical track and I have definitely attended church straight after Christmas Eve drinks before.”

I hope you all have more of the magic than the stress this Christmas, and that you enjoy the final days of 2018 before another big year of music. If your concert calendar is looking a little bare, don’t worry; Kay Proudlove will play the following shows through the New Year.

31 December 2018 – 19-twenty NYE Party @ Shoalhaven Heads Bowling and Recreation Club, Shoalhaven Heads
6 January 2019 – Summer Meadow Music @ Marakoopa Cafe, Mole Creek
11-13 January 2019 – Cygnet Folk Festival, Cygnet
19 January 2019 – Illawarra Folk Festival, Bulli
23 January 2019 – Rad Bar, Wollongong (with Wolf and Willow + Rob Edwards)

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Nathan Cavaleri Covers Cold Chisel

Nathan Cavaleri has put his bluesy stamp on the music of Cold Chisel with his new reimagining of “Rising Sun.” Featuring Diesel on backing vocals, the cover is Nathan’s nod to Jimmy Barnes, the man who helped him land his first record deal at just 10 years old.

“When attempting to renovate a classic, Cold Chisel is like Led Zeppelin – approach with caution, but I guess my creative intuition wanted the challenge,” Nathan explained. “The words of their most bluesy song spontaneously found its way on top of a saucy half-time riff that I’d been jamming with for months. It’s a banger in a recliner seat and one of the crowd favourites live!”

“Rising Sun” is the latest track lifted from Nathan’s forthcoming EP, Demons. Expect tour and festival announcements from Nathan in the New Year to celebrate its release.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Listen to Dami Im Live With New EP & Tour

Dami Im is one of this country’s most talented vocalists, a singer who doesn’t need studio wizardry to sound sublime. She’ll prove just how good she is without the heavy production with the release of her new Live Sessions EP next year. Her new single “Dreamer” offers a taste of that six-track recording. You’ll get your own copy now if you preorder the EP.

“Dreamer is a really personal song for me,” Dami explained. “At the time I felt like there were so many opinions and voices around me and slowly I was getting lost. I wrote the first verse and chorus in fifteen minutes and it felt great to get it off my chest. It’s was the most empowering feeling.”

The EP celebrates Dami’s extraordinary gift for covering songs and her original material. Highlights include her take on “Amazing Grace” and her big Eurovision hit, “Sound of Silence.”

Dami Im’s Live Sessions EP will drop on January 11. She’ll get back on the road for her Dreamer tour next August. She’ll warm up those vocal chords supporting Human Nature on their A Little More Love: a 30-Year Celebration tour in April.

26 April 2019 – Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, Gold Coast (with Human Nature)
27 April 2019 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane (with Human Nature)
29 April 2019 – Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide (with Human Nature)
1 & 2 May 2019 – Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne (with Human Nature)
4 May 2019 – Perth Area, Perth (with Human Nature)
6 May 2019 – AIS Arena, Canberra (with Human Nature)
7 May 2019 – WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong (with Human Nature)
9 May 2019 – Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle (with Human Nature)
10 & 11 May 2019 – ICC Sydney Convention Centre, Sydney (with Human Nature)
2 August 2019 – Ballina RSL, Ballina
3 August 2019 – Saraton Theatre, Grafton
9 August 2019 – Orange Civic Theatre, Orange
10 August 2019 – Dubbo RSL, Dubbo
16 August 2019 – Armidale RSL, Armidale
17 August 2019 – Club Forster, Forster
23 August 2019 – Wagga Civic Theatre, Wagga Wagga
24 August 2019 – Albury Entertainment Centre, Albury
30 August 2019 – Anita’s Theatre, Thirroul
31 August 2019 – Canberra Southern Cross Club, Canberra
6 September 2019 – The Art House, Wyong
7 September 2019 – Port Macquarie Panthers, Port Macquarie
27 September 2019 – The Palms at Crown, Melbourne
28 September 2019 – Wendouree Centre for Performing Arts, Wendouree
4 October 2019 – Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool
5 October 2019 – Horsham Town Hall, Horsham
6 October 2019 – Capital Theatre, Bendigo
19 October 2019 – The Tivoli, Brisbane
24 October 2019 – The Metro, Sydney
25 October 2019 – Nelson Bay Diggers, Nelson Bay
26 October 2019 – Belmont 16s, Belmont
14 November 2019 – Albany Entertainment Centre, Albany
15 November 2019 – Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, Mandurah
16 November 2019 – Astor Theatre, Mount Lawley

Image used with permission from Sony Music Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Timi Temple Releases Thought-Provoking New Single “Pretty Boy”

2018 may be remembered most for the visibility women gave to their issues and their strides towards equality. With so much media buzz about the plight of women and the way they’re seen, we often forget that it can run both ways. Sydney artist Timi Temple tells the other side with his single “Pretty Boy,” lifted from his recently released EP Phuzz Boy.

Timi says the track was “inspired by the dichotomy between gender representation in the music industry. The impetus to this song was a male musician friend of mine, complaining that everyone ignores his music because he’s arguably very attractive. This struck me as horribly ironic, because it’s an exact reflection of the day-to-day struggle women in the music industry are exposed to.”

You’ll find “Pretty Boy” and the rest of the songs from Phuzz Boy on your favourite digital music outlets now.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

This Time Only Rocks Out With “Marco Avenue”

On my last working day of the year, holidays feel so close, yet so far. Firing up on mornings like this can be challenging, but This Time Only has me covered with their high-energy new single “Marco Avenue.”

“The song centres around a park where we used to hang out as kids. It’s a look back on the relationships we had in the past that have deteriorated has we have grown and moved away from the local area we grew up in,” the Sydney punk-rockers explained. “It’s significant to us because it’s our youth, and we’re at an age now where those things are getting further and further away from us.”

“Marco Avenue” is our first taste of music from a more mature This Time Only. We’ll hear more when the band releases their new EP next year.

Image used with permission from Beehive PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Groove Along to Wanderers’ New Single “What I Do”

I love this time of year. After a few stressful weeks when everyone wants everything done by the end of the year, companies start going on holidays and my own break starts feeling within my reach. I’m a big believer in the right song hitting my ears at the right time. Today I’m enjoying a soulful soundtrack courtesy of Wanderers and their feelgood new single “What I Do.”

This track has all the confidence and swagger of a hit from the ‘70s. I just love its upbeat groove and those killer vocals from Dusty Lee Stephensen. The Adelaide duo has released much funkier stuff in recent months, but they’ve still found themselves playing the Woodford Folk Festival. If you’re heading to the festival, make sure you catch their set.

Image used with permission from Little Acorn Music/credit Morgan Sette

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Betty Who Gives Exciting Taster of First Independent Album, “Between You & Me”

Betty Who burst onto the music scene with her cover of “I Love You Always Forever” in 2016. However, it’s been a little quiet from the Betty Who camp for a while. Since parting with RCA she’s released a few independent singles, but none of them have really made a splash. “Between You and Me” might be the song to put this Sydney-born artist back on your radar.

The lead single from her forthcoming album Betty, she says “I wanted ‘Between You & Me’ to come first because it felt so reminiscent of my early singer-songwriter days. When I listen to it, I imagine that 15-year-old me would love this song. Especially since it’s about not being able to put into words how you feel when you’re around the person you’re singing to. It’s not a confession of love, it’s a voice in your head narrating your time with them.”

It’s that return to a singer-songwriter vibe that makes this song really resonate with me. Yes there’s a catchy poppiness about it, but it’s backed up with a real message that ensures it makes a more lasting impression than most chart toppers.

Betty Who will start 2019 with a bang, supporting Panic! At the Disco on their North American tour. It wraps up on February 14 in Anaheim, the day before her new album Betty drops. Then a few days later, Betty will cruise the Bahamas as part of the Kesha’s Weird & Wonderful Rainbow Ride cruise.