Brother Brad are set to make your day a little funkier. This Sydney soul-pop outfit has just released its brand new single “My Girl,” and it’s the perfect thing to get you out of your Thursday slump.
As well as being an absolute banger, this upbeat groover reminds us that no matter what bad times we face, we’ve always got to keep moving towards the good times that lie ahead.
“My Girl” comes from Brother Brad’s debut EP Get Around, which dropped earlier this year. Fresh from recent writing sessions in New York City, Nashville, Memphis, and New Orleans, Brother Brad are preparing to announce some interstate shows and festival slots in the new year.
It’s easy for a case of midweek-itis to creep in early as we crawl towards the end of the year. Sydney indie rock-soul outfit Jackie Brown Jr has what it takes to put the pep in your step this Tuesday though. Their new EP Over Abroad is stellar, but I’ve especially warmed to the latest single “Really Wish You Were Here.” This feel-good track was inspired by the band being split up across the world through study exchanges and other overseas adventures.
“Rather than stifling our creativity, and stumping ourselves as a band, this has simply shaped the stories we tell in our music,” vocalist Maddy Mallis explained.
Nothing helps you shake off the responsibilities of day to day life like a gig. If it’s been too long since you’ve seen some live music, see Jackie Brown Jr all together in one place at one of their upcoming shows. Here are the remaining dates on their Over Abroad EP tour.
22 November 2018 – 5 Church St, Bellingen
23 November 2018 – Heya Bar, Brisbane
24 November 2018 – Sonic Sherpa Instore, Brisbane
24 November 2018 – Bohemian Beatfreaks Festival, Byron Bay Hinterlands
7 December 2018 – The Chippo Hotel, Sydney
9 December 2018 – The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
14 December 2018 – Park House Food & Liquor, Mona Vale
Image used with permission from Habit Music Company
Sydney artist Ross Henry has blown me away with his fresh new single “The Birds and The Breeze.” It’s electronic pop, but Ross takes some risks here, with a unique melodic structure, ambient beats, and nature soundscapes carefully woven together to create something so original and irresistible.
Speaking of the track’s inspiration, Ross noted “You can hoard all the oxygen in the atmosphere, water in the oceans, write your name in the sky, build a pyramid or two. However, your name will fade over time. Life as it presents itself will transform and keep on rolling into many other embodiments, as it did long before the idea of ‘you’ came about. It’s all quite funny really. Running away from death has become a very serious style of living. Humour is a wonderful blessing”.
If you love this track, get along to Ross’ intimate single launch at Staves Brewery in Glebe on December 8.
MAXON has stolen my heart with her powerful new single “History.” It’s one of those tracks that just stops you in your tracks with the right combination of emotional lyrics and gut-wrenching vocals.
“I have done so much growing over the past two years and I think ‘History’ is simply a diary entry in a melody. This song is the first step I’ve ever taken towards bravery and self-acceptance,” MAXON reflected. “It’s long over-due and represents a major turning point in my life and I hope my career as well. I’m breaking free from a long standing history of self-doubt, inflicted upon me throughout my life, and I’m burning all those bridges behind me to focus on a productive future full of bravery and self-love. It’s extremely hard to live a full and happy life when a person you love is constantly putting you down. I’m learning to reflect those things now and accept everyone for who they are – because we don’t know what they’ve been through to get to that point. And in turn, accept myself and reward myself more for the progress I am making with my mental health.”
The clip, directed by MAXON and filmmaker Josh Mitchell-Frey, is also so special. Shot in the Australian bush, its single take provides an unflinching look at the raw emotion driving this stunning song.
MAXON will celebrate the release of “History” with a show for hometown music lovers at Melbourne’s Paris Cat Jazz on November 22.
“I’m really excited about the launch,” she confirmed. “I just feel better when I sing – doesn’t everyone? Music is the one thing that brings us all together – I have good friends Ruby Gill, NUSSY, Plazza, Eaglemont and Magnets joining me on the night, performing renditions of both songs from my catalogue and their own. It’s a two-hour show with an intermission and it’s going to be full of harmonies and empowering female pop music. I’m so excited to get stuck into rehearsals!”
If you’re in Melbourne next Thursday, make sure you check it out!
The Milkshakes are two high school friends from Bellingen living the dream. They’re based in Sydney and Berlin, but spend their time travelling around the globe seeking the best surf breaks, festival, and venues needing “a little bit of extra froth.” Somewhere in there they find time to make some music.
In keeping with their ethos of going their own way, The Milkshakes add some electro sounds to the roots genre, ensuring their sound is a little more modern than what came before. So it’s only fitting that they’ve delivered a love song for the ages with their latest single, “Love at First Swipe.” The song, which takes a light-hearted look at finding love in the time of Tinder, was produced in Sydney. The music video takes us to the streets of Berlin, but it’s making its Australian debut here on Sounds of Oz.
Hopefully it won’t be too long before we hear these digital-age romantics playing shows on home soil!
Sydney-based producer and vocalist Kid Fiction grapples with the big issues on his latest track “What Defines You.” He creates a complex and beautiful soundscape here, the perfect backdrop for his pure, mesmerising voice. But it’s those lyrics that really elevate this number.
“‘What Defines You’ was like wrestling a gorilla,” he recalled. “It’s really big, the themes, the concept and production … it was actually quite intimidating. No place for half measures.”
Kid Fiction has been wowing crowds across the United Kingdom and Europe over the last few months, and he’s ready to do the same here. Catch him doing what he does best at the following shows.
30 November 2018 – Subsonic Music Festival, Monkerai Valley
7 December 2018 – Rael Haus, Newcastle
9 December 2018 – North Wollongong Hotel, Wollongong
Dave Wells proves he really can’t put a foot wrong with the release of his latest single “Aching Hearts.” This is the third track released from the Hunter Valley singer-songwriter’s self-titled album, and it’s every bit as strong as the singles that came before. The poetic lyrics, the stellar vocals, the superb pop-rock sound; everything here is just as it should be.
Dave is currently playing shows all around the country on his The Run Free Tour.
“I always enjoy the intriguing challenge of making a connection with people through song,” he said of performing live. “There’s something about the tension in the room, our spirits gather as unsettled strangers, excited yet uneasy, unshackled from our daily storm. Somehow, music can tame this, and collectively we experience something unique and memorable.”
Catch Dave at the following shows.
16 November 2018 – The Aztec, Forster
17 November 2018 – Flow Bar, Old Bar
22 November 2018 – The Republic, Hobart
23 November 2018 – Willie Smith Brewery, Hobart
29 November 2018 – Smith’s Alternative, Canberra
7 December 2018 – Merri Creek Tavern, Melbourne
8 December 2018 – Hardy’s Bay Club, Hardy’s Bay
Ashley Iona wears her heart on her sleeve with her beautiful new single “Leaving.” She wrote the track about finding the courage to leave a bad relationship while living in Los Angeles.
“I wrote leaving when I knew I had to get out of a toxic relationship but the other person didn’t want it to end. I felt trapped and like I was fighting for what I wanted every day,” she recalled. “This song came out of that exhaustion and needing to find more strength. The opening lyrics, ‘Feels like I’m losing a battle’ was where I was started and by the end of the song I’ve found my feet again. Writing it helped me actually get there.”
You don’t want to trust such a personal song with just anyone, so Ashley co-produced the track herself, marking her first time in the producer’s chair.
“I’ve always hired a producer, but then felt like by the end of the process, I was negotiating for what I wanted,” she said. “I already knew how I wanted this song to sound, so I decided to ask Johnny [Romeo, her guitarist and co-producer] if he’d help me make it.”
She also worked closely with recent Sydney College of the Arts graduate Harry Klein on the clip.
“I had this image of being a dark space, so you could barely see me. The video is an intimate journey through that dark place.”
Ashley is currently studying speech pathology at the University of Sydney. If she keeps producing music of this quality, she’s not going to need that degree!
Gympie girl Emma Beau might be a new solo artist, but she delivers “Wild Heart” the first single from her forthcoming self-titled debut album with all the confidence of a seasoned professional.
She’s got no reason for nerves though. While she hasn’t played solo for very long she’s no stranger to crowds, spending the last five years as a violinist for artists like Kasey Chambers, Jon English, Sara Storer, and Shane Nicholson. It also seems plenty of people are behind her, which must do wonders for her confidence! Fans generously donated the $13,000 she needed to record this LP through a crowdfunding campaign.
“I’m so grateful to my crowdfunding team for making this album possible – they are my record label,” Emma gushed. “It’s always in the back of my mind when I make clips, music and do photoshoots … I want my fans to be part of every bit of the process and I think we’ve achieved that.”
The clip for her beautiful new single “Wild Heart” is close to her own heart, as it was shot around her hometown. The video was also directed and produced by local filmographer Jazmyn Smith.
“We shot the video in and around Gympie – the pine forests you see in the clip are exactly as I dreamt when I was writing ‘Wild Heart’ when I was in a Melbourne hotel room playing fiddle for Jon English,” she explained. “I was homesick and kept thinking about how I wanted to drive through the pines again – so here we are!”
Emma Beau’s self-titled album will be released early next year. Until then, give “Wild Heart” another listen!
Aussie expat Teischa has just released her powerful new single “haunt me.” It’s an emotional sucker punch with layered electronic sounds and vulnerable, raw lyrics.
“’haunt me’ is about moving on and finding closure within yourself to let go of the lingering memory and feeling of a person once they are no longer in your life,” Teischa explained.
Based in Los Angeles since July, this Fremantle-born talent is taking more creative control over her work than ever before. She set up a small studio in Cypress Park where she’s been working with a creative community on the songs and sketches that will come together on an album next year. She also produced the music video and artwork for “haunt me” there.
“haunt me” is available on all your favourite streaming platforms now.
Image used with permission from Habit Music Company/Photo credit: Korey Waggoner
