Category: Single Releases

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The “Tallest Teepee in Town” Soothes the Soul


After a festive season filled with too much family drama, I needed to hear some great music today. Thankfully I found it in the form of Melbourne’s Pierce Brothers and their single “Tallest Teepee in Town.”

The duo’s name should give you an idea of their complete lack of pretension. There are no bells and whistles here, just good honest, organic, foot-stomping folk music. They’ve started to create a name for themselves here and in Europe, but they continue to busk in Melbourne’s Bourke Street Mall as they have for years. It’s little wonder that they’ve sold more than 12,000 EPs from busking alone.

Like a breath of fresh air, this is exactly the song I needed to hear today.

Image used with permission from 123 Agency

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Anna Smyrk and the Appetites Anticipate the Apocalypse

Can you believe it’s one week until Christmas? I hope most of you aren’t working as hard as I am. It’s a time of year when we should all be winding down, yet it seems so many people I know are operating on hyper speed.

If you’re feeling a bit ragged, give yourself just a few minutes to listen to “Apocalypse,” the sublime debut single from Melbourne’s Anna Smyrk and the Appetites. She’s got the voice of an angel and it works so beautifully in this moving song. And isn’t it wonderful to hear a modern song with a saxophone in a starring role?

Anna will launch the single with a string of intimate shows dubbed The Garden Party at the End of the World. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, but at least there’ll be good music at the end, right?

22 December 2013 – Open Sesame Festival @ Bar Open, Melbourne (4 pm til midnight)
3 January 2014 – Treehouse, Byron Bar (FREE @ 7:30 pm)
4 January 2014 – Sol Bar, Maroochydore (FREE @ 6 pm)
5 January 2014 – Queen Street Mall (FREE @ noon)
6 January 2014 – The Cave, Gold Coast (8 pm)

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

King Colour Go Retro with Break the Ice

I have had one of those weeks. There seems to be far too much to do and nowhere near enough time to do it. That’s why this blog’s been a bit quiet, but I was determined to carve out a bit of time this afternoon to listen to some music and kick back.

Happily the first song I fired up with “Break the Ice,” the delightfully upbeat new single from Sydney band King Colour. It takes us back to the surf rock’s heyday with its strong bass line and crunchy electric guitars. It’s a real charmer and perfect for summer.

“The best thing about ‘Break The Ice’ is how simple it is,” says the band’s drummer Josh Pearson. “It’s cheesy, its naïve, its ridiculously poppy, and people get really into it at shows. We wondered what it would sound like if we put a modern spin on all the cool 60’s pop stuff like the Beatles, Beach Boys, Animals, etc, and it came out sounding pretty sweet.”

Indeed it did! If you get your skates on, you can see the King Colour launching the band at Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory tonight.

Image used with permission from the A&R Department

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Midnight Juggernauts Release Catty Clip

I can’t say I’ve ever really gotten Midnight Juggernauts. Maybe I never will. But I’ve come close watching the video for their new single “Systematic.” I actually don’t mind the song, and the clip is a stroke of genius. It really does prove that everything online is better with cats!

“They had an idea to throw dozens of cats around and we were curious to see how they could do that without offending animal cruelty groups,” explained Vincent Vendetta. “My initial reaction to the video was to laugh throughout—and obviously no animals were harmed.”

“Systematic” comes from the EP of the same name, which is in stores now. Midnight Juggernauts will promote it as the headliners at Siberia Presents: A New Year’s Eve Party at Melbourne’s Prince of Wales on December 31.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Meet The Night

In the tradition of hot indie acts like Arcade Fire and Bright Eyes comes The Night, a Sydney band that makes music that’s epic and really interesting.

The act began as one songwriter’s attempt to pen tunes that “would bridge the gap between good music and good storytelling, by allowing one to complement the other.” The band formed in mid-2011, and they’ve been working slowly and steadily on music that’s worth hearing. “Like This” is out first taste of The Night’s EP I Am and Say, which is scheduled for a December 23 release.

This soaring single proves The Night are a band with a lot of potential.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Thom Lion Impresses with “Folk Divorce”

I was a bit slow to get around to checking out the video for Thom Lion’s new song “Folk Divorce”, but I figure sometimes it’s a case of better late than never. Happily this is one of those times.

This ticks all the boxes for me. The music is stellar. I find Thom’s voice so compelling, a little rough around the edges and oozing honest emotion. The music’s organic and perfect in its simplicity. And then we’ve got this clip which is colourful, quirky, and so much fun.

Adelaide’s Thom Lion’s definitely one to watch.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Thyrsday Peels Back the Layers with “Skin”

Thyrsday don’t officially release their debut single “Skin” until Monday, but since their band name is so similar to today’s, and since it’s just so good, I couldn’t resist getting in early.

This is beautiful stuff, with standout vocals and hard-hitting, honest lyrics. I wasn’t surprised to hear the song was written in just minutes after an emotional confrontation. It feels like a real outpouring, although it’s a lot more poetic than most of us could muster under the circumstances!

“In many ways, writing Skin was a breakthrough for me,” explained the songwriter and Thyrsday’s lead vocalist Nikki Malvar. “It was a cathartic experience and it just wrote itself. I think there’s beauty in remaining cryptic about the actual story behind it, but I’ll say as much that I think the sentiment of disappointment and redemption is relatable to a lot of people.”

I certainly connected. How about you?

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Sinking Teeth Rock Out with “Temporary Living”

Sometimes you fall for a song despite all logic. I know the vocals of “Temporary Living” are a bit rough to say the least, but there’s something about this track by The Sinking Teeth that makes me smile.

It’s got a great energy about it. It’s incredibly catchy. There’s something perfect about its imperfections. It comes from the Victorian band’s debut EP White Water, which they’ll launch on December 6 at Ding Dong Lounge.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Hayden Calnin Wins Me Over with “Coward”


I normally get a sense of whether I’ll like a song or not from the first 10 seconds or so. I promise myself that I’ll listen to a whole track before I decide whether to write about it or not, but it’s not often that I change my mind. However, Hayden Calnin managed to do just that with his new single “Coward.”

It started off a very minimalist electronic number which frankly bored me a bit. But it’s a slow burner that rewards any listener that sticks with it. It builds beautifully. It’s so clever the way Hayden’s melded electronic and folk influences. It’s got such a raw emotional core that I couldn’t help but be won over.

“Coward” is our first taste of Hayden’s forthcoming sophomore EP. He’ll launch it with a pair of shows in the major capitals. See him play The Workers Club in Melbourne on December 6 or FBi Social in Sydney on December 13.

Image used with permission from Create Control