I thank my lucky stars regularly that I can work from home for myself. The corporate world and the conformity that came along with it was never for me. So Jet City Sports Club’s latest single “Mini Skirt,” which celebrates finding your own path, really resonates with me. And if you’re not one for blending in, I think it’ll strike a chord with you too.
“You don’t have to be perfect or conform to the ways your friends, family or the world might want you to,” the band insists. “The story is narrated from the perspective of a young girl going through serious body image issues and pressure to be someone they might not necessarily be. The verses talk about this and the chorus aims to reclaim a sense of independence and self worth.”
Jet City Sports Club are preparing to hit the road with a couple of acts that celebrates nonconformity, DICE and Eliza and the Delusionals. They’ll also find time for a pitbstop at Party in the Paddock. Where will you see them?
Aussie expat Wafia planned to release her long-awaited debut album Promised Land this month, but decided to delay its launch after watching the devastation in her new adopted home of Los Angeles. So I thought instead I’d bring you Wafia’s most recent single “Something,” a delicate neo-soul jam that celebrates the headiness of new infatuation.
“I wrote this song after a really really good first kiss,” Wafia shared on Instagram.
Genre-bending Meeanjin/Brisbane band TYDE have made such a strong impression on me with their latest single “Let The Dust Fall.” The song features powerhouse vocals from Ella Belfanti, who shares the horrors of dealing with a medical system that left her feeling at war with her own body. While it draws from very personal experiences, Ella hopes it speaks to anyone who’s felt let down by the healthcare sector.
“This song is about more than just my story – the medical system in its current form causes harm in so many areas by failing to look for root causes and preferencing bandaid solutions with side effects, and it leaves people feeling helpless,” she insisted. “It also leaves people with a lot of frustration and anger and no way to hold anyone accountable for the harm done to them.”
TYDE have a stack of local gigs coming up, so if you’re in Queensland make sure you get along and support them.
Jake Davey is sure to win over mums everywhere with his latest single “Heart Like Yours.” The sweet ballad sees Jake sharing his joy at finding love with a women who’s like his mother in so many ways.
Jake co-wrote the song with Nashville-based talents Lydia Sutherland and Aaron Pollock. It’s another super catchy, super sweet track from this mid-North Coast artist who deftly manages to combine country and pop influences.
As part of the Tamworth Country Music Festival in Kamilaroi Country/Tamworth, Jake will play Moonshiners tonight. Tickets are still available through Oztix.
After The Audreys guitarist and founding member Tristan Goodall passed away in 2022, you might thought the band was done. However, they’re back with a beautiful new song “Secondhand Boots,” their first release since their 2014 album ‘Til My Tears Roll Away. As you might expect with Taasha Coates remaining at the helm, this gorgeous song is worth the wait.
“On our last tour we did a cover of Lonely Girls by Lucinda Williams,” she shared, “and we love the way the track locks into a gentle but driving two-feel and sticks to it throughout the whole song. Our drummer Beej [Barker] would stand at the front and play shaker, something that is surprisingly difficult to do well. So that song became a reference track for us when we were recording ‘Secondhand Boots’ because it was such a fave.”
“I’ve made a lot of bad decisions in my life, but a few years ago I made an absolute doozy,” she added. “This song is about that, and that’s pretty much all I can say without getting sued. They are my boots in the cover art. I bought them in Texas nearly 20 years ago, so they’d have some stories to tell. Sadly, they’re not actually the secondhand boots referred to in the song – those ones I threw away.”
Recording more music as The Audreys has helped Taasha deal with the grief she experienced losing Tristan, who gave his blessing to continue the band without him.
“Losing Tristan really devastated me,” Taasha said. “He’d been my dearest friend for 25 years, but we remember and honour his legacy all the time on stage and in the studio. I’ve been healing through music.”
We won’t need to wait too long to hear more new music, as The Audreys will release their new album Ruin & Repair on March 14. Pre-order it on vinyl now to get a signed copy when it drops. They’re also planning some tour dates, so 2025 looks to be a massive year for fans of The Audreys!
I was reminded today that Valentine’s Day is only a couple of weeks away. Sure it’s a Hallmark holiday, but any occasion that celebrates love in all its forms isn’t a bad thing in my books. So in that spirit I thought I’d bring you a feel-good pop song this morning. Foley’s “Heartstrings” is an ultra-sweet bop bound to lift you up, whether you’ve got someone special in your life or not!
“‘Heartstrings’ comes from the giddiness of a new flame/lover, wanting to reach and aspire to their perceived greatness even if you’re being a bit blinded by rose-tinted glasses,” Foley said. “The fine line between love and obsession; having an admiration for someone that makes them addictive to you. Hypnotising and stupidly entrancing, you realise that the thought of this person is so powerful to you it’s tearing you apart.”
Now based in Eora/Sydney, Foley wrote the song on a writing getaway back across the ditch.
“We wanted to get out of the city, so brought all our gear over to Auckland’s Waiheke Island for the weekend, and let the location be the extra member of the band – writing freely, letting our moods and the stunning weather dictate the direction of the production and songwriting,” they said. “All four of us connected on some shared experiences of silly, almost risky attraction – where you’re so enamoured with another person that you’ll do anything to gain their favour, even if they’re not super into you! The pulsing synths got us thinking of old ‘80s exercise videos, so there’s some cheeky references to that in the lyrics – and you can really hear the sunshine and infectious energy that was bubbling away in the room that day.”
“Heartstrings” comes from Foley’s forthcoming sophomore album That’s Life, Baby! which they’ll release on February 28. For now you can hear it on my playlist, Sounds of Oz Loves Pop.
If I’d have had my way, I would have told you about Slowly Slowly’s collaboration with Frank Turner months ago. That way you could have all gotten turned on to it before Frank visited Australia and played some capital city sideshows and slots at Good Things. However, the email came through while I was in New Zealand, and then I had my car accident days after my return, so things came a little … well … slowly. I considered just moving on, but I haven’t been able to get their take on “Show People” out of my head. And there’s so much new music out there, it’s so easy for releases to fall through the cracks. So while you might have already heard it, I thought I’d better share just in case it slipped under your radar.
“Show People” originally appeared on Frank’s most recent album, Undefeated. It was always a great song celebrating life as a touring musician, but it’s gotten an extra special something with the addition of our homegrown talent. Apparently the collab came about when Frank heard Slowly Slowly referenced him in a song. He reached out to frontman Ben Stewart and they became fast friends. So working together was the natural next step.
“I have been a monstrous Frank Turner fan for so many years,” Ben said. “After name checking him in ‘Turn It Around’ (a song from our 2022 record Daisy Chain), Frank reached out and it has now snowballed into me featuring on one his new tracks. Absolutely ecstatic to be able to call him a friend and so happy with how it all turned out – the song has a message I can really relate to. I hope we get to perform it live soon!”
“Slowly Slowly are one of my favourite Australian bands, ever, so when I reached out on a whim to ask if they’d be part of a collaboration, I was blown away when Ben said yes,” Frank added. “He brings such magic to his performance on what is one of the most important tracks from Undefeated, I kind of wish we could use this on the album proper. It’s an honour to have them involved.”
While I couldn’t get this news to you before Frank went home, I can bring it to you just before Slowly Slowly start their own tour to promote their latest album Forgiving Spree, which drops on January 23. They’re wasting no time playing some really cool acoustic shows with Q&A sessions and local festivals, then heading to Europe and the United Kingdom, before coming back home for a few more gigs. Here are all the dates you need!
The weekend is still days away, but you can get in the spirit early listening to “I Won’t Let You Go,” the latest single from Naarm/Melbourne-based producer Younique. In the vein of artists like RÜFÜS DU SOL and Hayden James, this track features soulful vocals from Eamon. I think it beautifully captures the energy and euphoria of a large-scale music festivals. And if, like me, it’s been far too long since you attended one of these events, this single is going to take you back.
“It’s crazy to think that I first connected with Eamon at a gig where he was playing an acoustic set,” Younique said. “I remember thinking, ‘He’d absolutely crush it on a festival track.’ Fast forward a month, and we started working on this record. It was my first time creating an entire song with someone purely online. We spent ages perfecting the drop—I must’ve made 10 different versions, each time sending them to him with excitement. Then my gut told me to let him write the lead melody for the chorus, and I was right. The next file he sent had a world-class hook.”
“I Won’t Let You Go” is one of the most interesting tracks I’ve heard in some time. I’ve added it to my Sounds of Oz Loves Pop playlist, although with its electronic, dance, and soul elements it doesn’t quite fit into that box. I love it when music defies classification though. Whether you’re a fan of classic pop or you’re looking for something a little bit different, check out this song and the rest of the tunes on my Spotify pop playlist.
Velvet Bloom is giving you a soulful start to your working week with her latest single, “Best in You.” It’s an uplifting, feelgood number that sees Velvet Bloom working with a horns section for the first, and hopefully not the last, time.
“We were lucky enough to have Brennan Hamilton-Smith (composition and saxophones) and Ben Harrison (trumpet) on board to perform these compositions,” Velvet Bloom said. “I loved stacking the vocal harmonies around the horns with Jay (Jarome, regular collaborator and guest backing vocalist) and Alex (Marko, bandmate) because we had to be a lot more strategic about placement than we usually are.”
The song encourages the listener to see the best in their loved ones, even in their worst moments.
“When you know people well enough (yourself included) you are exposed to their best and worst qualities. ‘Best In You’ is about showing compassion to the ones you love when they mess up forgivingly,” Velvet Bloom explained.
“Best of You” gives us a sneak peek at Velvet Bloom’s forthcoming album, which drops on March 28. Expect to hear more new tracks when Velvet Bloom plays the St Kilda Festival on February 16.
“Good Times & Tan Lines,” the latest single from Robbie Mortimer, is the country summer anthem you didn’t know you needed. Robbie was inspired to write the song after attending a country music festival in Florida. He brings all the energy of that experience into this song.
“Everybody was smiling, loving their life and all gathered for the same thing, which was the love of country music,” Ribbie recalled. “I saw a sign that said ‘Good Times & Tan Lines’… I took a photo of it and thought, ‘I’m going to write a song about this exact feeling.’”
The single sees Robbie reuniting with producer Jared Adlam.
“I have a close working relationship with him, as we co-wrote my first release ‘Blow the Speakers’ together,” Robbie said. “Jared and I have worked tirelessly on who I am as an artist and the sound I want to deliver.”
Robbie will bring the party to some of Australia’s best country music events over the coming months. Make sure you don’t miss his sets at these shows.
