Meeanjin/Brisbane band SPACE&AGES has just dropped their new single “Trial & Error,” and it’s an absolute banger. Bursting with energy and youthful enthusiasm, you’ll want to crank this one up.
“‘Trial & Error’ explores the uncertain journey of finding love and the challenges that come with self-discovery,” said SPACE&AGES lead singer Phin Spence. “It’s about embracing the imperfections and growth that accompanies the process, even when it’s messy and uncertain.”
SPACE&AGES will play the following local shows in the coming weeks, so get out and support them when you can:
29 October 2023 – Lefty’s, Meeanjin/Brisbane (supporting Sunsoli)
4 November 2023 – Vinnie’s Dive Bar, Yugambeh Country/Gold Coast (Free show supporting Concrete Gold; doors open at 1 pm)
17 November 2023 – The Zoo, Meeanjin/Brisbane (supporting Fat Picnic)
25 November 2023 – Greaser Bar, Meeanjin/Brisbane (“Trial & Error” launch)
“If I Want In”, the latest song from indie-pop act Imogen Clark, is one of those rare songs that is every bit as brilliant as it sounds on paper. When I heard she’d recorded her latest single at Abbey Road Studios with Georgia Maq from Camp Cope and members of Gang of Youths, my expectations were raised pretty high. However, it’s every bit as good as its credentials suggest.
“‘If I Want In’ is about making the choice to go your own way and become the person you have to become, even though everything and everyone around you is trying to pull you back onto the expected path,” Imogen explained. “It’s about acknowledging where I come from and how it shaped me, but I won’t let it define me. It’s about a little girl who spent her days at Penrith High School and her nights playing covers at Western Sydney pubs, dreaming of the big world out there and finding her place in it.”
Imogen shot the music video in Gandangara and Darug Country/Western Sydney, where Imogen played her first gigs as a teenager, and in other iconic locations that her music’s taken her, including Nashville, Los Angeles, and Venice Beach. It finished up at the Oxford Art Factory in Eora/Sydney, where we see Imogen rocking out with her band.
“If I Want In” comes from Imogen’s upcoming solo album, which she’ll release early next year. Before then, Imogen will bring her Holiday Hootenanny shows to Eora/Sydney and Naarm/Melbourne. These annual festive events, which started in 2020, feature a whole bunch of brilliant special guests who’ll perform their songs, songs from the other artists present, and some surprising covers. They should like they’ll be a lot of fun, so make sure you grab some tickets!
Olivia de Melo and Wesley Black have teamed up to release “SOAK,” a breezy new track that’s bound to find its way onto your summer playlist this year.
I love the way that Olivia’s sweet vocals contrast with Wesley’s hip hop edge. The lyrics which celebrate living large on a shoestring are also bound to resonate with many listeners.
We should be hearing a lot more from Olivia soon as she readies her debut EP and prepares to tour Australia and overseas.
Image used with permission from Kick Push PR
Kaurna/Adelaide indie act Stormy-Lou has just dropped “Impulsitivity,” an anthem for anyone who’s ever felt different. Lead vocalist Mikaeli Stoker wrote this track about their experiences of living with ADHD and neurodivergence, hoping it might encourage others to celebrate the beauty of their own uniqueness.
“I started writing this song when I was feeling like I was stuck in a bit of a rut, on the verge of losing a job that I adored at the time, but which I grew to resent,” they recalled. “I found myself constantly forgetting important things and making mistakes because my body was moving too fast for my brain. Hearing ‘this isn’t good enough, you can’t keep fucking up like this’ pained me because there was never bad intentions behind these mistakes – in fact it was always the opposite.”
And no, the single’s title doesn’t have a typo. It was a deliberate choice for the band, as vocalist Mik explained.
“It just rolled off the tongue when singing it, and I just assumed that was the correct spelling and pronunciation, but after playing it live a few times and a few Google search debates later, I was proven wrong,” they added. “We chose to keep the spelling I’d come up with because it felt comfier, and let’s face it, making up words is kind of fun! I hope ‘Impulsitivity’ finds a place of relatability in our neurodivergent listeners, and shows that they are nowhere near as alone, or as unworthy, as they’ve been made to feel.”
Make sure you take a moment to really tap into the lyrics of this song. Whether you can relate to them personally or they simply encourage you to be a bit more accepting of differences in other people, they’re pretty powerful.
Image used with permission from Habit Music Co; credit: Chris Lucas
The lads from Eora/Sydney pop-punk trio A Swift Farewell are back doing what they do best with the release of “Like This (I Don’t Wanna Die)”. This is their fourth release of the year and the music’s still sounding fresh.
“’Like this (I Don’t Wanna Die)’ is a song about being deeply unhappy and unsatisfied with where you are in life and letting it ruin your mental health,” explained A Swift Farewell’s vocalist, Ryo Andi. “We wrote it last year when the band wasn’t really doing anything or playing shows. Because of that I felt like my life was just wake up – work at my boring job – sleep – repeat … And it made me feel so depressed that I started withdrawing from things and people … I guess this song was a way to say ‘Hey, sorry I’m not replying to texts but I feel so stuck in a hole right now and I just hope I won’t feel like this forever.’”
A Swift Farewell headed to Metronome Studio to film the single’s music video, which they also produced.
“We love focusing on angles and aesthetic and trying to re-create these old school/’90s emo vibes with the blue wash effect and the fish eye looks was a fun challenge,” Ryo added.
AYLA took an unconventional approach to writing her latest single “Fire and Wine.” This infectious electro-pop banger is one of her best.
“After a couple of Covid-canceled planned writing trips, Sam [Thomlinson] and I set aside a day to write together online instead,” AYLA recalled. “I think it was that initial synth line that made me feel nostalgic. The first verse made me think of a good friend of mine and the things we’d get up to when we were younger. The second verse travelled through more memories, this time more of a relationship when I was younger. The chorus puts all those feelings together for how we live our lives now.”
The press release hints that there’s a lot more to come from AYLA in the near future. I can’t wait! Until then, I’m going to have “Fire and Wine” on repeat.
After honing his craft in the Eora/Sydney punk scene under the moniker Hawkeye Reis, Ali Reyis has reemerged under his own name with some of the most exciting emo/pop-punk music you’re likely to hear. His latest single “Glenfield 308 Semi-Automatic” is a powerful track with hard-hitting vocals that really drive those lyrics home.
“This song was written sitting at Glenfield Train Station, in Western Sydney. I was on my way back from an Open Mic Night in the city to my university dorm in Campbelltown at the University of Western Sydney. It was freezing cold, almost midnight, and I had a lecture at 8am the next morning, totally defeated and dog tired,” he recalled. “I had spread myself too thin, trying to finish uni as well as release and record songs, bumbling my way through both and not really committing to either. And then as the clock went to 00.00, I suddenly started laughing and smiling to myself, as I felt this huge rush of euphoria. I had a sense of conquest, of accomplishment, that regardless of the outcome, I was really pushing myself to go chase my dream of playing music.”
“Glenfield 308 Semi-Automatic” comes from Ali’s new album Stars for a Blanket, which is out now. The album launch show fell through at the last minute due to staffing issues at the venue, so keep an eye on his socials to see when that’s hopefully rescheduled.
Image used with permission from beehive; credit: Ian Summers
Sophisticated Dingo have just dropped their latest single “Been Thinking” and its another banger. Crank it up, because this one sounds best loud.
“It is commonplace to fake a smile in disguise of the stress and anguish you are feeling,” explained vocalist and guitarist Lewis Matte of the song’s inspiration. “This decoy might avoid detection momentarily, but is weakly maintained at best. Even the smallest of inconveniences can trigger all of your screws to come loose. Despite best intentions, your true colours shine bright, and for the better. The real you is out in the open. You can connect with the chaos of the real world rather than hide away in your fantasy of control and calm.”
Sophisticated Dingo are embracing the spooky season with a set at Creepshow 2023 at Mo’s Desert Clubhouse in Jellurga/Burleigh on October 28.
Radical Son has one of those voices that stops you in its tracks. I’m not sure it’s ever sounded better than it does on his latest single, “Until You Call My Name.” A Kamilaroi artist with Tongan heritage, he sings of gratitude, love, and finding your way in a time of unrest.
Radical Son says this is a song “For those divided and lost, pulled or drawn in many directions both externally and internally. I’m mindful that we are all finding our way and that as hard as it may sometimes be just getting by in life, it is my hope that we find a way to live life, to love.”
Radical Son will next take the stage at the National Folk Festival in Ngambri/Canberra, which will be held at EPIC Showgrounds over the Easter long weekend, March 28 to April 1.
Image used with permission from On the Map PR; credit: Cameron Bloom
Good Will Remedy’s latest song “A Flower And A Note” is the kind of great storyteller song I just don’t hear enough of these days. It reminds me a lot of something the Black Crowes or Matchbox Twenty might have recorded, but it’s got that unique Australian flavour as a sweetener. Take a listen: it’s so good.
“The song follows the story of a couple who have lost their way, lost their path and lost each other,” explained Good Will Remedy’s singer and songwriter, Will Lebihan. “The call and response vocals rise as the song progresses and the story unfolds.”
“A Flower And A Note” comes from Good Will Remedy’s sixth album Sunshine State, which drops on November 10. The band will also join Diesel for his big New Year’s Eve Base at Bribie Island Hotel at Yarun/Bribie Island on December 31.
Image used with permission from Chris Familton Publicity
