WAMALA brought us upbeat vibes with his debut single “Dance Again” earlier this year. But there’s more to this Ugandan/Australian alternative talent than meets the eye. This Naarm/Melbourne-based artist shows his softer side with the release of his latest song “My Whole Life.” While “Dance Again” was a real bop, this new track shows real depth. WAMALA’s stunning voice and the eight-piece string ensemble backing him up make it a song of such rare cinematic beauty. Take a moment to stop what you’re doing and listen, but it deserves your full focus.
WAMALA says he wrote the song after the love of his life randomly appeared in his newsfeed while he was doom scrolling during the 2020 lockdowns. This song perfectly captures the random beauty that can come out of the darkness at a time you least expect it.
“My Whole Life” is the latest track lifted from WAMALA’s forthcoming EP, Fitter, Better, Healthier.
Duncan Toombs has just dropped what might be the most personal song of his career. “Steel on Steel” is a beautiful tribute to his late father Bob, who passed away in August 2021. I suggest having some tissues on standby before you press play.
“I started writing this song while I was making trip’s back home to Toowoomba [Gooneburra Country] visiting my father in hospital. He was suffering from multiple mini stokes due to the lung cancer which was found while running tests on him. I finished the song the day the nurses called me while at home to let me know he had passed,” Duncan recalled. “It was soon realised that I would not be able to be at my father’s funeral as the QLD border was locked again. With the help of my producer Rod McCormack, we recorded and mixed the song within a matter of days. My family then helped me create a short video for it which features a trip I took to Europe with dad and my two boys in 2018 and It was played at my father’s service. I watched my father’s service via live stream from my lounge room with my family and the saving grace from not being able to be there was that at least my energy was there in the room with him. My dad was a train driver and worked for QLD Rail for over 30 years. He was a true people’s champion. I miss him a lot.”
“Steel on Steel” is the title track from Duncan’s debut album, which went to number one on the ARIA country charts. Most at home on stage, he’ll be keeping his father’s memory alive when he plays this song at the following shows:
20-22 October 2023 – Groundwater Country Music Festival, Yugambeh Country/Broadbeach
24 November 2023 – The Beer Shed Brewing Co, Tharawal Country/Leumeah
25 November 2023 – Tassie Music Muster @ National Park Hotel, Palawa Country/National Park
1-8 December 2023 – Cruisin’ Country @ Brilliance of the Seas
25 January 2024 – Tamworth Family Reunion @ Wests, Kamilaroi Country/West Tamworth
Aotearoa/New Zealand-expat Venice Qin has settled in Eora/Sydney and is ready to take the local music scene by storm with her latest single “ALIEN”. As the daughter of Chinese immigrants, Venice knows all too well how it feels to be the odd person out. However, this cool song makes such a strong statement that it almost claims that otherness as a superpower.
“I’ve always found myself in spaces where I don’t feel like I belong. Whether that’s as an Asian in Western spaces, a Westernised Asian in Asian spaces, or just having a different mindset to people around me, and not relating to their experiences,” Venice explained. “My song ‘ALIEN’ comes from a very personal, vulnerable place for me. I used to find myself constantly changing my persona when I went out, so that I could fit in and would always come home feeling even more alienated, doubting that my younger self would like the person I’ve become in those moments. Sometimes I still do that, and I’m not proud of it.
“As much as we’re told that we should embrace our quirks and differences, it is hard when you feel incredibly misunderstood and that you’re not the only one that feels or thinks the way that you do. Even throughout the creation of this song, I was full of insecurity and anxiety that people wouldn’t listen to it, because they wouldn’t relate to what I was feeling (lol…). Because the song is sonically less in your face, as an Asian woman, I was fearful that people wouldn’t take the time to hear my voice and what I was going through. But thankfully I have really great people in my life who listened to this song, and heard and believed in me, so the song has gotten to where it is today so that more people can hear it. I really want it to reach and unite us aliens of the world, and to let us know we are not alone.”
“ALIEN” is the title track from Venice’s debut EP, which drops on November 17.
Image used with permission from Sony Music Australia
I don’t cover a lot of instrumental music on my blog. I don’t have anything against it, but as a writer I often find music without words a little hard to latch on to. But every now and then, there’s an instrumental piece that manages to cut through for me. One of those special singles is “Horatio Hornblower,” the latest release from Meeanjin/Brisbane band Cigány Weaver.
I love the way this piece effortlessly combines so many genres. There are classical elements, the energy of folk, the spontaneity of jazz. It seems timeless, yet it’s also really fresh. This is the first track the band’s released since a personnel shakeup, so it’s an exciting sign of what’s to come with this new lineup.
“Horatio Hornblower” is the first of several singles Cigány Weaver will drop before releasing their sophomore album early next year. They’ll play the following local shows before embarking on a national tour in 2024.
27 October 2023 – Brisbane International Jazz Festival @ Thomas Dixon Centre, Meeanjin/Brisbane
10 November 2023 – Maleny Music Festival @ Maleny Showgrounds, Nalbo and Dallambara Country/Maleny
Between You & Me are dropping some of the best collaborations around right now. Fresh from teaming up with BESTIES on “two wrongs,” they’ve just dropped a new track with Somber Hills called “Sometimes (My Brain Doesn’t Work).” It’s got a great vibe, but make sure you tap in to the lyrics which explore the challenges Somber Hills faces living with ADHD.
“I’m a dopamine missing thrill seeking degen that has learned to live with a brain that’s always searching for stimulus. This song is accepting who you are and all you’ve done with a note to self, ‘I will continue to grow,’” Somber Hills explained. “It hurts to accept the truth about yourself, it hurts to accept that things could’ve been different but you can’t start your next step until you accept those things. That’s what happened while this track was in the making.”
This is just the first of a bunch of new singles Somber Hills plans to release in the coming months as part of a potential larger body of work. I hear he’s also planning plenty of shows to support all this new music, so make sure you’re following him on the socials for all the news of those gigs as soon as they’re announced.
Image used with permission from Capital Artist Group
If Monday’s got you into a funk, press play on Silky Roads’ new single “Out of Mind.” With its feelgood groove and silky vocals, I know it’ll put a smile on your face. It’s got more of a disco vibe than other Silky Road singles, but I personally love the change of direction. It’s so much fun.
You can bet a Silky Roads show is going to be a good time. If you need more of that in your life (and who doesn’t), head to The Shark Bar in Guringai Country/Manly on October 28. Silky Roads will play the Yours & Owls Manly Halloween Party alongside Marvell, Apricot Ink, and Scatter Light.
“Slice of Heaven” is one of the great all-time bangers. I remember falling in love with this song as a kid, and it’s lost none of its appeal for me. So I’m thrilled to hear that New Zealand born, Aussie based band COTERIE have brought the song back. They’ve stuck true to the original, even enlisting the help of original singer Sir Dave Dobbyn. However, the instrumentation is a bit fresher for the current generation. Way to bring the nostalgia guys!
COTERIE have just wrapped up a string of dates with the Cat Empire, but they’re not quite ready to slow down. They’ve got a few festival appearances this year before Bluesfest in 2024.
2 December 2023 – Dave Ferrit Festival @ Crooked River Wines, Tharawal Country/Gerringong
10 December 2023 – Let the Good Times Roll @ Memorial Park, Darkinjung Country/The Entrance
28 March-1 April 2024 – Bluesfest @ Byron Events Farm, Cavanbah/Byron Bay
The Teskey Brothers pipped them for the title at the recent 2023 National Live Music Awards, but Sweet Talk might just be the best blues and roots act that you haven’t heard of. Their latest single “Warm Love” shows why they weren’t just making up the numbers in that coveted category. It’s got so much swag. This is the kind of music people just aren’t making enough of any more.
“It’s got a little more rock n roll steez about it,” admitted Sweet Talk’s frontman Tane Walker, of the band’s adventurous new sound. “We took what we normally do, then dirtied up the tones and tuned our instruments down half a step,” added bass player James Harding.
“Warm Love is a belter to play live!” added guitarist Soren Walker. “That’s the litmus test we need to vet songs for the studio, if the punters come alive, then it deserves a shot on record and this immediately ticked that box.”
You can see how good this song is live at one of Sweet Talk’s upcoming shows:
27 October 2023 – Bridge Hotel, Dja Dja Wurrung Country/Castlemaine
28 October 2023 – The Eastern Hotel, Wadawurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung Country/Ballarat
29 October 2023 – The Barwon Club, Djilang/South Geelong
3 November 2023 – Music on the Hill, Bunurong Country/Main Ridge
4 November 2023 – Archies Creek Hotel, Gunai Country/Archies Creek
10–12 November 2023 – Blues at Bridgetown, Nyungar Country/Bridgetown
Boorloo/Perth-based indie-rock act Sophian have impressed me again with their uplifting new single “Beautiful Day.” Coming hot on the heels of other stellar 2023 releases “Moments” and “Georgia,” these guys are having such a great year.
“My wife and I were having a conversation one day around feeling the pressures of society to have life all figured out by a certain age. I saw what it meant it to her and I just wanted to let her know that it’s okay to not have it all figured out yet, life is still beautiful and its okay for us to just enjoy that moment. This song is about feeling free and enjoying life around you for just the way it is,” recalled the band’s frontman Sophian Manik.
Sophian will launch “Beautiful Day” for hometown fans at The Indian Ocean Hotel on October 20. After they sold out hometown shows at Old Habits Bar and The Bird earlier this year, I suggest getting tickets now to avoid missing out!
The future looks bright with talented up-and-coming artists like ALEKS MATIC and AMOS KIM making music together. Both students at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, they’ve just collaborated on a fantastic new EDM track called “NEON CLOUDS.” This is an absolute bop. I know I’m going to have it in my head for the next few weeks, and that’s just fine by me. If you’re not singing along by the end, I’m a poor judge.
“NEON CLOUDS” is the first single lifted from a concept EDM EP that ALEKS MATIC and AMOS KIM are working on together. If the rest of the material is this good, I can’t wait to hear it.
