The hip hop genre really isn’t known for its love songs, but Coin Banks bucks the trend with his cool new single “Cursive.”
The Perth emcee lays down some fierce rhymes here, and featured vocals from New York City’s Apani B Fly give the track the right amount of sweetness. I also love the film clip, set in Apani B Fly’s hometown. Has there ever been a cuter couple than these kids?
“Cursive” comes from Coin Banks’ Tails EP. He’ll be releasing a full-length album soon, so keep your ears out for that.
The Paper Kites have really impressed me with every one of their singles, so it surprises me to realise I’ve never actually written about them here. The release of their new single “Electric Indigo” and their upcoming Aussie tour is the perfect time to change all that.
There’s such a surety about everything this Melbourne quintet releases, and that makes their music feel comfortable from the first listen. This song is instantly accessible but complex, with lush instrumentation and gorgeous vocals. “Electric Indigo” sounds a bit bigger than their previous releases, but it ticks all the boxes for me.
It’s the first track lifted from The Paper Kites’ forthcoming album twelvefour, which hits stores on August 28. Following that, the band will hit the road and play the following shows all around the country. Don’t wait until then to get your tickets. I predict they’re going to sell quickly.
15 October 2015 – The Gov, Adelaide (ALL AGES)
16 October 2015 – Amplifier, Perth
17 October 2015 – Settlers Tavern, Margaret River
22 October 2015 – Theatre Royal, Castlemaine (ALL AGES)
23 October 2015 – 170 Russell, Melbourne
24 October 2015 – The Workers Club, Geelong
29 October 2015 – Solbar, Maroochydore
30 October 2015 – The Soundlounge, Gold Coast
31 October 2015 – Woolly Mammoth, Brisbane
5 November 2015 – Lizotte’s, Lambton (ALL AGES)
6 November 2015 – The Metro, Sydney (ALL AGES)
7 November 2015 – ANU Bar, Canberra
8 November 2015 – Anita’s Theatre, Thirroul (ALL AGES)
My love affair with brother-sister duo The Acfields continues with the release of their powerful new song “The Years.” It tells the real-life story of an elderly divorced coupled reunited again after suffering from dementia.
“Once we tell the story live, people tend to fall in love with the message of the song,” explained Hannah, who herself was told the story by a grandchild of one of the song’s subjects.
As the tale goes, the husband and wife married, had children, then separated forty years later. As fate would have it, as dementia took hold they ended up at the same nursing home. Despite losing his memory, the ex-husband really did ask the nurse “Who’s the pretty one?” when he clamped eyes on his ex-wife for the first time in years. The song doesn’t go into the particulars, but apparently the pair was often spotted holding hands and fumbling at each others clothes as they rekindled their romance without the baggage of conscious memories.
The brother and sister act decided to make the song a focus after discovering that the song connected with audiences all over the nation, while touring to promote their self-titled full-length album last year. who was originally told about this true story by her friend, a grandchild of the song’s subjects.
The Acfields will celebrate the release of “The Years” with an East Coast tour, kicking off in Brisbane this week.
23 July 2015 – The Milk Factory, Brisbane
24 July 2015 – House Concert, Lismore
25 July 2015 – Mandala Organic Arts, Mermaid Beach
26 July 2015 – Bohemian Bungalow, Eumundi
31 July 2015 – Pizza Paradiso, Byron Bay
1 August 2015 – Thirty Three on Hickory, Dorrigo
2 August 2015 – Flow Bar, Old Bar
5 August 2015 – Lizotte’s, Lambton
7 August 2015 – Humph Hall, Allambie Heights
8 August 2015 – House Concert, Terara
Get ready to start tapping your toes to Immigrant Union’s new single “War is Peace,” the latest cut from the critically acclaimed album Anyway.
The song’s a great modern twist on an old-fashioned hoe down tune, and the film clip is a brilliant a satire on home shopping networks.
Immigrant Union have earned high praise for their live shows, so make sure you see what the fuss is all about when they head out on their Anyway album tour next month.
7 August 2015 – The Grace Emily, Adelaide
8 August 2015 – The Loft, Warrnambool
13 August 2015 – Transit Bar, Canberra
14 August 2015 – The Lass, Newcastle
15 August 2015 – Gallery Bar @ Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney
16 August 2015 – The Junkyard, Maitland
27 August 2015 – Lefty’s Music Hall, Brisbane
28 August 2015 – The Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay
29 August 2015 –Solbar, Maroochydore
4 September 2015 – David Bowie Late Nights @ ACMI, Melbourne
5 September 2015 – The Grand Poobah, Hobart
Melbourne synth-pop act Nussy has reunited with her favourite collaborators Michael Paynter and Michael Delorenzis for her brand new single “My Heroin.”
The drug reference is sure to raise a few eyebrows, but I love the way her sugary sweet vocals juxtapose with the dark subject matter. It really helps it stand out from so much mainstream pop.
“My Heroin is about being involved in a toxic relationship,” explained Nussy. “It’s like an addiction where something else within you takes over and you can’t make logical decisions – hence the reference to the drug heroin – that even at the very lowest of the low points, you convince yourself that the highs are worth it.”
Nussy will launch the single with a show at Melbourne’s The Shadow Electric on July 17 and one at the Gallery Bar at Sydney’s Oxford Arts Factory on August 13.
Sydney’s Little May are offering a sneak peek of their forthcoming debut album with the release of new single “Home.” The song speaks of the longing that this band must feel for familiarity when they’re jetsetting around the world.
“Home’ was one of the first songs we recorded with Aaron [Brooking Dessner of The National]. It’s an old song, revisited,” Little May explained. “It had been written three years prior, from a place where a sense of belonging was being constantly chased. I think we will always associate this song, and this whole album, with Hudson and the time we all spent there.”
The clip’s also very cool. It was recorded in Future Past Studios, in Hudson, New York. The building was one a 19th century church, but it’s now thoroughly modern with a CCTV network allowing producers in the basement control room to watch and communicate with the musicians in the studio upstairs. I love the way the studio footage is paired with images of New York neighbourhoods.
It seems like Little May’s debut album has been a long time coming. Are you excited for this release?
Vigilantes have enlisted the help of some of their favourite artists to make the video for their new single, “Elasticity.” Art vs Science, Andy Bull, and Pluto Jonze all appear in the retro-inspired clip, which was shot over three nights around Redfern, Surry Hills, and the Sydney CBD.
“Elasticity” is perfect Sunday fare. It’s danceable, reminding us that there’s still some life in the weekend yet, without being too high-energy.
The marriage equality debate has reached fever pitch following the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic ruling earlier this week. Elizabeth Rose has added her voice to the conversation with her new single “Division.”
“Australia is tipped as the ‘lucky’ country, but reflecting upon what we stand for, I’m not sure that we are all that we’re cracked up to be,” she said in a press release. “Our peers fall victim to acts of discrimination and are denied the right to equality. For a country that boasts of multi-culturalism and acceptance, why aren’t we accepting of this?
Proceeds from the single’s sales will benefit Australian Marriage Equality. Now isn’t that more useful than turning your Facebook profile picture into a rainbow?
Melbourne folk singer Anna Cordell has caught my attention with her debut single “I’ll Wait Here.”
Her voice is utterly angelic and the song has a beautiful subtlety about it. It’s introspective and gentle in the best possible ways. She also reminds us just how awesome songs in the minor key can be!
“I love the minor key and unresolved open chords,” Anna explained in a press release. “Writing songs in the minor seems to elicit an unspoken melancholy. The unresolved open chords are moments asking for resolution. They have the possibility of being led in a new direction … eventually this can resolve on a major chord the moment of reprieve, hope, relief.”
You can hear more songs in the minor key when Anna launches her EP in August.
After a busy time where I’ve worked far too many weekends, I’ve had a fairly cruisy day today. I’ve also been lucky enough to find just the right soundtrack for it, “St Petersburg” by Tim Guy. It’s got a lovely indie-pop vibe to it and one of the coolest videos I’ve seen for some time.
“St Petersburg” is the first track lifted from Tim’s fifth studio album, which will hit stores later this year.