Hein Cooper has gotten under my skin with his debut single “The Art of Escape.” It’s a gentle song, a real slow burner but let it creep up on you and you’ll start to appreciate its delicate beauty.
Hein hails from the New South Wales south coast but he recorded the track, and the others on his self-titled EP, on a recent trip to Canada where he played Montreal’s Canadian Music Week.
Something tells me it’s not going to long before the rest of the world discovers this talented troubadour.
Multi-talented Melbourne musical force Dolly Denko is giving us our first taste of her new musical project Doctrin with the exquisite single “Take Me,” released today. This over-achiever serves as vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and writer on the track which was born from an existential crisis, as so many of the best songs are.
“After binge watching The Craft and Charmed and with already a rough idea for what I wanted the music video to be,” she explained. “I thought that a throwback to magic and occult which I grew up with would represent the theme and story of the song.”
Apparently the song wasn’t just influenced by 90s TV and film, but music as well like Hole and Garbage. However, it certainly doesn’t sound like a throwback. More like this please!
Brisbane duo Holy Holy have knocked my fluffy winter-ready socks off with their latest single “You Cannot Call for Love Like a Dog.” It’s got much more than just an impressive name on its side. It’s got an epic feel and driving beat that will get under your skin from the first listen.
It’s got a dark undertone though. Listen to the lyrics and you’ll soon remember love’s not all chocolates and roses.
“We try in our lives to do all kinds of things to control it and manage it and bend it to our wills, but sometimes you just wake up one day and it’s gone…and that’s that. Like ice melted,” explained lead vocalist Tim Carroll. “And the point of that is, if you do find yourself in the enviable position of being ‘in love’ and feeling love – fucking enjoy it. Treat it like a good scotch. Breathe it in deep and wash it round your mouth and take in the bath and get drunk.”
Holy Holy are set for big things, after being named on the recent Splendour in the Grass line-up and locking in dates across Europe and the United Kingdom. No doubt the music lovers abroad are going to be just as taken with this Aussie act.
14 May 2015 – The Great Escape, Brighton
17 May 2015 – London Calling Festival, Amsterdam
18 May 2015 – MTC Club, Cologne
19 May 2015 – Cafe Video, Ghent
20 May 2015 – Comet Club, Berlin
22 May 2015 – Dot to Dot Festival, Manchester
23 May 2015 – Liverpool Sound City, Liverpool (DAY SHOW)
23 May 2015 – Dot to Dot Festival, Bristol (NIGHT SHOW)
24 May 2015 – Dot to Dot Festival, Nottingham
26 May 2015 – Old Blue Last, London
29 May 2015 – Primavera Pro, Barcelona
30 May 2015 – Primavera Sound, Barcelona
Never one to shy away from change, Melbourne’s Mojo Juju is experimenting again with the release of her latest album Seeing Red/Feeling Blue.
It sees Mojo playing with longtime friend and producer Ptero Stylus on songs that are a bit more electronic than her earlier efforts, although they’ve still got an accessible pop core. The funky new single “They Come & They Go” is a prime example of the attitude Mojo Juju showcases on her latest release.
Mojo will take the new music to the masses with a national tour kicking off at Sydney’s Vivid festival later this month. Tickets are available now for the following shows.
30 May 2015 – Vivid Live 2015 @ Sydney Opera House, Sydney
5 June 2015 – Solbar, Maroochydore
6 June 2015 – Woolly Mammoth, Brisbane
18 June 2015 – Clarendon Guesthouse, Katoomba
19 June 2015 – Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
20 June 2015 – Newtown Social Club, Sydney
21 June 2015 – Heritage Hotel, Bulli
26 June 2015 – Pirie & Co. Social Club, Adelaide
27 June 2015 – Corner Hotel, Melbourne
3 July 2015 – Spirit Bar, Traralgon
4 July 2015 – Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh
8 August 2015 – Darwin Festival, Darwin
Brisbane trio Avaberée have created an incredible soundscape with their new single “Can’t Get You Off My Mind.” Their harmonies are sublime and chemistry superb. The way their angelic voices combine with electronic beats is truly special. No wonder that they’ve just inked a deal with US label Other People Records.
“When my partner at the label, Jesse Barnett, showed me Avaberée, I was instantly moved,” explained Tom Williams of Other People Records. “Gen, Irena and Aimee have such a profound chemistry with each other, and with In Your Arms I Found my Secrets they were able to harness an energy that is so infrequently tapped into. To be this good, this early on in their career, it is truly exciting.”
“Can’t Get You Off My Mind” is our first taste of that forthcoming EP. If this single’s any indication, it’s going to be awesome.
Melbourne singer-songwriter Shelley Segal speaks for women everywhere that don’t measure up to society’s aesthetic standards with her gorgeous new single “Sidelined.” The track is lifted from her fourth studio album Strange Feeling, which hits stores on May 8. I loved “Morocco,” the last of Shelley’s tracks that crossed my path, and this is every bit as good.
“The song is my understanding of the nature of our aesthetics while questioning whether we can overcome them,” Shelley explained. The clip is the perfect accompaniment, a video which sees Shelley morphing from a bed-heady natural girl to a more immaculately groomed version of herself. “Subscribing to the visual expectations of others can vastly improve our outcomes, but those that don’t fit will often pay a price or be sidelined,” Shelley admits.
Shelley will promote the single and Strange Feeling album at the following shows.
1 May 2015 – Collins Square, Docklands (FREE)
22 May 2015 – Collins Square, Docklands (FREE)
24 May 2015 – The Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh (Doors open 3 pm)
30 May 2015 – Northcote Social Club, Northcote
27 June 2015 – Paris Cat, Melbourne
3 July 2015 – Wesley Anne, Northcote
Bill Parton Trio’s new music video for “Stalker Man” does warn viewers that it contains explicit content, but I didn’t quite expect the overweight naked man eating an apple that greeted me in the clip. The funny thing is, I’m not even sure that he’s the most disturbing man in this music video.
It’s the brainchild of award-winning film maker Tim Pine, who’s now worked with the South Australian outfit four times. And according to the band, they’re planning to collaborate again at least once more before the year’s out.
I like “Stalker Man” and its clip, but they’ve also thoroughly creeped me out. Right about now I’m thrilled that I’m happily coupled up and not out there dating!
It’s kind of appropriate that the first song that’s caught my attention since returning home and getting back to blogging is called “This is Home.” Héloise’s latest single officially dropped yesterday, but it’s already caught the ears of critics who awarded it the major prize at the 2014 Melbourne Music Bank. As part of the prize the song was rerecorded at Sing Sing Studios, a process which has given it the spit and polish it deserves.
I like that Sing Sing didn’t try to do too much to this song. It’s still got an earthy, organic folkiness, a purity that lets the lyrics and Héloise’s lovely voice shine. Those lyrics really speak to me. Héloise is Tasmanian born and bred, but the creative culture of her adopted home of Melbourne, the place she now calls home, inspired the tune. I felt the same way coming back to the Central Coast this week. I was raised in Newcastle and there’s part of me that will always be in the Steel City, but getting back to this place where I laid down roots and bought a house was pretty special.
Héloise will launch “This is Home” at Melbourne’s Workers Club on April 30. She’ll release her debut EP later this year.
One of the greatest things about the Australian hip hop scene is that it remembers what the genre should be about. Most American rappers might care more about bling and bitches, but our local acts are penning poignant songs with real substance.
The latest of this new breed is Dex, a 16-year-old wunderkind from Melbourne. He loves Bliss & Eso and Hilltop Hoods, but he’s no copycat. With his new single “Fly” he showcases his gift for crafting heartfelt lyrics and delivering cutting rhymes. He’s not just good for 16; he’s just good.
“Fly” comes from Dex’s mixtape Something to Say, which drops on April 20. He’ll launch it with shows at Fitzroy’s Laundry Bar on April 10 and 11.
“Coyote Choir” was released late last year, so I have no idea why it’s taken us so long to see a film clip for this Pepa Knight single. Surely its simple animation didn’t take very long to put together. Maybe it took that long for Pepa to source some 8mm film? At any rate, it looks beautiful with some great location shots of Australia and New Zealand. It’s also a great excuse to remember just how good this song is.
“Coyote Choir” came from Pepa’s Hynoptized Vol. I EP. Hynoptized Vol. II will be released later this year.