I’m really digging “Porcelain,” the brand new single from North Queensland singer-songwriter Will Blume. Produced by Holy Holy’s Oscar Dawson, it’s got an infectious dance beat married with some really powerful lyrics.
“People that I’m close to have been through some hardships and I wanted to write a song, something that they can listen to and find comfort in when I’m not around,” Will said. “‘Porcelain’ is about renewal and was deeply inspired by the important women in my life. It’s for anyone who has ever been made to feel less than and is dedicated to all the survivors, fighters and children at heart. Horrible things may happen, but you can always come back to that pureness of yourself; the beautiful soul you were born to be.”
Will said he wrote “Porcelain” on a writing trip where he isolated himself in a beach cabin for two weeks with no internet, no phone reception, and no conversations or contact with the outside world except for a single “beach buddy”. Through this process he learned to connect more to himself and his music. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty keen to hear what else he came up with on that trip!
Image used with permission from Sony Music Australia
We’ve all got our go-to songs that help us through hard times, but have you ever wondered what music your favourite bands listen to when life gets on top of them? I caught up with Naarm/Melbourne emo quintet This Space is Ours to learn about the top 10 sad songs they love to sing along to:
1. “Drink to Drown” – Stand Atlantic
It’s so ingrained in Aussie culture to just drink when things are going wrong and even though it’s not the main point of the lyrics, “I drink to drown,” encapsulates how many of us feel when we do that.
2. “My Side of the Bed” – Noah Cyrus
If you’ve got a terrible fear of abandonment, this is the sad song for you. Noah Cyrus manages to intentionally sound like she’s on the verge of crying throughout this song and it’s beautiful.
3. “Let’s Talk About Your Hair” – Have Mercy
Just like ‘All The Things I’ve Been Avoiding’, this song rises in intensity throughout, starting solemnly sad then ending passionately angry.
4. “Dear Inner Child” – Peach PRC
‘Heavy’ by Peach PRC could have just as easily made it to this list as well. I find this one just that little bit more tear jerking as Peach makes peace with her inner child.
5. “Can’t.Lie.Around.Remembering.Everything” – Capstan
As it says in the song, “it’s just another classic case of the right person at the wrong time.” This song presents true pain to a situation most people can relate to.
6. “Asleep” – The Smiths
The god of all sad songs. A classic that has to be in this list as a legal requirement. I find most people you meet who have been through some dark times will have a connection with it.
7. “One More Time” – Blink 182
This song is especially heartbreaking when you know the history of the friendships within Blink 182. All about realizing how the small stuff isn’t worth fighting over, our friends could be taken from us at any time.
8. “Smother” – Daughter
As someone who has felt like they’ve been “too much” for other people, this is a song that I have turned to many times. Incredibly melancholic with the lyrics to match.
9. “Cardinals” – The Wonder Years
Cardinals perfectly describes the guilt that comes along with loss, especially under tough circumstances such as mental health and drug problems.
10. “Kick” – Spanish Love Songs
Kick is an incredibly well-written song about the life of an addict through the eyes of an old friend.
If you want to add one more to your own sad songs playlist, I suggest checking out “All the Things I’ve Been Avoiding,” the latest single from This Space is Ours. It’s out now.
Naarm/Melbourne alt-rock act Catholic Guilt have just released their fantastic new song “Can You See Me?” It’s brand new, but there’s a beautiful nostalgia about it. It feels instantly familiar and accessible, the sort of song you immediately like and want to turn right up. The lyrics, which deal with feeling like you’ve lost your identity, are also so relatable.
“For me personally, that feeling was brought on by a period of intense emotional and physical upheaval caused by a variety of interpersonal issues and a few serious life and career setbacks,” explained Catholic Guilt frontman Brenton Harris. “All of these issues coalesced around the time of the lockdowns and ended up impacting life on the other side of it, resulting in me living life as a version of myself that felt so unfamiliar, so unconfident, so shaken, so entirely unlike ‘me’. Writing the song allowed me to process and heal and move onto the next evolution of ‘myself’. It’s our ‘feel sad hit of the summer’.”
Catholic Guilt will launch “Can You See Me?” tomorrow night at The Tote. There are still some tickets remaining, so grab them while you can! If you miss out, don’t stress. You can catch them supporting Guttermouth next year.
Mulubinba/Newcastle alt-folk artist Dane Tutty has teamed up with fellow Novacastrian Jen Buxton for a fantastic new single “church.” I love the way Dane’s textured vocals contrast with Jen’s sweeter ones. You can hear the emotion in their voices as they sing this powerful duet. It’s really good stuff.
“church” gives us our first taste of Dane’s upcoming EP. If this song is any indication, it’s going to be pretty special!
We’re used to hard-hitting songs from Naarm/Melbourne emo act This Space is Ours, but they’re showing us a softer side with their latest single “All the Things I’ve Been Avoiding.” Frontwoman Gemma Dunsmore’s delicate vocals draw you in before the song shifts gears and those trademark drums and guitars kick in. This one’s given me chills.
“The lyrics are written about mental health struggles and the gruelling path to getting better; when you’ve come to terms with there being something wrong but only just begun the journey to fix it,” Gemma explained. “Over time, the personal meaning of this song has transformed for me. When I first wrote it, it was almost an apology, as if to say, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I’m trying.’ I’ve since been diagnosed with being on the Autism spectrum, and now when I sing it, it feels more like I’m saying something along the lines of, ‘There is nothing wrong with me, this is who I am and I’m still learning about myself.’”
“All the Things I’ve Been Avoiding” is the fourth single from This Space is Ours’ collaborative efforts with producer Beau Mckee. There’s one more left from their time with Beau, so keep an ear out for that in the near future.
Naarm/Melbourne metal act Future Static have blown me away with their latest single “Chemical Lobotomy.” It hits hard, with big thrashing drums and furious guitar riffs, and lead singer Amariah Cook has never sounded better. At times powerful, at times angelic, her voice can do absolutely anything.
“It’s no mystery that this song is about getting a little too excited with substances during lockdown. It was a boring time and, apart from writing music, there really wasn’t much else to do,” Amariah said. “I had a massive bout of inspiration and decided to start writing the vocals to the instrumental (written by Ryan) when I was suffering from a massive hangover. I got up out of bed and decided to write about my lack of control in the hopes it would help me understand why I was putting myself through this and how to get out of it. As the song developed, I realised that if I just sang the chorus a third time at the end, it would allude to nothing changing, whereas I wanted to write something ending on the positive side of these experiences: the connection with my friends and how we were all in this situation together.”
“Chemical Lobotomy” comes from Future Static’s upcoming debut album Liminality, which drops on November 24. It’ll be an exciting time for Future Static, who will kick off their sold-out national tour with Electric Callboy the next day. Here are all Future Static’s upcoming shows.
25 November 2023 – Metropolis Fremantle, Boorloo/Perth (supporting Electric Callboy)
27 November 2023 – Hindley Street Music Hall, Tarndanya/Adelaide (supporting Electric Callboy)
29 November 2023 – PICA, Naarm/Melbourne (supporting Electric Callboy)
30 November 2023 – Hordern Pavilion, Eora/Sydney (supporting Electric Callboy)
1 December 2023 – Eatons Hill Hotel, Meeanjin/Brisbane (supporting Electric Callboy)
5 April 2024 – 170 Russell, Naarm/Melbourne (supporting CLOWNS)
26 July 2024 – Radar Festival @ O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester
Gomeroi man Kobie Dee channels the frustrations and lessons learnt from his childhood into his powerful new single “Father’s Eyes.” Featuring former Australian Idol champ Stan Walker, the lyrics touch on breaking familiar cycles, creating generational change, and beating the system. It’s hard-hitting, but ultimately so uplifting.
Kobie and Stan traveled to unceded Bidjigal Lane for the video, directed by Kieran Satour of GARUWA, who is a Gurindji, Pertame Arrernte, and Worimi man.
“Working with Kobie and Stan on this clip was such a blessing,” Keiran said. “This special song, deeply grounded in their own experiences as Indigenous fathers and sons, is about highlighting the strength and resilience of all the families out there striving to break cycles.”
“It was really important to me to work with someone I trust and have a Creative Director like Kieran lead this project and help apply a cultural lens and make sure both our Aboriginal and Māori cultures were represented appropriately and in a strong, beautiful way,” Kobie added. “It was a great collaboration and I feel everyone that was involved really resonated with what the track was about and really captured the vision for the video clip.”
“Father’s Eyes” is Kobie’s first solo release since he dropped “Basics” in 2022. Way to come back to the game!
Matt Corby is bringing some serious summer vibes with his latest track “Desert Land.” It’s a cool, breezy number that makes me think of sipping cocktails and relaxing in the sun. It takes its cues from classic yacht rock, but there’s a modern freshness that I know you’re going to love.
Matt says the song was “inspired by the close relationships we have that operate in tandem with our vices and addictions, and how both of those things influence each other”.
Matt wrote this one with his good friends and regular collaborators Chris Collins (Gang of Youths, Middle Kids, Skegss) and Nat Dunn (Rita Ora, Charli XCX, Tkay Maidza). Matt and Chris also produced “Desert Land.”
Following recent shows in the United Kingdom, Europe, and North America, Matt should be in fine form when he plays some solo shows and festivals here and in New Zealand in the coming months.
Like so many women, I’ve been called “too sensitive” more than once. So I really connect with moonsea’s moving new single “Sensitive,” which celebrates this tendency to feel things deeply.
“I grew up as a pretty sensitive kid,” moonsea recalled. “I would cry readily, laugh unreservedly and feel things fully and deeply. This got the well-meaning adults in my life worried. If I cried every time I heard a sad story, saw a bug get squashed or got told off by a teacher, how would I make it through this life in one piece?”
Over time she came to discover that “being sensitive could possibly be a good thing, a superpower even. Some of the strongest and most empathetic women were sensitive kids. Feeling deeply allows you to experience the depth of the human experience and connect with other people in a really meaningful way.”
“Sensitive” is paired with a heartwarming music video, which sees the character of Cece Moon enter the Moonville Talent Show ten times, persevering until she finally wins the judges over. Watch it and I know you’ll feel better about the world and your place in it.
A little funk never goes astray on a Sunday morning, right? If you’re still coming down from the night before, you’ll appreciate the smooth vibes of “Time After Time,” the latest track from Naarm/Melbourne-based artist Zachary Leo. It sounds every bit as cool as he looks!
“‘Time After Time’ is a song about a conflict that has arisen between two people in a relationship, when one person isn’t being the best version of themselves,” Zachary explained. “The song is sung from that person’s perspective as they try to piece together what has caused these problems and how they can make amends. The song constantly shifts between external and internal dialogue and is a mirror into overthinking and overanalysing situations.”
Zachary will perform a couple of shows for hometown fans in the coming months to support his release. You know you’ll have a good time at one of the following gigs:
4 November 2023 – Northcote Social Club, Naarm/Melbourne (supporting Great Gable)
8 December 2023 – The Gasometer, Naarm/Melbourne
