Melbourne soul singer Kattimoni has releases a sassy new single, just in time for International Women’s Day. “I Do What I Want” is a fierce feminine anthem about independence and living your best life. Turn it up loud ladies!
“We don’t have to listen to all the noise that tell us what to do, how to look and who to be,” Kattimoni insists. “Take ownership of yourself, trust your own inner authority and do what you want. Be the Boss Queen of your own life.”
Kattimoni will launch “I Do What I Want” at Brunswick’s The Penny Black on March 30.
Melbourne multi-instrumentalist Yen Nguyen hasn’t released material under his alias Mechanical Pterodactyl for seven long years. But as they say, some things are worth waiting for. He’s breaking his silence with a new single “Strike Up a Match,” a cool track which explores the monotony of being stuck in a familiar grind. Could it be more appropriate for Wednesday?
I love the way Yen’s dark brooding vocals interplay with the sweeter sound of his guest single Jenny Lee. Her angelic voice really elevates this already strong single.
“Strike Up a Match” comes from Mechanical Pterodactyl’s forthcoming sophomore album Timelapse.
Andrew Samuel has teamed up with Ryan Brennan from Phantastic Ferniture for an exciting new musical venture called Every Low. Their first offering is “Joy,” a darkly romantic ditty that makes me really excited about the music to come.
“Joy” is the first cut from Every Low’s forthcoming EP. These Sydney musicians are such talents in their own right, and together it seems they’re only going from strength to strength.
Adelaide five-piece The Max Headroom have released a new alternative-rock anthem, “Working.”
The track is a little rough around the edges, but that’s a part of its charm. I love the garage-rock grunginess of it. The imperfections in lead singer Ben Martin’s voice gives it a relatable honesty.
“The small place that’s mentioned can be anything that you can relate it to,” he explained. “It’s about leaving a place where you felt at home and having to leave certain people along with it.”
While the band has only been together since early last year, the bare bones of this track was actually conceived when the guitarist Marcus Kernahan and drummer Pat Kernahan were playing as a two-piece in 2015. Adding Ben’s lyrics and some extra bass and rhythm has helped bring the duo’s vision to life. It’s taken some time, but I think it’s been worth the wait.
Image used with permission from the A&R Department
After 10 years in the business, Melbourne band Buchanan has gone their separate ways. But not leaving fans with a parting gift, their final EP, The Crayon Collective. It’s a fitting celebration of their career, a mixtape if you will featuring songs recorded in collaboration with every producer they’ve worked with over their 10-year run.
The lead single “An Uncommon Experience” feels like the perfect good bye. The accompanying video, a retrospective of Buchanan’s 10-year career, hits just the right note.
Buchanan were a welcome addition to the Aussie music scene. I wish all the guys in the band the best of luck for the future!
Canberra’s own Hands Like Houses are reminding us just why they’re one of Australia’s best rock acts with the release of their latest single, “Sick.” It’s an epic track, lifted from their fourth album -Anon, which gives the finger to people who try to take advantage of us.
“I think everyone knows the feeling of being taken advantage of – especially when you put yourself out for someone to have them want more,” acknowledged the band’s frontman, Trenton Smith. “Sometimes you can walk away, and other times you just have to take it in your stride because you’re focused on something bigger. Entitlement is bullshit but that’s when you have to remember, with a wry grin, that other people don’t control you.”
The video, shot in the Californian desert, is every bit as compelling as the song it accompanies.
Hands Like Houses’ upcoming tour is their biggest headlining run to date, and you can bet they’ll rise to the occasion. It all kicks off in their home town this Friday.
8 February 2019 – UC Refectory, Canberra
9 February 2019 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney
15 February 2019 – The Tivoli, Brisbane
16 February 2019 – The Forum, Melbourne
22 February 2019 – HQ Complex, Adelaide
23 February 2019 – Astor Theatre, Perth
Yours Truly are your new favourite pop punk band. The Sydneysiders are poised for big things after being added to the bill of the United Kingdom’s Download Festival. Before playing that monster mid-year event, they’ll release their latest EP Afterglow on April 12. It features the current single “Circles,” a female power anthem that will have your hairbrush doubling as a microphone in no time.
These guys have been quietly working at their craft since forming in 2016, “a time when there were a lot of Australian bands getting their international breaks, and we were looking to them for motivation,” explained lead vocalist Mikaila. “Seeing bands you’ve seen in smaller venues have that success was inspiring.”
If this song is any indication, Yours Truly are bound to blow up and get that international success they’ve worked so hard for.
Image used with permission from the Unified Music Group
I wrote about Evol Walks way back in 2016, excited about their classic rock sound. But then the Gold Coast band kind of fell off my radar. They’re well and truly back on it with the release of their new EP Our Time is Now.
The EP showcases a much harder rock sound than their earlier material, one that’s much fresher. While I loved an early single “Without Me,” it was a bit of a throwback to the power ballad era. The band, now based in Los Angeles, has found their own sound here, and it rocks.
Evol Walks have surrounded themselves with the right people. There are tracks here co-written with Jack Pitts from Black Veil Brides, Travis Miguel and Dan Jacobs from Atreyu, and Tim Henwood from the Superjesus and Palace of the King. But Evol Walks do most of the heavy lifting. Lead singer Leah Martin-Brown is a true rock dynamite and she’s ably supported by her tight band. Take a listen to the title track “Our Time is Now” and just try to resist seeking out the rest.
Our Time is Now is out now on all your favourite digital platforms.
We can always count on Busby Marou for folk-pop tracks that feel like instant classic. Their latest track “Sounds of Summer” is no exception. Expect to hear this gem played at barbeques for years to come.
“This is a big tune and feels like it could be our biggest yet,” said one half of the Queensland duo, Thomas Busby. “We’re always being told that we have a distinct sunshine sound, so it felt only natural as we were writing it, to let it become a summer anthem.”
The song was conceived when the band were touring across America a few months ago and recorded in a Los Angeles Airbnb before being mixed in Nashville. After those recent US and Canadian shows, Busby Marou are in fine form. Catch them at the following shows in Australia and New Zealand in the coming months.
23 January 2019 – The Longyard Hotel, Tamworth
7 March 2019 – Sooki Lounge, Belgrave
8 March 2019 – Torquay Hotel, Torquay
9 March 2019 – Memo Music Hall, St Kilda
15 March 2019 – The Triffid, Brisbane
16 March 2019 – Kingscliff Beach Hotel, Kingscliff
28 March 2019 – Heritage Hotel, Bulli
29 March 2019 – Bridge Hotel, Rozelle
30 March 2019 – Milton Theatre, Ulludulla
5 April 2019 – Galatos, Auckland
6 April 2019 – Blue Smoke, Christchurch
I was sure I must have written about “Cold,” the latest single from Melbourne 10-piece The Northern Folk, before. It’s such a cool song, a little brooding with stellar vocals and one of the best sax breaks you’ll hear. It’s so good that they sold out Northcote Social Club when they launched it. Yet I searched my archives and nothing. So I apologise for the oversight.
Now with the release of the clip’s music video, it seems a perfect time to correct my mistake. It was created by celebrated director and producer Mark Day in close collaboration with The Northern Folk. The band star alongside Michael Nikou and Tanya Alers is the clip which represents human consciousness in all its dark, flawed beauty.
“’Cold’ is about the insecurities that tie us down for fear of the unknown, and the emotional distance they create. Shot in the sparse Riverina landscape, a couple find themselves confronted by the manifestations of their insecurities, and must make the choice to be led by them, or to reject them and take control of what they want to be,” the band explains.
Fresh from Woodford and in fine form, The Northern Folk will play a swag of great festivals over the coming months. Here are all the places you can catch them.
25 – 28 January 2019 – Newstead Live Music Festival, Newstead
10 February 2019 – St Kilda Festival, St Kilda
15 – 17 March 2019 – Blue Mountains Music Festival, Katoomba
29 – 31 March 2019 – The Hills Are Alive Festival, South Gippsland
