The ultra-talented Sewell siblings – Conrad Sewell and his sister Grace Sewell (Saygrace) – are teaming up for some intimate shows in the major capitals next June. The tour announcement comes off the back of the release of Conrad’s gorgeous new single, “Deserve.”
“We’ve always wanted to tour together, but our schedules never aligned – Grace being in LA and me being in Australia made it pretty tough. It finally feels like the right moment in both of our careers to share the stage and make this happen,” Conrad said. “We’ll both be bringing our own sets, but the real magic happens when we come together – harmonies, stripped-back versions of our songs, and a few surprises we’ve never done publicly before. It’s a celebration of family, storytelling, and the music that shaped us – this tour is all about connection: with each other, with our fans, and with the songs that mean the most to us.”
If you’re a fan of Conrad, Saygrace, or both, you won’t want to miss this. Tickets to Conrad and Grace’s Bloodline tour are on sale now through the links below.
She’s probably still best known for rocking out front of Killing Heidi, but I really dig the country feel of Ella Hooper’s solo material. Her latest single “Growing Up is Hard to Do” is a fantastic example of the brilliant new music she’s making. It’s so much fun with its relatable, introspective lyrics and catchy country-rock sound. Just when you think it can’t get any better, that sax solo from Mika Kohlman kicks in!
“This song comes from a period of self-reflection that kinda started with Small Town Temple – my last album,” Ella continues. “It finds me in a place where I can almost accept that growing pains never stop…I’m just learning to write different songs about them. It feels playful to me, as life is a little lighter now, internally anyway,” Ella adds. “Some days I can roll my eyes at the chaos of the last few years, or my whole life actually…it’s certainly been a hell of a ride. And as they say, if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry!”
If you want to hear more of Ella’s new music, catch her on her summer tour. Tickets are available through the links for all shows.
After all this time following them, I thought I knew what to expect from Bootleg Rascal. But they’re really shaken things up with their latest song “Reasons,” taking their tongues out of their proverbial cheeks and delivering a touching heartbreak anthem.
“‘Reasons’ was a co-write we did with our mate Matt Collins from Wharves,” explained guitarist Jimmy Young. “He had a demo of the song and wasn’t totally sure where to go with it. We saw something in it and decided to give it a crack. It also features the always exquisite production skills of our mate Caleb Tasker, and we’re all pretty stoked with how it turned out in the end. On face value, ‘Reasons’ could easily be passed off as another break-up/heartbreak song. Those themes are in there for sure, but I think bubbling under the surface, the song also touches on broader elements of human connection. The commonality of emotions that we as people all share at some point in our lives, no matter our race, sex or background.”
“Reasons” comes from Bootleg Rascal’s self-titled album, released in October. They’re bringing songs from that record and all your old favourites to venues across the country in the New Year. Tickets are available now through the links.
To many people, Kiwi singer-songwriter Bic Runga is a one-hit wonder. While “Sway” was a monster hit, that tag is a bit dismissive of her artistry. She’s actually released five studio albums, and on February 13 she’ll add Red Sunset to the collection. So perhaps it’s not so much of a surprise that in April she’ll grace our shores for some intimate shows.
Red Sunset is Bic’s first album of all original material since 2011’s Belle. Listening to the title track, you can hear that Bic has seriously evolved since her breakthrough hit. Its dance-pop flavour is a bit of a left turn, but Bic pulls it off. After taking a bit of a deep dive into her music today, I’m excited to hear the rest of the new stuff.
Bic will visit Australia after playing gigs in her native Aotearoa/New Zealand. While promoting Red Sunset, she promises to play plenty of favourites from her earlier albums. Tickets are available now through the links.
Some songs capture your heart from the first listen. Others are a bit more subtle. You need to have patience to see their beauty. Listening to those songs can often be more rewarding, because you know you might have missed out if you had just moved on to the next thing. Ben Provest’s “Trying to be Brave” is one of those slow burns for me. So take your time with it. It might not hit you instantly, but when it does I know you’ll fall just as hard as I did.
Ben wrote, performed, recorded, mixed, and mastered this single himself during a month-long residency in a small Icelandic fishing village. You can hear that isolation and calm coming through this single. It’s special. I’m so glad I didn’t overlook it.
“I recorded it in Studio Silo, an incredible space built as a labour of love and filled with restored vintage gear,” Ben explained. “The upright piano was recorded with a pair of Coles 4038 ribbon microphones, and the acoustic guitar and lead vocal with a U67-style condenser. The instruments include my Martin 000-18M acoustic guitar, a Roland Juno 106, the cheap banjo that was laying around the studio, a Fender Precision Bass, and programmed drums. I recorded, mixed, and mastered everything myself in Logic Pro X.
“At its heart, the song was inspired by someone I was close to, Amelia,” adds Ben. “We broke up after living together in Melbourne during COVID, and I wrote this with her in mind. But more broadly, it became about letting go of fear – being brave enough to trust again, to follow your instincts, and to live an authentic life.”
Give yourself a moment or two and let this song seep into your pores. It’s a special one.
Naarm/Melbourne singer-songwriter Madi Leeds has got me feeling nostalgic with her latest single “Nightmare.” While the song was inspired by a creepy lucid dream, it’s got a chill indie feel that reminds me of 90s acts like Aimee Mann and Shawn Colvin. It’s the most relaxed song about existential dread you’re likely to hear today!
“People often say things like, ‘Why don’t you leave that for later in life?’ or ‘What’s the rush?’ But I’ve always felt that getting older is a privilege and feel that tomorrow isn’t promised,” Madi explained. “From experiences with grief and loss I try not to take things for granted.”
She noted that the song was inspired by a lucid dream she had after fainting during a Phoebe Bridgers festival set.
“In the dream, I was asleep in my own home while an old, witch-like woman in a cloak watched me from my street – then suffocated me and I couldn’t wake up. Later, I found out it’s a common lucid dream known as ‘the old hag’. The lyrics draw from that dream but also use it as a metaphor – of being haunted by my future self, or the fear of looking back one day and realising I didn’t live my life to the fullest.”
After recently playing a string of shows in Asia, Madi plans to announce some local dates and more music for 2026. Watch this space!
Pacific Avenue are wearing their hearts on their sleeve with their sophomore studio album Lovesick Sentimental. Their new single “Here We Go Again” sets the tone with its emotionally honest lyrics.
“The new single ‘Here We Go Again’ is a song about holding onto love, through the good times and the hard throughout a relationship, it’s finding the small things that make you continue to fall for that person,” frontman Harry O’Brien explained. “The song reads like a first-person recount; however, moments of the lyrics are meant to shift perspectives, ‘I almost forgot what you did’ is meant aimed back towards me, in times when I was hard to love.”
Pacific Avenue will release Lovesick Sentimental on March 6 and waste no time getting back on stages. They’ll kick off their Aussie tour the same day in Boorloo/Perth before hitting most Aussie capitals followed by shows in Europe and the United Kingdom.
jnr. is delivering the good vibes you need to transition into your weekend with his summery new single “as you are.” It’s got a slick indie-pop sound, but beneath the polish is a serious message about self-acceptance and loving others the way they want to be loved.
“A lot of the songs I wrote in France are written to both my partner and to myself. With ‘as you are’, I was looking back on a conversation we had where I might have been prying a bit too much,” jnr. admitted. “I realised I wasn’t ready to understand parts of her because she hadn’t confronted those parts within herself yet. There were holes in myself that I didn’t understand yet that I was trying to fill with her. A lot of my songs are from a place of trying to understand myself through other people, and realising that whatever messed up way we are in is the way it’s supposed to be.
“as you are” is the title track from jnr.’s forthcoming EP, which is scheduled to drop in March. Until then, I’ll have this song on heavy rotation.
Eora/Sydney pop power-duo Foley keeps the vibes upbeat on their new single, “Honey.” It’s got a sweet title and sound, but this song actually explores the sour points in relationships when arguments go a little too far.
“Honey is about taking it too far and realising you might have pushed your luck – we all have moments in a relationship where you make your point a little TOO WELL and realise you played too rough,” Foley admitted. “In the right relationship those moments aren’t make or break; instead they are the times you see compassion and understanding in a partner who is willing to have your back and stick with you.”
It’s no surprise that this song sounds slick, because Foley worked on it with a world-class team. It was mixed by Pedro Calloni (Chappell Roan, ELIO, Alex Warren, Daniel Seavey, GAYLE) and mastered by Grammy-nominated audio engineer Nathan Dantzler (Sabrina Carpenter, sombr, Niall Horan, Jonas Brothers, Teddy Swims). Foley also cowrote “Honey” with Max Jacobs and Nico Scali of Loretta.
“We all clicked straight away and had so many laughs, it made for a really energetic session,” Foley said. “Those magic guitar chords that carry the song were brought to the session by Max and having a new guitarist in the room helped us to get into a different headspace. We wanted to write something with the acoustic guitar front and centre that could bring a bit of a bluesy tone – and the chorus really dabbles with that in the guitar and vocal stacks.”
Foley have recently been making waves with shows in Korea. Hopefully it won’t be too long before they announce some local gigs. Keep an eye on their socials to learn all about any upcoming dates as soon as they’re released!
Chloe Marks & The Mayhem are pushing the boundaries of the country genre with their latest single, “Cheaper Than Therapy.” The band blends country vibes with Americana, soul, and hippie sentiments in this earworm.
“‘Cheaper Than Therapy’ is about my personal journey in finding out who I am,” Chloe said. “It’s about admitting my flaws but also celebrating the incredible road I’ve had to walk to become this version of myself. It’s about spirituality, honesty, and openness.”
Chloe Marks will play shows through the rest of the year and into 2026. Here are all the places you can catch her:
18 December 2026 – Honky Tonks, Meeanjin/Brisbane 21 December 2025 – Gem Hotel, Yugambeh Country/Yatala 26 December 2025 – Honky Tonks, Meeanjin/Brisbane 27 December 2025 – Brooklyn Standard, Meeanjin/Brisbane 31 December 2025 – Chattahoochee Joes, Meeanjin/Brisbane 16 January 2026 – Tudor Hotel, Kamilaroi Country/Tamworth 17 January 2026 – Southgate Inn, Kamilaroi Country/Tamworth (3-6 pm) 17 January 2026 – Tudor Hotel, Kamilaroi Country/Tamworth (7:30-10:30 pm) 18 January 2026 – Joe Maguires, Kamilaroi Country/Tamworth 20 January 2026 – Joe Maguires, Kamilaroi Country/Tamworth 22 January 2026 – Riverside Stage, Kamilaroi Country/Tamworth 29 January 2026 – Chattahoochee Joes, Meeanjin/Brisbane 30 January 2026 – Chattahoochee Joes, Meeanjin/Brisbane 31 January 2026 – Chattahoochee Joes, Meeanjin/Brisbane 5 February 2026 – Brooklyn Standard, Meeanjin/Brisbane 6 February 2026 – Chattahoochee Joes, Meeanjin/Brisbane 7 February 2026 – Honky Tonks, Meeanjin/Brisbane 10 February 2026 – Brooklyn Standard, Meeanjin/Brisbane 12 February 2026 – Chattahoochee Joes, Meeanjin/Brisbane 14 February 2026 – Chattahoochee Joes, Meeanjin/Brisbane 15 February 2026 – Beechmont Hotel, Yugambeh Country/Advancetown 19 February 2026 – Honky Tonks, Meeanjin/Brisbane 20 February 2026 – Chattahoochee Joes, Meeanjin/Brisbane 21 February 2026 – Honky Tonks, Meeanjin/Brisbane 27 February 2026 – Brooklyn Standard, Meeanjin/Brisbane 28 February 2026 – Chattahoochee Joes, Meeanjin/Brisbane 1 March 2026 – Beechmont Hotel, Yugambeh Country/Advancetown 6 March 2026 – The Irish, Giabal, Jarowair, and Jagera Country/Toowoomba 7 March 2026 – Honky Tonks, Meeanjin/Brisbane 12 March 2026 – Brooklyn Standard, Meeanjin/Brisbane 13 March 2026 – Suzi Wongs Goodtime Bar, Meeanjin/Brisbane 15 March 2026 – Bearded Dragon, Yugambeh Country/Tambourine 17 March 2026 – Brooklyn Standard, Meeanjin/Brisbane 19 March 2026 – Honky Tonks, Meeanjin/Brisbane 21 March 2026 – Honky Tonks, Meeanjin/Brisbane 27 March 2026 – Suzi Wongs Goodtime Bar, Meeanjin/Brisbane
Image used with permission from Wildheart Publicity
