Category: Video

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Nicholas Hamilton Reminisces With EP Title Track, “Pretty Young”

I don’t know about you, but the COVID pandemic has me in a nostalgic mood. I’m locked down here in New South Wales, but my Facebook memories make sure I remember the concerts I’ve been to, holidays I’ve taken, and great nights out I’ve shared with my friends. Nicholas Hamilton’s latest single “Pretty Young” reflects my current mood. In this track, he looks back at his own transition from teenager to twentysomething, a period that saw him moving halfway across the globe to pursue his passion for acting.

“I remember feeling pretty down when I wrote the first stanza. It was one of those days where you just cry behind a piano and hope a song comes out. There was a moment where I realised how silly it was for me to be writing a song about my childhood, when I definitely wouldn’t consider myself an adult yet … That’s how the second stanza came about, starting with ‘and I’m still pretty young’,” he explained. “I drew the rest of the lyrics from a ton of childhood memories I thought I’d forgotten, and recent memories I hope I don’t forget.”

This adorable music video features home movies capturing moments from Nicholas’s childhood.

“Pretty Young” comes from the EP of the same name, which we’ll hear on August 13. Like the single, this EP features acoustic pop tracks exploring nostalgic subject matter. Nicholas currently divides his time between Los Angeles and his hometown of Byron Bay. With the EP on the way and some TV and film projects in development, expect to hear a lot more about this talented Aussie in the near future.

Image used with permission from On the Map PR; credit: Mike Falzone

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

BARKAA Releases Powerful New Single, “King Brown”

Proud Malyangapa, Barkindji woman BARKAA proves she’s an absolute queen with her new single “King Brown.” I love this track’s empowering lyrics and the way she’s effortlessly married hip hop sounds with some Latin flavour. This is absolute fire.

“I was in a very toxic relationship for years and it did its toll on my confidence and my self-esteem was really low,” BARKAA explained. “I believed in my head I deserved that kind of love at one point. But then after relearning, getting to know myself again and seeing my worth I could never look back. King Brown is just a f*ck you to my ex basically, it’s cheeky, it’s comical and it’s fun … I guess with King Brown I wanted to show that side of me. I made the decision to cut a lot of ties not only for my mental health and well-being, but for my babies. Love is a doing word and if it isn’t actioned it has no room in mine or my babies’ lives. This is a track for my sisters to keep their head up too, to feel good again, and to put their middle fingers up at those who don’t deserve us.”

BARKAA filmed the music video in Sydney with Paven Gill of Sonder Films.

“As soon as we heard the song we knew we wanted strong scenes/visuals to match the energy of the song, especially the vibe of the production,” said Paven. “After listening to the lyrics we wanted to focus on the visuals that show strength, confidence, family, culture while still keeping the overall vibe to be fun and energetic.”

“King Brown” gives us our first taste of BARKAA’s debut EP Blak Matriarchy. And what a taste it is!

Image used with permission from Island Records Australia; credit: Luke Currie-Richardson

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Archie Roach Celebrates Emerging Indigenous Talent With New Online Series

Living treasure Archie Roach is opening his heart and home for a brand new webseries, Kitchen Table Yarns. The series sees Archie chatting with up-and-coming First Nations artists about their songs, communities, and language.

“When I started off in music nobody had much of a clue about who I was and what I was writing about,” Archie explained. ”I was considered a curiosity. Yarning at my kitchen table with these young artists will help people understand who they are and give them another platform to promote their music. The kitchen table has always been a place of inspiration for me. It’s a place where I’ve written most of my songs, drank many cups of tea, ate meals, played music whilst my children ran around making plenty of noise. It represents family, community and love. We thought it would be a great idea to have a YouTube series and conversation at the kitchen table. It’s important their voices are heard so they don’t have to go through what I went through. They are our future and when the time comes for us older singer-songwriters to finish up we know it’s in good hands.”

Unlike so many people his age, Archie is an old hand at producing online content. When 2020 wiped out what was meant to be his final national tour, he launched a YouTube series celebrating the songs from Charcoal Lane to connect with his audience.

The first two episodes of his new 12-part series, featuring Allara Briggs Patterson and Marlon X Rulla, drop on Archie’s YouTube channel on August 4 and 18. We’ll get a new episode on the first Wednesday of every month after that.

Archie also plans to get out on the road again next week. Tickets are on sale now for his Tell Me Why tour.

16 July 2021 – Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide
6 August 2021 – Archie Roach in Conversation at Byron Writers Festival, Byron Bay
7 August 2021 – Norpa, Lismore
8 August 2021 – Saraton Theatre, Grafton
11 August 2021 – Jetty Memorial Theatre, Coffs Harbour
12 August 2021 – Glasshouse Theatre, Port Macquarie
13 August 2021 – City Hall, Newcastle
14 August 2021 – Anita’s Theatre, Thirroul
17 August 2021 – Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre, Bathurst
18 August 2021 – Dubbo Regional Theatre & Convention Centre, Dubbo
12 December 2021 – Perth Concert Hall, Perth

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Blake O’Connor Goes Retro With “Soul Feeling”

Soul and country don’t seem like a natural music marriage, but Blake O’Connor has brought these genres together for his latest single “Soul Feeling.” I didn’t expect it to work as well as it does, but this is actually brilliant. Just see if you’re not tapping your toes along by the end of it.

“I wrote ‘Soul Feeling’ right around the time when I was heavily listening to a lot of soul-inspired music, and watching a bunch of old videos of the Muscle Shoal Swampers, who were the original rhythm section for Sound Studios,” Blake explained. “That whole era of music is very inspiring to me, from the musical approach to the way they got their sounds in the studio! And when I sat down to write this song, all I could think about was how the upbeat soul songs of that era made you feel.”

Blake gave his hometown of Port Macquarie a retro makeover for the fun video. Set in the local laundromat, it’s such a fabulous throwback.

Blake had to cut his tour with Diesel short due to the unfolding COVID situation, but hopefully it won’t be too long before we see him back on the road.

Image used with permission from Revolutions per Minute

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

iyah may Impresses With New Acoustic Version of “XO Girl”

I love the way an acoustic rendition can make me appreciate a song that initially passed me by. iyah may’s “XO Girl” didn’t grab me when it was originally released, but I’ve fallen in love with her new acoustic take.

This version sees iyah strip away the swagger. With only a gentle keyboard accompaniment, I can appreciate her vocals, lyrics, and the song’s pretty melody. It brings a real gravity to this song that I missed before.

iyah will debut her live show this October at The Grass is Greener Festival at Cairns Showground.

Image used with permission from Island Records Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Grand Pine Announce Long-Awaited Album

It’s been a long time coming, but after teasing us with single releases for the last three years, Grand Pine’s debut album is almost here. Hold Me Down drops on September 24. If you aren’t across Grand Pine’s music yet, this video shows you why you should get excited about more music from this Melbourne band.

This video captures Grand Pine performing one of their previous singles, “Back in Town” at Bighouse Arts. It showcases their talent for creating beautiful music that seamlessly blends pop, folk, and rock influences in the vein of Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes. Expect more of this magic on the forthcoming album.

Click through to pre-order a digital download, CD, or vinyl copy of Grand Pine’s Hold Me Down now.

Image used with permission from Brain Drain PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

MARVELL Releases Marvellous New Track, “Selfish You”

When siblings get together and make music, so often magic happens. That’s the case with MARVELL, the brainchild of brothers Tom and Max Marvell. Their latest single “Selfish You” is a rocking ode to recognising your own worth.

“The song explores self-doubt, creativity, and the influence of the people around you. We tried to communicate that being selfish can definitely be a bad thing but also a good thing when it informs your self-worth and who you are!” they explained. Too right!

This is such a stellar track, and there’s more to come. MARVELL will soon release an EP, Comfort is King. They were scheduled to hit the road this week to celebrate their latest batch of releases, but COVID is a bitch. Hopefully, the gigs in Sydney, Wollongong, and Brisbane can be rescheduled, and that the later 30 July date at The Tote Hotel in Melbourne can go ahead. We’ll see!

Image used with permission from GYRO PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Peach PRC Celebrates the Highs With “Symptomatic”

I don’t know about you, but as a New South Welshman locked down for at least the next couple of weeks, I could use a little poppy fun. Peach PRC delivers with “Symptomatic,” the follow-up to her break-up anthem “Josh.” It’s the perfect track for a lockdown dance break which explores the high periods that can counteract the lows of mental illness.

“One of the features of my mental illness is I can have really low periods and then swing into an incredible high manic period. When this happens, I feel like I’m invincible and get really excited about doing lots of stuff—like learning to speak Italian, play five instruments, or become a crystal healer! Every time, I think I’ve been cured of my depression and mental struggles forever!” Peach PRC shared. “My therapist once compared to me to Harley Quinn while I am in this state – that kind of bothered me. Then I thought, why don’t I write a song about being on this high and thinking I’m cured and just embrace the fuck out of the Harley-Quin-of-it-all! And that song – is ‘Symptomatic’.”

I love the way Peach PRC delivers such thoughtful pop music. It’s so much fun but it always makes you think. If you adore her stuff, good news. Her debut EP isn’t too far away.

Image used with permission from Island Records Australia; credit: Jess Gleeson

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

MAXON Drops Stunning New Single, “Best Shot”

Melbourne singer-songwriter MAXON speaks for anyone who’s ever felt the weight of societal pressure with her latest single “Best Shot.” She was inspired to write the track after a conversation with her family about pursuing a career in psychology because she’d given music her “best shot.”

The lyrics are so powerful and the song’s simple instrumentation ensures they really shine through. I also love MAXON’s voice, so rich and dripping with gravitas.

MAXON will play a string of shows in her hometown to celebrate the release. Discover more of her music at the following venues:

8 July 2021 – Small Time, Brunswick (to be streamed live on Facebook)
24 October 2021 – Sooki Lounge, Melbourne (supporting Alexis Naylor)
31 October 2021 – Swamplands Bar, Melbourne (supporting Alexis Naylor)

Image used with permission from GYRO PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Violet Daze Releases Fab Debut, “Across the Bay”

Violet Daze knocks it out of her park with her debut single “Across the Bay.” It’s a folk-tinged pop track that has me thinking of acts like Maggie Rogers, Laura Marling, and Ella Henderson. It’s rare to hear such a polished track from a new artist, but Violet is no stranger to the music industry. She’s worked behind the scenes for the past three years, but is finally ready to step into the spotlight.

“I want people to hear this song and not feel alone. I want them to feel seen,” the Sunshine Coast artist said. “It takes courage to delve into the self-reflective process of a break-up and come out the other side.”

The single is accompanied by a music video that captures some of Violet’s favourite places.

“It was filmed in locations that are significant to me personally and I feel that energy carries through the music video. The premise of the video is going on a trip that you had planned to do with your significant other, that you are now having to do by yourself and exploring the wave of emotions that go along with that,” she explained. “It was filmed by Dale from Whaley Films and Rachael Baskerville who is the face behind all of the Violet Daze press images. They brought the concept together seamlessly”

Violet Daze has got one of those voices that you just want to keep listening to. I can’t wait to hear more from this exciting new artist.

Image used with permission from GYRO PR