Category: Video

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Sunday Estate Deliver With “When You Get Home”

I’ve been a little quiet lately. It’s not like I haven’t been listening to music, but I have been searching for something that really hits. Writing posts about music that doesn’t impact me seems a bit disingenuous. I know there are plenty of media outlets out there who just post about everything, but if I wouldn’t share it with a friend, I can’t see the point in wasting my time writing about it. I was starting to think maybe I was just being too picky, and then I heard The Sunday Estate’s new EP When You Get Home. This Sydney five-piece have got something really special. But if you’ve had your ear to the ground, you knew that already. If not, prepare to discover why tastemakers are raving about them.

The Sunday Estate have already released three singles from the EP: “Pray for Rain,” “Fight Me,” and “Bike Thief,” which I’ve already written about. Those tracks have enjoyed airplay on triple j, Beats I, and KCRW. So rather than going over old ground and writing a traditional EP review, I thought it better to highlight the latest single, “We Were Kids.” It’s a nostalgic track with cool indie pop-rock vibes that really hit the spot. Lead vocalist Conor O’Reilly calls it “another song about the trials of getting older,” but it’s a little more than that. The personal lyrics help it stand alone.

“I wanted to really lean into those bittersweet feelings that come with past love/friendship,” he explained.

If you’re not already across The Sunday Estate’s music, check out When You Get Home on your preferred streaming platform. Then if you’re near Sydney, snap up some tickets for their launch show. The gig at The Lansdowne on November 7 is something to look forward to once we (hopefully) get out of lockdown.

Image used with permission from Mirror Music Group; credit: Maclay Heriot

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Jannah Beth Celebrates Art Over Profits With “Want Me Dead”

Sydney artist Jannah Beth celebrates their love of music in their latest single “Want Me Dead.” Despite its macabre name, this is an upbeat track that effortlessly blends rap and pop vibe. It’s definitely put the groove into my Friday.

“‘Want Me Dead’ is a song about conflicting music industry experiences and reconnecting with why I started music in the first place,” she explained. “I honestly do feel like I’m out here ‘selling my soul’; this whole project has been informed by my real-life experiences, not trends or extrinsic motivations. I left school and a turbulent home life at 15 to chase my dreams and I’ve worked my ass off over the past 10 years to get to the place where I’m now seeing my dreams come to fruition.”

Jannah Beth believes so much in an industry that nurtures art that she’s been working behind the scenes to make it happen. She’s built several studios in Marrickville’s creative hub by the Bowling Club. Already more than half of the resident artists and producers are female or non-binary. She’s also launching her own artist-run creative space, Offbeat Collective, really soon.

Image used with permission from Good Intent; credit: She Is Aphrodite

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Fred James Koch Releases Cinematic New Single, “I’m Runnin'”

Aussie singer-songwriter Fred James Koch doesn’t just have a major role in Mickey Rourke’s new movie Night Walk. He also sings the theme song “I’m Runnin’.” I’m really digging this track, which Fred James also wrote and produced with AZ Sheriff. The press release doesn’t say much about it, so I’ll just let the music video speak for itself!

Image used with permission from Michael Matthews Media

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Ryan Meeking Drops Hot New Single, “Endless Run”

It’s always exciting to check in with an old favourite. Ryan Meeking and The Few were hot property in the early 2010s, playing shows with Rob Thomas, Diesel, Angus and Julia Stone, and Gossling. But Ryan dropped off my radar … until now. With the release of his latest single “Endless Run,” I’m right back on board.

As you might imagine, a lot has changed in the last decade. Ryan’s music has developed a more modern sound with an electro-pop feel that reminds me of Gotye and Benee. Ryan’s songwriting skills are even stronger and that voice that drew me to his music in the first place is every bit as enticing.

Ryan sets the scene for the song, noting “You’re in the festival crowd. Drink it in. Your friends, thousands of others, the music, the party, the complete loss of any sense of time and space – and who cares: the community in that. Everything is now, everything is amazing and it’s just the beginning. Welcome to your Endless Run.”

The colourful music video, directed by filmmaker and photographer Rick Clifford (Ainslie Wills, Bad Pony, Tori Forsyth), is also absolutely stunning. Just see if you can take your eyes off it.

Making plans is tricky these days, but at this stage Ryan will play a launch show at Small Time in Brunswick on August 12. The show will also be streamed for everyone who can’t be there in person. Follow Ryan Meeking on Facebook to learn more about that!

Image used with permission from On the Map PR; credit: @rcstills

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