Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Merry Christmas from Sounds of Oz

By the time you read this, I’ll be very comfortably situated at my sister’s place, probably on my second beer, celebrating Christmas. Whether you celebrate the holiday or you’re simply enjoying the time off, I hope you’re having a marvellous time. I hoped to share another new Christmas song with you, but they’ve been a little thin on the ground this year! So instead I thought I’d rewind a couple of years to Kav Temperley’s “Christmas Lights”. As an album track from his brilliant All Your Devotion album, it probably didn’t get the love it deserved. But it’s a magic track, just perfect for your Christmas evening. Enjoy, and merry Christmas!

Image credit: Nick-K @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Lewis McKee Releases Super Sophomore Single, “Coming Home”

With Christmas looming, many of us are travelling home to be with family and other loved ones. So it seemed like the perfect time to introduce you to “Coming Home,” the fantastic new single from Lewis McKee.

You might not have heard Lewis’ name before, but it doesn’t take long listening to this song to realise he’s a real pro. He’s played in pubs and clubs for a decade, but this is just his second single. Maybe he was just taking the time to get it right. You can hear the experience in his voice. You know you’re in good hands listening to it.

“’Coming Home’ was written to illustrate the uplifting feeling of returning to your hometown, knowing the people that you love are on the other side of the journey and that return is always filled with emotions of nostalgia, reverence and fond memories,” he explained. “I hope when people listen to this song it can bring back the memories! Whether you’re on your way home these summer holidays to visit family, or missing loved ones while you’re away, use this song to help think of all the good times. I know I do!”

After so long on the pub circuit, you know Lewis has some serious live chops. You can see him do his thing at Agnes Water Tavern on New Year’s Eve.

Image used with permission from Footstomp; credit: Nathan Benjamin

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The VANNS Strike Gold Again With “Haunted”

I’m not sure there’s a more consistent Aussie outfit than The VANNS. I know before pressing play I’m going to dig their releases, and they never let me down. Their latest single “Haunted” continues the trend with its emotive vocals from Jimmy Vann and powerful themes.

“Haunted is another taste from our forthcoming album,” the band said. “The song is about dealing with some tough mental health issues and coming out the other side of it learning to acknowledge it’s OK to feel like absolute shit and there are heaps of people around you who give a fuck.”

The VANNS haven’t been in the spotlight much this year, as they’ve been working hard on that new album. Before it’s release though, they’ll let their hair down with a few summer festival sets. Make sure you don’t miss them at these events.

29 December 2022 – Lost Paradise, Darkinjung Country/Glenworth Valley
31 December 2022 – Falls Festival, Naarm/Melbourne
1 January 2023 – Fall Festival, Cavanbah/Byron Bay
8 January 2023 – Falls Festival, Walyalup/Fremantle

Image used with permission from beehive; credit: Todd Hardingham

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Northern Folk Release Dreamy Single, “Jacarandas”

No, your eyes don’t deceive you. The Northern Folk are a very big band. Their press release tells me they’re a 10-piece, so I guess someone had to take the photo! That’s a lot of instruments and voices coming together. However, listening to “Jacarandas,” the latest single from this Naarm/Melbourne-based act, that coming together seems effortless. This song is pure magic. I encourage you to take a moment to stop what you’re doing, press play, and let this one wrap around you. By the time those horns take centre stage, I know you’ll be hooked.

“Jacarandas is a song about longing—both for a person and for the safety and intimacy felt in their company,” explained vocalist and co-writer Georgie Currie. “Without them, the days lose colour and time stretches on. It was the first song we finished for this album, and it was what informed our decision to make an album about how tangled and torrid love can become.”

This is the first song lifted from The Northern Folk’s fourth album, which we’ll hear in 2023. If this song is any indication, it’ll be pretty special. Now excuse me, I’ve got to deep-dive into their back catalogue!

Image used with permission from The Northern Folk

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Bootleg Rascal Celebrate 10 Years of “Psychotica” With Tour and New Merch

I was pretty late to the Bootleg Rascal party. They hit my radar in 2017, but by then they were already touring internationally. The good news is, it’s never too late to get on board. The news that they’ll celebrate the 10th anniversary of their debut EP Psychotica with a string of shows next year inspired me to go back to that breakthrough recording. It might have dropped a decade ago, but it still sounds fresh as a daisy.

The tour is exciting enough, but Bootleg Rascal will also mark the milestone with the re-release of Psychotica and their 2020 EP Collaborations of Very Isolated Delinquents “19 on one very special split 12” vinyl. They’ll also release a limited edition Psychotica T-shirt. A dollar from every shirt sold will benefit ANTAR, which campaigns for justice in solidarity for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Whether you’re a long-time fan or like me you’re new to the party, I encourage you to slip on Psychotica. While you’re enjoying the sweet funk-soul grooves, grab yourself some tickets to these shows. Bootleg Rascal will play Psychotica in its entirety, as well as some fan favourites, rarities, and new material. Could you ask for anything more? I think not. Get onto it!

8 April 2023 – Sol Bar, Jinibara/Maroochydore
14 April 2023 – The Brightside, Meeanjin/Brisbane
15 April 2023 – Miami Marketta, Yugambeh/Gold Coast
28 April 2023 – The Espy, Naarm/Melbourne
29 April 2023 – Transit Bar, Ngunnawal/Canberra
5 May 2023 – Beach Hotel, Cavanbah/Byron Bay (FREE)
13 May 2023 – The Lady Hampshire, Eora/Sydney
19 May 2023 – The River, Wooditchup/Margaret River
20 May 2023 – Indian Ocean Hotel, Boorloo/Perth
21 May 2023 – Mojo’s, Whadjuk/Fremantle

Image used with permission from Good Intent

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Tiali Gives Me Chills With “Icicles”

If you’ve ever found yourself with the right person, who just isn’t the right person for you, you’re going to love “Icicles,” the new single from Darkinjung Country/Central Coast singer-songwriter Tiali. And even if you haven’t, I think you might find their powerful lyrics and vocals difficult to resist. It’s a slow burner, but when it reaches its powerful crescendo you’ll be so glad you took the ride.

Tiali set the song’s scene, explaining “You’re contemplating your future. You know the world is waiting for you to explore it. You’re in love. He’s classic, he envisions the picket fence. You’re unconventional, you envision anything but. You reflect on this contrast, voice your uncertainty, and go to your old room at your parents’ house to contemplate. He’s shattered. So are you. But the stone-cold wall he’s put up between you is what makes it unbearable. So much so, that it feels as if your internal organs are being penetrated by a million tiny shards of ice – that feeling, is what ‘Icicles’ is about.”

Despite being a fellow Coastie, this is the first time I’ve come across Tiali’s music. This song is so good though, I’ll be watching their socials closely looking out for some local gigs.

Image used with permission from Sony Music Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

RedHook and Sly Withers Join Forces for “Soju”

RedHook have teamed up with Sly Withers for “Soju”, one of the best pop-punk tracks I’ve heard in some time. The message about setting boundaries for yourself is right on point and the song has got such a great energy thanks to the hundreds of RedHook fans from Yerrowah/Shellharbour who also lend their voices. And that’s even before the sax solo kicks in. Saxophone on a pop-punk number? It’s wild, but it works!

“I wrote ‘Soju’ about the perils of being a ‘people pleaser’ and the feelings of frustration and resentment that can boil up when you don’t set healthy boundaries, and allow more assertive personalities to push you around,” explained frontwoman Emmy Mack. “It’s a ‘fuck you’ song, but it’s also simultaneously a ‘fuck me’ song because at the end of the day, it’s up to each of us to prioritise our own needs and not compromise our values to keep the peace. Some people like me just struggle with it a bit harder than others.”

“Soju” comes from RedHook’s highly anticipated debut album Postcard from a Living Hell, which drops on April 21. You can preorder CDs, awesome coloured vinyls, and album bundle packs right now.

Image used with permission from Good Intent

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Eli Greeneyes” EP – Eli Greeneyes

The year might be winding down, but I love that I’m still finding music to get excited about. Boorloo/Perth artist Eli Greeneyes is the latest act I can’t stop listening to. With just five songs, his self-titled EP makes a definitive statement that he’s arrived.

This is one of those EPs that leaves no doubt about the artist’s talent from the get-go. Opening track “Don’t Let Them Know” is as close as you’re going to get to the perfect piece of power pop. The vocals soar and it’s got an epic, cinematic feel. Close your eyes and you can imagine it playing over the credits of a really great coming-of-age movie. “Town of the Living Dead” is a guitar-forward track with a beat that just won’t quit. The current single “Flowers” sits in the middle of the EP. It’s super catchy, as the best singles are, with fabulous lyrics exploring gender roles and ulterior motives in relationships. After delivering upbeat pop-rock bangers in the front-half, the EP’s back-end gives Eli the chance to showcase his sensitive side. “Not Enough” and “People” are both beautiful piano ballads. “Not Enough” has a lush, layered sound while “People” is stripped back, ensuring its lyrics shine through.

As is fitting for a self-titled EP, Eli wrote, produced and mixed the EP. It sounds so polished, but it was created in a home studio in his parents’ spare room. If this is the music Eli Greeneyes makes first time up on a shoestring, I can’t imagine how his music might sound with more time and money behind him.

Eli Greeneyes’ debut EP is out now.

Images used with On the Map PR; main image credit: Ben Matei

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Josh Setterfield Unleashes New Single “Nothing Like Me”

I really appreciate what Josh Setterfield is bringing to the country music scene. We’ve heard country-rock before, but rarely with this much edge and grit. His latest single “Nothing Like Me” is a self-penned banger about self-belief and determination.

“This song goes out to anyone who’s had someone take something from them, felt stepped on, belittled or been sidelined watching their hard work burn or succeed in front of them,” Josh said.

With more dates to be announced, 2023 is set to be a big year for Josh and his fans. He’s already locked in the following festivals, and you can bet there’ll be plenty more opportunities to see him before the year is through.

19 January 2023 – KIX Live in the Park (Tamworth Country Music Festival), Kamilaroi Country/Tamworth (FREE)
20 January 2023 – The Longyard Hotel (Tamworth Country Music Festival), Kamilaroi Country/Tamworth (with Casey Barnes)
15 April 2023 – Meatstock, Gooneburra Country/Toowoomba
22 April 2023 – Gippsland Country Music Festival, Gunai Country/Gippsland

Image used with permission from DWM Entertainment

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Nat Bass Headlines SYNTHONY Shows Around the Country

When you think of seeing a symphony, you probably imagine a night at the Opera House watching people dressed up to the nines playing classical music, right? But SYNTHONY has changed the game, marrying symphonic sounds with some of the hottest dance music around. Add a host of fantastic performers, and you’ve got the recipe for a fabulous night out.

Now in its third incarnation, SYNTHONY will hit some of the best music venues in the capital cities from February next year. These shows will feature Nat Bassingthwaite, Thandi Phoenix, Ilan Kidron from The Potbelleez, Greg Gould, and of course those incredible symphonies taking on music from acts like Disclosure, Eric Prydz, Flume, Daft Punk, and Calvin Harris. Oh, and did I mention the epic light show? It’s like the best dance party you’ll ever attend.

“This show is SYNTHONY all grown up, like a coming of age!” enthused conductor Sarah-Grace Williams, who has been with SYNTHONY since the start. “SYNTHONY no.1 is a bit of a nostalgic trip down memory lane, celebrating 30 years of global dance anthems, SYNTHONY no.2 is a little edgier, we still have a show packed with classics but introduce some more new music as well, and SYNTHONY no.3 takes that one step further – the best of EVERYTHING! I am so incredibly excited to be unleashing Synthony no.3 onto Australian audiences, they are going to love this show! For those who have already seen SYNTHONY 1 and 2, you ain’t seen nothing yet! And for those who have never seen a show – now is the time!”

So what are you waiting for? Tickets are available right now for all these SYTHONY No. 3 shows:

17 February 2023 – Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Naarm/Melbourne (feat. The SYTHONY Orchestra)
17 March 2023 – RAC Arena, Boorloo/Perth (feat. Perth Symphony Orchestra)
25 March 2023 – Riverstage, Meeanjin/Brisbane (feat. Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra)
22 April 2023 – Aware Super Theatre @ ICC, Eora/Sydney (feat. The Metropolitan Orchestra)

Image used with permission from On the Map PR