Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Jasmine Rae Hits Back at Critics With “Don’t Do It For the Haters”

Country artist Jasmine Rae seems to get even better with every passing year. She’s losing a little of her sweetness and her vocals are becoming richer and more compelling. If you haven’t heard her music for a few years, her tough new single “Don’t Do It For the Haters” might take you by surprise!

Jasmine was inspired by a copyright lawsuit levelled at her 2017 song “When I Found You.” The negative emails, phone calls, and comments from keyboard warriors took her aback but fuelled a fire inside her.

“Because I was the face of our song, I copped an enormous amount of hate anyway, from all directions. It was a really confronting and confusing time for me,” she admitted. “For a while, I didn’t want to co-write with anyone, didn’t want to put myself out there or be vulnerable and I was questioning everything. People around me actually thought that I would give up…

“I wanted to write something about that whole experience. I initially wrote some very angry songs but this one feels truer. This song is the one that sums up the real lessons learned by that experience and puts a full stop on it for me. It gives me closure.”

This powerful and deeply personal song comes from Jasmine’s brand-new album Lion Side, which drops on July 24.

Image used with permission from Revolutions per Minute

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Luke Howell Goes Solo With “Stuck On You”

Luke Howell is a seasoned musician who got his big break in the X Factor boyband What About Tonight. However, he had much bigger dreams than making manufactured pop. After spending a couple of years in Los Angeles collaborating with top producers and songwriters, he’s back on home soil and making his own music. His long-awaited debut single is “Stuck On You,” a laidback rootsy soul-pop number that takes inspiration from James Bay and Matt Corby.

Luke said the song “came naturally” during a session with local producer Josh Beattie.

“After recording about five songs that day, we came across this punchy bass line that moved us all in different/interesting ways. For what started out as lyrically sad, the groove of the record was anything but that. It evolved into to something magic and we knew that we were on a good path.”

Luke is currently working on an EP of new material that showcases his own sound. If this track is any indication, fans are in for a real treat.

Image used with permission from Footstomp Music

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Leanne Tennant Drops “Record Stores” Single Ahead of Album Launch

Queensland singer-songwriter Leanne Tennant speaks for so many of us in her latest single “Record Stores,” an ode to those special places that are so much more than retail outlets. They’re places where we can find new friends, new sonic connections that make us feel less alone.

“I was dwelling on anything and everything, and began to spiral into a pretty shitty place,” Leanne admitted. “Through the thick of it I walked over to my record player and threw on an album, and within minutes my whole mindset had shifted. I wrote record stores later that day as a reminder of the power and importance of music. We play it at our weddings, we play it at our funerals, it’s the soundtrack to all the important milestones in our lives, and has the ability to instantly change someone’s mindset. It is a powerful thing, and life would be pretty grim without it”.

“Record Stores” comes from Leanne’s new album Happiness is….. which drops this Thursday, July 9. If you love this track and the previous singles, including “Cherry Cola” and “Bring It All Back,” make sure you check out the rest on your favourite streaming service. And if you’re in Cairns, check out her album launch show at Tanks Art Centre on July 31. Tickets are limited due to COVID-19 regulations, so make sure you buy yours from TicketLink soon.

Image used with permission from Footstomp Music

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Waxflower Drops New Single for BLM Charities

Brisbane pop-punk quartet Waxflower is doing its part for racial equality with the release of “Sixteen Floors.” All proceeds from the track will benefit Black Lives Matter and Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service.

You won’t be disappointed supporting the cause with your streams and downloads, because this track is an absolute belter. Waxflower frontman Tristan Higginson drew from his own experience in the aftermath of a relationship.

“’Sixteen Floors’ was written at the end of a relationship, and along with my anxiety and panic disorder I was facing a new kind of sadness, with the backbone of my emotional support system gone,” he explained. “The song served as a vessel for all the negative thoughts and emotions that I wanted to externalise, but couldn’t. I remember that writing session being very fast, and very cathartic.”

Waxflower recently signed with Europe’s Rude Records, home to American Hi-Fi, Blood Youth, The Maine, and heaps more. Something tells me it’s only a matter of time before Waxflower follows in their footsteps and gain a global following.

Image used with permission from Habit Music Co

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Paige Valentine Shows Her Soul With “Pure”

Fremantle singer-songwriter Paige Valentine has floored me with her beautiful new single “Pure.” It’s an exercise in restraint, with sparse synths giving her stunning vocals space to shine. Paige co-wrote the song with her friend and current The Voice contestant Matt Gresham.

“I was beginning to witness a number of friends’ long-term relationships being tested and drew a bit on personal experience, when two people who love each other seem to drift apart chasing different dreams, or going through hardships, or just generally changing as people. Matt already had the chords ready to go, I ad-libbed the first verse and chorus while he was playing guitar. We both knew we were onto something really special and something that really hit a nerve, Matt even asked if I wanted to continue writing it – it was intense,” she recalled. “We finished the song half an hour later … vulnerable, personal, challenging songwriting. I went to Sydney and did some pre-production with Billy Otto, before returning to Fremantle and finishing the single with Dylan Ollivierre (The Money War). ‘Pure’ is about trying to remember why you love someone and wanting to get back to that innocence of when you fell in love.”

Paige has been making waves in her native Western Australia. She’s already been nominated for five WAM awards and been a finalist in the Vanda & Young International Song Competition. Something tells me we’ll see big things from her in the years ahead.

Image used with permission from This Much Talent; credit She is Aphrodite

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Sing Along to Stonefox’s New Indie Pop Stunner, “White Caps”

“White Caps” is no traditional love song, but it tells the start of a story with a happy ending for Stonefox lead singer Jenna Russo. This melodic electro-pop single explores those heady feelings that come when finding someone you click with.

“White Caps is about a relationship where you’re so infatuated with someone that no matter how much they could hurt you, you’re always going to be there for them. When we wrote White Caps, I was falling in love with a girl who had a boyfriend,” Jenna explained. “I did everything I possibly could to show her how I felt, but she had no idea. I was so enthralled, that even though I knew I’d probably get hurt, I wasn’t going to give up. Ironically things ended up great in the end, she’s my girlfriend now.”

“White Caps” gives us our first taste of Stonefox’s next EP As You Fall In, which drops on August 14.

Image used with permission from GYRO PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Wolfpup Gives Me Chills With Emotional New Track, “Empty Lanes”

If you didn’t know better, you might think “Empty Lanes” is Amy Shark’s latest release. However, this brilliant new track is the work of Sydney singer-songwriter Wolfpup. There are certainly some similarities between their vocal tone, an unflinchingly honest approach to songwriting, and willingness to experience with electronic sounds. However, I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all. Amy Shark is a massive star, and with just as much talent Wolfpup might blow up in just the same way.

“I’d spent a year interstate, when I came home, everything had changed. Maybe it was me. Maybe it was the people around me,” she explained of the song’s inspiration. “All my former coworkers had moved into new jobs, my friends had finished their degrees, everyone I knew had gone places. I’m not sure, I think it’s a part of growing up. I couldn’t relate to anyone anymore, I couldn’t share my stories, and I didn’t understand theirs.”

I really dig this song and cannot wait to hear more from Wolfpup.

Image used with permission from the A&R Department

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

TSTY Releases Perfect Pop Single, “Broken”

Perth act TSTY reminds us how pleasurable listening to quality pop can be with their new track “Broken.” This is no fluff; it’s irresistibly catchy with just the right amount of edge. Let’s take a moment to appreciate those vocals from Chezni Watson too. They’re powerful and resist so many of the tricks and trills so many modern pop acts overuse.

Before the pandemic broke, TSTY was playing to packed venues in their hometown. Their live sets caught the eye of local producer Michael Bono, who couldn’t wait to work with them.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with world-renowned musicians from bands such as 5SOS, Twenty One Pilots, Blink 182 and Fall Out Boy, and when I saw these guys play live, I instantly knew they had something special,” he said.

Take a listen to “Broken,” and I’m sure you’ll agree with him. The track comes from TSTY’s recently released EP, Stuck in a Photograph.

Image used with permission from Australian Radio Promotion

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Lamalo Releases Brilliant New Single “Jungle Train”

It can be hard to find your groove on Mondays, but the new track from Sydney-based producers Lamalo should help you out. “Jungle Train” is an exciting new single, complete with ethereal flutes and angelic vocals from Little Green. It’s so original, with elements of jazz and EDM combining in such a unique way.

“’Jungle Train’ is about freedom and empowerment. It’s about feeling trapped in our day to day lives and slowly breaking down the barriers to become the people we really want to be. It’s about realising who we really are and not hiding anymore,” Lamalo explained. “I think that the recent pandemic has also made a lot of people realise what is actually important to them. Having space from our daily routine has helped us discover who we are inside.”

I love how this sounds, but it also makes me wish I could experience it with a sweaty crowd embracing its groove. Lamalo has played with big names like The Kite String Tangle and Midnight Pool Party and wowed crowds at boutique festivals including Rabbits Eat Lettuce and Red Deer Arts and Music Festival. Hopefully it’s not too long before they’re doing all that again soon!

Image used with permission from Good Intent

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Brayden Sibbald Drops Gorgeous New EP, We Can Only Move Forward

I’ve been fangirling over Western Australian singer-songwriter Brayden Sibbald for a while now. Now that his latest EP We Can Only Move Forward has hit streaming services, I couldn’t be more excited. The EP opens with the brand-new single “Afterglow,” which must just be his best track yet.

“I wrote Afterglow during a time last year when I was feeling really unproductive and unmotivated,” Brayden explained. “I realised that it’s okay to cut yourself a bit of slack – you have had achievements and done things in the past that you can be proud of and you will do things like that in the future – that it’s okay to just ‘be’ for a while.”

That’s exactly the kind of message I think many of us need during this crazy pandemic. I know I’m personally feeling distracted and unproductive, but maybe that’s okay for now. I love this track, so I was surprised to hear it almost ended up on the cutting room floor.

“I struggled to find a feel for the song that I liked when I wrote it, and it almost didn’t make the EP,” Brayden admitted. “We almost culled it again in the studio after trying several different versions and making no headway, but once we cracked it it’s become one of my favourite tracks from the record.”

We Can Only Move Forward, featuring “Afterglow,” is on your favourite streaming services now. Give it a listen music lovers! And Western Australians, since you are crushing this COVID-19 thing, make sure you get out and support Brayden when he launches the EP at Clancy’s Fish Pub in Dunsborough on July 25.

Image used with permission from Habit Music Company