Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Jimmy Barnes Makes Aussie Chart History With “My Criminal Record”

Jimmy Barnes has smashed records this week, becoming the artist with the most number one albums on the ARIA charts in history. His latest album My Criminal Record debuted at number one, becoming his 12th chart-topper. The feat sees him pass Madonna and U2, who both have 11 number ones to their name.

“The songs on this album are really personal because they were inspired by the experiences I had writing and touring my memoirs,” shared Jimmy. “Having this music strike a chord with people therefore feels particularly good. I’m grateful to everyone who’s continued to support me over the years and I’m looking forward to screaming my thanks in person when I get back out on the road shortly.”

He’s coming company with fellow countryman Conrad Sewell’s, whose beautiful debut album Life sits at number eight this week.

Unfortunately there are no Aussies in the top ten singles. In fact, we don’t see an Aussie appearance until Hilltop Hoods, who sit at number 23 with “Exit Sign.” There is so much great Aussie music around at the moment. Start downloading and streaming it people!

Top 10 Albums
1. My Criminal Record – Jimmy Barnes
2. When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? – Billie Eilish
3. Diamonds – Elton John
4. Hurts 2B Human – P!nk
5. Ten – Susan Boyle
6. Rocketman – Cast Recording
7. Aladdin – Soundtrack
8. Life – Conrad Sewell
9. Free Spirit – Khalid
10. She is Coming – Miley Cyrus

Top 10 Singles
1. “Old Town Road” – Little Nas x
2. “I Don’t Care” – Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber
3. “Bad Guy” – Billie Eilish
4. “Someone You Loved” – Lewis Capaldi
5. “Cross Me” – Ed Sheeran feat. Chance the Rapper & PnB Rock
6. “If I Can’t Have You” – Shawn Mendes
7. “Never Really Over” – Katy Perry
8. “3 Nights” – Dominic Fike
9. “SOS” – Avicii feat. Aloe Blacc
10. “Sunflower” – Post Malone & Swae Lee

Image used with permission from Revolutions per Minute

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Graace is Back With “Have Fun at Your Party”

Graace bowled me over with her heartbreakingly honest EP Self Sabotage last year. She’s back with “Have Fun at Your Party,” a track that picks up where she left off with its aching intimacy.

I love the way this track combines electronic and pop influences. But it’s the lyrics and heartfelt delivery that really strike a chord. It’s so vulnerable and raw, everything I loved about her earlier material with perhaps a little extra polish.

“I was ‘dating’ someone when I started writing this. We went a lot of the first few months together trying to deny how we felt about each other, constantly pushing one away then pulling them back,” she explained. “I wanted the listener to picture me drinking all night because I couldn’t stop thinking about them while they were out, because at the end of the day I was head over heels.”

After spending the last month touring in the United Kingdom and Europe, Graace is in fine form. She has several local shows coming up, including a pair of launch shows celebrating her latest single release.

8 June 2019 – Curve Ball @ Carriageworks, Sydney
29 June 2019 – Falcona 10th Birthday @ The Woolstore, Melbourne
4 July 2019 – Wesley Anne, Melbourne (single launch)
6 July 2019 – Low 302, Sydney

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Beautiful Monument Gets us Excited About New Album With Single Release

Melbourne alt-rock act The Beautiful Monument has delivered a delicious taste of their forthcoming new album with the release of their latest single “Stay.”

It’s an epic, yet deeply personal, track which reminds me a little of something we might hear from Paramore or our own Tonight Alive. It explored frontwoman Lizi Blanco’s feelings leaving home for the first time.

“If I hadn’t have moved away from my family, The Beautiful Monument wouldn’t exist. Everything happens for a reason and sometimes it’s hard to understand at the time, but it all ties in and makes sense eventually,” she explained.

“Stay” comes from The Beautiful Monument’s new album I’m the Reaper, which drops on June 28.

Image used with permission from Deathproof PR; credit: Steven Cook

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Party On With Imagine the Rapper’s Latest Cut, “When The Doors are Closed”

Sydney emcee Imagine the Rapper has released your perfect Saturday soundtrack, his vibey new single “When the Doors are Closed.”

Featuring guest vocals from Victorian singer-songwriter Shaun Black, the track has a laid-back party feel that pays a nod to pop, R & B, and hip hop. Imagine the Rapper’s rhymes have a distinctly Aussie flavour that should appeal to local listeners. He says the track was inspired by his stint living and working in a Hunter Valley pub.

“Naturally working in hospitality I felt most relaxed at closing time “When The Doors Are Closed.” As soon as we shut I was out the back by the fire bucket drinking with his mates until the sun came up,” he explained. “The song pretty much sums up that build up to that moment, the story of some mates coming together and enjoying each other’s company over more than a few cold ones and doobie or two.”

“When the Doors are Closed” was conceived and created at the Grow My Music songwriters retreat. What a testament to its benefit for local musical talent!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Prepare to Fall for Cry Club’s “Two Hearts”

Wollongong-via-Melbourne duo Cry Club are back with single number three, “Two Hearts.” The band says it’s the closest thing they’ve written to a love song. I say it’s the best thing they’ve ever released.

“I’d come out of a relationship where I’d ignored so many red flags because I was so desperate for someone to love me! Which is not healthy,” vocalist Heather Riley explained of the song’s inspiration. “I think I was so scared of being alone that I didn’t care. That’s probably the core of the song: this kind of deranged loneliness that makes you so desperate and pathetic for a connection that you stop thinking rationally. You replay it in your head, create imaginary scenarios, think of all the ‘what-if’s – it’s exhausting!”

Cry Club have played big stages over the last 12 months, including the Yours and Owls Festival, Bigsound, and Laneway. Tomorrow night they’ll support Sweater Curse at The Grace Darling in Melbourne. If you’ve got tickets, make sure you turn up early for their set!

Image used with permission from Future Popes; credit: Giulia McGauran

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Grinspoon’s Chemical Hearts Tickets on Sale Now

My Facebook feed is frothing today with friends excited they’ve snapped up tickets for Grinspoon’s Chemical Hearts tour. The shows will be a celebration of everything that makes the Grinners great, with audience faves and hits from their 22-year career.

To celebrate the tour, Grinspoon will release a new vinyl record, Chemical Hearts, on October 11. Sure to be a collector’s item, it will feature many of the songs you can expect to hear at these shows.

Grinspoon will be ably supported on all dates by The Hard Aches, Gooch Palms, and Bugs.

“These concerts will have a very exciting atmos due to the individual scintillating performances by these amazing acts. We’re super excited to be doing this tour,” enthused Phil Jamieson. “We don’t get out much anymore and our last one focused primarily on our first record and this one will take a more broad approach to the little nuggets of songs that came between 1995 and 2013. Sooooooo … long story short. TOUR – CHEMICAL HEARTS – OCTOBER / NOVEMBER ~ ripper time. Ripper bands. Great times. Classic hits.”

Tickets are on sale right now. If the rapturous response to Grinspoon’s last tour was any indication, don’t expect them to hang around for too long. Get onto it music fans!

11 October 2019 – Metropolis, Fremantle (18+)
12 October 2019 – Metro City, Perth (18+)
16 October 2019 – The Forum, Melbourne (18+)
18 October 2019 – UC Refectory, Canberra (18+)
23 October 2019 – Odeon Theatre, Hobart (18+)
26 October 2019 – Entertainment Centre Theatre, Adelaide (ALL AGES)
31 October 2019 – Waves, Wollongong (18+)
1 November 2019 – Entertainment Centre, Newcastle (ALL AGES)
2 November 2019 – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney (ALL AGES)
7 November 2019 – The Star Broadbeach, Gold Coast (18+)
8 November 2019 – The Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane (18+)

Image used with permission from On the Map PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Crystal Cities are Back With “Under the Cold Light of the Moon”

Two years ago Crystal Cities seemed to have it all. Their debut EP Who’s Gonna Save Us Now was released to widespread acclaim, the title track reached number one on the Triple J Unearthed charts within just a few days of its release, and it even earned some airplay on American college radio. Not bad for a recording made in a mate’s Sydney garage!

But then they seemed to fade from view. You’d be forgiven for thinking they got out of the music scene altogether. However, Crystal Cities haven’t been sitting idle. They took the time to create a full-length debut LP they could be proud of, at Abbey Road Studios no less, and they’re ready to share it with the world thanks to inking a global deal with Audio Network. Lead single and title track “Under the Cold Light of the Moon” is a great introduction to the album’s cool indie pop-rock sound.

“The song ‘Under the Cold Light of the Moon’ was inspired by the plight of young North Korean girl Yeonmi Park who escaped North Korea in search of freedom,” explained the band’s vocalist and guitarist Geoff Rana. “After watching her speech, I penned the lyrics, interpreting her story.”

Under the Cold Light of the Moon is available on all your favourite digital platforms.

Image used with permission from the Right Profile

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Bel Woods Releases Stellar Debut Single, “Running”

Sydney indie-pop act Bel Woods has burst onto the local scene with her first single “Running.” It might be her debut, but there’s a confidence in the track that reminds me of classic female-fronted acts like The Pretenders and The Motels.

It’s so interesting to hear how the song evolved too. It started life as a samba ballad, but over the years it’s morphed into the high energy indie-pop track we hear today. It might have been a couple of years in the making, but the song’s narrative about two people drawn to one another against their better judgement is timeless.

“Running” is a really strong start from Bel Woods and hopefully a great sign of things to come for this talented Sydneysider.

Image used with permission from Bel Woods

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Jayden McGrath Defies Expectations With “Conditions”

Alice Springs born, Virginia raised, and now living in Melbourne, Jayden McGrath has been exposed to a wealth of musical influences through his travels. They all come together in his genre-defying new single “Conditions.” It’s a little pop, a little rock, a little R’n’B, with a sprinkling of other elements as well, yet it all comes together so seamlessly.

That catchy, unique sound drew me in, but the song’s inspiration is every bit as fascinating.

“’Conditions’ is a track that came up for me in a rather dark period of my life,” Jayden explained. “After some big changes, I started to question the meaning and purpose of my life. At the time it felt like every step forward sent me two steps back. ‘Conditions’ is a kind of morbid acceptance of everything being dull for me at this point in time. Luckily since then, things have changed!”

Jayden will launch “Conditions” this Friday night, June 7, at The Evelyn in Melbourne.

Image used with permission from On the Map PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Get Swept Away By East Denistone’s “River”

Sydney singer-songwriter East Denistone is back with a beautiful new single, “River.” His first release for 2019 is perfect for the season, an evocative, brooding number with poetic lyrics and a gorgeous interplay of piano and guitar.

“The song itself started off being about the nature of addictive behaviours … over time, it evolved into a song about life choices and consequences,” he explained. “It’s not some complicated, deeply introspective lyrical juggernaut, and I don’t think all music has to be. My hope is that the idea of making undesirable decisions that you might regret later on is a relatable predicament for listeners.”

East Denistone filmed the clip at his parents’ home where he lived most of his life.

“If I did have one thing working in my favour it was the fact that I knew the locale better than any other place in the world,” he admitted. “It’s a weird house too! Different parts were renovated at different times and there was an extension added to it before I was born so there were few funny little different areas of the house to take advantage of.”

This is really special stuff from one of Sydney’s most promising new artists.

Image used with permission from Beehive PR