Young musicians have it tough. We’ve seen young performers make a splash on reality TV shows time and time again. They’re praised for having talent beyond their years, for being so good for their age, and then they’re soon forgotten about when the next wave of performers turns up. So it’s refreshing to see an artist like Ella Belfanti who has taken the time-honoured route of recording her debut release Going in Circles in her bedroom, then putting in the hard yards delivering it to music outlets like myself.
As a bedroom recording laid down with a two-line input audio, listening to Going in Circles is a very different listening experience than many music lovers are used to. Music has usually been polished within an inch of its life before we consume it. There’s something so refreshing about tuning into music that feels untainted like this.
I was instantly struck by Ella’s sweet voice. Not sugary sweet mind you, but pure and angelic with a commanding presence that draws you in. So do her lyrics. Songs like “Trying Not to Like You” and the irresistibly catchy “All of This” appealed to my inner teen who has never quite gone away. There’s such a quiet strength tempered by vulnerability in “Turn With the Tide” and “Make Up Your Mind.” “Focus” is perhaps the most ambitious song on the release, a haunting ballad that reveals an artist with so much potential. The closing track “Circles” is filled with so much longing, the perfect way to end this EP that explores early love and loss so eloquently.
Going in Circles is a collection of such good, organic folk songs. Songs that aren’t just good for the artist’s age, but good full stop. Ella shows great artistic instincts, building her sound with layered vocals and instruments (she plays everything from the guitar to drums, from flute to pencils tapped together in front of the mic!). Everything is in just the right place.
Remember the name, because Ella Belfanti has a big future ahead of her. Sydneysiders, you can see Ella play songs from Going in Circles at The Gasoline Pony in Marrickville on March 8.
1 March 2017 – Garden of Unearthly Delights, Adelaide
“Sweat Tours was created because I have an intense passion for live music and travel – however, the majority of tour companies in the market today place a heavy emphasis on sightseeing, which means most of the time spent on the tour is in transit. They have never particularly interested me!” explained Sweat Tours founder Eli Akerlund, who is really doing something different with his company.
I’ve had such a busy day, but I couldn’t leave it before congratulating Busby Marou on claiming the number one spot with Postcards from the Shell House. I love this album, as I do everything Busby Marou has released, so I’m thrilled to see the Queensland duo claiming their first number one. It’s a good thing they were representing the Aussies too, because they’re the only local act in the top 10 albums charts.
I’m ashamed to write that Seven Long Years by Aussie expat 
“We wanted this song to sound and feel different to anything we’ve written before,” Callum Byrne explained in a press release. “Darkness is the absence of light, and I feel like it’s a place where we are stretched and refined. With dawn being the first appearance of light, it breathes change. We wanted to try and reflect this sentiment both musically and lyrically throughout the song.”
24 February 2017 – Parkwood Tavern, Gold Coast
17 March 2017 – The Spiegeltent, Hobart
There was arguably no better time to be a music fan in Australia than the late 70s, the 80s, and the early 90s. Pub rock was at its peak, with bands like Cold Chisel, The Angels, Men at Work, Australian Crawl, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, Mental as Anything, Rose Tattoo, and stacks more playing around the traps. That heady period is celebrated in the upcoming album The Glory Days of Aussie Pub Rock, Volume 2.