Mulubinba/Newcastle singer-songwriter Dane Tutty continues to impress me with his heartfelt music. His latest release is “Diamonds/Stay,” a double A-side single with two incredible songs that I know you’ll love as much as I do.
“’Diamonds’ is penned as a letter to my son as he navigated hard times in a relationship,” Dane explained. “And ‘Stay,’ a song written in the wake of one of too many funerals from suicide this year.”
These songs are as impactful as their subject matter suggests. Dane has such a gift for translating his emotions into songs that are both moving and magical. Take a moment to listen to these ones, because they deserve your full attention.
It’s midweek, and I wouldn’t blame you if you’re feeling a little frustrated by some stuff that’s already happened, and the thought that Saturday is still so far away that you’ll probably face a few more challenges before this week’s through. All of that calls for some angsty music. Naarm/Melbourne-based queer artist POLLY delivers it with her latest single “B.I.T.E Me.” POLLY wrote this song to process her heartache after a breakup, but its angsty vocals and lyrics are ideal for sorting through any kind of issues.
“This song really helped the angry, fuck you part of me heal,” she said. “I hope people bop along to this song and also heal some trauma along the way.”
“B.I.T.E Me” comes from POLLY’s EP Daddy Issues, which drops on July 18.
Up-and-coming pop act ixaras will hit the road this morning for her first headlining tour. She’ll stop by the East Coast capitals to promote the release of her fabulous new bop, “DO YOU LIKE GIRLS?”
“’DO YOU LIKE GIRLS?’ is a song that helped me better understand my own sexuality,” ixaras said. “Every time I’ve shared it, whether in a small room or online, the response has been overwhelming. So many people have told me how it helped them feel seen, or helped guide them through their own experiences. That connection means everything. I knew this song needed its own moment.”
Fans can expect an intimate, high-energy show featuring all ixaras’ beloved tracks and some you’ve never heard before. You can almost guarantee she’ll play bigger venues next time around, so make sure you see her playing these small shows while you can.
Walyalup/Fremantle-based artist Anna Schneider casts a spell with her latest single “Bad Dream.” Her sublime vocals bring this “ode to isolation, dread, and the inner landscapes we often try to escape” to life.
“It’s a song about stagnating,” Anna said. “That feeling of being isolated and drowning within the walls of your home, and the debilitating frustration between what is and what could be. Since I was a child, I have always had extremely vivid nightmares, where I can wake up and recount every detail like a cinematic piece. I was often afraid to go to sleep because I felt like I would just be terrorised by my own brain. ‘Bad Dream’ is about that fear of being alone with your thoughts, whether in your dreams or in the monotony of our everyday spaces.”
Stop what you’re doing and let “Bad Dream” wash over you. It’s a stunning song from one of Western Australia’s most exciting up-and-comers.
Eora/Sydney-based alt-punk act SoSo describe themselves as “offensively average,” but take a listen to their latest single “Messed Up” and you’ll soon hear that they’re selling themselves short. It’s a fantastic pop-punk track with a face-melting guitar solo and relatable lyrics about being in the wrong relationship.
“Lyrically, the track is about opening up to someone when you kind of knew deep down that you shouldn’t, then having it thrown back at you by their actions,” frontman Rhys Weeks explained. “The kinda toxic relationship where you’ve created an idea of what your life with that person would look like, rather than seeing the relationship for what it was from the start – and having to mourn not only the end of the relationship, but also the end of whatever future you thought you might have seen for yourself and having to reset your outlook for your future.”
“Messed Up” comes from SoSo’s forthcoming debut album So Much For Second Chances. It’s not out yet, but already the band are predicting big things.
“We’re going to turn heads,” Rhys said. “We’re going to be the band that goes against the grain and pushes back on the traditional way of doing things. By keeping ownership of our music, self-funding and self-promoting our debut LP AND GUARANTEEING a Number 1 Record, we’re convinced that we can show independent bands that you don’t need to sign away your rights to be successful.”
If you want to see SoSo hit number one, you can help them along by pre-ordering So Much For Second Chances for up to 50% off the recommended retail price (depending on your chosen format) from the band’s website.
Image used with permission from Capital Artist Group
Stop what you’re doing and hit that volume button. Naarm/Melbourne-based band One More Weekend are here to rock your face off with their latest single “Aunty Meredith.” It’s an all-out assault on the senses, with chunky guitar chords, arresting vocals, and a hooky chorus you’ll find yourself singing long after the final note.
“This one’s about that thin line between freedom and losing control,” explained One More Weekend’s lead vocalist Connor Dougan. “It’s personal, intense, and we didn’t want to sugarcoat any of it.”
Mission accomplished!
You won’t find this song on Spotify or many of the mainstream streaming services, but you can check it out on Bandcamp, Square, or One More Weekend’s Patreon page, where you’ll get access to all the band’s new material first.
The wild music video for “Aunty Meredith” depicts the highs and horrors of a psychedelic experience gone awry at a music festival. It’s both a literal and metaphorical trip that you won’t quickly forget.
One More Weekend will celebrate the release of “Aunty Meredith” with a massive hometown show at The Catfish on July 12. Shows around the rest of the country will follow really soon, so watch this space!
Canadian-born, Naarm/Melbourne based singer-songwriter Laura Lucas has gotten under my skin with her beautiful new single “The Atlantic.” It’s a gentle folky slow burner that wraps its way around you and doesn’t let go. Give yourself a moment to really listen and let it work its magic.
“This really is a song for my inner child,” she shared. “I found so much healing in writing the lyric ‘I was a kid.’ It’s a simple phrase, but it flicked a switch in my brain and helped me release a lot of misplaced shame.”
“The Atlantic” comes from Laura’s debut album There’s a Place I Go, which we’ll hear on November 14.
Cardboard Cutouts cement their reputation as one of the most exciting new rock acts in the country with the release of their debut album, Politics and Footy Tips. With raw lyrics, honest vocals, and an epic sound, this Jagera, Giabal, and Jarowair Country/Toowoomba-based band checks all the boxes, and then some.
I say and then some, because this is an album that keeps you on your toes. While the band’s name suggests one-dimensionality, they refuse to make a rock album by the numbers. The opening track “Dishy” sets that standard. Dishies and glassies are rarely rock song heroes, but these icons of Aussie pubs get their moment here. The gentle start, more country-folk than indie-rock, is also unexpected. Soon enough the band’s full throttle, but when they do let rip it’s so much more powerful for the contrast to the quiet moments before.
It’s another bold move to bring out singles “My Best Friend” and “Steer” so early in the album, but it speaks to Cardboard Cutout’s faith in these songs. What comes later is far from filler. While other tracks like “A Story of Numbers, Bottles & Anxiety” and the incredible closer “Better Voice” may be unfamiliar to listeners, they’re destined to become new favourites.
Cardboard Cutouts makes the best kind of rock music. There’s no veneer or bravado, just pure heart. They get real about topics like anxiety, self-doubt, self-acceptance, and perseverance, showing vulnerability that’s rare and beautiful. Whether they’re belting out a tune at 11 or stripping their sound back on a bittersweet ballad, listening to this music from Cardboard Cutouts is such a cathartic experience.
Politics and Footy Tips is a fantastic album from a band with such a bright future ahead of them. Cardboard Cutouts will support its release with headlining shows around the country starting in Meeanjin/Brisbane tonight.
It’s been three years since Naarm/Melbourne indie act Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird graced us with new music, but they’ve coming back with some really special tunes. The first is “My Ghost & Its Crawling,” a tender, poetic number that hints at all of the sonic goodness to come.
“‘My Ghost & Its Crawling’ explores the haunting nature of memory, and the forms that significant people assume within our own psyches,” Lachlan Rose, the band’s frontman and songwriter, said. “In some ways I think people from our past live inside us as very real, living, breathing entities. They can be talked with, argued with, listened to and loved, for better or for worse. In my experience, no matter how hard you exorcise those spirits, they can still be heard crawling around in the attics and the garrets and the nooks and in the hallways of your heart. This song is sung from the perspective of such a spirit”.
“My Ghost & Its Crawling” comes from Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird’s forthcoming album Rosewater Crocodile, which drops on July 10. They’ll celebrate its release with a string of local shows. Tickets are on sale now, so get onto it!
I’m always impressed by a quality cover, a rendition that breathes new life into a song and makes a statement all its own. So I’m really digging what country artist Fanny Lumsden has done with Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know.” We’re used to hearing this song as a haunting indie-pop duet with Kimbra, but Fanny’s country-folk version features her live band, The Prawn Stars. It was also produced by Matt Fell, Dan Freeman and Fanny, mixed by Matt Fell, and mastered by William Bowden (who mastered Gotye’s original).
“After doing our own version of ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ on ABC’s Spicks and Specks last year, we started adding it to our live show, and have loved playing around with it so much that we thought it about time we recorded it! It’s the first song that has my whole live touring band on it, and it makes me so happy that each of these people I spend so much time with on the road, brought a little of themselves to the song. We also wanted to feature the harmonies, which are a big thing for us live.”
Fanny and The Prawn Stars are heading to the United Kingdom next month, but they’ll be back before you know it for shows with Paul Kelly and Lucinda Williams.
