Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Piper Butcher Releases Fabulous New Single, “Hard Love”

Piper Butcher perfectly encapsulates the ups and downs of relationships with her latest single “Hard Love.” This total bop blurs the boundaries between country, pop, and folk. Piper sounds amazing on it and the lyrics are first-rate. The track was produced by Andy Mak, known for his work with local artists like Morgan Evans, Vera Blue, and Kita Alexander.

“Working with Andy on the production of this song really made me confident in a studio sense: creating my own guitar parts and collaborating on harmony lines that really brand my own sonic,” Piper enthused. “I love discovering new parts of my voice, while still harnessing the belting notes that I’m known for. There’s beauty in the soft and gentle, and that’s really what I’m learning right now.”

Piper has a massive few months ahead. She’ll head to Nashville for the first time to get creative with local songwriters, support fellow Aussie Brad Cox in Aotearoa/New Zealand, and still have time for some local gigs. If she’s playing near you, make sure you get out and support her.

25 July 2025 – Dashville Does the Bowlo @ Bangalow Bowlo, Banjalang Country/Bangalow
26 July 2025 – Dashville on the Road @ Bellingen Showground, Gumbaynggirr Country/Bellingen
27 July 2026 – Dashville on the Road @ Lakes & Ocean Hotel, Minimbah/Forster
27 July 2025 – Stag & Hunter, Burraghihnbihng/Mayfield (supporting Jenny Mitchell)
12 November 2025 – Whammy Bar, Auckland (supporting Brad Cox)
13 November 2025 – James Hay Theatre, Christchurch (supporting Brad Cox)
14 November 2025 – Errick’s, Dunedin (supporting Brad Cox)
15 November 2025 – Croydon Lodge, Gore (supporting Brad Cox)
16 November 2025 – Barmuda, Queenstown (supporting Brad Cox)

Image used with permission from Rock This Country

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Minor Gold Shine Brightly With “Leave a Light On”

Minor Gold, the award-winning collaboration of Aussie Dan Parsons and Canada’s Tracy McNeil, have won my heart with their beautiful new Americana single “Leave a Light On.” It caught my interest early with Dan’s relaxed vocals, but when Tracy joined him on the second verse I was powerless to resist its pull.

If you love this, you won’t be waiting too long to hear more. Minor Gold will release their sophomore album Way to the Sun on July 25. You can preorder a vinyl or CD copy online now.They’ve also got big touring plans including a stack of Aussie shows, so get on to those!

19 July 2025 – Harrison Festival of the Arts @ Beach Stage, Harrison Hot Springs (FREE)
20 July 2025 – Harrison Festival of the Arts @ Beach Stage, Harrison Hot Springs (FREE)
31 July – 2 August 2025 – Mile of Music, Appleton (FREE)
18 September 2025 – Honky Tonk Blues, Walyalup/Fremantle
19 September 2025 – Deanmill Workers Club, Noongar Country/Deanmill (FREE)
20 September 2025 – Karma Llama Lounge, Geegelup/Bridgetown
21 September 2025 – The River Hotel, Wooditchup/Margaret River (FREE)
25 September 2025 – Boyup Brook Hotel, Booyup/Boyup Brook (FREE)
26 September 2025 – Wesley Uniting Church, Kinjarling/Albany
1 October 2025 – Songwriter’s Café, Walyalup/Fremantle
3-5 October 2025 – Dashville Skyline – Cosmic Country Weekender, Wonnarua Country/Lower Belford
10 October 2025 – Junkbar, Kallindarbin/Ashgrove
16 October 2025 – Oodies Café, Taribelang Country/Bundaberg North
17-19 October 2025 – Groundwater Country Music Festival, Kombumerri Country/Broadbeach (FREE)
23 October 2025 – Pearces Creek Hall, Bundjalung Country/Pearces Creek
24-26 October 2025 – Dorrigo Folk & Bluegrass Festival, Gumbaynggirr Country/Dorrigo
31 October 2025 – Stag & Hunter Hotel, Awabakal/Mayfield
2 November 2025 – Butchers Brew Bar, Eora/Dulwich Hill
7 November 2025 – Feather & Drum Hat Co, Dhudhuroa/Yackandandah
8 November 2025 – Blue Tongue Berries, Taungurung Country/Seymour
9 November 2025 – Cranbourne Bowls Club, Mar-ne-bek/Cranbourne
15 November 2025 – Sandy Point Music Club, Gunaikurnai and Bunurong Country/Sandy Point
16 November 2025 – Northcote Social Club, Wurundjeri-willam Country/Northcote
22 November 2025 – Shedshaker Tap Room, Dja Dja Wurrung Country/Castlemaine
28-30 November 2025 – Queenscliff Music Festival, Nherrin-boorwoork/Queenscliff

Photo credit: Lauren Lotz

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Nathan Lamont Shows His Softer Side With “What Comes After”

Nathan Lamont is showing us why there’s so much buzz about his music with the release of “What Comes After.” It’s more vulnerable and tender than the music Nathan’s released in the past. While I love his bops, I’m really resonating with this more emotional material.

“This song was born out of real-life experiences, both ours and those around us. For me personally, it’s deeply tied to moments in my relationship with my wife, moments where we stood right on the edge of walking away,” Nathan said. “It’s about choosing to fight for love when it would be easier to give up. It’s about pushing past the pride, digging into the memories of how it all began, and holding onto the belief that the story isn’t over yet.”

Nathan, who is a proud Wiradjuri man, recently became the first ever First Nations recipient of the CMAA Sister Cities Nashville Exchange. The opportunity will see him connecting with world-renowned producers, songwriters, and industry leaders in the USA’s country music capital. He’s also got a busy couple of months on local soil with the following shows:

31 August 2025 – Gympie Music Muster, Kabi Kabi Country/Gympie
27 September 2025 – Heartbeat of the Hunter @ Tocal Ag. College, Wonnarua Country/Tocal
1 November 2025 – Denman Wine, Food, & Film Affair, Wonnarua Country/Denman
14 November 2025 – Carnival of Cups @ Riverina Paceway, Wiradjuri Country/Wagga Wagga (FREE)

Image used with permission from Wildheart Publicity

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Felicity Releases Relatable New Bop, “I’ll Have What She’s Having”

If you’ve ever listened to your inner saboteur for a little too long, Felicity’s new single “I’ll Have What She’s Having” will resonate with you. The subject matter gets a little dark, but it’s balanced beautifully with Felicity’s upbeat indie-pop sound.

Boorloo/Perth-born but Nashville-based, Felicity co-wrote ‘I’ll Have What He’s Having” with Asia Whiteacre, who’s penned songs for Louis Tomlinson and Hailee Steinfeld, and producer Dan Pallarin.

“Asia, Dan and I had a hell of a good time writing this song. Dan is such a talented guy and everything he was playing on piano sparked a hundred fun pop melodies. Quickly the song started to take shape,” Felicity recalled. “We wrote it to be a love song on the surface but beneath that it’s more about the feeling of being jealous of those who have a healthier, kinder self-image than I seem to have. The main chorus lyric is ‘I’ll have what he’s having, what’s it like to be nice to yourself? I’m just mean, dammit’ and that’s a good synopsis for me as a person but also the song as a whole.”

“I’ll Have What He’s Having” comes from Felicity’s upcoming EP 4PM in the Morning, which she’ll release on August 1.

Image used with permission from beehive

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Selve Breaks the Mould With “Loki Horror Picture Show”

Yugambeh Country/Gold Coast outfit Selve are doing things differently with their latest single “Loki Horror Picture Show.” It’s a campy blend of post-punk, new wave, and indie-pop which namechecks the band’s fabulous frontman, proud Jabirr Jabirr man Loki Liddle. The film clip’s brilliant, but give it a miss if you’re triggered by gun violence.

The band explained that this song examines “the cult of celebrity, the society of the spectacle, and the strange fetishisation of our wildest dreams that we all criticise while still marching on towards them.” It’s also a stone-cold banger.

Selve say “Loki Horror Picture Show” is “the most fun song” on their upcoming album Breaking Into Heaven, which drops on September 12. Before its release, Selve will build anticipation with a show at HOTA with the Australian Session Orchestra, proudly presented by BLEACH* and Experience Gold Coast. There’ll be lasers, immersive visuals featuring First Nations dance company Karul Projects, and stacks more. Tickets for this one-of-a-kind hometown show are on sale now.

Photo credit: James Caswell

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Ziggy Alberts Going Green For Homecoming Shows

If you missed Ziggy Alberts’ Aussie shows earlier this year, or you’re simply ready for another serve, you’ll be happy to learn he’s doing three more massive local concerts before the year ends. These dates will bring Ziggy’s New Love project full circle as he returns to the place where he began promoting this incredible album.

True to Ziggy’s values, the Homecoming shows will promote and champion sustainability via his Green Touring Initiative which focuses on reducing the environmental impact, giving back to local communities, and educating fans on local causes.

“For this tour, we’ll be aiming for no-single use plastic at each show. We’ve done it before, like at Riverstage, where fans even stayed behind to help clean up – it was amazing,” Ziggy enthused. “We’ll also be hosting environmental stalls at each show, and I’m hoping to squeeze in a sneaky beach clean-up to kick it old school. It’s honestly only a small gesture, but it’s important for me.”

Tickets are on sale now for all of Ziggy’s Homecoming shows:

21 November 2025 – Riverstage, Meeanjin/Brisbane
22 November 2025 – Hordern Pavilion, Eora/Sydney
23 November 2025 – Margaret Court Arena, Naarm/Melbourne

Photo credit: Wilzen Crawford

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Nine Days Making First Trip Down Under for Intimate Shows

Nine Days’ recent Aussie tour announcements was probably the year’s most surprising. Despite their track “Absolutely (Story of a Girl)” going gangbusters in this country, the band has never made it Down Under. But they’re righting that wrong this November as they celebrate 25 years of their breakthrough hit and the album that featured it, The Madding Crowd.

“We have been waiting 25 years for this opportunity! Over the years, fans from Australia have reached out to us wanting to know when we were going to make it there to play some shows. Well, now we can finally give them an answer – this November! I collect all the cool things that Sony Records put out for the band, and I always loved the CD single they pressed back in 2000 that had some ‘bonus’ live and unplugged recordings we did in Seattle,” the band’s lead singer John Hampson said. “As far as I can tell, Australia was the only country where these CD singles were sold. For some reason, this fascinated me. This year we celebrate 25 years of The Madding Crowd album, and “Absolutely (Story of a Girl)” and I cannot wait to finally make it down under to hopefully meet some of those people who’ve been waiting for quite a long time to see the band; and if you happen to have one of those CD singles, please bring it with you.”

This tour announcement encouraged to me to dive into Nine Days back catalogue, and I’m pretty impressed. They might be a one-hit wonder, but they’ve released plenty of quality music across eight studio albums. You can look forward to music that celebrates their rich history, including their monster hit, at their intimate East Coast shows. Tickets are on sale now.

13 November 2025 – Croxton Bandroom, Naarm/Melbourne
14 November 2025 – Caringbah Hotel, Eora/Sydney
15 November 2025 – The Back Room, Meeanjin/Brisbane

Image used with permission from beehive

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Jad Pinnone Releases Epic New Single, “Siren of the Rock”

Naarm/Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Jad Pinnone has floored me with his latest single “Siren of the Rock.” With its easy marriage of guitar and vocals that effortlessly flow between an angelic falsetto and gritty lower register, this song reminds me of the music of Jeff Buckley and Matt Corby. However, there’s an original spark here that helps Jad stand out on his own merits.

Jad was inspired to write this song after hearing the Māori story of Pania of the Reef, a tragic tale of an ill-fated romance between a siren and a human.

“The song’s protagonist has a complicated relationship with a beautiful, alluring being and calls out to see if she would come back to him,” Jad explained. “The circumstances that are in place keep the protagonist and the siren from frequenting each other. The characters are deeply in love but ultimately can’t be together.”

“Siren of the Rock” comes from Jad’s debut album Isteria, which we’ll hear later this year.

Photo credit: Ariel Russell

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Mister Co., Ambraya, and More Bring Us “Got My Love”

“Got My Love” is a star-studded collaboration from Mister Co., Ambraya, Ivanka Fernando, Judular, and the HALO Vocal Ensemble. With its elements of soul, funk, and gospel, I know it’s going to give you goosebumps.

“This song is a love letter – not just to each other, but to the voices, the communities, and the spaces in Melbourne that have shaped us,” said Mister Co., who wrote “Got My Love” with Ambraya. “Collaborating with Ambraya and HALO brought a sacred energy to the track. It felt like we were honouring something bigger than ourselves.”

“Got My Love” is the latest track from Mister Co.’s upcoming Homegrown EP, which features a whole range of new collaborations with local artists that highlight the depth of talent in Naarm/Melbourne. Mister Co. will mark its release with a massive launch with Ambraya and other featured artists at The Corner Hotel in Quo-yung/Richmond on August 30.

Image used with permission from Cartel Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The VANNS Release “Accomplice” Ahead of New Album Launch

The VANNS are one of my favourite modern Aussie acts. I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to wrap my ears around their latest single “Accomplice,” but I’m making up for lost time today. It’s fresh rock cut that’s instantly accessible but just a little better with each and every listen.

“‘Accomplice’ is about having the complete support of somebody in life no matter what you’re going through or maybe even putting yourself through,” the band explained. “It’s a hopeful love song dressed up as a quasi-crime story, and vice versa.”

“Accomplice” comes from The VANNS’ third album All That’s In My Head, which is scheduled for release on August 1. Their album launch shows have all sold out, but you can still catch them at Wanderer Festival at Pambula Beach on October 5.

Image used with permission from GYRO PR