Aussie expat Wafia planned to release her long-awaited debut album Promised Land this month, but decided to delay its launch after watching the devastation in her new adopted home of Los Angeles. So I thought instead I’d bring you Wafia’s most recent single “Something,” a delicate neo-soul jam that celebrates the headiness of new infatuation.
“I wrote this song after a really really good first kiss,” Wafia shared on Instagram.
Genre-bending Meeanjin/Brisbane band TYDE have made such a strong impression on me with their latest single “Let The Dust Fall.” The song features powerhouse vocals from Ella Belfanti, who shares the horrors of dealing with a medical system that left her feeling at war with her own body. While it draws from very personal experiences, Ella hopes it speaks to anyone who’s felt let down by the healthcare sector.
“This song is about more than just my story – the medical system in its current form causes harm in so many areas by failing to look for root causes and preferencing bandaid solutions with side effects, and it leaves people feeling helpless,” she insisted. “It also leaves people with a lot of frustration and anger and no way to hold anyone accountable for the harm done to them.”
TYDE have a stack of local gigs coming up, so if you’re in Queensland make sure you get along and support them.
Jake Davey is sure to win over mums everywhere with his latest single “Heart Like Yours.” The sweet ballad sees Jake sharing his joy at finding love with a women who’s like his mother in so many ways.
Jake co-wrote the song with Nashville-based talents Lydia Sutherland and Aaron Pollock. It’s another super catchy, super sweet track from this mid-North Coast artist who deftly manages to combine country and pop influences.
As part of the Tamworth Country Music Festival in Kamilaroi Country/Tamworth, Jake will play Moonshiners tonight. Tickets are still available through Oztix.
After The Audreys guitarist and founding member Tristan Goodall passed away in 2022, you might thought the band was done. However, they’re back with a beautiful new song “Secondhand Boots,” their first release since their 2014 album ‘Til My Tears Roll Away. As you might expect with Taasha Coates remaining at the helm, this gorgeous song is worth the wait.
“On our last tour we did a cover of Lonely Girls by Lucinda Williams,” she shared, “and we love the way the track locks into a gentle but driving two-feel and sticks to it throughout the whole song. Our drummer Beej [Barker] would stand at the front and play shaker, something that is surprisingly difficult to do well. So that song became a reference track for us when we were recording ‘Secondhand Boots’ because it was such a fave.”
“I’ve made a lot of bad decisions in my life, but a few years ago I made an absolute doozy,” she added. “This song is about that, and that’s pretty much all I can say without getting sued. They are my boots in the cover art. I bought them in Texas nearly 20 years ago, so they’d have some stories to tell. Sadly, they’re not actually the secondhand boots referred to in the song – those ones I threw away.”
Recording more music as The Audreys has helped Taasha deal with the grief she experienced losing Tristan, who gave his blessing to continue the band without him.
“Losing Tristan really devastated me,” Taasha said. “He’d been my dearest friend for 25 years, but we remember and honour his legacy all the time on stage and in the studio. I’ve been healing through music.”
We won’t need to wait too long to hear more new music, as The Audreys will release their new album Ruin & Repair on March 14. Pre-order it on vinyl now to get a signed copy when it drops. They’re also planning some tour dates, so 2025 looks to be a massive year for fans of The Audreys!
In the 2000s, I missed a lot of the fabulous pop-punk acts America produced. Some like Green Day and Fall Out Boy broke through, but most passed Australia by. Thankfully now we can all make up for lost time with plenty of these acts visiting our shores on monster bills. In March, Philadelphia’s The Wonder Years will join forces with SoCal act Joyce Manor and Naarm/Melbourne up-and-comer Suzi for some killer shows.
“It’s been far too long and we’re extra excited that these are venue shows where we can play full and long sets for y’all,” said The Wonder Years’ frontman Dan “Soupy” Campbell. “Also, to somehow make all of this even more incredible, we get to have Joyce Manor, one of our all-time favourite bands, and Suzi, who have quickly become one of our new favourites, on these shows with us. It’s truly a dream tour in dream places and we hope to see you there.”
Tickets are on sale now, so make sure you get yours!
I was reminded today that Valentine’s Day is only a couple of weeks away. Sure it’s a Hallmark holiday, but any occasion that celebrates love in all its forms isn’t a bad thing in my books. So in that spirit I thought I’d bring you a feel-good pop song this morning. Foley’s “Heartstrings” is an ultra-sweet bop bound to lift you up, whether you’ve got someone special in your life or not!
“‘Heartstrings’ comes from the giddiness of a new flame/lover, wanting to reach and aspire to their perceived greatness even if you’re being a bit blinded by rose-tinted glasses,” Foley said. “The fine line between love and obsession; having an admiration for someone that makes them addictive to you. Hypnotising and stupidly entrancing, you realise that the thought of this person is so powerful to you it’s tearing you apart.”
Now based in Eora/Sydney, Foley wrote the song on a writing getaway back across the ditch.
“We wanted to get out of the city, so brought all our gear over to Auckland’s Waiheke Island for the weekend, and let the location be the extra member of the band – writing freely, letting our moods and the stunning weather dictate the direction of the production and songwriting,” they said. “All four of us connected on some shared experiences of silly, almost risky attraction – where you’re so enamoured with another person that you’ll do anything to gain their favour, even if they’re not super into you! The pulsing synths got us thinking of old ‘80s exercise videos, so there’s some cheeky references to that in the lyrics – and you can really hear the sunshine and infectious energy that was bubbling away in the room that day.”
“Heartstrings” comes from Foley’s forthcoming sophomore album That’s Life, Baby! which they’ll release on February 28. For now you can hear it on my playlist, Sounds of Oz Loves Pop.
It’s been an unseasonably cold, wet week, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me heading back to Avoca Beach Theatre for some more musical fun. I know it seems like I should just move in at this point, but when this incredible venue keeps bringing great acts to my local area it’s hard to resist the tickets!
I really love that Avoca is hosting so many up-and-coming local artists in their outdoor courtyard area. I’d thought these free shows may have only happened on weekends, but sure enough we had NEAV entertaining us on Thursday. I wrote about NEAV’s beautiful voice a few years ago, and I loved seeing how she’s maturing into such an incredible artist. Her set celebrated her original material while giving us a taste of her influences with some choice covers from Talking Heads and Travis. I just wish more people were around to see her set. While the courtyard was full before Jack Jones, just a few of us braved the cold and wind on Thursday night. You can’t control the weather, but I hope Avoca Beach Theatre have NEAV back when conditions are more favourable.
It was toasty warm inside the theatre when Rai Thistlethwayte and Ben Vanderwal took to the stage. I last saw Rai perform solo in 2011 and I must admit I expected more of the same. Thirsty Merc tunes stripped back with Ben taking a supporting role. In hindsight, despite the bandname on the drumkit, that was incredibly naïve. Spotify tells me Rai’s released plenty of solo material and a couple of EPs with Ben. I honestly don’t know how they escaped my attention, but after hearing the music on Thursday night I’ll make a point of diving deeper into it.
I write all this because I’m probably not the only one who hasn’t explored Rai’s less-commercial back catalogue. Thankfully I’m the kind of person who revels in discovering something new, and if I’m doing that at a gig I don’t mind at all. So I wasn’t disappointed that only four Thirsty Merc tracks made the set list and that they weren’t the ultra-successful singles. While I always enjoy them, I’ve probably heard Rai sing “In the Summertime” and “20 Good Reasons” enough times by now. But to hear him play deeper cuts like “DNA” and “Katie Q”? Priceless. However, others might not feel the same.
Rather than focusing on what didn’t make the set, I revelled in the fabulous songs so different to Thirsty Merc. Rai’s love of jazz shone through the extended jam sessions with Ben. I have a feeling the recorded versions are much more concise, but I love watching musicians feeling the music and the energy between them. I’ve always been impressed by Rai’s keyboard skills, and Ben may be one of the greatest drummers I’ve ever seen. It was a joy watching them collaborate.
The show was incredibly loose, and I ate it up. The stories were off-the-wall. We heard music we didn’t expect to hear. I know I’ll never get an instrumental version of the Beverly Hills 90210 theme at a Thirsty Merc show! A great gig should be like that, a moment in time that won’t ever be replicated. Yet those shows are becoming rarer as acts create rigid setlists and deliver rehearsed banter. So while it wasn’t the show I expected, I think that was a happy accident. If I’d known the show was so light on Thirsty Merc material, I may have decided to stay home, and then I would have missed this amazing night of entertainment.
If I’d have had my way, I would have told you about Slowly Slowly’s collaboration with Frank Turner months ago. That way you could have all gotten turned on to it before Frank visited Australia and played some capital city sideshows and slots at Good Things. However, the email came through while I was in New Zealand, and then I had my car accident days after my return, so things came a little … well … slowly. I considered just moving on, but I haven’t been able to get their take on “Show People” out of my head. And there’s so much new music out there, it’s so easy for releases to fall through the cracks. So while you might have already heard it, I thought I’d better share just in case it slipped under your radar.
“Show People” originally appeared on Frank’s most recent album, Undefeated. It was always a great song celebrating life as a touring musician, but it’s gotten an extra special something with the addition of our homegrown talent. Apparently the collab came about when Frank heard Slowly Slowly referenced him in a song. He reached out to frontman Ben Stewart and they became fast friends. So working together was the natural next step.
“I have been a monstrous Frank Turner fan for so many years,” Ben said. “After name checking him in ‘Turn It Around’ (a song from our 2022 record Daisy Chain), Frank reached out and it has now snowballed into me featuring on one his new tracks. Absolutely ecstatic to be able to call him a friend and so happy with how it all turned out – the song has a message I can really relate to. I hope we get to perform it live soon!”
“Slowly Slowly are one of my favourite Australian bands, ever, so when I reached out on a whim to ask if they’d be part of a collaboration, I was blown away when Ben said yes,” Frank added. “He brings such magic to his performance on what is one of the most important tracks from Undefeated, I kind of wish we could use this on the album proper. It’s an honour to have them involved.”
While I couldn’t get this news to you before Frank went home, I can bring it to you just before Slowly Slowly start their own tour to promote their latest album Forgiving Spree, which drops on January 23. They’re wasting no time playing some really cool acoustic shows with Q&A sessions and local festivals, then heading to Europe and the United Kingdom, before coming back home for a few more gigs. Here are all the dates you need!
The weekend is still days away, but you can get in the spirit early listening to “I Won’t Let You Go,” the latest single from Naarm/Melbourne-based producer Younique. In the vein of artists like RÜFÜS DU SOL and Hayden James, this track features soulful vocals from Eamon. I think it beautifully captures the energy and euphoria of a large-scale music festivals. And if, like me, it’s been far too long since you attended one of these events, this single is going to take you back.
“It’s crazy to think that I first connected with Eamon at a gig where he was playing an acoustic set,” Younique said. “I remember thinking, ‘He’d absolutely crush it on a festival track.’ Fast forward a month, and we started working on this record. It was my first time creating an entire song with someone purely online. We spent ages perfecting the drop—I must’ve made 10 different versions, each time sending them to him with excitement. Then my gut told me to let him write the lead melody for the chorus, and I was right. The next file he sent had a world-class hook.”
“I Won’t Let You Go” is one of the most interesting tracks I’ve heard in some time. I’ve added it to my Sounds of Oz Loves Pop playlist, although with its electronic, dance, and soul elements it doesn’t quite fit into that box. I love it when music defies classification though. Whether you’re a fan of classic pop or you’re looking for something a little bit different, check out this song and the rest of the tunes on my Spotify pop playlist.
By now you’re probably back at work after the festive period and slogging through the daily grind. The weekends, and the promise of live gigs, likely feel far too far away. But if you live around Eora/Sydney, they don’t have to be. Every Wednesday night, Metro Social hosts its new residency program, Metro A.i.R (Artists in Residence).
This month, Metro Social is celebrating Country’s Always Been Cool with exciting country stars Raechel Whitchurch tomorrow night, Denvah next Wednesday, and Kiwi artist Jenny Mitchell the Wednesday after that. In February the vibe switches with BNDT MNTN. Timothy Powles, AKA The Bandit, will play shows every week with special guests including the Beauty Queens,
