Eora/Sydney-based R&B-pop act Christian Adjeisa has just released a brand new earworm, “RUNNING.” This song is such a bop. While it’ll get you up and dancing, its lyrics also pack a powerful emotional punch.
“‘RUNNING’ is my journey of grappling with heartbreak and search for truth, trying to outrun the haunting memories and painful truths of a failed relationship,” Christian said.
I also love the film clip, directed by Frederick McHenry, which sees Christian working up a sweat in the outback of New South Wales alongside Indigenous locals in Ngemba Country/Brewarrina. The rugged setting is a powerful representation of the emotional barrenness and isolation felt after a break-up. It’s all great stuff which makes me pretty excited to hear more.
Summer might be behind us, but you can certainly imagine the season’s still here listening to the tunes from Eora/Sydney four-piece Jet City Sports Club. On Thursday they’ll drop their sophomore EP Every Single Dream, featuring the current single “Sunny Morning.” Ahead of the EP release, Jet City Sports Club shared their perfect summer playlist with us here at Sounds of Oz. How many of these songs do you have on repeat?
“Skin” – Spacey Jane
This is a song we listened to heaps during the 21/22 summer when we were a bit earlier on in the band’s career. It feels really free and reflects the fun vibes of summer, paired with some really hitting lyrics – it’s the perfect blend.
“I’m Not Sure” – The Grogans
A band we’ve been lucky to play a handful of shows with across NSW, some of the nicest people you’ll meet. This one’s mad for summer as it’s two minutes of in your face rock, which is always welcome on a summer road trip, Grogs just do that sound so well.
“Midnight Sun” – RVG
Can’t overstate how much we love this album as a whole, and this song is just so powerful. We are lucky enough to be playing the Gum Ball festival in April, which RVG are on too. Come on down everyone!
“Kiss Me Aphrodite” – Oscar the Wild
This song makes you nostalgic for a summer romance you may never have even had. A beautifully heartfelt track with some great tempo and rhythm changes throughout that keeps you constantly engaged and wanting more.
“Dose” – STUMPS
While lyrically one of the sadder songs on this list, it just has this bright upbeat feeling with some beautiful instrumentation that makes you want to dance and sing along when that chorus hits.
“Your Side, Forever” – Middle Kids
This song is so perfect for driving in the summertime. The anthemic bridge is transporting. Taking you away from everything stressful.
“Foam” – Royel Otis
Royel Otis’ entire new album is perfect for getting lost in during the warmer months and Foam is the earworm that’ll get you right into it.
“Cassandra” – Cool Sounds
Get yourself a picnic blanket, and listen to this absolute summery loveliness while cloud watching. Nostalgic guitars and washed out dreamy vocals, make for a perfect, summery dream that we return to frequently.
Jet City Sports Club will bring back all the summer vibes when they release their Every Single Dream EP on March 28. Make sure you take a listen and check them out at one of their upcoming shows:
Massive congratulations to Dylan Wright, the nation’s newest Australian Idol. I must admit, I got pretty excited when I saw Dylan walk into the first night of auditions. It might have been the country’s first introduction to Dylan’s music, but long-time readers will be no stranger to Dylan’s talent.
I took the photo above way back in 2018, when he supported Nathan Cavaleri at the Rhythm Hut in Darkinjung Country/Gosford. I was so impressed that I bought his EP, The Long Way Home. Then in 2020, I covered his single “Passing Through” here on Sounds of Oz. It’s been so exciting to see Australia discover what we already knew at Sounds of Oz, that Dylan is the real deal. It’s so thrilling to know the nation has chosen an Idol with a wealth of original material who can really use this platform and launch a successful career.
I’ve also been really excited to see Idol return to it’s former glory this year. The talent has been stellar. I would have been thrilled for most of the top 12 to take the crown. But I’ve also appreciated the format tweaks that have allowed us to see more of the artists than in previous years. Even those eliminated early sang for us more than those who won in previous years, because we heard them through the audition process, group numbers, and eliminations. I’ve always said for artists to have successful careers after any of these reality contests, we need to see them enough times to understand who they are and fall in love with them.
I remember when Idol returned and people said the nation didn’t need another singing contest. Honestly though, I do think we need a singing contest like this, especially when there are so few opportunities for artists to show what they can do on live TV. That goes for both the new talents and more established artists. Unless you’re reading a blog like mine, you probably wouldn’t know Jess Mauboy and Delta Goodrem had new releases. When it’s done right, Australian Idol is good for the country’s music industry. I’m so glad to see it back to its best, and with such a worthy winner. Way to go Dylan!
The days might be getting colder, but it’s always a good time for a little surf rock from Sunset Avenue. Their sophomore single “Do You Feel The Same?” is a fitting follow-up to 2023’s “Change It Up”, a feel-good, high-energy number that brings all the positive vibes with its lyrics about falling in love and enjoying a few bevvies.
“We wrote this song as we thought it’ll relate to many people of all ages and genders as we do or have all once felt love in our lives, right?” explained the band’s lead guitarist Conor Phelan. “Sometimes good, sometimes bad and sometimes you’re unsure hoping the person feels the same about you as you do them.”
Sunset Avenue will play a big headlining show at the Caringbah Hotel in Dharawal Country/Caringbah on April 5. If you’re not down that way, don’t sweat it. I hear they’re looking forward to playing plenty of shows in the near future. Give them a follow on Instagram to learn all about those dates as soon as they drop.
Teen wunderkind Kaiyah Mercedes is back with a gorgeous new single “If We Never Speak Again.” Now 17, Kaiyah shows she’s going from strength to strength since releasing her first album last year.
“‘If We Never Speak Again’ was written as a voicemail to express all my unsaid feelings about another person,” she explained. “I wrote the lyrics about my experiences but couldn’t think of anything for the bridge except a voicemail. This evolved into the chaotic soundscape you hear in the track’s bridge today and symbolises that feeling of helplessness and not knowing if that person will respond or even hear the message at all.”
Kaiyah says that the queer community has “Been a huge part of my self-discovery and as an LGBTQIA+ artist, my songwriting is a pure expression of the growth and confidence in myself to be who I truly am. Although I write sad songs, my aim is to connect with others through my deep and emotional lyrics, with an intent to support others through life’s struggles. I often write about grief, mental health, heartbreak and longing, all very relatable experiences.”
You can see Kaiyah making music at Bonbeach Farmers Market at Bonbeach Primary School, Bunurong Country/Bonbeach, on April 14.
Shotgun Mistress may well be the last of a dying breed, a bunch of (mostly) long-haired rockers with big chords, big sing-along choruses, and big attitude. Their latest single “Shot Down” is a total throwback, but I for one thing this kind of music needs resurrecting.
Shotgun Mistress are red hot right now. They just played Glam Fest alongside absolute rock legends like Slaughter and Vixen frontwoman Janet Gardner and even appeared on The Project. Up next they’ll support Dirty Honey, Audio Reign, and The Poor, headline Wrestlerock, and release their album Kings of the Revolution on June 2. They’ll also head to Japan for a 10-date tour. Don’t worry local fans, they’ll be back before you know it to headline gigs all around the country. Until then, here are all the shows they’ve got locked in:
Born from a one-minute voice note, ioakim’s latest single “alltimefan” is a total bop. I love its upbeat poppy feel and relatable lyrics about infatuation and that natural human tendency to project onto people that turn our heads.
“‘alltimefan’ was the first song I made in LA with Jackson Phillips (Day Wave) in 2022. It is about drawing up a preconceived idea of someone before you have met them,” ioakim explained. “There’s a lot you can know about someone before you meet them in real life so you have a pretty good idea if you’re going to get along. This song ended becoming reality a month or so later. Life is weird”.
When it results in music this good, I’m all for the weird! Something tells me we’ll be hearing a lot more from ioakim in the future.
I’ve held off for as long as I could. As a Eurovision tragic, I always try to wait for the competition to hear the songs. I want them all to be fresh for me. But I caved. I couldn’t help but listen to “One Milkali (One Blood)”, our entry this year from the one and only Electric Fields. I am properly on board. It’s a disco dance banger, but it’s also got a powerful message about connection with the world around us. And how exciting to hear a didge and some native language in our entry! Talk about representation.
“We are buzzed with euphoria at our chance to share this music with the world,” the duo said. “Our music comes from the deepest place in both of us and Eurovision is the most exciting opportunity to bring together our cultures and share the joy of our global connection.”
Make sure you don’t miss Electric Fields doing our country proud when SBS airs the Eurovision Song Contest from May 8 to 12.
As they prepare to release their sixth album, Angus & Julia Stone might just be making some of the best music of their careers. Their music has always been chilled, but sometimes it veered too close to sleepy territory for my taste. With their new music, they’ve definitely got the balance right. Their latest single “Cape Forestier” comes hot on the heels of “The Wedding Song,” and it’s every bit as good.
“‘Cape Forestier’ is about a boat on a journey. I suppose it speaks to the journey we’re all on in our lives—the comings and goings of love, loss, pain, and moving towards new horizons,” they explained. “We spent a lot of our childhood on and in the water. Elements of nature are lyrically and mythically important in our writing. The ebb and flow of tides, the changing cycles—nature so often helps us to understand our inner world. This is a very personal song to us, so we’ve chosen to share some unseen footage in the music video from the start of our time together making music in the living room at home to where we are now.”
“Cape Forestier” is the title track of Angus & Julia Stone’s new album, which drops on May 10. Remember they’re also playing intimate shows around the world to support its release, so if you haven’t already got your tickets, what are you waiting for?
I’m pretty late to The Bad Dad Orchestra party. They’ve been dropping EPs since 2016, but they’d slipped underneath my radar until late last year when they released the fabulous single “Birds of Prey.”“Makin’ Me Wild” came next, and my enthusiasm for the band was in full force. With expectations sky high, I pressed play on their long-awaited debut album, also called Makin’ Me Wild. So often when a band’s set the bar so high with stellar singles, an album falls a little short. Not here. It’s every bit as good as I hoped for.
I shouldn’t have worried though. These guys have been honing their craft for years. They know each other and what they can do together, and they do it so well. Every song sounds like a classic from the first listen. Soul oozes out of every note. Frontman Jimi Steele has one of the best voices I’ve ever heard. Period. The horns section is so tight and punchy. They make me wonder why more bands don’t use one. Every member of the orchestra plays a vital part though. Together they are magic.
A lot of this EP is party music. I found myself grooving in my chair to new favourites like “Soul Survivor” and “Trauma”. Just see if you can resist clapping along to “Callin’ Me Now”. Bad Dad Orchestra excels at this kind of music, but they’re equally capable of slowing things down and delivering heartfelt ballads like the gospel-inspired “Rockin’ My Heart” and the moving closer “Sapphire Sky.” Honestly, it’s all so brilliant.
If there was any doubt, Makin’ Me Wild cements The Bad Dad Orchestra’s reputation as one of the best bands in Australia. This album is brilliant, but something tells me these guys take the energy up a notch when they’re in front of a crowd. Find out for yourself when Bad Dad Orchestra visits your hometown on their album launch tour.
I’m pretty late to