Whenever I get a press release about an up-and-coming artist touring, I love to fire up Spotify and listen to their music. If I’m not into it, I won’t write about it. You all deserve better than that. Imagine my surprise when I entered in vaultboy’s name into my search to discover I’d already “liked” one of his songs. As I pressed play on “everything sucks,” it all came back to me. As I type, I’m listening to more of his music and getting incredibly tempted to snap up a couple of tickets to his upcoming shows.
After all, you can guarantee that when he comes back he won’t be playing the intimate bars he’s gracing this time around. He’s generating some serious buzz at the moment. Rolling Stone named him the King of Sad Songs while SiriusXM’s Hits 1 said he was “one to watch.” He’s also notched up more than 250 million streams across all platforms. Nearly 3.5 million people listen to him every month on Spotify and he’s got close to 2 million followers on TikTok.
Which all means that if you want tickets to vaultboy’s first Australian tour, you’d better get onto it when they go on sale on Tuesday at 11 am. They will not last.
Mulubinba/Newcastle-based singer-songwriter Dane Tutty has released a powerful new single, “I don’t want to do this forever.” Like his previous single “Church,” it features Jen Buxton on guest vocals. It’s a little heavier than that track, but the pair deliver it with all the conviction that drew me to the previous release. In a world of music that often gets overproduced, it’s so exciting to hear something that’s so raw and authentic.
“The song’s topic isn’t really that easy to describe,” Dane admitted, “It’s more of a collaboration of feelings and experiences of myself and people around me melted into two minutes and 25 seconds”
“I don’t want to do this forever” comes from Dane’s forthcoming EP, scheduled for release later this year.
Jebediah seem to be aging like a fine wine. I wasn’t always a fan of their earlier material, but their latest track “Motivation” is right up my alley. It comes from the Jebs new album OIKS, their first since 2011, which drops on April 12.
“’Motivation’ was a song that came from the initial in studio jam sessions that kick started the process of recording OIKS,” the band said. “At that stage, we didn’t really know what kind of album we were trying to make. We were simply getting together in a room and making noise and seeing what eventuated. Given that ‘Motivation’ came from these sessions, it’s a very ‘band’ sounding song, as opposed to some of the more experimental stuff that came along later during the recording process. It captures the sound of the band playing in a room together and we tried not to embellish it too much. This song is a bit of a band favourite for sure, so we are obviously excited about it being released as a single before the album appears.”
“The video clip is intended to represent the simplicity of the song and the fact that we were trying to capture the raw sound of the band playing in a room together,” they added. “The video was shot in Melbourne by Arlo Cook who has been following us around with a camera since 2015, taking footage at shows all around Australia. We can’t wait for everyone to hear OIKS soon. It was a labour of love that took us five years to complete, often during extremely turbulent times.”
Jebediah has just played Spring Loaded, but I’d be very surprised if we don’t see a few more show announcements when the album’s released. Until then, turn this new single up!
William Drummond, the bassist for British India, is now making music under a new moniker Heartbeatz. His latest single “Heavyweight” is a really cool indie-rock track which brings the pub scene of Naarm/Melbourne to life with its vivid lyrics. I’m not sure when I last heard such a well-crafted song.
“This is my ode to hospitality,” William explained. “To the unbreakable friendships made, nights that seem to drag on forever and others that disappear in the blink of an eye. To the feelings of stagnation and yearning, to hot blooded heartbreak. To all the people who fight vehemently for us even when we are bringing them down.”
“Heavyweight” comes from the first Heartbeatz album Memory::Loss, which gets released on March 22.
I’m getting so excited about the glut of great pop music coming from local female artists at the moment. “We’re Not Really Strangers,” from Naarm/Melbourne artist POLLY, is the latest to get me buzzing.
“I wrote this song to process that weird feeling when you reconnect with someone from the past that you once knew inside out, and then time passes by, and all of a sudden they’re a stranger again – but like, not really? And you both are awkward and not sure how to navigate the strangers but not really territory,” POLLY explained.
This track is so incredible, it’s hard to believe it’s only POLLY’s second release. Expect to hear big things from this awesome local talent in the coming year.
While his next official studio album is some time away, Matt Joe Gow has dropped a special treat for his fans online. Exclusively available online, The Woodshed Sessions is a beautiful collection of Matt’s best loved songs stripped back to their very essence.
This is a live album with a difference. Instead of recording it in front of an audience, Matt recorded the stripped back, acoustic versions of these songs in the studio in just one take. It’s a brilliant idea. While I love the energy of live recordings, the crowd noise can get distracting and the sound quality is often poor. There’s an energy to these songs too, but that comes from the dynamic between Matt and the members of his long-time band The Dead Leaves. You can feel the chemistry as their voices combine in beautiful three-part harmonies. Hearing the way the vocals sat alongside the piano and strumming of an acoustic guitar, I thought this is what music should be. It’s organic and pure, coming from the soul so naturally, free from studio “enhancements” like autotune and drum machines.
If you’ve listened to Matt’s music before, you know these songs are ripe for this kind of treatment. In acoustic mode, their introspective lyrics and perfect melodies come to the fore. If you’re new to Matt’s music, this compilation of career highlights makes the perfect introduction. It’s really like a greatest hits with a beautiful acoustic twist. I can’t wait to hear new music from Matt, but this release will keep me satisfied until that time comes. I’m going to leave you with this video of “Grand Ambition” from The Woodshed Sessions; check it out and I’m sure you’ll want to discover the rest of the tunes. You’ll find The Woodshed Sessions on all your favourite streaming services. If you’d like to purchase a physical CD copy, head to Matt’s Bandcamp page.
“Say Goodbye” has long been a live favourite for Concrete Gold fans, and now the Cavanbah/Byron Bay act are unleashing it on the public. This is a straight up rocker which manages to celebrate the band’s alternative rock influences while sounding fresh as a daisy.
“’Say Goodbye’ came together after I had been practicing a cover we would often play, called ‘Reptilia’ by ‘The Strokes’,” frontman Cameron Lockwood explained. “The main chorus hook of the song provides a similar rhythm and tonal characteristic used by the popular New York band. The rest of the song was then put together in a demo before finalizing the song with lyrics and structure through pre-production at Red Star Music.”
“Say Goodbye” is the second single from Concrete Gold’s debut album Burning Out, which will drop on March 23rd. They’ll launch the album at Tomcat in Meeanjin/Brisbane on March 30.
The Bad Dad Orchestra have just dropped “Makin’ Me Wild,” the title track from their forthcoming debut studio album, and it’s an absolute banger. Its driving guitars and drums give it a classic rock feel, but then there are those horns and lush backing vocals adding a sprinkling of soul.
Talking about the track, which is a tribute to their late founding member Liam Guthrie Pennicott, frontman Jimi Steele says “A lone wolf’s judgement can be shifted by the pack, sometimes in a good way, but likewise contribute to poor decisions. A sudden whim of wildness and you’ve turned into one of the bunch. We need to sometimes call on our primal instincts, or be tamed. The Wolfpack will undoubtedly decide if it’s let off the leash to run wild.”
You won’t have to wait too long for more new material from these guys, as the Making’ Me Wild album is slated for release later this month. Expect to hear a few more new tracks and old favourite when the Bad Dad Orchestra plays the following shows.
If old time rock and roll is the kind of music that soothes your soul, make sure you get out to this year’s Wanstock. The 2024 promises to be the event’s biggest yet, with internationally acclaimed headliners The Animals playing their final show in the city. Dragon, Ted Mulry Gang, Standing Room Only, Strait Shooters, and Day Dreamers will also take the stage.
“I grew up in that awesome Aussie pub rock era of the 1980s and 90s,” explained event organiser Geoff Wansbrough. “Every pub had bands and the cream rose to the top and we gave the world some great acts. As such, I used to see a lot of bands back in the day, and I still do. Wanstock came about when I was having a birthday a few years ago. I thought I would have a favorite band play. Then I thought: why not have a few of my favorite bands. That, plus the fact that I was a big admirer of the original Woodstock Music Festival, is really how it came about. Each year, I try and make it bigger and better. Now, it consists of a few components: to have two or three of the classic acts from back in the day, to give a some of the emerging talent a chance to play, and to have a cover band playing all our favorites to get everyone partying and dancing. Basically, I put it on to support our local music talent and so we can have a bit of fun while we still can. And this year is really something special with the legendary Animals playing their last ever show in Melbourne.”
Wanstock hits Shoppingtown Hotel in Wurundjeri Country/Doncaster on March 2. Tickets are on sale now from Eventbrite.
Valentine’s Day may be behind us for another year, but I’m a firm believer that you should keep romance alive every day. So on that note, I wanted to bring you Angus & Julia Stone’s latest single “The Wedding Song.” The single is so charming, but then you add in the music video, which features footage from their fans’ weddings … let’s just say it’ll warm even the coldest of hearts.
“‘The Wedding Song’ was originally written for a friend’s wedding years ago. Since then, we’ve been honoured to play it at several friends’ and family’s weddings, including our mum’s, and we received so many requests from fans for a proper recording to use on their special day, so we decided to make that happen,” the siblings shared. “We chose it as the first single from our upcoming record because it’s all about love. The song is a celebration of love and human connection. In a world that can feel disconnected and frightening, we want to share something that reflects the beauty of how humans choose to treat each other, love each other, and make promises to build something beautiful together.”
“The Wedding Song” is the first track lifted from Angus & Julia Stone’s sixth album Cape Forestier, which will be released on May 10. It sees the duo going back to basics with songs that focus on storytelling and simple arrangements. They’ll support its release with the Living Room Sessions tour, a series of intimate shows in beautiful theatres all around the world which let the new music and old favourites shine.
While his next official studio album is some time away, 
