The Apartments Announce New Album 

"That’s What the Music is For" Out October 17, 2025

*****

"Tender and joyful while never shaking loose a patina of unspoken, and maybe unexplainable, sorrow... [the songs] carry an ache of indeterminate shape while leaving space for your own ache - which is really quite special."

Bernard Zuel

"An unsung hero of the music world"

Rolling Stone

"Perfectly realised, compelling songs... An instant classic." 

PennyBlack Music

*****

Beloved Australian songwriter Peter Milton Walsh returns with a stunning new chapter in The Apartments' storied catalogue. New album "That’s What the Music is For" will be released worldwide on Friday October 17th through Riley Records/MGM in Australia and in Europe, UK and USA by Talitres. Alongside today's announcement comes the first taste of new music, single 'A Handful of Tomorrow' (watch the video here),

Please read below Peter Milton Walsh's introduction to the new album.

“I’m superstitious. I like to start writing for a new album once the last one’s out and moving around the world, all the time wondering if a song will ever turn up again. After touring Europe with In and Out of the Light, I began writing what evolved into That’s What the Music is For. Each morning, between recording and writing, I would do a little Swedish death cleaning - throwing out old diaries, scraps of paper and notebooks filled with handwriting, address books, photos. Out of this kaleidoscope of images and lines in which the boundaries of the present and the past were blurred, the songs began to appear. Casino Life came first. I write to find out what I’m thinking and my songs know more than I do. Sometimes it takes me a while to work out what they’re telling me. My mind began to fill with people from the past and they would come back, just like happiness does, at unexpected moments. I would see them in the fallen leaves. Why, when walking by the river, did I once again hear “They were my Venice years”? Playing cards at night, how was it that I remembered someone saying, “it’s a casino life...”? As the songs began to accumulate, they carried me in a certain direction. I wanted to write, in part, about people who’ve mattered to me. Some were still around, some were not. Songs are cinema by other means. They can summon up worlds that are lost to us, amplify the colours of the vanished years. Scenes, lives, conversations. Scraps of memory, faces and voices from out of the past. People whose names no one says anymore. I have a mind that inclines steeply towards hopelessness so I’ve always been drawn to people who are the opposite. I looked for the sun in others, with a different kind of energy, who were full of light and hope. The ones who think - if winter comes, can spring be far behind? I understood the gift I’d been given as people like this had moved in and out of my life. I wanted to honour and celebrate them, while there was still time. Sometimes, to let them do in song what they could not do in life - to live. I knew what the world had missed out on. What I missed out on. Whether three or twenty three, as they move through the smoke of memory, they will remain who they were - at that age, in that time and place. Ghosts in the evening of my mind. Sometimes I wanted to call up a world that had disappeared, bring back the years that had these people in them and then I understood: that’s what the music is for.”

The songbook of The Apartments' Peter Milton Walsh is, according to The Paris Review, “... a world of smoke and gin and hazy regrets and horns and strings, like Leonard Cohen covering Sinatra’s In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning—what adult life could feel like, if you were lucky, then unlucky.”

The Apartments work extends over 10 albums and a new Apartments album, "That’s What the Music is For", is scheduled for release by Riley Records | MGM in Australia and in Europe by Talitres on the 17th of October 2025. 

The Apartments began in the spring of 1978 in Brisbane, Australia. That same spring, The Apartments singer/songwriter Peter Milton Walsh also played lead guitar with The Go-Betweens, departing when the band’s deal with Beserkley Records fell through. The Go-

Betweens affectionately commemorated Walsh’s departure with their next single, Don't Let Him Come Back... “Here he comes, with his twelve o’clock junk...who’s that dressed in black? Who’s that in his apartment?” By the end of 1979, The Apartments imploded, and Walsh left Brisbane, relocating to New York in 1982, where he was soon writing songs that would appear on The Apartments first LP, 'the evening visits...and stays for years' for English label Rough Trade in 1985. Described by NME, critic Jane Wilkes - “The Apartments have stunned us to a reverential silence. This album is a pure heart-wrencher and should only be listened to after dark.”—was recorded in London with guest contributions from members of Orange Juice, The Triffids and Everything But the Girl.

So began a run for The Apartments spanning several continents, more than 30 years and 10 albums. The Apartments developed an intense, devoted following throughout Europe and America with the albums that followed the first release, which grew despite the years of exile. The Apartments next single, The Shyest Time, was scooped up by the maestro of American teen movies, John Hughes for his Some Kind of Wonderful movie and remixed by Stephen Hague, producer of the Pet Shop Boys and New Order. As the 1980s came to a close, Walsh returned Australia and recorded The Apartments next album, drift, released to a rapturous reception in Europe. A string of albums followed in quick succession - A Life Full Of Farewells in 1995, fête foraine in 1996 and apart in 1997. UK music magazine MOJO wrote “Taken together, 1985’s the evening visits..., 1993’s drift and 1995’s A Life Full Of Farewell’ constitute the finest, most distinguished catalogue I’ve heard in the past decade or so”.

The run of recordings came to a halt in 1997 when Walsh’s young son was hospitalised with a serious illness. With the death of his son in 1999, Walsh stopped The Apartments with withdrew entirely from public life and performance for ten years. In March 2022, Paris Match published a profile on Peter Milton Walsh and The Apartments, in which Walsh spoke about the reasons for his withdrawal from the world of music back in 1999.

Since 2009, Peter Milton Walsh has toured Australia, France, Italy, Germany, UK, USA and Portugal. Seven Songs was recorded by the 2012 seven-piece touring band for Vincent Théval’s Label Pop program on France Musique and released on vinyl for the 2013 Disquaire Day. 2015 became a tale of two cities for The Apartments with, in New York, Brooklyn label Captured Tracks releasing an expanded deluxe reissue of the evening visits... while in Paris, The Apartments first new album in 18 years, No Song, No Spell, No Madrigal, was released. By year’s end, influential French music magazine Magic named No Song, No Spell, No Madrigal #1 Album of The Year.

2019 saw a new LP, Live at L’Ubu, a live show filmed for French television released for Record Store Day in Europe, the UK, USA, Canada and Australia. In and Out of the Light was released in 2021, having been recorded in Sydney with Tim Kevin producing and featuring French, English and Australian players. 

Forthcoming album "That’s What the Music is For",was recorded in Sydney with producer Tim Kevin who worked with Peter Milton Walsh for the much-lauded 2021 album In and Out of the Light. Working closely with Tim Kevin - in between shows which took him from Marseilles to Mexico City, Sydney to San Francisco, London to Lisbon and more - Walsh began recording in 2023 and the album includes contributions from Australian and French musicians. As with previous albums by The Apartments, That’s What the Music is For is a cycle of eight songs that speak to one another to tell the album’s story. Talking about That’s What the Music is For, he said “Since I didn’t go into the studio with an album ready set of songs, but instead took pieces in to record as soon as they were written and worked on the music in the studio whenever it was available, it wasn’t clear that I’d get to that rainbow’s end - a world of songs that feel like they belong together: an album. Yet, over the course of recording and as the songs gathered with one another, they began to reveal a story about time - of how past and present so often trade places and that in music and in memory, the people who have gone keep moving in and out of our lives—where can they live now, except in song? We will be saying goodbye to them in bits and pieces for the rest of our lives.”

*****

Past praise for The Apartments;

"Walsh's delicate acoustic guitar is colored in with warm trumpet and backing vocals" - Brookyln Vegan

"It’s not just classic Apartments, it’s classic songwriting, with the hopeful message wrapped up in keenly observed words and this devastatingly beautiful melody thats soaked in melancholy." - Backseat Mafia

“(...) emotionally profound, and maybe the most moving collection of songs I've heard in years. Untouchably great.” Dave DiMartino - Rolling Stone

"...Played with quiet grace, the eight chamber-pop songs here are alternatively harrowing and redemptive, anchored by loss.” Jon Dale - Uncut

“The Apartments have stunned us to a reverential silence. This

album is a pure heart-wrencher and should only be listened to after dark.” - Jane Wilkes, NME

“Taken together, 1985’s ‘the evening visits...’, 1993’s ‘drift’ and 1995’s ‘A Life Full Of

Farewells’ constitute the finest, most distinguished catalogue I’ve heard in the past decade or so”. - MOJO

*****

The Apartments 'In And Out Of The Light'

In 2015, The Apartments surprised fans by reemerging—after over a decade of silence—with No Song, No Spell, No Madrigal, an album that saw a new audience drawn to The Apartments music. By year’s end, readers and critics of French music magazine Magic named No Song, No Spell, No Madrigal #1 Album of The Year.

Five years later, In and Out of the Light is the highly anticipated album that will once more appeal to existing fans and new ones as well. Listeners will again find themselves reflected in songs which, laced with the light of optimism, speak to situations all of us face and deal with at some point. The Apartments exquisite instrumentation and beautiful harmonies and Peter Milton Walsh’s impressionistic storytelling work together beautifully on In and Out of the Light. Here are eight songs to get lost in—for a day, for a week, for a lifetime.

The Apartments return with their seventh studio album 'In and Out of the Light', which is due out September 18. The songs follow a set of characters who, in the aftermath of loss or simply the changes that turn up in everyone’s lives, have gone looking for some other way to live—and found it. Stories with the texture of this experience float through the intimate, reflective songs on the album.

The album came together in a new way for The Apartments. Recording began in Sydney, at the end of winter of 2019. Working a few hours a day, one or two days a week, the album was finished in the summer, with the final mix completed the day before coronavirus lockdown hit Australia in 2020.

The songs took shape impressionistically across the recording days, with details of melodies, fragments of lyrics and hooks determining the form—a departure from the band’s usual way of building songs upon the a bedrock of bass and drums.

Peter Milton Walsh and bass player Eliot Fish worked with producer Tim Kevin in his Marrickville studio in Sydney, while French Apartments, Natasha Penot and Antoine Chaperon, recorded their parts in various studios in France. English drummer Nick Allum worked in London.

In and Out of the Light features Chris Abrahams from The Necks on piano. The vocal and piano for We Talked Through Till Dawn were recorded live in one take with Peter singing as Chris played piano. They had recorded the popular Apartments song, She Sings to Forget You, in this way before. Miro Bukovsky, who played on No Song, No Spell, No Madrigal, again played flugelhorn and trumpet.

The Apartments exquisite instrumentation and beautiful harmonies and Peter Milton Walsh’s impressionistic storytelling work together beautifully on 'In and Out of the Light'. Here are eight songs to get lost in—for a day, for a week, for a lifetime.

Singing Our Futures & Bad Apples are proud to announce the brand new single from Naomi Diane, 'Same Sky'!

Naomi Diane is stepping into her next sonic chapter, channelling Gavin Turek, Solange and Robyn. These contemporary influences mixed with Naomi's early childhood love for the 70’s and 80’s ala Chic can be heard in within this pop gem. 

Raised on the Dharawal coast to the soundtrack of her mum’s eclectic CD collection, Naarm-based Gamilaroi singer-songwriter Naomi Diane weaves soul, pop, and a splash of disco into her storytelling.

"I feel like I’m on the edge of the unknown, in a really exciting way. This new single ‘Same Sky’ is more mature in sound and soul from my first release, can’t wait to see how my world and new comers receive it."

 Debut single Chasing The Sun(2023), a sun-soaked anthem made to be played out of car windows, down on coastal drives, captured audiences and saw Naomi performing across Naarm venues and at festivals including St Kilda, Port Fairy Folk and Sacred Edge.

Naomi Diane is one of Singing Our Futures 2025 (Vol. 3) mentee's, being mentored by ARIA award winning artist, Karise Eden.

Singing Our Futures is the late UncleArchie Roach AC’s legacy program that mentors emerging talent in songwriting, recording and live performance. The program is led by award-winning independent Australian singer-songwriter, music producer and proud First Nations woman Candice Lorrae.

ARIA award winning artist and co-producer Michael Belsar worked alongside Naomi in the studio on 'Same Sky',adding his genius touch to polish the final mix. 

Naomi speaks of her collaboration with Singing Our Futures; 

"The Singing Our Futures project is a very special and career changing opportunity. Candice works so hard to make magic happen for everyone who moves through this program. You can feel the ancestors guiding us too, especially Uncle Archie. He’s beaming up there!"

Singing Our Futures is a year-long artist development program supporting emerging First Nations artists in launching their music careers. Since its inception in 2021, it’s evolved into an impactful and ever-growing initiative for emerging artists and storytelling that spans genres and generations. Created with Culture is Life, Singing Our Futures was the flagship program of the Archie Roach Foundation. 

The program has evolved into an autonomous mentoring initiative, persistently growing by recognising the fundamental need for First Nations artists. The program builds important connections for young artists within the music industry, with mentees paired with some of the country’s leading First Nations artists and producers.

The late Uncle Archie Roach strongly believed in the power of storytelling through music, and that belief is at the core of this program. It is a supportive environment where every participant feels valued, respected, and heard.

Naomi Diane speaks about the process creating new single 'Same Sky' with the support of Singing Our Futures - 

"I came into the studio with pre-chorus and the phrase ‘we’re not under the same sky’. The core of the story stemmed from an unexpected relationship ending from a few years ago. 

Working with Karise Eden and Candice Lorrae was such a beautiful and empowering experience. They both held space for me to yarn about feelings attached to this time and where I was now.  I initially thought I was going to end up with a sad tune but with a strong feminine nudge, the narrative of Same Sky flipped to ‘look how confident I am and how much I’ve grown and healed’. Part of that healing is also attached to learning more about Country, and at the time I was head deep in Karlie Noon and Krystal De Napoli’s First Knowledges Astronomy: Sky Country book.

Our Old People connected to the sky just as much as the land they walked on. Living in the city means we hardly have access to Sky Country. I hope that this song will take people out into a true dark night more often."

*****

Singing Our Futures has seen emerging artists receive mentorship from some of the country's most prominent artists, including Emily Wurramurra, Dan Sultan, Emma Donovan, Dobby, and Bumpy.

The inaugural mentees, namely Kee'ahn, Kiwat Kennell, Ridzray, Maylene Yinarr, and Madi Colville-Walker, have each created remarkable works through the program. They have not only created stunning music but have also supported and performed alongside each other, sharing their musical journeys, culture, and aspirations for the future of First Nations music.

This endeavor has been made possible with the support of the almighty Bad Apples Records, facilitating the distribution and marketing. 

“We’re proud to team up with Singing Our Futures to help platform the next wave of talented First Nations artists. Carrying forward Uncle Archie Roach’s legacy means continuing to support emerging artists to lead, thrive, and leave their mark. Bad Apples Music is honoured to support and celebrate the voices shaping the future of Australian music.”

- Kelly from Bad Apples

We look forward to continue updating you with the Singing Our Futures program!

Today, we're thrilled to present a new song and video from Elsie Lange, "Heatwave", the lead single from her forthcoming record The Normal Discontents of Living, set for release May 2 through Wing Sing Records.

The Normal Discontents of Living is a seven-track collection that marks a bold step forward for Elsie Lange, showcasing her most turbulent and direct song-writing yet. Drawing inspiration from Elena Ferrante, the album’s title reflects a deep dive into the chaos of human emotion – fury, regret, love, grief and self-doubt. 

The record is led by "Heatwave", out today alongside its visual accompaniment directed by Eremaya Albrecht, who explains: "I usually work with analogue photography, and I love the familiar feel of the grain and grit of a handheld camcorder. Thrown together on a particularly hot and sweaty day, the music video is a reflection of Elsie’s lyrics, the heat, nostalgia, and imagery, rendered in a heatwave of home". 

Having both grown up in Alice Springs/Mparntwe, it made sense for Elsie to call on Eremaya to help create a lo-fi ode to landscape, home and family. The music video is shot on Ilparpa range, where Elsie used to sneak away to after school, and where she would play with her family. "Eremaya put all that mischief and magic in the clip, too" says Elsie.

Known for her introspective storytelling, Elsie captures the vulnerability and redemption that come from confronting your own discontent, and invites listeners to explore their own contradictions.

The record features last year's single release "Sally", and follows her 2020 EP Talk To Me, released through Wing Sing Records. The Normal Discontents of Living carries forward her fascination with the places that have shaped her: the wide, arid landscapes of her childhood in Mparntwe/Alice Springs and the city life of Naarm/Melbourne, her home for the past decade. She now resides back in Mparntwe and finalised the record 2000km from its producer, Liam (Snowy) Halliwell, who lives in Naarm.

“This record was recorded over a couple of years. Most of the tracks I worked closely with Snowy as my producer, and on another track, Lost Ground, I worked with Calum Newton (Candy Moore),” Elsie says. “I decided that I wasn’t going to try force the songs to become uniform. I’m not uniform. But I think because of that they highlight the breadth of feeling and inspiration. I chose to create a shorter album because I wanted these seven songs to shine. I love all the instrumentation and clarity Snowy brought to these tracks, he helped make calls I wasn’t sure how to. I feel honoured to have him produce the majority of the songs.”

The tracks feature her longterm collaborators and band mates Alana Wilson (drums), Calum Newton (guitar), with Bridget Chilver and Sam Miles writing the record’s exciting backing vocals and harmonies.

“The beautiful thing is I’ve worked with these people, who are now some of my closest friends, forever. This record belongs also to them - without them they’d still be voice memos,” she says. “These songs, I think, form a body of work that all touch on love, self-love, truth and resolution,” Elsie says. “It feels weird, and exciting, to be setting them free.”

Elsie Lange started piano lessons at six years old, and picked up the guitar near the end of primary school. Her piano teacher taught her how to improvise and write pop music rather than focusing solely on exams and theory, and Elsie looked up to her mother as an incredible singer and songwriter who played in various bands, or solo, through the years. Elsie’s mum taught her Irish lullabies and blasted Bjork and Bob Dylan tapes in the car. 

Elsie moved back to Mparntwe/Alice Springs in mid-2024 to reconnect with the place she grew up after spending a decade living and making music in Naarm/Melbourne. Mparntwe had always felt more like home to her than anywhere else despite deeply loving the music scene and people of Naarm. Having spent most of her teen years dreaming of moving to the city, it felt strange and full circle to come back to the desert again and feel good about it. This record is a culmination of time spent in both cities.

Today on this February 14th, Valentine's Day, marks the release of Geoffrey O'Connor's iconic 4th album 'I Love What We Do'.

The album offers his most collaborative body of work to date. “The album involves more guest musicians than anything I’ve been involved with previously,” says Geoffrey, “including harp, flute, singing saw, cello, viola, violin, choral harmonies and duet vocals. Following my most recent duets-only album, it felt like a good idea to again commit to a new and distinctive sonic palette.”

Check out latest video of Geoffrey performing 'Late To Love' live.

❤️

The collaborative process featured on past records such as 'For As Long As I Can Remember' inspired further artistic unions which now feature on today's release. 'I Love What We Do' features the virtuosic Hank Clifton-Williamson (Sarah Mary Chadwick, Mystery Shopper) on piano, violin and flute, Genevieve Fry (King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard) on harp, Jessica Venables (Jessica Says) on cello, and Emma Kelley on musical saw and violin. Backing vocalists include 80 year old folk/blues legend Margret RoadKnight, as well as Emma Russack (Snowy Band) and Chloe Sanger (Good Morning). He also returns to duet mode on album closer 'It’s Nice To Think' with the inimitable Sarah Mary Chadwick.

The album is dominated by themes of rain, from Geoffrey’s Spy-In-A-Thunderstorm look on the Darren Sylvester-photographed cover, to the atmospheric field recordings that permeate the album. But it’s also Geoffrey’s sunniest record in a long time, at points harking back to the wide-eyed technicolour pop of his much-loved 2000s group Crayon Fields.

'I Love What We Do' sees a few sunbeams piercing through Geoffrey’s usually pensive, reflective, adult-oriented pop “I find rain both exciting and soothing - two very different yet complementary feelings,” he says.

“Similarly, the title I Love What We Do makes me think of both the wild and mundane things lovers do. This all feels appropriate for a collection of songs about small moments that feel big.”

In celebration of Geoffrey's album release he will performing 3 album launch shows!

Naarm / Melbourne March 29 at The Auditorium - Tickets Here

Eora / Sydney April 5 at Church Street Studios - Tickets Here

Tarntanya / Adelaide April 19 at Arthur Art Bar - Ticket info here

We implore you to see Geoffrey perform this album live at this limited shows and trust you have enjoyed the Valentine's Day gift that is 'I Love What We Do'.

❤️

Australian electronic music pioneer Ash Wednesday presents "AfterMATH", a stunning long form composition for the Melbourne Town Hall Grand Organ, Moog and electronics.

Ash Wednesday arose as a central figure in the development of Australian synthpop and minimal music throughout the eighties. A founder member of seminal Australian groups Models, JAB, The Metronomes, Crashland, Modern Jazz, Ash also collaborated with Karen Marks, Nina Hagen and the legendary Einstürzende Neubauten.

During the past 10 years Ash has been confronted with the onset of a debilitating ailment known as progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Despite losing control of the right hand side of his body he has been able to utilise the computerised MIDI control capabilities of the gargantuan Melbourne Town Hall Grand Organ to create a groundbreaking self-generating sound work for the instrument.

After a self-imposed hiatus from creative processes, this composition can be considered as being the AfterMATH.

Ash Wednesday Biography

Ash Wednesday is an innovative Australian synth pioneer, beginning his career as a member of self-styled groups - JAB (1976 - 1979) and MODELS (1979 - 1980), where he combined experimental analog synthesizer textures with punk/rock rhythms.

In 1980 - he was to collaborate with JAB / Models manager Karen Marks. He recorded and released an independent solo single, 'Love by Numbers/Boring Instrumental'. He produced 4 songs with Karen including what was to become the retro cult classic Cold Cafe.

Around this point of time he was to join AL WEBB and ANDREW PICOULEAU to complete an experimental recording project THE METRONOMES. They released two singles and two acclaimed albums on Cleopatra records in the 80s, and have since released two more albums in the last ten years.

Concurrently, Wednesday was to collaborate with NUVO BLOC member T.E. POWER on a project titled THEALONIAN MUSIC. Although almost clandestine by nature, this exercise in spontaneous composition was to strongly influence much of Wednesday's attitude to subsequent projects.

He continued experimenting with electronics throughout the 80's with numerous and diverse, but relatively low profile projects - most notably, perhaps, being MODERN JAZZ - an impromptu assemblage of electro-based musicians, performing live on stage to a randomly programmed techno beat, although at this point of time (early 80's) the term 'techno' was yet to be invented!

In 1988, Wednesday was to apply his approach to digital sampling, initially culminating in CRASHLAND! - another very self-styled group of considerable impact and live popularity.

In 1990, Ash contributed keyboards to the live performances and recordings of the iconic Melbourne group The Brotherhood of John Lawrence. From 1992-1997, Wednesday was based in Berlin, where he was a member of the production team for NINA HAGEN's 'Freud Euch/Bee Happy’ album (RCA Deutschland). In 1997, he began working (in a live performance capacity) with the legendary EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN - a position he was to occupy until late 2013. In 1999, Ash returned to Melbourne, Australia where he re-united with ex-CRASHLAND! vocalist LYN GORDON to form THE TINGLER, and in 2014 released The ASH WEDNESDAY EFFECT, an extraordinary live performance audio visual experience and completely improvised 'here and now' presentation.

Brain Drain ran King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizards' first ever own imprint "KGLW", as well as their Gizzverse stores from 2022, and set up p(doom) records in 2024.

Genre defying San Fran indie darlings Deerhoof return to Australia for the first time in over 10 years in support of their new album, “Miracle Level". The nineteenth release in a 30 year history, and their first sung entirely in Japanese, "Miracle Level" is Deerhoof’s mystical manifesto on creativity and trust, its answer to the artificial industries of deception, coercion, and boredom we’re forced to put up with.

With chaotic angular rhythms & sweetly delivered vocals, Deerhoof remind us why they have been a mainstay for 3 decades and a much loved, world renowned spectacular live act. We are thrilled to share that they will be gracing stages around Australia in June.

Few groups in history elevate mood to such singular, smouldering supremacy as the Australian duo of Jonnine Standish and Nigel Yang aka HTRK (or "hate rock" if informed). The duo are marking their 21st anniversary by inviting some of their biggest fans to re-interpret their works as they see fit. Today they share a cut from 2019's Venus In Leo album, "Dream Symbol," which gets re-examined by London's electronic wunderkind, Loraine James, the band's Ghostly labelmate in her Whatever The Weather alias, and a past collaborator with Standish (James' 2019 Nothing EP).

The Bures Band are back with a new single "The Pilot", out now alongside a beautifully shot super 8 video of the band in the studio. Also announced is a national tour which will see the band travel Australia-wide for headline shows alongside performances at Gumball, Panama, Gidge Ridge and Fairbridge festivals.

Melbourne/Naarm artist Canisha's excellent debut EP "Don't Be Scared" is out now via Bad Apples Music.

On the 6 track release, Canisha makes it clear that she is unafraid to lean into her love for pop music. Through varied and rich arrangements, relatable lyricism, and earnest vocal deliveries, Canisha expertly treads the line between familiarity and newness.

Canisha explains; "I chose to have a picture of me when I was a kid as the album cover because I thought it looked cool, but then I thought, what would I tell that kid if I could travel back in time? I would tell her ‘don’t be scared’ - don’t be scared is about growing up, you’re going to go through good times and bad, but you’ll learn to navigate it all"

Including tracks like ‘Take You Home’, ‘Art’ and ‘Nowhere’, this debut release blends pop sensibilities with flecks of soul and R&B flavour – ultimately marked by Canisha’s refreshingly raw sense of lyricism and storytelling.

Australian electro-goth legends The Night Terrors return in ethereal mode with their fourth album, ‘HYPNOTICA - Composition For Theremin And Electronic Music Synthesizer’, set for release on November 3, 2023 via Disdain Records. The album is led by first single "Trance Encounters", which is out today.

Featuring the haunting theremin melodies of Miles Brown alongside Sarah Lim's vintage horror synthesisers, and hypnotic dark wave rhythms, The Night Terrors have earned a reputation as one of Australia’s most unique and original musical acts. They are also one of the only bands in the world to compose and release original music albums featuring theremin as a lead instrument.

Following the success of their celebrated 2014 pipe organ record "Pavor Nocturnus", the band went on hiatus, with Brown releasing two solo albums on legendary UK movie soundtrack label Death Waltz. Now, HYPNOTICA sees The Night Terrors return as an all-electronic duo. Brown is joined once more by synth warrior Sarah Lim to deliver a deeply cinematic album of haunting emotional electronics.

HYPNOTICA spotlights the unique expressive capacities of the theremin, the world's oldest and most mysterious electronic instrument. The eerie disembodied voice of Brown’s gesturally-controlled device takes centre stage here, materialising as a transfixing dramatic lead in an extraordinary otherworld of gothic operatics, dark mesmeric melody and euphoric spectral electro. Heavy narcotic atmospheres bleed into a reverie of cosmic sedative bliss, while the soaring cry of Brown’s theremin evokes an exquisite romantic melancholy and a profound sense of psychic yearning. The result is a breakthrough album which establishes the theremin as a transcendent musical medium for the processing of universal heartbreak and the expression of contemporary existential terror. HYPNOTICA is Brown’s most compelling theremin work to date.

Scale II is the third long player from Melbourne based industrial electronic artist Sow Discord. The next chapter in his ongoing Scale series; Scale II explores dissonance, density, and oppressive atmospheres - combining the gargantuan ominous tones of the Melbourne Town Hall Grand Organ with manipulated field recordings, mutilated samples and hallucinatory electronics. The result is an immersive journey through extremities of dark psychedelia, doom, avant hip hop, deconstructed techno and harsh noise. Sow Discord creates a unique apocalyptic vision on this groundbreaking hybrid release.

David Coen aka Sow Discord is a Melbourne/Naarm-based electronic artist that has been making music and pushing the envelope across an extensive list of projects for two decades. Aside from Sow Discord he is also a part of Doom outfit Whitehorse handling electronics and percussion.

Sow Discord is a cavernous, unrelenting bass-heavy sonic monstrosity that focuses on tension, dissonance, other-worldly textures that crawl under the surface exploring the darkest corners of dub, hip hop and industrial music. Sow Discord also has an extensive catalog of remixes for the likes of The Body, My Disco, Intensive Care, Vacuum and Ploughshare.

We are thrilled to announce Taipan Tiger Girls’ third and final LP 'Live At the Melbourne Town Hall', a hypnotic, cosmic freakout that combines analogue electronics, drums, guitar and the mammoth drones of the Melbourne Town Hall Grand Organ. Alongside the album announcement, they have released 'Side I', the first half of this exhilarating live performance. Recorded live at Melbourne Music Week in 2017 in front of an ecstatic sold out hometown crowd, this record marks the zenith of the short but incendiary career of an extraordinary band. The album will be collaboratively released by Heavy Machinery Records and It Records on the 22nd of September, along with a very special limited edition run of 12" vinyl which is expected to sell out.

An instrumental outfit with a relentless drive to experiment, Taipan Tiger Girls are composer, producer and all-round electric statesman Ollie Olsen (WhirlyWirld / Max Q / NO / Third-Eye / Psy-Harmonics), experimental drummer and synth obsessive Mat Watson (Boredoms BoaDrum / E.S.G / ULMD / Other Places), and feedback guitar droner and organist Lisa MacKinney (Mystic Eyes / Hospital Pass / Super-Luminum). On 'Live At the Melbourne Town Hall' they are joined by very special guest guitarist Bonnie Mercer (Grey Daturas/Hospital Pass/Breathing Shrine) with MacKinney commanding the historic Melbourne Town Hall pipe organ.

Ollie Olsen (The Young Charlatans - with Rowland S. Howard, Whirlywirld, No, Orchestra of Skin and Bone, Hugo Klang, Max Q - with Michael Hutchence, Third-Eye and record label Psy-Harmonics) has been making music for more than four decades. His extensive and critically acclaimed body of work includes early synthesiser compositions, ambient music, pop songs, industrial, post-punk, dance, and soundtracks. Olsen has a long history of experimental collaborations, and has been playing various synthesisers with drummer, percussionist and fellow synth obsessive Mat Watson (Boredoms BoaDrum / E.S.G / ULMD / Other Places) since 2006. Watson’s drumming is individual and unpredictable, effortlessly shifting through complex rhythmic intricacies to ecstatic 4-on-the-floor stompers. This heady mix is complemented by feedback, noise and voluminous drones from the guitar, and on this album, Grand Organ, of Lisa MacKinney (Mystic Eyes / Hospital Pass/ Super Luminum), who has played in a variety of ensembles including rock bands, bass orchestras, guitar orchestras and solo. Special guest Bonnie Mercer (Grey Daturas, Hospital Pass, Breathing Shrine) is an accomplished experimental feed-back guitarist, who has played in numerous ensembles and solo, supporting and collaborating with experimental musicians from all over the world.

We're thrilled to announce the inaugural Independent Music Exchange, a 2-day indie record label market, taking place on Saturday 28 October and Sunday 29 October 2023 at Masaya Reception in Thornbury, Melbourne.

Proudly part of The Eighty-Six festival, the Independent Music Exchange is the first of its kind in Australia - a free, all-ages event that welcomes Australia’s diverse independent record labels to connect directly with the fans and followers that keep them inspired and afloat. The event also aims to foster community between the like-minded risk-taking labels, encouraging collaboration and the sharing of ideas and experience. Often toiling away in the shadows without music industry support, many of these labels are responsible for some of Australia’s most exciting and successful exports.

Michael Kucyk, Independent Music Exchange co-founder explains; “The Independent Music Exchange celebrates the inspiring record labels that have established themselves from grassroots, operating on their own terms while disregarding any rule books, the mainstream and the industry at large. This is an opportunity for our peers to share their successes and failures, while casually hanging out with our compatible audiences. We’ve long watched similar events happening aboard with envy and are proud to finally offer our unique version with the support of The Eighty-Six."

Courtney Barnett has today announced the release of the instrumental album 'End Of The Day', out September 8th 2023 via Milk! Records.

Comprised of 17 seamless improvisations which were originally created as part of score to the documentary 'Anonymous Club', 'End Of The Day' is a meditative, slow-burning and beautiful record, prioritising atmosphere, tone and texture over traditional song structures and melodic hooks. It's a fearless and stunning turn for an artist who built her formidable reputation through profound lyricism and riff-based fireworks.

As a taste of the album to come, Barnett today also releases the first three tracks of the album. Start Somewhere, Life Balance and First Slow are available on all streaming services alongside a visual accompaniment directed by film-maker Claire Marie Vogel.

Barnett today also announces that after 12 magical years, her label Milk! Records will be closing at the end of 2023. Founded in 2012 as a vehicle for the release of Barnett's debut EP, Milk! Records grew to be a label home of dozens of artists, including Jen Cloher, Liz Stringer, East Brunswick All Girls Choir, Loose Tooth, Hachiku, Tiny Ruins, The Finks, Hand Habits, Bachelor, Sleater-Kinney and many others. Under Barnett and Jen Cloher's guidance, the artist-run label provided community for many, releasing over 70 albums, compilations and collaborations. Of the label's closure, Barnett said "It has been one of the great honours of my life to be a part of this incredible community and to work alongside so many amazing artists. Thank you to every single person who has been part of the Milk! Record journey, it wouldn't be the same without you."

In May of 2021, Courtney Barnett and collaborator/producer Stella Mozgawa had just handed in the final masters for Barnett’s third album Things Take Time, Take Time when they met up with filmmaker Danny Cohen in a Melbourne studio. Barnett had been experimenting with new gear, making meditative long-form pieces for an audience of one. Mozgawa had just bought an Oberheim OB6 which became the center-piece of her setup, feeding sounds through a tape echo. And for his part, Cohen had a near-finished documentary, Anonymous Club, a candid portrayal of the travails and hard-fought personal triumphs of Barnett’s ascent to international indie rock adulation. Now, he just needed a score.

As Cohen played the final edit of his film that day, Barnett and Mozgawa improvised with one guiding principle—nothing too maudlin, obvious, or instructive, nothing to tell the future audience how they should be feeling about Barnett’s life onscreen. Anonymous Club offers up a plethora of Barnett’s music, documenting her charged live sets and her start-and-stop-and-search songwriting process. The pieces she and Mozgawa made that day, though, float around the edges of the finished scenes, coloring the proceedings much like the grain of Cohen’s 16mm film. Really, one could watch Anonymous Club and never know that Barnett made extra music for it.

A year passed and Barnett found she liked listening to what they had made in Melbourne, putting it on and existing within its reflective gaze. Might this be more than the instrumental music of a film? She began sorting through the panoply of little instrumentals like amoebic puzzle pieces, figuring out how she might adjust them ever so slightly until they fit together into a complete and compelling picture. Almost everything on the result of that work—a seamless series of 17 instrumental improvisations she now calls End of the Day —stems from the film. But this is soundtrack as sound-art collage, reordering and reframing the past to shape and share a different story about who we have been and what we might become.

Brain Drain was employed by Courtney Barnett to help facilitate the label's last releases in 2023, and effectively navigate the closure of the label with love and professionalism. Viva Milk!

New Zealand born, Melbourne-based Sarah Mary Chadwick has announced her eighth studio record Messages to God due out September 15 on Kill Rock Stars and executive produced by award winning producer, Tony Espie (oracle to The Avalanches). Composed of broad, brightly coloured spiritual strokes, it consists of dramatic retellings of having your heart broken, existing, movement and growth while always meditating on the past. While her three most recent records were drenched in grief, the new collection signals a change; whether profound or momentary, time will tell.

Lead single “Shitty Town” is released today alongside a bold & playful official video, a dramatised love story breakdown played out on the theatrical stage. Resonant keys and flutes shimmer in the backdrop under Chadwick’s coarse vocals and biting, poetic lyricism. Describing it as ‘leaving a place kind of song’, the theme of being an audience to your own story flows into the song’s lyrics. “I watch through the window at my life,” she sings, “It seems to function/but who’s driving/this shitty car?”

Chadwick is a gifted and singular songwriter, uniquely attuned to the minutiae of human emotion, not unlike Phil Eleverum’s work as Mount Eerie and Daniel Johnston’s adventures on tape. A multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, Chadwick’s songs are unsparing, brutal, and absolutely lovely. A prolific visual artist alongside her songwriting, Chadwick’s cover art of this record mirrors the slight alteration in tone; whereas previously, self-portraits of herself alone fronted her releases, now she has pictured herself amongst a group around a piano. Still not looking at peace, but surrounded by people, nonetheless.

Messages to God is a beautifully realised record. It’s not happy but it is funny and optimistic. It is melodramatic, self-serving and generous. Sometimes, from way back in the shitty seats of the theatre, you’re at your closest to god. That’s what this record is like, finding beauty in everyday occurrences. Because it’s there. You just gotta look really hard sometimes. And as Chadwick provides, “Because every day’s just one more day / trying to write messages to god’’.

We here at Brain Drain PR have a solid sister in Rice Is Nice Records.

We handle all of the excellent labels running duties!

Check them out here www.riceisnice.net

DIY OR DIE

“Super Snõõper is great great great and you might find yourself playing it over and over as it gets better and better the more you do.” — Henry Rollins

Snõõper — the Nashville-based DIY punk outfit — announces their debut album, Super Snõõper, out July 14th on Third Man Records, and presents the lead single/video, “Pod.” Snõõper is a band who, in a 33 ⅓ RPM world, make 45 RPM music they play at 78 RPM. They maintain super precise instrumentals and skillfully melodic vocals, even though they’re flooring it almost the entire time. Snõõper doesn’t play fast; they play at the speed of Snõõper. Formed in 2020 by vocalist/visual artist Blair Tramel and guitarist Connor Cummins, Snõõper’s initial 8-track recordings were released on DIY labels. Although not originally intended as a performance project, the duo brought these recordings to life with the additions of Cam Sarrett (drums), Happy Haugen (bass) and Ian Teeple (guitar).

“Snõõper are an adrenalized mix of mutant punk and garage rock, with a little twee and art rock in there as well, all thrown in a blender and set to puree” (Brooklyn Vegan). They are known for their raucous live show which integrates many different artistic mediums — music, video art, puppetry, assemblages, and more — to create a unique experience for each performance. The full band made its live debut in September 2021 and has been touring the world ever since, opening for the likes of Amyl and the Sniffers, Lil Ugly Mane, Snail Mail, and more. As Vinyl Me Please stated about their SXSW 2023 set: “Erupting into a tight set at hyper speed, Snõõper checked every possible box: matching tracksuits, massive stage props, crowd surfing, synchronized movement, big riffage — the vibes were immaculate.”

Super Snõõper was recorded at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville. It follows EPs “Music For Spies” (2020), “Snõõper” (2021), and “Town Topic” (2022), as well as the live album LIVE AT EXIT​/​IN 11​-​23​-​22 released in February. Given the brief glimpses into Snõõper’s music from their 7”s, EPS, and thrilling live performances, one might wonder if the group could hold the line for a full album. The answer is an enthusiastic yes. In the words of Henry Rollins, “Speaking selfishly, I want Snõõper to hurry up and make another album. Super Snõõper is a really cool record.”

This spring, Snõõper will play a handful of shows in the south before embarking on an Australian tour.

Fri. June 16 - Gold Coast, AU @ Vinnies Dive Bar #

Sat. June 17 - Brisbane, AU @ The Bearded Lady #

Thu. June 22 - Wollongong, AU @ La La La’s

Fri. June 23 - Sydney, AU @ Oxford Art Factory #+

Sun. June 25 - Newcastle, AU @ Hamilton Station Hotel

Thu. June 29 - Canberra, AU @ Sideway Bar

Fri. June 30 - Melbourne, AU @ Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar

Sat. July 1 - Melbourne, AU @ Nighthawks %

Sun. July 2 - San Francisco, CA @ Mosswood Meltdown

* w/ Bikini Kill

^ w/ Prison Affair

# w/ Gee Tee

+ w/ RMFC

% w/ Parsnip

Many artists explore the highs and lows of the human experience, but not many can capture these complexities of such experiences with as much depth, nuance and natural ease as Folk Bitch Trio. Today, we are so thrilled to present the newest offering from the extremely talented Naarm/Melbourne based trio. The double single release "Analogue" and "I Heard" is out now, and showcases the expressions of FBT's signature sound, characterised by confessional lyricism, understated instrumentation and lush harmonies.

The poignant lyricism on "Analogue" perfectly articulates what it feels like to be young and crave control. Through a rough collection of directions on what not to do, and some mention of love, dreams and aspirations, "Analogue" comes to the conclusion that despite your best efforts, you’re going to misrepresent yourself and get it wrong anyway. Employing powerful harmonies and a bright sound, in hand with a beat that will push your feet and heart along, "Analogue" serves as a reminder to keep on stumbling forward.

Folk Bitch Trio are a band born out of a mutual love for songwriting, truth, and rocking out. Heide Peverelle, Gracie Sinclaire and Jeanie Pilkington are known for enrapturing audiences around their home city of Naarm/Melbourne with their sensitive and thoughtful arrangements of three part harmonies.

What begun as an casual collaboration between three friends has led the trio to share stages with acts such as King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Julia Jacklin, Courtney Barnett and M.Ward (US), and perform at festivals including Port Fairy Folk Festival, Boogie, Nine Lives, Queenscliff Music Festival and more.

Following the release of their collaborative double single ‘If I Was A Man/Friendly Neighbour’ with Bones & Jones, the two Melbourne bands played a sold out launch at the Northcote Social Club, going on to later present a co-headline tour across Queensland and the Northern Rivers. After making a noteworthy appearance at 2022’s Bigsound showcase, Folk Bitch Trio released their own debut singles 'Lost' and 'Shivers'.

Naretha Williams has announced her sophomore album 'Into Dusk We Fall', set for release May 26 2023 via her own freshly launched label Groundstar Music. The album is led by first single Kairotic, which is out today.

'Into Dusk We Fall' is a brooding, emotive electronic record that pulsates with dramatic flair from start to finish. On the album, Naretha has branched out into new sonic territories while still maintaining the aesthetics from her critically acclaimed debut 'Blak Mass' (2020). With ‘Into Dusk We Fall’, Naretha has pushed herself to amorous results, stirring in new flavours to her original sound. While still focally experimental, half of the album’s tracks feature her newly unveiled singing prowess in a more song structured style.

Naretha began working on the album in early 2021, initially through an arts residency at MESS – Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio. Her approach was to design the basis for the album, utilising the instruments available at the MESS library and incorporating composition and design elements from her own studio practice. Wanting a strong bass voice from the collection, she settled on the OSCar, a 1980s Monophonic/duophonic synthesizer, and performed live with this instrument for MESS at the Bowl. Following this performance, Naretha returned to her own studio to complete the record. Unable to access the MESS Studio due to brutal Melbourne lockdowns, and needing to carve room for new vocals, the basslines were redesigned using soft synths and reimagined for a release format. A Moog Model D however, does appear in the mix of the second track.

During this time, Naretha was geographically separated from her husband and collaborator Cyrus Williams, due to travel bans that were placed worldwide, but more specifically, in Australia. Much of these early collaborations with him were achieved remotely, uploading entire sessions online, and sending edits back and forth. While setting out to create a solid electronic album that was more structured and accessible following ‘Blak Mass’, this work also speaks to staying sane in spite of insurmountable distance, endless unknowns and ultimately an underlying love story.

We're thrilled to announce a very special debut performance from Australian art-wave luminary Karen Marks, taking place on Friday 28 April 2023 at Melbourne Town Hall.

This is a one-off, premiere performance from an extraordinary Australian underground icon, and is absolutely not to be missed. Karen will be joined on the night by her band, which features producer and synth titan Ash Wednesday (performing using the Melbourne Town Hall Grand Organ), Adam Learner (bass; Blue Ruin), Charlie Owen (guitar; Beasts of Bourbon), Mal Kilpatrick (synth; Human Backs) and Rick Hawkins (electronic drums; Grasshole).

Four decades since its domestic release, Karen Marks’ 1981 single Cold Café has finally reaped its deserved international credit to become one of Australia's most recognised minimal wave recordings. Her discography, produced by experimental synthesist Ash Wednesday (The Metronomes, Modern Jazz, Thealonian Music, Einstürzende Neubauten), was officially reissued by Melbourne-based label Efficient Space in 2019, amassing over a million streams and multiple sold out vinyl pressings internationally, while finding fans in Fever Ray, Jarvis Cocker, Deerhunter and Dakota Johnson.

Mona has become the only museum in Australia to house a recording studio. Open now, Frying Pan features an iconic mixing desk alongside a phenomenal array of equipment amid a creative environment like no other, and will welcome artists from lutruwita / Tasmania, Australia and all over the world.

Frying Pan—named for its location (opposite and with views to Frying Pan Island) and many layers of music-related meaning—is led by producer, studio designer and sound engineer Chris Townend. Townend brings unparalleled expertise to his role and has over 30 years experience working alongside musical luminaries such as Portishead, D12, Silverchair, Violent Femmes, Sunn O))), Daniel Johns, Augie March, Tim Finn and Oren Ambarchi, as well as running one of Australia’s most loved recording studios—Big Jesus Burger (BJB).

At Mona, the studio’s centrepiece is the historic REDD.17 console, which lived at Abbey Road Studios, London, from 1958 to 1980. The vintage desk was purchased in 2014 by David Roper (of Crumpler fame) who, along with audio product designer Lukas Glickman, formulated the studio idea and developed it further with Brian Ritchie, Artistic Director of Mona Foma and Music at Mona. When Ritchie presented it to Mona founder David Walsh, David agreed to build this brand new working recording studio in the heart of the museum. Built on Walsh’s long-standing fascination with the creative process, Frying Pan is a living and breathing space to make art—surrounded by art—in real time.

V presents ‘Faithless’ - a mesmerising post-industrial composition for synth, voice, bass, vintage electronics, Mini Pops drum machine, choir, tape manipulation and Melbourne’s extraordinary public sound sculpture: the Federation Bells.

V is a gender non conforming underground Australian / English singer, bassist, synth player, artist, producer and studio engineer. Their music practice was forged in the hardcore and leftist scene in Berlin and later fine tuned in Naarm (Melbourne). With a background in visual arts, V brings a unique and dynamic perspective to their music and live performances and is noted for their engaging live shows.

Meridian Blaze is comprised of four extreme rhythm workouts exploring notions of drum and bass, noise, electro, dark ambient, and industrial techno. Meridian Blaze expands upon the brutal hardware electronic sound of NERVE’s previous output to deftly incorporate the spine-tingling melodic sonorities of Melbourne’s extraordinary public sound sculpture: the Federation Bells. The result is an icily compelling collection of groundbreaking hybrid electroacoustic sound works.

Today, Australia’s prolific atom-splitting polymaths King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard exceed even the most hyperbolic projections and announce the upcoming release of THREE new albums, all set for flight during the month of October via their own KGLW label.

The first to drop will be the Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava, out October 7th. Following that will be Laminated Denim, dropping somewhat unconventionally on October 12th, a Wednesday. Finally, on October 28th the band will release Changes, their fifth album of the year.

Additionally, they have shared a video for one of the songs off the first of this album triumvirat, “Ice V.” This will all be happening during the height of Gizz’s North American Takeover, as the band traverses across the continent playing their largest venues yet, including three shows at Red Rocks Amphitheater (2 of which are sold out) and New York’s Forest Hills Stadium (where Dylan went electric, no less).

As a special treat to those who come and see the band live at some of their biggest shows, limited stock of Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava will be available at their Greek Theatre show in Berkeley, copies of Laminated Denim will be available at Red Rocks, and Changes can be obtained at the Orpheum in New Orleans. Additionally, bundles of all three albums can be pre-ordered here.

Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava

Things move fast in the Gizzverse, and before Stu Mackenzie and his bandmates had even completed work on their recent mammoth double album Omnium Gatherum, they’d started sketching out this next record. Their Omnium Gatherum single “The Dripping Tap” had begun life as a handful of ideas and riffs that had arisen at pre-pandemic soundchecks and demos recorded through lockdown. For this new album, however, the group wouldn’t be bringing in any pre-written songs or ideas; instead, they planned to cook up all the music together in the studio, on the spot. “All we had prepared as we walked into the studio were these seven song titles,” says Mackenzie. “I have a list on my phone of hundreds of possible song titles. I’ll never use most of them, but they’re words and phrases I feel could be digested into King Gizzard-world.” Mackenzie selected seven titles from his list that he felt “had a vibe,” and then attached a beats-per-minute value to each one. Each song would also follow one of the seven modes of the major scale: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian.

Over seven days, the group recorded hours and hours of jams, dedicating a day to each mode and BPM. “Naturally, each day’s jams had a different flavor, because each day was in a different scale and a different BPM,” Mackenzie says. “We’d walk into the studio, set everything up, get a rough tempo going and just jam. No preconceived ideas at all, no concepts, no songs. We’d jam for maybe 45 minutes, and then all swap instruments and start again.” The group ended each day with four-to-five hours of new jams in the can. Mackenzie auditioned those jams after the sessions were done, stitching them together into the songs that feature on the 21st studio album by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava (the initials of the title, IDPLMAL, spell out a mnemonic for the modes). Having assembled full working instrumentals from these jams, Mackenzie and his bandmates began overdubbing flute, organ, percussion and extra guitar over the top. The lyrics, meanwhile, were a group effort. “We had an editable Google Sheet that we were all working on,” says Mackenzie. “Most of the guys in the band wrote a lot of the lyrics, and it was my job to arrange it all and piece it together.”

The result of this radical, experimental creative process is one of the densest, most unpredictable statements from a band whose work always rockets in from unexpected angles accompanied by a wealth of subtext and theorems. But you don’t even need even a passing understanding of those Ancient Greek musical modes to appreciate this adventurous new music.

Laminated Denim

“Laminated Denim is an anagram of Made In Timeland” - Stu Mackenzie

Changes

For half a decade, the sextet has been haunted by one elusive conceptual project that had bested their every attempt (of which there had been several). They first conceived the album back in 2017, a busy year for the group. Within a mere twelve months, they recorded and released five albums of new material, but the band had intended to see out the year with a different album. That album was called Changes, and it’s finally arriving now. “I think of Changes as a song-cycle,” says band-member Stu Mackenzie. “Every song is built around this one chord progression – every track is like a variation on a theme. But I don’t know if we had the musical vocabulary yet to complete the idea at that time. We recorded some of it then, including the version of “Exploding Suns” that’s on the finished album. But when the sessions were over, it just never felt done. It was like this idea that was in our heads, but we just couldn’t reach. We just didn’t know yet how to do what we wanted to do.”

The group abandoned Changes and instead prepared the beguiling Gumboot Soup (the last of five albums the band released in 2017), and were then quickly ensnared by about eight other outlandish ideas that sent them in infinite new directions. But the concept of Changes did not go gently into that good night. “We really have been tinkering with it since then,” Mackenzie adds.

“It’s not necessarily our most complex record, but every little piece and each sound you hear has been thought about a lot,” Mackenzie adds. Indeed, the album has gestated over a fitfully inventive five years. Originally imagined as the group’s fifth album of 2017, it has ended up the fifth album King Gizzard will release in 2022. Coincidences like this, Mackenzie says, wake up the latent numerologist within him. But the album has taught him that projects operate to their own schedules and are ready when they’re ready.

Good things come to those who wait, and the magnificent Changes is worth every one of the 2,628,000 minutes King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard invested in it. Soaked in the warm sonics of 70s R’n’B and guided by simple chord-changes that contain multitudes and rounding out another remarkable year for the group, Changes is a luminous, soft-pop marvel. Come lose yourself in its slow-cooked brilliance.

Before Nirvana. Before Mudhoney, Before the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion…there were - The Scientists.

Formed in Perth in 1978, the punk pop hooks of “Frantic Romantic” & “Last Night” removed them from their hometown to wider acclaim, re-emerging in Sydney with a darker, primitive concoction similar to that of The Stooges, Suicide, Cramps, Gun Club, Sonic Youth and The Birthday Party. What followed were a string of swamp rock classics such as “Atom Bomb Baby”, “Swampland”, “We Had Love” and “Human Jukebox” and a relocation to London before imploding in 1987.

For 20 years the band appeared dormant, until they re-emerged in 2006 for All Tomorrow’s Parties reforming for various tours including the Don’t Look Back Australian tour along with Sonic Youth performing Blood Red River and Daydream Nation respectively.

In 2021, two years after being inducted into the WA Music Hall Of Fame, they released their first studio album in 34 years, “Negativity” making it onto most “top albums for the year” lists.

AND NOW – finally, The Scientists are back – ready to tour that album plus play selections from their back catalogue.

'The Scientists’ powerful brand of deranged swamp-rock will be returning to live stages around AUS in early 2023 for their 'Negativity' tour.

Phoenix Central Park presents Season VII, the latest music programme from Sydney’s most remarkable, state-of-the-art establishment.

Creative Director Beau Neilson says:

“This season is uniquely slanted towards artists who develop their creative practice via mediums other than music — spanning painting, design, photography, or conceptual art. Season VII foregrounds some of the most interesting music projects that teeter on the edge of other disciplines and styles of music performance that we feel are underrepresented by the industry.”

Phoenix Central Park is the singular vision of philanthropist Judith Neilson AM. A collection of one-of-a-kind performance spaces in Sydney, Phoenix Central Park aims to revitalise inner-city neighbourhoods with new cultural beacons that are as bold on the outside as the performances they present within.

As a private philanthropic initiative, Phoenix Cultural Centre places artists at the centre of its vision and, unbeholden to others, promotes genuine artistic risk-taking, unique collaborations and a contemporary narrative.

Simona Castricum launches her first single for 2022, ‘TBC’ on Saturday, August 27 at Northcote Social Club with special guests Lupa J and toyēr. Lifted from the forthcoming album SINK, ‘TBC’ is an energising tale of renewal. After her sell-out seasons of SINK with Carla Zimbler at Arts House and VIVID Sydney don’t miss Simona performing live with her band featuring m8riarchy and Light Transmissions and lighting by Kayzar.

Simona is a musician, DJ, a broadcaster on 3RRR and runs the independent label Trans-Brunswick Express in Naarm/Melbourne. Through underground techno, house, darkwave, and new beat flavours, she has been a regular in Naarm queer music scene for over 20 years. Simona is a two-time nominee for Music Victoria’s Best Electronic Act as a solo artist in 2020 and with SaD in 2021. Simona's third full-length studio album, 2020’s Panic/Desire, debuted at #1 on the AIR 100% Independent Album Chart and was nominated for the 2020 Australian Music Prize.

"Petersham Bowlo has become a great crossroads of cultural, political and social life for our community" - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

This July, the beloved Petersham Bowling Club is celebrating its 125th birthday, as well as 15 of being a completely independent, community managed venue. To celebrate, the club is throwing a Grand Ball on Saturday July 30th. Established in 1896, the Petersham Bowling & Recreation Club (the PBC) is one of the oldest clubs in NSW, with a rich and interesting history.

From 1896 to 2004, the Petersham Bowling Club served its membership well with a focus on bowling. However, by 2004 the club had lost most of its membership due to demographic and cultural changes. This led to a financial spiral downwards and in 2004, the board put out a proposal to demolish the clubhouse and top green to build 17 town houses in its place. The local community banded together, fought, and had it stopped.

In 2006, after the vote went against the old board they resigned en masse and a new board made up wholly of community members took over the club, vowing to protect the open space. None one of the new board bowled, none had run a licensed premises before, none had changed a keg and few had poured a beer. The club building and grounds were in disrepair, it had no paid staff and no viable income - failure was what most predicted. The decision was made to remove the poker machines and make a stand against gambling - and a stage was built in the space that the pokies were.

Creative ways of thinking were used to do things differently - kids were allowed on the greens, sustainable practice was built into every operation of the club, arts - film, music and visual - were incorporated into the fabric. People were given a place where they could enjoy live music - watching it and performing it. Most importantly the club was set up so that different people and different groups could meet each other, intersecting at the bar or the greens.

Against a lot of odds, the PBC has not only survived, but thrived. Now, 15 years on, the PBC is a vibrant, dynamic and creative, poker machine-free community club with a strong commitment to environmental sustainability. The PBC thrives on the efforts of their dedicated volunteer Board, staff and patronage of the local community and visitors from all over the world.

Written, recorded, and produced by June Jones in a small studio apartment during her first year of living alone, Pop Music for Normal Women is an inventive, energetic, intense and amusing journey through eight new pop songs by the singer/songwriter/producer based in so-called Melbourne. The album marks a move away from the slower, more contemplative art pop of Jones’s first two albums, Diana (2019) and Leafcutter (2021) to a more upbeat and playful sound, while retaining the candid emotionality that Jones is known for. Themes of identity, loneliness, connection, illness, and transformation are at the centre of her confessional songwriting on this record. The gravity of these themes – inspired by the singer’s experience as a disabled trans woman – are offset by moments of wry humour, bouncing synths, and anthemic choruses. At various moments on the album, Jones describes some of the things that she is (a gamer, a goblin), things that she has been (an extrovert, a sensitive child), and things that she might become (a hoodie girl, a Kawasaki motorcycle). The singer’s penchant for shapeshifting comes through not only in her imaginative lyrics, but also in the wide variety of sounds and styles found throughout the record, as well as her music career as whole.

We are thrilled to announce 'Rapscallion', the sixth album from The Murlocs, out September 16 2022 distributed via Virgin Australia. The record is led by first single 'Virgin Criminal'.

Rapscallion is a coming-of-age novel in an album form, populated by an outrageous cast of misfit characters: teenage vagabonds and small-time criminals, junkyard dwellers and truck-stop transients. Over the course of 12 hypnotic and volatile rock-and-roll songs, the Melbourne-based five-piece dream up a wildly squalid odyssey partly inspired by frontman Ambrose Kenny-Smith’s own adolescence as a nomadic skate kid. The most magnificently heavy work yet from The Murlocs, the result is an endlessly enthralling album equally steeped in danger and delirium and the wide-eyed romanticism of youth.

We're excited to share the excellent debut single + video from Elizabeth M. Drummond, titled 'Crisis', released through Young Poet.

Getting lost in a window into somebody else's own existential crisis shouldn’t feel as joyful as it’s made to sound in Elizabeth M. Drummond’s sensational first steps as a solo artist. In her aptly named debut single, out today, you’ll find a track that runs on the pure adrenaline that came from her own self-realisations and the honest reactions that followed.

Speaking about the song Drummond says:

“I wrote Crisis when I had moved cities after leaving Little May and a long relationship. I felt like everything I ever identified with had just exploded in front of me. I also realised I had been living on auto-pilot for as long as I could remember, and that I had been ignoring what I actually wanted for my life. At this point, I had started to feel a huge amount of relief and humour in surrendering to the idea that things couldn’t get any worse. In many ways I felt like I had become “no one”, and this started to become liberating. This song marks that time and those feelings for me.”

Teether has been steadily building a cult following in Melbourne, and, beyond that, a reputation as one of Australian hip hop’s most idiosyncratic voices. A slew of releases in the last few years have established his hazy, ethereal universe, floating somewhere between the sounds of Earl Sweatshirt, King Krule and Travis Scott.

Following the nocturnal atmosphere of last year’s DESERT VISUALS - described by NME as, “a poignant meditation on place” - Teether has launched his 2021 with a departure into drill aesthetics on God of Surprises, produced by Melbourne-based beat maker Kuya Neil.

Ben Woods is an artist from Lyttelton, New Zealand. After performing as a member of antipodean indie outfits Wurld Series and Salad Boys, he released his solo debut, PUT, in 2019.

On forthcoming LP Dispeller, the songs here are stronger and the instrumentation stranger. Alongside chopped and screwed vocal contributions from underground hero Alastair Galbraith, Dispeller also features Charlotte Forrester from Womb (Flying Nun), Lucy Hunter (Opposite Sex / Wet Specimen) and Marlon Williams.

While Woods experiments with the disparate and the disharmonious, it is the open heart which elevates his music. His voice holds the physical and spiritual middle; flirting with, but never succumbing to the splendour and turmoil which surround it.

Party Dozen are a 2-piece noise band from Sydney made up of Kirsty Tickle (saxophone) and Jonathan Boulet (percussion and sampler). Since forming in 2017, they have become renowned in Australia for their incendiary live shows, touring and playing with acts such as LIARS, Tropical Fuck Storm and Viagra Boys. Exactly what Party Dozen are is completely up to the listener. Doom. Jazz. Hardcore. Psychedelic. No-wave. Industrial. Although largely instrumental, their sets are punctuated by Kirsty’s unique “singing” style, screaming into the bell of her saxophone which itself goes through a bevy of effects pedals. Intensely independent in everything they do, the duo write, perform and record everything themselves and have released two acclaimed albums on their own label, GRUPO: The Living Man (2017) and Pray For Party Dozen (2020).

Over two decades, HTRK (hate rock) have lived nearly every life. Since emerging rakish and urbane in the early 2000s, they have been enfant terrible rock stars, celebrated pop stars, futurists, nostalgists, studio rats, gig pigs, noise musicians, silence musicians and much more, sometimes shifting shape two or three times before their new guise reveals itself in the form of a record or performance. Amongst it all, their art has remained remarkably resolute in its aims, cataloguing desire, intimacy and spirit like few others.

Comprising Nigel Yang (guitar) and Jonnine Standish (vox), HTRK’s music translates experiences that defy science and emotion: the way the barometric pressure of a room suddenly drops when someone beautiful walks in, or the impossible, visceral physicality of loss.

Popstrangers are Joel Flyger (guitar/vocals), Adam Page (bass) and David Larson (drums), three native New Zealanders who now reside in London.

Popstrangers formed after meeting through mutual friends, with a shared interest in 80's New Zealand punk bands and most importantly, a desire to create music with like-minded people.

After releasing several singles on fabled New Zealand label Flying Nun, Popstrangers delivered their debut album Antipodes in 2013. Recorded in the basement of a 1930's dancehall, Antipodes features dissonant, claustrophobic melodies, anchored by the languid affectations of Flyger's vocals. Sophomore effort Fortuna soon followed in 2014, further developing the band's nuanced, distorted "pop" and released to much critical acclaim.

This pseudo-band’s lo-fi sound incorporates elements of 90’s indie guitar rock, psych, sampling and self-made drum loops creating an aural patchwork of styles that reflect the bands that first inspired him to start pursuing music in the late 90’s, such as Beck, The Flaming Lips and primarily Guided By Voices. In fact, one early incarnation of the lead track dates back to at least 1998 itself.

This here ep, Lousy w/ Love, delivers 6 typically earnest slacker-anthems, offering declarations of love in a variety of forms - unrequited love, love for a newborn child (both of these songs bizarrely written before Danny became a parent himself) and the intensity of love for a cherished friend who’s life ended way too soon. The first song on side B is about a particular friend who passed suddenly in his sleep but the ep itself is dedicated to 6 people in Danny‘s life that knew of the ep’s genesis yet sadly didn’t live to see it’s completion, elevating an already personal project to profound levels.

True to its title, Melbourne-based singer/songwriter Grace Cummings’s sophomore album Storm Queen is a body of work with its own unruly climate, governed only by the singular force of her devastating vocals.

Grace Cummings approaches each track with both exquisite control and unfettered abandon. Storm Queen is set for release on January 14th 2022 via ATO Records / Virgin Music. The record is led by the stunning first single Heaven.

“I wrote Heaven in just about the same time it takes to sing… I heard that you’d always know who the hero was in an old cowboy movie because they’d be wearing a ten gallon Stetson. Heaven might be a person… or a place… or my father or a tiny little caterpillar or the sound of a Kookaburra laughing. The kookaburra is a hero. I am not.” says Grace.

As with her acclaimed full-length debut Refuge Cove—a 2019 release praised by the likes of Pitchfork, who noted that “its nine songs feel like variations on one stark, psychedelic vision”—Storm Queen finds Cummings taking the helm as producer. While her arrangements tend toward a potent minimalism, she enlisted a number of Melbourne musicians to adorn the album with unexpected ornamentation: lush fiddle melodies, spectral theremin tones, the frenetic wail of baritone saxophone. In the recording process, Cummings captured the bulk of Storm Queen’s songs in the first few takes, effectively amplifying the visceral quality of her spellbinding vocal presence (an element she’s brought to the stage in opening for such artists as Weyes Blood, Evan Dando, and J Mascis).

Bones and Jones are a 6-piece rock/pop group based in Melbourne, Australia who released their third album in 2022 titled 'Ginger Gold (Farm Singles)'. They've received national acclaim with this album and have a history of touring alongside A-grade bands like Twin Peaks, The Nude Party, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, The Murlocs, King Stingray and Beans The album is inspired by bands like The Stones, Creedence and many more. They are characterised by their silky blend of swaying drums, roaring lap steel and driven organ which all paint the picture of the immense live sound they are so well known for.

 Bones and Jones latest album ‘Ginger Gold (Farm Singles)’ spans across multiple genres, delving into softer, acoustic sounds in ‘Feel Better Now’ to full band harp driven numbers like ‘No More Worries (oh yeah)’. The band have evolved into a powerhouse that is celebrated for their energetic live performances and profound songwriting and lyricism.

It’s been a decade and it still HURTS!

To celebrate the vinyl reissue of HURTSVILLE from Endless Recordings, Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders will perform two limited capacity theatre shows in Sydney & Melbourne playing their stone-cold classic album from “Beautiful Sound” to “Giving Up The Giving Up”.

After reforming for souled-out shows in Sydney early this year, let Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders take you on a guided tour through the depths of despair and lift you into the great heights of redemption & self actualisation as they revisit HURTSVILLE for the first time since its release in 2011.

Featuring original cast members Kirin J Callinan, Laurence Pike, Donny Benet & Neal Sutherland this is a performance for long time travelers and new arrivals alike.

Melbourne four-piece Partner Look announce their debut LP By The Book out February 4, 2022 via Trouble In Mind and Spunk Records.

Partner Look are a Melbourne-based band made up of German sisters Ambrin (Cool Sounds) and Anila Hasnain (Studio Magic), who are joined by their partners Dainis Lacey (Cool Sounds) and Lachlan Denton (The Ocean Party).

Formed in 2018 to create a silly but heartfelt wedding gift for a family friend in Germany. Partner Look couldn't stop the creativity from flowing and in 2019 they performed for the first time at the Northcote Social Club at the album launch of Lachlan Denton and Emma Russack.

Too Birds' sound has been described as brutal and cryptic. The band blend elements of harsh noise, hip-hop, and industrial metal to create music steeped in fresh originality. Too Birds is the collaborative project of vocalists Teether, Realname, and producer Mr Society. Together, they create fever pitch music, drawing inspiration from an esoteric mix of influences, the final product of which is a musical experience that bends to all extremes.

Too Birds sit at the heart of Melbourne-based artist label and collective X Amount Records. They first found their footing with their 2016 mixtape, ‘Where My Jacket’; 13 tracks of underground rap for larrikins with poor self-esteem. Their debut album, ‘I’m going to die’ dropped in 2017, helping to cement their status in the Australian DIY and metal scene. In the past, they have performed alongside Dregg, Diploid, Slim Set, and Shady Nasty.

Snowy Band is the primary musical project of Melbourne-based musician and songwriter Liam “Snowy” Halliwell (formerly of The Ocean Party and countless other Australian groups over the past decade).

Formed in 2019 with longtime friends and collaborators Emma Russack, Natalie Pavlovic and Dylan Young, Snowy Band worked quickly and consistently throughout their first year in existence - writing, recording and playing their first shows - culminating in the release of their debut LP 12 months on.

We're honoured to be working with City of Melbourne and Heavy Machinery Records on the forthcoming arts program Flash Forward, which will see new work by 40 visual artists and 40 live music premieres presented in 40 of Melbourne's iconic CBD laneways in 2021. The full set of these commissioned original music works will be released on 12” vinyl by Heavy Machinery Records over the coming months.

Corin Ileto works across the fields of performance art, sound design, theatre and club spaces. Her compositions merge traditional forms with hyper-digital sounds to create new imaginary realms. Drawing from a background in classical piano, her live performances encompass technical configurations executed with equal parts emotion and cold precision. CORIN is also a regular monthly host on NTS Radio.

Her latest release ‘Araw’, or ‘sun’ in Tagalog, is a set of five extended compositions that experiment with notions of textural ambience. Following Corin’s more rhythmically pronounced effort ‘Enantiodromia’ on Lee Gamble’s UIQ label. What differs ‘Araw’ from Corin’s recent work is the noticeable paring back of those rhythmic pronouncements. Though the sonic intensity has lessened in one sense, the textural detail that remains is just as striking as before.

These impeccable constructions reveal a side of Corin’s composition and production abilities often hinted at in her prior work, though less often deployed. These are elegiac pieces – truly, titled as ’Elegy’, ‘Ghost Dance’, ‘Nadir’ – but they are vital and dynamic with an animated energy that is hard to come by in works of ambience trading in this kind of palette.

When Mojo Ruiz de Luzuriaga, known professionally as Mo’Ju (formerly Mojo Juju), dropped her album Native Tongue in 2018, it was one of the most important albums Australia had seen in years. Collecting a slew of awards and nominations, the release commanded the attention of a nation. A career-defining moment for the singer-songwriter, Native Tongue was the culmination of years of quiet, consistent hard work in the industry.

The release also marked a personal and very purposeful step in a new creative direction. Where her previous output avoided the intimate and raw, Native Tongue burst out like a diary on record – a deep exploration of Mo’ju’s Indigenous and Fillipino identity and how it had shaped her. In terms of Mo’ju’s career and the Australian music landscape, it drew a new line in the sand: ‘I think people are starting to realise I’m not fucking around,’ she quipped, ‘I came here to kick ass and chew gum. And I’m all outta gum.’

Mo’ju comes with another offering in 2021 – O.K. Sitting somewhere between an E.P. and an album, O.K. (produced and co-written by Henry Jenkins and Lewis Coleman) is a vulnerable and introspective reflection upon mental health and loneliness. Despite its melancholy subject matter, the songwriting and production of O.K. is playful and experimental, leaving audiences feeling as though the music itself is the antidote for sadness.

Aćol Agaar Apollo, better known by the stage name POOKIE, is a South Sudanese rapper, songwriter, composer and producer who was born in Nairobi, Kenya. At age seven, her family migrated to Australia where she was introduced to the works of Missy Elliot and the world of Hip-Hop music at large. POOKIE’s art and music have become dynamic displays of her South Sudanese roots, with many of her pieces celebrating her Dinka culture and heritage.

POOKIE not only employs her art as a means of self-expression, but uses it as a medium to bridge the gap between her experiences as a Black African woman growing up in Australia as part of the subjugated South Sudanese Australian diaspora. For several years, POOKIE has exhibited her art, organised and curated events for empowering Black femme creatives, and performed her spoken word poetry. In 2019, she formed a five-piece band called POOKIE + The Kevinz. With a wave of authentic Afro-Jazz and Hip-Hop melodies, they quickly made an artistic impact in Melbourne’s music scene and in performances across Australia.

Kalaji is the electronic musical alias of actor and artist Mark Coles Smith, a Nyikina man from the Martuwarra (Fitzroy River) in North Western Australia. The project has been a long running personal exploration of Nyikina country, lore and spiritual imagery translated through his passion for sound design, audio art and field recording.

Inspired by the Nyikina word for whirlwind, ‘Kalaji’ is a dreamlike arrangement of wandering analogue synthesis and delicate acoustic sampling. Much of the lyrical material divulges partial sections of a long form mythological narrative set across multiple generations on country. Constructed through a mixture of natural and technological sound sources, the resulting composition blends a range of musical inspirations – from ambient and downtempo, through to archival audio and modern dance music.

Known for creating a hybrid of cinematic compositions and bass music laced with disparate vocal arrangements, Aarti Jadu performs in a variety of ensembles, as well as solo and collaboratively. A multi-disciplinary, self-driven professional, they are an embodied sound facilitator and the director of experimental art initiative tincture.

Their work is formed from a culmination of self enquiry, existentialism, experimentation and research. Jadu threads together a journey with sounds of minimal classical, distorted folk beats, and processed wordless melodies. Their set revolves around the interchange between digital processing / recording, synthesizers and organic voice. In these progressive song structures, Jadu draws from pop music and cinema, creating motifs and trance-like repetitions.

Jadu’s practice of embodied sound is entwined with the idea of time and ritual. From their lifelong connection to worship, ritual and devotion, they continually experiment with the ideas of endurance, length of sound and silence and trance spanning across minutes, hours and days. Their life's work revolves around the power of embodying, an interest originating from their relationship with devotional music.

Mindy Meng Wang is a versatile Chinese/Australian composer and world-class modern Guzheng player. She was born and trained in China, and studied western musicology in the UK before emigrating to Australia. A contemporary pioneer of the Guzheng, she introduces the ancient Chinese horizontal harp into many western genres including experimental, jazz, western classical, electronic and improvisation.

Wang’s work explores the fertile space between traditional and contemporary practices, and is an important part of a significant movement of Chinese musicians redefining and reinvigorating their musical tradition on the global stage. Her long-term vision is to create a strong voice for young female composers and artists of Chinese heritage, and, more importantly, to create a deeper and reciprocal musical connection between Australia and China.

While living in the UK, Wang collaborated with many high-profile artists such as Gorillaz, and frequently performed in significant venues including the O2 Arena and the Barbican Centre, London. While based in London, she also toured and performed in festivals in Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and France.

Since emigrating to Australia, Wang has played throughout the country, with her works frequently shown at OzAsia, Mona Foma, Dark Mofo, TEDx Sydney, and AsiaTOPA festivals. Her works have also made significant connections between the Australian Art Orchestra – as well as several Victorian choreographers – and the Shanghai International Arts Festival, resulting in three Australian performances at the festival. Wang has actively collaborated with Australian artists such as Regurgitator, Paul Grabowsky, Deborah Cheetham, Peter Knight, Speak Percussion, and Sui Zhen. She has also performed at the Premier’s Gala Dinner several times, representing a strong voice for artists and migrants with multicultural backgrounds in Victoria.

Known for their off-kilter art rock, Melbourne three-piece Jaala is fronted by the enigmatic Cosima Jaala, who delivers bold and plaintive vocals with jaggedly syncopated guitar lines, alongside textural and elastic rhythms prodigiously executed by drummer Maria Moles and otherworldly synth palettes generated by electronic artist Fia Fiell.

Gap Tooth, the band’s first album in its current three-piece formation, is a departure from their previous output, trading the raw urgency of the earlier records for a melting and celestial surreality.

This incredible achievement flows with unpredictable dream-logic, never settling on discernible pop hooks or traditional verse/chorus song structures. Merging experimental folk, dream pop, a disposition for the baroque, and self-professed ‘slag-country’, the album finds humour and hope in the disorientation of time passing and leaving youth behind.

Producer and composer Nina Buchanan has carved out a singular space in the local electronic landscape, working at the intersection of club music, exploratory synthesis, and composition to build immersive soundscapes. Buchanan’s kaleidoscopic take on dance music sits adjacent to hardware-based techno while carrying its own unique spirit and imagination. Her club-ready tracks centre expression, articulated through layered lines of glimmering texture and driving percussion. Bright, shimmering synth lines are looped while they undulate over and over, gradually forming a space for audiences to connect with their own feelings and intuitive perception of her sounds.

Curse ov Dialect have revolutionised the language of hip hop throughout decades of music making. Across eight album releases and 25 years of performances, they have defined and pioneered a new golden age of rap — playful, poetic, enlightened and essential. Curse ov Dialect began in 1994 with three friends from Melbourne’s multiculturally rich outer suburbs. The group has mutated and evolved into its current form of Atarangi, The Maltese Well Monster (formerly known as Raysless), Volk Makedonski, and Paso Bionic.

Curse ov Dialect are renowned for their intense live performances involving elaborate symbolic costumes, audience participation, and Dadaist stage theatrics. Cultures are bridged, traditions are taught, stereotypes and rules are broken. The heaviest beats are matched with unexpected samples from every era of music and every corner of the globe. Each MC brings a powerful voice against ignorance.

Emma Donovan & The Putbacks are back, releasing Out The Door today from their forthcoming album Under These Streets set to hit record racks in September 2021.

Following on from their success with Crossover (Hopestreet Recordings, 2020) but also on the edge of lockdown, acclaimed Indigenous vocalist Emma Donovan returned to Melbourne with her two daughters to be closer to slick rhythm combo The Putbacks.

Into the studio they leapt, recording eight fresh tracks drawn from the mighty music vault of The Putbacks. Out The Door is the first of this selection, with the lyrics born from the band’s desire to create and make music together in the shadow of the global pandemic.

As Emma Donovan highlights: ‘Out The Door reflects our return to the studio and realigning as a band coming out of some very dark and tormenting times. We literally ran out the door from lockdown and jumped deep into the studio.

Out The Door is out on the 17th of September 2021 through Heavy Machinery Records as part of a special commission by City of Melbourne’s Flash Forward project.

Bushfire Story is a step toward something rawer and more straight-forward, in both song-writing and production. Dougal and I recorded the drums together and I overdubbed the rest. I tried to keep it in the spirit of his rolling, spilling all over rhythm.”

Earlier in 2021, e4444e was focusing on his Invisible Stone project which debuted last year at the Civic Theatre in Newcastle. Invisible Stone was a one-of-a-kind collaboration between three of Newcastle's most bold and experimental artists; lovedavid, e4444e and Skip Willcox. It was headed to tour in Sydney (at the Seymour Centre in September) and beyond, but Covid put a halt on the shows. e4 then put a pause on that project and focused on writing and recording the follow up to Coldstream Road.

In 2020, e4 released his debut record Coldstream Road; his first effort through Spunk. The album was nominated for the prestigious Australian Music Prize (AMP) and was backed by a run of sold out shows along the East Coast of Australia. e4 also enjoyed rotation on a number of community radio stations across the country, with Sydney’s FBi Radio taking a deep dive into Coldstream Road on their weekly program, For The Record. Testament to his burgeoning sound, e4’s works have been remixed by the legendary SONIC BOOM, as well as the awe-inspiring Godriguez.

The Merindas are the collective force of Ballardong Whadjuk and Nyoongar woman Kristel Kickett (from Tammin, WA) and Candice Lorrae of Jawoyn and Thursday Island heritage (born in Darwin, NT). Now based in Melbourne, these soul sisters describe their unique sound as “electronic pop with a dance-hall feel, alongside hip hop and R&B influences.”

The Merindas formed in 2012, singing Motown hits for the premier of The Sapphires movie. What was supposed to be a one-off show became a full-time career, having performed more than 400 shows in the last eight years. The duo have several singles under their belts including We Sing Until Sunrise, Before Daylight, I Feel It, and their latest release Déjà vu.

The Merindas describe how their hotly anticipated debut album — We Sing Until Sunrise / Ngangk Ngoorndiny Ngala Warangka — “strongly reflects that we are forever singing, forever dancing and forever celebrating our culture”. This is the essence of The Merindas and the ethos they bring to each of their performances.

MY DISCO formed between long-term collaborators Rohan Rebeiro, Benjamin Andrews and Liam Andrews in 2003. Renowned for their experimentation and refined minimalist approach to dark and heavy instrumentation, MY DISCO have built a reputation on their arduous tour ethic, having reached remote areas of Australia, Southeast Asia, Mexico and Russia, as well as a headlining and supporting on multiple tours across Europe, UK, US, and Asia Pacific.

MY DISCO have released many acclaimed singles, 12” limited editions, and five studio albums including: Cancer (2006), Paradise (2007), Little Joy (2010), Severe (2015), and Environment (2019). The band are currently completing their latest studio album, Alter Schwede, compiled remotely by the band and mix engineer Boris Wilsdorf at his AndereBaustelle studio in Berlin, and due for release on Heavy Machinery Records in late 2021. Alter Schwede continues the band’s recent trajectory of ambient experimentation, utilising elements and sounds from their last album, Environment, as well as continuing their interest in unique percussion, dark FM synthesis and industrial noise.

What began as a friend helping another friend move house, has, over only a few short years, turned into an on running musical collaboration. The first album "When It Ends", was recorded in one day in an Abbotsford share house, where Lachlan was taking refuge after the break down of a long term relationship. One of the residents, Quivers front man Sam Nicholson, was kind enough to let the pair use his room (and piano), to record for the day. What came out of this was 10 songs of lo-fi folk pop. The release was low fuss, but the reaction of friends and family, and the joy of the experience, had the pair keen to do more.

Two years on, Emma Russack and Lachlan Denton return with their fourth album "Something is Going to Change Tomorrow, Today. What Will You Do? What Will You Say?".

Recorded again with Snowy and Dylan filling out the rhythm section, the band this time went into the studio with Good Morning's Stefan Blaire and Liam Parsons at the helm of the recording. Although all of the songs were again penned by Emma and Lachlan, the recording saw all members of the band as well as Stefan and Liam get involved in producing.

"Something is Going to Change Tomorrow, Today. What Will You Do? What Will You Say?" is an album of friendship, love and acceptance. It is an album that explores the relationships of all kinds.

Alexander Powers has been a prolific presence in the Melbourne underground scene for many years, not only for amassing and expertly mixing a large collection of classic US garage records under her previous moniker Brooke Powers, but set a precedent for trans visibility and inclusivity within the scene.

As her DJ style evolved, Powers picked a new name and musical project – Female Wizard. The shift marked a definitive break from uplifting house vocals into an experimental approach that brought together many genres of forward-thinking club music to create sonic atmospheres designed to fuel physical and spiritual immersion. This unique approach was formed through years of play and experimentation as the monthly resident DJ for Le Fag, held at the legendary and now closed Hugs and Kisses club.

The world was first introduced to Female Wizard in 2019 at a Boiler Room x Discwoman event in Sydney. She went on to play featured sets at Hybrid Festival and Soft Centre, as well as releasing mixes on Discwoman and Boiler Room Hard Dance mix series, and features on LYL Radio and NTS.

In 2019, Powers released her first EP, Messy-Podge-Mania, a six-track journey of club music abstraction, jumping between minimal and maximal textures that, like her DJ style, turns listeners' expectations on their heads.

Powers is also the creator of Powertrip, a mix series, club night and record label now co-produced by Bridget Chappell (Hextape, Sound School). Across the years, Powertrip has solidified a specific set of goals: to provide platforms for local musicians, DJs and performers that encourage experimentation in electronic dance music; to reimagine ways of organising, gathering and spectating around club nights; and to find ways to interrupt the enduring flows of capitalism in the running of a label and club night.

Melbourne quartet Big Yawn make experimental electronic music by fusing a wash of sweeping synthesizers, heavily refracted vocal sampling, motorik style percussion and disorientating dub FX. The band takes musical inspiration from artists like Hiroshi Sato, Hype Williams, DJ Nigga Fox, Shinichi Atobe, and many more.

Big Yawn’s partnership with the Research Records label gave rise to a growing catalogue of releases, including their debut album No! that channelled the band's predilection for adventurous cross-genre combinatorics. While clearly indebted to D'n'B, post-punk, UK bass music, footwork and ambient conventions, the LP is made unique by its own dissociative take on live electronic music. Big Yawn has also released No! Remixes, and the EPs South Preston Garage and Pressure Acts.

The Amplified Elephants is a leading sound art ensemble made up of members including Teagan Connor, Jay Euesden, Megan Hunter, Helen Kruljac, Robyn McGrath, Daniel Munnery, Kathryn Sutherland, Esther Tuddenham, Natalie Walters and James Hullick.

Many of The Amplified Elephants’ projects have been presented internationally and in prominent Australian venues. Since 2007, these projects have been increasingly ambitious in scale, often featuring sonic technology. Mentored by JOLT Arts director James Hullick, The Amplified Elephants was produced by Footscray Community Arts Centre’s Artlife Program for people with intellectual disabilities in partnership with JOLT Arts from 2006–19. As of 2019 the ensemble is entirely produced by JOLT Arts.

In 2015, The Amplified Elephants performed in LA LA LULLABY at Federation Square (Lights in Winter Festival) and SELECT NATURALIS at Bendigo International Festival of Exploratory Music, as well as touring Asia with JOLT and performing in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Macau. The Amplified Elephants’ show SHHHH with Nat Grant was a featured event in JOLT’s The Book of Daughters program (2016) presented at the Meat Market and then touring in 2017 to Hong Kong and Hangzhou. Other noted productions by The Amplified Elephants include: THE NIS international Tour (London, Edinburgh, Tokyo 2014), RE:EVOLUTION (Melbourne Festival 2014), SELECT NATURALIS (RMIT 2018), and SELF SEEKERS (Tokyo, Hong Kong, Macau 2015, Festival of Live Art 2018).

Barney McAll's music is the rainbow in the oil slick of political and global chaos. He came up through the downtown 90s New York scene playing the piano with some of the great spiritual jazz heavyweights like Gary Bartz, Roy Ayers, Dewey Redman, and Billy Harper. He also submerged himself in a river of unadulterated funk with the likes of Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Clyde Stubblefield, and The Groove Collective which earned him a Grammy nomination.

Later as musical director for Sia and Daniel Merriweather, he began delving into more pop and electronica and understood he could unite all of his influences into a dark light bizarre blend of improvisation, composition, and percussive offensive funk. At 3:30 am on stage at Strawberry Fields Festival, he underwent a gestalt shift whilst engaged in a ritualistic soundscape as his band roared on (members included players from Hiatus Kaiyote, Godtet, and Laneous) and realized that Carl Jung was correct, "The Shadow IS 90% pure gold".

2019 saw multiple releases from Barney - a Research Records release, "Mother Of Dreams And Secrets", recorded and two singles; "Sweet Water", for Wondercore Island's "Seven Wonders" compilation, and "Precious Energy for Pharoah Sanders", both of which were picked up by Gilles Peterson, Eavesdrop Playlist and other tastemakers.

Recorded and produced in Berlin over the course of two years, The Glider is the first release from the new project of long time friends and collaborators Nick Garbett and Mike Majkowski.

Coming off the back of Garbett’s 2018 Freedman Jazz Fellowship win, and subsequent relocation to Italy, the album captures a period of travel, discovery, and reconnection between old friends. The result is a meditation on colour, texture and rhythm, with musical landscapes and electronic flourishes reminiscent of Jon Hassell and Brian Eno’s Fourth World, all grounded in a distinctly Australian celebration of togetherness.

The Glider’s seven tracks are built on the interweaving rhythms of celebrated Australian drummers Tony Buck (The Necks), Finn Ryan and Steve Heather, with Majkowski on bass and synthesisers, Garbett on effected trumpet, Johannes Schlieirmacher on saxophone, and a guest appearance by guitarist Matt Smith.

Marcus Whale lives and works on Gadigal land in Sydney, Australia. His work, which straddles music and performance, often stages encounters between camp performance styles and the heightened drama of horror film and religious mythology, scripture and liturgy.

Otherwise known for his leftfield pop duo Collarbones and club-centric electronic group BV (alongside DJ Plead and Cassius Select), his solo material surrounds his dramatic vocal delivery with an immersive soundworld of body-shaking electronics and chamber orchestral flourishes.

His solo albums include 2016's Inland Sea, produced with Nigel Yang (HTRK) and 2020's Lucifer, the culmination of a series of performances that cast the fallen angel as a queer icon. In collaboration with artists Athena Thebus & Chloe Corkran, these performances were presented as part of Sydney Contemporary, Art Month Sydney, Day For Night and Sugar Mountain Festival. These projects have been nominated for SMAC Awards, AIR Independent Music Awards and the Australian Music Prize.

His recent performances include In The Mood – A Love Letter to Wong Kar-Wai and Hong Kong with Rainbow Chan and Eugene Choi, a dramatised music tribute to 2000 film In The Mood for Love presented by Sydney Opera House, as well as the hour-length stage work Praise! presented by Asia Topa and Next Wave.

New Album La Araña Es La Vida OUT NOW through In The Red Records.

Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds' fourth and strongest album yet for In The Red Records, “La Araña Es La Vida” summons the Mexican muse of The Great Spider Goddess of Teoticuhan, who sprouts hallucinogenic morning glories and protects the underworld, or in Kid’s eyes, the world of underground music.  Recorded at The Harveyville High School gym in Kansas, Guitar slinger and singer, the legendary Kid Congo Powers (The Gun Club, The Cramps, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds), bassist Kiki Solis (Baby Baby Dance With Me, Knife in The Water, Rhythm of Black Lines), drummer Ron Miller (Switch Hitter, Up The Academy) are joined by Chicano, Mosrite playing guitarist Mark Cisneros (Medications, Deathfix) on this self-produced ball of wax.

 “La Araña Es La Vida” rocks n rolls it’s way thru a planet of Glamazons (Psychic Future), blisters with the tricks of a “Magic Machine” then gets to work out a low rider groove on “Chicano Studies”.  Tales of gender bending, disembodied heads, gente from La Puente and even a TCB-era, Elvis-inspired rave up on “Karate Monkey” is merely a smatter of the magic on this platter.

This August sees Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds return to Australia .

Following their first Australian tour in January 2015 which saw them sell out rooms across the country and playing the likes of Sydney Festival and SummerSalt, greasy, swamp rockers Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds are back coming back and with  “La Araña Es La Vida” in tow. 

THURS. 18TH AUG - 

LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE, DARWIN FESTIVAL, NT

FRI. 19TH AUG - 

MOJO’S, FREMANTLE, WA

SAT. 20TH AUG - 

CROWN & ANCHOR, ADELAIDE, SA

WED. 24TH AUG -

THE BRIDGE HOTEL, CASTLEMAINE, VIC

THURS. 25TH AUG - 

NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB, MELBOURNE VIC

FRI. 26TH AUG - 

FRIDAYS NIGHTS @ NGV, MELBOURNE VIC. (DEGAS exhibition)

SAT. 27TH AUG - 

CARAVAN MUSIC CLUB, OAKLEIGH, VIC

THURS. 1ST SEPT - 

 OXFORD ART FACTORY, SYDNEY, NSW

FRI. 2ND SEPT - 

THE TRIFFID, BRISBANE, QLD

“There are few figures in rock that have the impressive resume Kid Congo has....a singular presence in every important scene …” Noisey

"Kid Congo's career is one for the (music) history books." Westword

"...a true veteran of the garage rock game, proving that such raucous fun can never die – at least in the hands of a master!" KCRW

Check out Kid Congo on Facebook

Check out the Kid Congo Blog

Check out Kid Congo via In The Red Records

Check out the almighty In The Red Records

Check out In The Red Records on Facebook

For more information contact Charlie@braindrainpr.com / Julia@braindrainpr.com

Laughing Gear is an exercise in catharsis aimed at dissecting the tribulations of gentrification & classist warfare. The band features ex members of Melbourne synth punk luminaries Chrome Dome, Young Romantix, Brando’s Island, Romero and Eyesores.

Formed by vocalist / pattern architect Bryce Sweatman in 2018, Laughing Gear combine modulating analogue synths with Compu-Rhythm drum machine loops, complemented by a howling / delay-induced vocal screech that harks back to an era of synth-punk that was most dominant in the 1980’s underground music. Fergus Sinclair’s incendiary guitar work is drenched in chorus effects that allow these unique synth-punk & anarcho worlds to collide and mutate, culminating in a highly original musical space that is provocative, jarring and exhilarating.

Laughing Gear’s stunning debut album ‘Freak Lemons’ is a formidable collection of cutting-edge dystopian synth punk and incisive socio-political commentary, delivered with an acid tongue and a wry sense of gallows humour. A finely honed 80s pop sensibility is mixed with heavy doses of vintage synth worship and punk rock antagonism, while the history of underground music is slyly referenced. The result is a defiantly original and unapologetically danceable album brimming with whip-smart lyrics and cunningly crafted songs where hooks and concepts fly thick and fast.

Quivers upcoming 2021 record 'Golden Doubt' is carried by shimmering guitars and the harmonising vocals of members Holly Thomas and Bella Quinlan. Elevated by the production of Matthew Redlich (Holy Holy, Husky, Ainslie Wills), the record explores what comes after grief, and how we throw ourselves back into love.

Quivers need to get words on the page and sounds out to keep moving on. Both Sam and Holly lost their brothers in the same year, and through that shared vulnerability they all have together that runs deep. 'Golden Doubt' is also a love letter to playing music as a band and processing it all together rather than just carrying it as a weight. The cancellation of a 21-date US tour they had slated for 2020 has left them undeterred; Quivers plans to continue being a band and get back out into the world as soon as it’s possible.

Quivers may have created the antidote to existential dread by embedding it in songs that feel so present and alive. 'Golden Doubt' will be released on Spunk Records (AUS/NZ), Ba Da Bing Records (US/UK) and Bobo Integral (EU/ASIA) on the 11th June 2021.

City of Melbourne and Heavy Machinery Records proudly present Melbourne electronic composer Ehsan Gelsi's forthcoming album 'Ephemera', out March 13. This record is a spectacular new commissioned work for the Melbourne Town Hall Grand Organ, Moog, Buchla, analogue electronics and live percussion.

Gelsi’s composition is a ground-breaking hybrid progressive work showcasing the mammoth grandeur of the ten thousand pipe acoustic organ whilst exploring the full extent of the instrument’s electronic sequencing capabilities. The result is a spectacular mix of grand organ fetishism, progressive soundtrack exploration and ecstatic analogue electronica, a majestic treat for organ aficionados, vintage synth heads and soundtrack enthusiasts alike.

Ehsan Gelsi has spent the last 20 years immersed in the world of synthesizers, as a performer, educator and specialist. Crossing genres from techno and experimental to hip hop and electronica, Ehsan’s musical scope is super diverse and has made him a valuable addition to many projects – having toured the world and Australia several times. Ehsan has performed alongside Snoop Dogg, Pendulum, Calvin Harris, Carl Cox, Danny Tenaglia and many other global acts, and has performed at Glastonbury, Big Day Out and numerous festivals.

Specially commissioned to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Melbourne Town Hall, Gelsi will be performing 'Ephemera' live at the Town Hall, accompanied by Ben Crook (Oolluu) on live drums and a spectacular live laser show.

Sarah Mary Chadwick's seventh studio album 'Me And Ennui Are Friends, Baby' is out through Rice Is Nice Records and our partners in crime Ba Da Bing, and it is Chadwick's best yet. ❤️

The release follows on from three striking singles, 'Full Mood', 'At Your Leisure' and 'Every Loser Needs A Mother'. Tristan Scott-Behrends directed the accompanying video for 'Full Mood' which visualises the track’s tenderness, depicting intimate moments between a couple. Forever collaborator Geoffrey O'Connor created the debut video for 'Every Loser Needs A Mother' towards the end of Melbourne's lengthy lockdown.

Title track 'Me And Ennui Are Friends, Baby' talks of the night that album's theme was spawned from in a haunting, yet humorous tale (a combination Sarah masters), 'Don't Like You Talking' is the song Lana Del Rey never wrote and it's simplicity creates more room to floor you. There are 12 favourites sitting within this record and we are excited to share them all with you today.

Cherished Sydney indie quartet Palms are making their long-awaited return in 2021, today sharing their new single “This One Is Your One” - the band's first new output in more than five years. To celebrate, Palms will be launching the single in late February at The Lansdowne Hotel in Sydney.

This sun-drenched slab arrives just in time for summer, wasting no time reintroducing us to one of the city’s most loved underground bands and their infectious brand of garage tinged indie rock. On TOIYO, propulsive drums, fuzzed up guitar lines and hooks for days climax in a classic Palms heart-on-the-sleeve, shout-a-long chorus that you’ll be humming for days.

Frontman and songwriter Al Grigg says of the track, “On a super personal level the song is about how rad my boyfriend is. But on a more universal level, I guess it’s about the transformative power of love. I know that’s heaps corny, but I feel like I’ve written so many downer songs, it was time to throw a positive one out there.”

Recorded with Liam Judson (Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Cloud Control) in his Blue Mountains studio, TOIYO shows the band continuing to grow and still fizzing with ideas and vitality. While dialling back just a little of the distortion of their previous releases, they’ve managed to let the song shine through while sacrificing none of its urgency - hitting the ears and the heart with equal force. As Grigg says, “I really feel like I’ve grown so much over the last few years. Like I’m more me than ever before. In a lot of ways, I feel like I was sleepwalking through life but I hope this song sounds like the rush of waking up.”

Hamburg based producer Farhot shares a new single & video 'Feel Ugly', lifted from his forthcoming album “Kabul Fire Vol. 2” which is set for release January 29th 2021 through his own label Kabul Fire Records with Caroline Australia.

The hauntingly melancholic hymn is the soundtrack for all those days when you would rather not look in the mirror, and features Tiggs Da Author.

'Feel Ugly' is the third track to be lifted from "Kabul Fire Vol. 2", and follows up from the purely instrumental single release 'Yak Sher'.

Of the track, Farhot says:

"'Feel Ugly' - for me, this song is inspiration in its purest form. This may sound corny, but it is true. The basic beat was built within ten minutes, the vocals were recorded within five more minutes. I long for exactly such sessions where nothing is forced. I appreciate the unfiltered honesty of this song - it is self-reflection, bitterness, aggression and pure soul.”

Seven years after the release of his first solo album "Kabul Fire Vol. 1", Farhot is now taking listeners on a journey to his biographical roots with the follow up "Kabul Fire Vol. 2".

While the previous album already included references to his Afghan homeland, this 13-track album completely centres around the country from which his family had to flee when he was still a kid – musically, but also thematically through the selection of samples and quotes.

For the sound of this project, the beat nerd went on memory lane to his family roots in the Middle East, digging up the sounds of his childhood. He also embraced the classic Golden Era sound of hip hop in the 90s, the music of his adolescence. The result: organic hip hop beats with elaborate and dreamy melodies, infused with elements from traditional Afghan music that take you to the dusty streets of Kabul. Artfully hand-crafted and intricately arranged with loads of love for details.

"Kabul Fire Vol. 2" will be released on 29th of January 2021 through Kabul Fire Records with Caroline Australia.

Mogwai announce the release of their tenth studio album As The Love Continues, due for release on 19 February 2021 via Rock Action Records / Spunk! Records. First single 'Dry Fantasy' is out today, and was spun for the first time this morning on Breakfast Radio with Triple R.

The album is available to pre-order and pre-save now in various formats, including digital, CD, double vinyl, a special edition box set that includes the CD, coloured double vinyl LP, special single vinyl pressing of five album demo tracks, and a photo book - there will also be a CD only version of this special edition box set available.

The album was recorded earlier this year with producer Dave Fridmann and features contributions from Atticus Ross and Colin Stetson.

As The Love Continues will arrive 25 years on from the release of the band’s debut single ‘Tuner’/'Lower’.

As The Love Continues was originally planned to be recorded in America, but the pandemic led to a relocation to Worcestershire and with producer Dave Fridmann separated by an ocean but appearing like an Orwellian oppressor. This pandemic necessity was quickly routine, it also bought them a little more time.

Unable to perform the album for the time being, Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite hopes the music can take you from somewhere different to where you are, “unless you are somewhere really amazing and then why are you listening to some weird music like this?”

'Dry Fantasy' is the first single to be taken from the record, a celestial track centred around a reverberating synth repetition, which reaches a state of dreamlike grandeur as guitars and bass drift in and out of the track. The track is accompanied by a video which draws interspersing images of blossoming flowers with the gnarled surfaces of a distant planet.

Die! Die! Die!

'450' / 'I Seek Misery' Double A Side.

"One of the most prolific bands to emerge out of New Zealand's indie, noise rock, and punk scenes over the last decade" - VICE

"Die! Die! Die! could set fire to our first born and we’d still be staring at them in doe-eyed wonder" - NME

"No one instrument outshines the other and the band come together symbiotically to create a great wall of sound... incredibly intense and power-filled" - Echoes and Dust

Tāmaki Makaurau-based noise-punks Die! Die! Die! return with the announcement of new single ‘I Seek Misery’, lifted from the band’s upcoming 7’’, set for release October 23rd.

The double A side ‘I Seek Misery’ backed with '450’ is the second release from the band since they reformed their original line-up of guitarist/vocalist Andrew Wilson, drummer Michael Prain and newly returned bassist Lachlan Anderson.

‘I Seek Misery’ premiered via BLUNT Mag last week and sees Die! Die! Die! keep up the high-energy noise, this time paired alongside melodic and shoegaze flourishes.

On last year's 'O' the band harkened back to their noisiest, most frenetic punk roots. On the new single Die! Die! Die! keep up the high-energy noise but with melodic and shoegaze flourishes.

The trio recorded both new tracks in a single session at Roundhead Studios in Auckland.

“‘I Seek Misery’ is about addiction and also standing in your own truth,’ says Wilson, “bringing about change to the current societal power dynamics in the ruins of a colonial empire.’

Engineered and mixed by Steven Marr and mastered by Mikey Young (Total Control), the double A-sided single will be available on transparent blue vinyl, self-released via the band in NZ/AUS and Buzzhowl in the UK/EU.

The long-running core team of guitarist / singer Andrew Wilson and the furious drumming of Michael Prain have been going strong since their formation as Die! Die! Die! back in 2003. In 2018, the band welcomed bassist Lachlan Anderson back into the band full time.

Since recording their debut album with Steve Albini (Shellac, Nirvana, PJ Harvey) in Chicago in 2005, Die! Die! Die! have worked with producers including Shayne Carter, Nick Roughan (The Skeptics), Chris Townend (Violent Femmes), and have written and recorded albums in New York, Dunedin, London and rural France.

Their indispensable collection of records, and their intense and unflinching live show, continue to drive their connection with audiences across the globe. Both are a telling reminder of why Die! Die! Die! are one of the most enduring and unapologetic bands to ever emerge out of New Zealand.

Saturn Rules The Material World’ is the debut album from Melbourne - Naarm duo SaD, set for release September 25th via Trans Brunswick Express.

SaD are Daphne Camf of NO ZU on vocals and synth with Simona Castricum on guitar and programming. Together, the two pay romantic homage through dark and minimal waves of crooning lamentations and danceable vulnerability.

Following it's premiere with Karen Leng on Double J, lead single ‘Sign From Above’ is out now - offering the perfect taste of the record to come.

'Saturn Rules The Material World' is a dreamy collection of call-and-response arrangements; Camf’s lyrics and vocal delivery paint a landscape of heartache, despair, and longing for self-redemption, offset by moments of resigned acceptance and a sense of surrender to an inescapably painful life path. Castricum’s chorus/reverb drenched guitar leads and pumping big-beat and bass rhythms ground the record as instantly danceable.

SaD debuted in 2018 with ‘The Poets of Antiquity’ and followed up with ‘Don’t Go’ in 2019. They have built something of a cult following in Melbourne’s live music scene—showcasing with Dot Dash for CHANGES Festival in 2019, and supporting Moon Duo (US), Black Cab and Underground Lovers.

Daphne Camf says of the record; “‘Saturn Rules The Material World’ was written relatively quickly and intuitively between Simona and I capturing a reflective period where we both took to the task of doing what artists can always be relied on to do - turning pain into cathartic beauty."

Bridget Chappell announces the release of their upcoming debut album ‘Undertow', out on October 30th and unveils new single ‘Elizabeth Street', via Heavy Machinery Records.

Using the City of Melbourne’s Open Data Platform, Bridget Chappell combines contemporary and historical data of local water management and water colonisation. Through a process of sonification – the musical representation of visual data – Chappell presents an original work: an aural painting of the last 185 years of the Birrarung River (“Yarra”) and Narrm bay (“Port Phillip”) composed for the Federation Bells and cello, originally presented as an installation throughout Knowledge Week and performed live on 23 May 2019, at the Federation Bells, Birrarung Marr.

Bridget Chappell is an award-winning sound artist working on the unceded lands of the First Peoples of the Millewa-Mallee. Their often data-driven work explores colonial responsibility, the climate crisis, policing and surveillance, and rave nostalgia. They have composed for the City of Melbourne, Knowledge Week, Liquid Architecture, and Critical Mass Festival; have been artist in residence at Testing Grounds and Bogong Centre for Sound Culture; founded and run Sound School, and produce dance music as Hextape.

The land where Birrarung Marr Park and the Federation Bells now stand were underwater: forming part of a system of rivers, creeks, marshland and lagoons, much of which today has been driven underground and away from the city’s conscious face. Now contained in a network of drains, some trace an underground path mirroring – or mocking – the rivers original flow.

Of 'Undertow', Bridget says:

"One of the best examples of data sonification we have is one that’s been practiced on this continent for thousands of years – the Indigenous use of songlines, or a musical method of both navigation over vast distances, and reflection on the creation histories of the landscape. My method of sonification is nowhere near as sophisticated. Nor is it my place as a settler to try and sonify the landscape, as though it could be objectively represented by me. The idea of data is a loaded one. Things like maps, which are easy to mistake for some kind of neutral representation, have played powerful roles in colonisation and gentrification. The idea of “data” prioritises certain kinds of information over others, and downplays the emotional parts of information and how we convey it. So I set out to develop a process of sonification as a compositional tool, for discussing histories of the Birrarung River that are not talked about very much in settler Australian narratives. They are all things that have been done to the River since European settlers began colonising it"

"The pitch of the Bells follows the latitude (or north-south axis) of its flow. Because water in the catchment generally flows north-south, you’ll hear quite a few descending melodies. But when expressing a 2D object on a map – like a wetland – the melody moves from west to east along the body’s longitudinal axis, and I have used an arpeggiator to move between the northern and southernmost points of the object."

Naretha Williams

BLAK MASS Album out August 14

Naretha Williams (pronounced Nar-eth-ah) is a First Nations experimental interdisciplinary artist with a primary focus on music and audio arts practice. A Wiradjuri woman of mixed lineage, born and based in Melbourne on the Sovereign Land of the Kulin Nation, Victoria, Australia, Naretha's process-based work intersects installation and contemporary music, exploring themes around identity, place and the unseen. Ritual and esoteric practice underpins both process and presentation of her work. Naretha's diverse musical interests span from narrative score through to contemporary electronic music.

BLAK MASS is Naretha Williams' debut album, set for release via Heavy Machinery Records August 14.

Commissioned by The City Of Melbourne for a live performance in 2019, BLAK MASS sees Naretha combine the gargantuan Melbourne Town Hall Grand Organ with live electronics to realise her complex progressive compositions. BLAK MASS reflects on the city’s jarring civic history and the impact of colonisation on its First Peoples and Land, through an experimental, site specific musical performance developed for the Melbourne Town Hall Grand Organ.

BLAK MASS considers the Grand Organ as a significant symbol of European domination and reaches deep in to the psyche of the instrument to create a haunting, avant-garde sound work. Naretha Williams was awarded 'Best Experimental or Avant-Garde Act' at the 2019 Music Victoria Awards for the live performance of BLAK MASS.

Its title may indeed conjure pearl-clutching anxieties about the summoning of ‘dark’ forces and the opening of portals between forbidden realms. These concepts are central to Naretha William’s stunning Grand Organ commission which is a direct confrontation with ideas of established power, conservative gatekeeping and cultural dominance in Australian society

BLAK MASS is the second iteration of Naretha Williams’ CRYPTEX composition project. CRYPTEX – Bio Templates & Ceremonial Frameworks for Contemporary Composition utilises the source code of the body by analysing DNA sequences to create mathematical templates to work with in a musical context.

"My identity, bloodline and place are a continual point of enquiry given the vast complexity of my own experience and how this relates to being a Wiradjuri First Nations woman on our continent.

Through my extensive artistic explorations as well as technical, cultural, social, esoteric and scientific interests, I have come to intensely challenge the notions of being and belonging. Over years of trying to integrate my own personal lineage and cultural point of reference, I am led to the very core of our genetic make-up, our DNA. Combined with an effort to resolve my displacement of Country, I search for parallels and bridges in our Songlines.

Cryptex presents opportunities to explore these concepts in depth by focusing on core codes, experimentation and methodology within defined parameters."

- Naretha Williams.

The Grand Organ is designed to be awesome – to strike fear of some higher power into the heart of the listener. In a church context the implied force is supernatural; in an Australian municipal space the power is colonial. BLAK MASS recasts this awe-inspiring potential of the instrument in a new role, deliberately questioning and redirecting these concepts. Williams’ Grand Organ is a complex entity: angry and cool, hectic and stoic, refined and vampiric. In Blak Mass the Organ’s existence and social function is drawn into the spotlight. Why is this majestic, enormous and highly valuable instrument installed and maintained in the civic heart of Melbourne? Who was it built it for and what purpose does it serve? Who was originally excluded from experiencing its sound? What does it mean to refigure the instrument beyond these traditional intentions?

The title BLAK MASS suggests a play on the concept of heretical ritual – the fear of the dissolution of conservative values and the ‘horror’ of what lies beyond. Filmic horror has always been about the return of the repressed in a given cultural moment. Williams adds swinging blade sounds, heavy industrial samples, cinematic musical tropes and taught techno production to the sonorities of the Grand Organ, creating a gleeful reappropriation of this multifarious instrument. The result is a uniquely Australian horror soundtrack.

The Melbourne Town Hall Grand Organ is fully computer-controllable via MIDI and Williams has explored this huge compositional potential to great effect. MIDI signals are routed between the organ manuals and analogue synthesisers, resulting in a unique hybrid composition comprised of multiple sequenced channels of dynamic symbiosis. It’s thrilling to hear the instrument pushed into rarely heard registers at the outer limits of its sonic capacity. By combining these atonal sonorities with deft electronic programming, Williams produces a ground-breaking work that explodes expectations of what pipe organ music can and should sound like.

While it certainly exists in the same universe, BLAK MASS stands in contrast to much contemporary metal / gothic / industrial electronic music which is ‘dark for dark’s sake’ as purely a pose or affectation. BLAK MASS provokes us to look hard social truths in the eye and realise that contemporary Australian culture has to mature and evolve, no matter how challenging this process may be.

We respectfully acknowledge the traditional ownership, continual connection and unceded sovereignty of the Boonwurung and Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation, and pay our respects to our Elders past and present.

BLAK MASS is out August 14, digitally and on vinyl through Heavy Machinery Records.

DAVID BERMAN RETURNS WITH NEW PROJECT

PURPLE MOUNTAINS

SHARES NEW SINGLE & VIDEO "DARKNESS AND COLD"

PURPLE MOUNTAINS OUT JULY 12 VIA SPUNK / DRAG CITY

"Don’t let the breezy arrangement or singalong “I Melt With You” chorus fool you: David Berman is as miserable and alone as ever." - Pitchfork

Ten years have come and gone since Silver Jews, whose classic run was made somehow finite in 2009, when the voice himself, David Berman, announced his retirement from music. Now, Berman has announced his return with his new project, Purple Mountains. Purple Mountains is also the name of what will be known as one of his greatest albums (due July 12 via Spunk / Drag City) - full of double-jointed wit and wisdom, up to the neck in his special recipe of handcrafted country-rock joys and sorrows that single legendary incracked and broken hearts.

Berman has shared the second taste of the new album with "Darkness And Cold", accompanied by a visual! Watch now!

The songs of Purple Mountains are a potent brew, stitched together from lifetimes, knitting the drift of the years with the tightest lyric construction Berman's ever attempted. Honesty is archly in the air, but lines of incredible bleakness somehow give way to playful distraction and the hiding of surprises for close listeners.

The album is produced impeccably by Woods' Jarvis Taveniere and Jeremy Earle, buffed up like a hardwood floor ready to be well-trod upon for an evening of romance and dance. And then... Berman's songwriter's bone's never been laid more bare, either - if redemption doesn't come on the lyric sheet, the act of putting these songs into singing, dancing form allows them their finest end - to provide infotainment for others, embodying moments of life and truth via music that elevates with disarming warmth and a reassuring commonality, even as David himself stands outside the communal campfires.

Berman's new musical expression is a meltdown unparalleled in modern memory. He warns us that his findings might be candid, but as long as his punishment comes in such bite-sized delights of all-American jukebox fare, we'll hike the Purple Mountains with pleasure forever.

Purple Mountains is out July 12 via SPUNK / Drag City

Beans Sophomore Album 'ALL TOGETHER NOW' Out Now!

"Making a Melbourne autumn sound like San Francisco in the mid '70s, there's an abundance of warm, rippling psych-pop here" Dave Ruby Howe, triple j

"Almost like a modernised The Beach Boys cut; a ditzy combination of hazy melodies and echoing vocals" Pilerats

"Interesting rhythms and grooves, howling vocals that are testament to our appetite for hooky tracks that offer a diversion from mainstream indie-rock" Life Without Andy

"I love its classic feel you might get from older bands like ELO and your 'i'll be whatever I please attitude'. Give me that rock, that experimental-indie-psych-pop. I'll take it ALL. Epic soundtrack" Claire Mooney, triple j

Beans, when asked how it feels to finally be sharing their much awaited sophomore record with the world, responded with "it feels like Sunday morning". It feels reductive to call them a psych-rock band - Beans are a quintet that seamlessly blur the lines between majestic, OTT rocknroll and rhythmic, bass driven groove, whilst also managing to be more than the sum of their parts.

After sharing singles 'Stride', 'Avalon' and most recently 'Melt', all of which garnered immense support from community radio & ABC networks across the country, the band are well and truly ready to unleash the full LP, 'All Together Now'.

A collaborative venture, 'All Together Now' is an ode to the simpler times – from the album opener 'Montgomery' (dedicated to keyboardist Mitch Rice’s dog) to lead single 'Stride' (a celebration of re-discovering your once buried sense of self) – this is a record that is heavy in its lightness - drenched in toe-tapping grooves and melodic harmonies.

Recorded in Wallington, Victoria (on an old apple and pear farm cool room that has been converted into a home studio) 'All Together Now' is a 9-track offering that captures the kinetic energy of a band who have made their name through the intensity of their live performances, including festival appearances at the coveted psych odyssey; Gizzfest, New Year’s Evie and Loch Hart festivals, as well as King Gizzard tour support.

Beans are inspired by the unfurling song-writing of bands like Electric Light Orchestra, Slade and Skyhooks – specimens of the monstrous rock sound of the late 60s and early 70s – groups that had the ability to indulge themselves sonically without taking themselves too seriously.

And what do the band hope to impart on their audiences? A nostalgic nod to times past, when we were “still in love with the world, with the radio on”.

Beans’ sophomore record 'All Together Now' is out now through Flightless Records.

POP FILTER

Debut Album 'Banksia' out August 21 via Spunk! Records

"Instantly joyous... a spontaneous and thrilling new project from a group of Australia’s most-loved musicians" Trouble Juice

"Pop Filter are a follow-up band that continues to mine a familiar strain of poignant, detailed songwriting" Weirdo Wasteland

Pop Filter is a new Australian band featuring members of Snowy Band, The Ocean Party and Cool Sounds, whose members stretch between cities and who’s shared history binds them together. The band's number one goal is to nurture their friendship while continuing to make music together at an age when children, work, and distance can easily hamper this.

'Banksia', the debut album from Pop Filter, is set for release on August 21st via Osborne Again and Spunk! Records. The first taste of the record is single 'Laughing Falling', a track described by Trouble Juice (who premiered the clip earlier this week) as "naturally raw and unrefined - also immediately clear that the spirited pop-smarts that are so innate to this group are impossible to bury".

Pop Filter began as a collective creative outlet, free from any preconceived vision or sound of what a band or album necessarily should be. A sort of experiment in pairing 10+ years of shared experience with a completely blank slate, uninhibited by expectation. Naturally, the group gravitated toward their ingrained pop sensibilities but with a newfound looseness and playfulness.

Avoiding the sterile consequences of over-refinement, ‘Banksia’ was largely written and recorded in a family holiday house in Broulee on the South Coast of NSW, over the course of four days. Minimal takes and an emphasis on spur of the moment performance give the album a distinctively raw character and encapsulates a very specific time and place.

‘Banksia’ marks the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of the band members, while acknowledging their collective shared history.

ERNEST ELLIS

'BE THE PARIAH' Album Out August 7

'BE THE PARIAH', Ellis' first release in over 5 years, is an ode to, well, being a pariah - an outsider, a loner, a freak. There are no negative connotations in this title, rather it encapsulates everything Ellis feels is real and good:

"All the best stuff happens on the fringes, in the weird zones of life and the mind. The rest is not real, it's coercion. I've tried to tap into that sense here, believing in it wholeheartedly as I do."

New York based, Australian artist Ernest Ellis has been busy over the past five years. Since the release of his first three albums, 'HUNTING' (2010), 'KINGS CANYON' (2012), and 'COLD DESIRE' (2014), all of which received widespread critical acclaim in Australia on release, Ellis moved to NYC, earned a PhD and delved deeper into his creative work as a songwriter and director.

Spending over four years writing 'BE THE PARIAH' Ellis demonstrates that above and beyond all else, he is a storyteller. Whether that be his own or those of others, with some tracks told from the perspective of an eclectic group of outsiders and others from a deeply personal perspective, Ellis has a way of crafting words that are truly meaningful.

This is "some music to disappear yourself inside of. Bury ego. Let go of grooming housing estates and swim out into the wild zones with me," says Ellis.

‘BE THE PARIAH’ was recorded over a span of a few years in NYC with co-producer Kelly Winrich. The album will be released independently on August 7th.

Songwriter, singer, and multi-disciplinary artist Jehnny Beth will release her debut solo album, To Love Is To Live, on May 8th, 2020 via Caroline Records. The record, which was recorded in Los Angeles, London, and Paris, features a number of collaborators, including producers Flood, Atticus Ross, and longtime co-creator Johnny Hostile, and guest turns from The xx’s Romy Madley Croft, actor Cillian Murphy, and IDLES’ Joe Talbot.

Today Jehnny Beth also shares a new song from the album entitled “Flower,” which follows last year’s stand alone single “I’m The Man,” which was lauded by the New York Times for its “bravado and tenderness.” “I’m The Man” also saw the beginning of Jehnny Beth’s cinematic collaboration with acclaimed director Anthony Byrne (Peaky Blinders).

“Flower” sees Jehnny Beth heading in completely different sonic territory to “I’m The Man,” taming the former’s tempestuous pulse into something simmering and sensual. Written about a pole dancer at notorious strip club Jumbo’s Clown Room in Los Angeles, “Flower” details the complicated depths of sexuality tangled in a fever dream reverie of desire and loss.

Best known as the charismatic lead singer and co-writer of UK band Savages, who received Mercury Prize nominations for both of their now-classic two albums Silence Yourself (2013) and Adore Life (2016), Jehnny Beth’s voice, lyrical perspective, and incredible live performances have captivated audiences since the early Aughts. But it’s in To Love Is To Live that Jehnny Beth truly steps into - and claims - the spotlight. The album is a sonic tour de force, a dark cinematic meditation on the strange business of being alive. Throughout the record, she explores the deepest reaches of her creative consciousness...wrapped in a whirlwind of sounds. Indeed, in accessing those darkest and least comfortable parts of herself, Jehnny Beth has created a piece of work that is stunningly cathartic, fiercely abrasive, delicately exposed, and rich for discourse.

From subverting power balances (“I’m The Man”) to marrying dense textures with stark instrumentation (“The Rooms”) to walking the thin line between the sacred and the profane to explore existential themes (“French Countryside”), To Love Is To Live sees Jehnny Beth giving her intense vulnerability a glorious voice - musically and lyrically -- like no one else making music today. Which is to say: The album is a sublime tumble through life’s loftiest questions, an album forged from the ambition and courage of an artist putting everything she’d got right -- and indeed everything she is -- into the music.

In addition to her work creating To Love Is To Live, Jehnny Beth’s also kept busy performing and recording with other artists including PJ Harvey, the xx, Anna Calvi, Gorillaz, and Julian Casablancas. She’s also brought her artistry to other mediums as well -- receiving a nomination for “Most Promising Actress” for a coveted Cesar award for her acting work in An Impossible Love while starring in Alexandre Astier’s Kaamelottt this coming July. She also hosts a Beats 1 radio program called “Start Making Sense” and has recently debuted a new music series for Arte called “Echoes with Jehnny Beth,” which can be seen on TV in France and Germany and worldwide via the Arte website.

“her beautifully compassionate songs are cradled in gentle, melodic arrangements.” - MOJO

“this is intimate country-folk that’s utterly seductive in its stillness.” - NME

“most strikingly of all is her gift for narrative” “as with everything Crain does, the profound and the tragic is to be found in the tiniest detail” - Uncut, Americana Album of the Month

“The richness of Crain’s voice and elegant simplicity of the musical arrangements bring drama to these stories” - The Observer

“The Mid Section in particular contains some corkers and the blend of Radio 2 friendly with Radio 6 odd has already ensured the wider exposure Crain’s music deserves” The Independent

Lucy Rose is proud to launch a new independent record label, Real Kind Records, and the details of her first artist signing and release.

The British folk musician, who released her fourth album ‘No Words Left’ in 2019 to widespread acclaim, will build the label’s foundations throughout the year and is incredibly excited to welcome the US singer-songwriter Samantha Crain as her first signing.

Real Kind releases Crain’s new album, A Small Death, on the 1st May 2020. It is preceded today by a stirring introduction to the record with its opener, An Echo, streaming now.

An Echo is an atmospheric and brooding listen by this Oklahoman musician who has long since been gifted with a finely-tuned ear for melody, and achieved much critical support across her previous releases. A Small Death heralds a fresh new era for Samantha Crain and a hard-fought victory in her relentless battle against illness and injury that at one stage suggested she might never be able to hold and play her guitar again. It makes for an emotionally-charged, richly-textured record, underpinned by Samantha’s poetic way with words and expressive means of delivering them. This album is self-produced.

Samantha Crain: “This record was written and recorded during and after some serious hardships in my life. I had lost use of my hands, sank into despair due to the apparent loss of my ability to perform on instruments. I was suffering from a mental and physical breakdown and when I eventually came out on the other side of it, with my capacities renewed, I found such joy and appreciation to be able to create again and put all of this into this record, because of this, in my eyes, it is the most important record I've made and I held it firmly in my arms and carried it through to completion. I saw this as my bonus round, my second chance, and a time to re-evaluate my principles as an artistand my objective as a person. The state of peace that I came to following this tumultuous time in my life allowed me a real clarity towards desires for this record.

"Around the time that I finished this record, I became re-acquainted with Lucy. We had met before a few years back on a broadcast of Loose Ends on BBC Radio 4 and at one of my London shows the previous year, but she had asked me to support her on a tour and I immediately felt a kinship with her--not only because of our shared navigation of being a woman in the music industry but I was also floored by her artistic integrity and her ability to adroitly manoeuvre herself, intelligently and clearly, through the business of it all too.

“I feel like this record is a new beginning for me, a re-birth after a small death. It is A total mirror of who I am, more than anything else I've made and because of that, it could only find its shared place with someone who truly loved it and believed in it, and Lucy has over and over again shown me that warmth and dedication.

“I feel so honoured to be the first release on Real Kind Records and believe in Lucy and her vision as much as she believes in mine.”

REAL KIND RECORDS: THE FIRST MOVES…

The initiative to launch a record label has been an idea long since considered by Lucy Rose. Ever since she stepped away from her major label record deal following the top 10 release of her second album, she has sought to remain fiercely independent in almost all aspects of her life. Coupled with her passion for discovering and unearthing new artists, Real Kind feels like a natural extension of combining the two and helping to put a spotlight on young artists making their tentative first steps, or those that are deserving of so much more attention than they’ve had.

Explaining her thought process and vision for the label further, Lucy revealed: “Like all musicians, I've always felt interested and passionate about other musicians and the art that's constantly being created. Choosing support acts for my tours is always so exciting for me, to take a musician that I really care about and admire on the road with me and hear them play every night, fills me with such happiness.

“That's what happened last year when I took Samantha Crain on tour with me, an artist that I've been listening to and following since 2015 when we met. But having her on the road and listening to her play every night, my love and passion for her music grew enormously. During those weeks on the road we grew closer as friends and she sent me her album - 'A Small Death' that she was in the process of finishing. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This album that she had self-produced and made in her home of Oklahoma was one of the best albums I had heard in years, maybe ever. I was so excited and thrilled for her but as we talked more it became clear that Samantha wasn't sure of how she would release the album.

“I spoke to Communion Records, my label, about Samantha and her album and they gave me this great opportunity of starting my own label as an imprint under them, so I could release Samantha's album. I couldn't believe it!

“After a lot of thought and consideration, this is what is happening. I've started Real Kind Records and Samantha Crain is my first signing. It has been one of the most exciting moments of my life. Samantha Crain is one of the most talented, genuinely inspired artists I've ever come across and to work with her is truly an honour. When it came to setting up the label, I knew that what was most important to be was that the artists needs came first, artist friendly deals, and at the forefront of what I wanted to achieve was that Samantha enjoyed every moment of releasing this album.

“I have real ambition for Samantha and this album. It's such a profound and intelligent album, musically and lyrically. I'm so grateful for the braveness she has shown in doing this. It's a deeply personal album and one that I will continue to listen to and enjoy for all the years to come. I hope many, many more people will too.”

A Small Death is released on May 1st and is announced today along with the lead single An Echo.

Circle Pit is the seminal experimental glam/scum rock and roll project of Angela Bermuda & Jack Mannix, formed in Sydney in 2007. While touring the states in 2010 to promote their debut LP 'Bruise Constellation' (Siltbreeze) they recorded a downer-glam-boogie 4 song EP with Matt Whitehurst from Psychedelic Horseshit in Columbus, Ohio called 'Wicked Wicked Time' - four songs spanning indecipherable blues, hair metal, downer country & southern fried boogie rock.

This lost record, frozen in time, and the masters possibly lost, is finally seeing the light of day 10 years later in 2020 through Dero Arcade. The incendiary band performing on this record is filled out by Harriet Hudson (Gtr); Al Haddock (Bass) and Owen Penglis (Drums).

First single 'Neon Idol' is a gnarly lo-fi hair metal/scum rock anthem; 'Come to the Beach' a down-on-the-corner call to arms to all the mateys to amass on the culturing melt-pot that is the beach; 'Winning Streak' a country-cum-washing-machined ode to lost love and friendship; and the infamous title track, 'Wicked Wicked Time', a duo snarl, coming to the future from the past, Bermuda and Mannix singing from both outer space and from down the well.

Their first release since 2011’s dream-pop 'Slave/Honey' 7” (Hardly Art), Dero Arcade’s special pressing of the return of Circle Pit sees four tracks spanning sloppy country, heavy rocknroll, southern fried boogie & indecipherable blues.

NOW FOR EXAMPLE

OUT SEPTEMBER 27 ON GONER RECORDS

...dirty pop fuzz not unlike the early Clean. - Wire Magazine

Brisbane’s Thigh Master have been described as ‘a lost Flying Nun band,’ which is exactly correct. - Razorcake

...with the sun-soaked optimism and scrappy pop-bent guitars playing off frontman Matthew Ford’s anxious-or-nonchalance vocal oscillation. - Rolling Stone 

Some critics say a gig mustn’t inform your evaluation of a record, but they haven’t seen Thigh Master. - The Guardian 

Here it is! Brisbane (via Melbourne), Australia-based quartet Thigh Master are back with the long awaited second LP 'Now for Example' -- the follow up to their 2016 debut 'Early Times'. 

Following a string of sold out singles, as well as tours of the US, Japan, and Europe, the guitar-pop-guardians of the Brisbane underground deliver 'Now for Example', a twelve song hook-laden exertion, filled with imperious string bends and riffage framing witty tales of lethargic social observation, concocted by band leader Matthew Ford.

'Now for Example' sees the most compelling and virtuosic combination of Thigh Master members to date, with Innez Tulloch (guitar/keys), Dusty Anastassiou (drums) and Daniel Ford (bass) contributing heavily to its foundations and creating a bulk of their parts off the cuff during recording sessions, which took place in various houses between Melbourne (*Birraranga) and Brisbane (*Beepooban & *Gootcha). The intervals of ragged, jangly guitar riffs interspersed with waves of distorted sonic mischief recall the late 80s/early 90s Flying Nun sound of the Clean, Bats and 3Ds.

While 'Early Times' got it’s vitality from a constant sense of urgency, 'Now for Example' takes its time and the songs shine for it. 'Subtropic Buck (Always a Loan)' opens with a dry, quirky guitar riff with an ascending melody leading nicely into a nonchalantly descending chorus that’s incredibly catchy. The pace slows at the end to accommodate vocal harmony variants floating amidst churning distortion lifting the song subtly into space. 'Claps for Clats' features bouncing trombone stylings, courtesy of Aussie underground wunderkind Nicole Thibault from Thibault,Minimum Chips, and Clag. 'BBC' leads with a big, upbeat guitar riff containing a hint of ethereal travel. The mid-tempo drum pace drives the riff covering the vocals in a wash of late-night-riding-in-the-back-of-a-car fun.

'Now for Example' comes out worldwide September 27, 2019 on Goner Records.

The band then head overseas on their US tour in September and October, and in Europe soon after, dates below.

* Indigenous titles

THIGH MASTER is

Matthew Ford - Vocals, Guitars, Keyboard

Innez Tulloch - Vocals, Guitars, Organ

Dusty Anastassiou - Vocals, Drums, Organ, Melodica, Sax

Daniel Ford - Vocals, Bass, Synth

FOLLOW THIGH MASTER ON

Instagram, Facebook, Bandcamp

For more information on Thigh Master please contact:

lulu@braindrainpr.com / julia@braindrainpr.com

Kim Salmon & The Surrealists.

'Rantings From The Book Of Swamp'

[Kim Salmon is] "a seminal influence on Nirvana, an influence on John Spencer, Spacemen 3, Sonic Youth love this man"

Henry Wagons, Double J

"Kim Salmon works 'really, really hard'. As far as I can tell, he hasn’t had a day off since 1975"

Daily Review

"Salmon is to Perth, Australia, what Nick Cave was to Melbourne; a post-punk trailblazer that’s made uncompromising music for 35 year. May he never stop!"

The Big Takeover, Jack Rabid

Blues-punk legends Kim Salmon & The Surrealists announce their new album 'Rantings From The Book Of Swamp' set for release September 4, 2020.

'Rantings From The Book Of Swamp' is the band's 8th studio album but the MO remains the same - deconstruction and salvage.

Following its premiere with Henry Wagons on the Double J airwaves and music video via The Music, Kim Salmon & The Surrealists release first single 'Burn Down The Plantation' today. All proceeds of the single going to Stop Black Deaths In Custody.

As a band with more than a fair amount of improvised content in their back catalogue, they were only ever a step away from an entirely improvised album, made up with only what they could bring to a recording session.

The original idea - an improvised show before an audience with the purpose of recording it called 'Rantings From The Book Of Swamp'.

Plans quickly changed with the arrival of COVID-19 and the show was cancelled amidst venue shutdowns. But it was too good an idea to die quietly and in June 2020 the ante was upped to a worldwide live-streamed performance.

For lyrical content Kim referred to his sketchbooks, all entitled various volumes of The Book Of Swamp, with the intention of fitting various sketched lyrics as vocals with whatever the band came up with musically.

The film clip for 'Burn Down The Plantation' is completely live and "before the filming the song didn’t really exist" says Salmon. "I came to the live stream session prepared with a bunch of loose lyrical sketches that I’d be able sing into whatever the band jammed up".

The result, a brand new double album from Kim Salmon & The Surrealists, for and of the COVID era, welcome 'Rantings From The Book Of Swamp'.

Kim Salmon is no stranger to the Australian music scene; helping to kick off the punk scene and inventing grunge. Salmon has played in some of Australia's most pivotal punk rock bands including The Scientists, Beasts of Bourbon, and of course, The Surrealists.

Kim Salmon & The Surrealists began in Perth in 1987, deconstructing tunes like 'Blue Velvet', 'Je’taime Moi Non Plus' and playing their own off kilter music with its bizarre time signatures and titles like ‘A Belly Full Of Slugs’, ‘Intense’ and ‘Bad Birth’.

Making the move to Melbourne in the early 90s, Kim Salmon & The Surrealists are a "band's band", touring internationally with such luminaries as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The Cramps, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and even U2.

They recorded their most widely acclaimed album ‘Sin Factory’ in 1992 with genius producer Tony Cohen and their wildest tour de force of styles ‘Ya Gotta Let Me Do My Thing’ in 1996 with blues, punk, folk anarchist legend Jim Dickinson in Memphis.

The line-up has changed over the years but has settled at Kim, Phil Collings and Stu Thomas since their last album, 2007’s space, psych, jazz free form freak out ‘Grand Unifying Theory’.

Through a juxtaposition of experimental tunings, dissonance, spoken word and rich vocal harmonies, Placement have quickly build a reputation for their ferocious performance art. Like a shaken can of soda, they oscillate on a whim of explosive unpredictability; the nature of partially improvised angular guitar based music. Vocal harmony gives ways to Sprechgesang; taut rhythms disintegrate into free form noise; braying clarinet and saxophone intertwines with guitar white noise. The band have been likened to contemporaries such as Sonic Youth and Dry Cleaning, but comparisons aside, Placement are interested in exploring sonic intentions well beyond any cliche’d analogy.

"The music of California Girls is a reminder that emotion drives us even in our most dizzying moments of unrestraint – tears mix with the sweat as the beat pulses in time with our hearts." - Weirdo Wasteland

"California Girls is a rare gem of emotive, lyrical and loudly passionate contemporary synth pop" - i-D

"There’s a kind of clinical sheen to Gus McGrath’s music that hides the hot-blooded pop within" - The Fader

"Ambition and need and disappointment and resignation all pulse through this record... up there with the best local underground dance music around at the moment, in a scene that’s only getting more and more interesting and exciting."

- Who The Hell

California Girls is the recording project of Gus McGrath, who is set to release his sophomore LP (and first release on Dero Arcade) Beat Boy on March 3 2020.

Working between pop, club music and post-punk, California Girls has been operating from his hometown in Canberra since 2014, before moving to Sydney at the end of 2019.

His first album Desire (2016, Moontown Records) came to terms with the complexities of romance through contemporary synth pop. With his upcoming second album Beat Boy, California Girls’ new music uses pop approaches to dissect emotional and theoretical ideas of being, highlighted on his recent single release Give Me Everything (produced by William Sneddon).

New single Small Birds is a dance-floor-ready track about demanding to be cared for. It captures the frantic energy of California Girls' live shows, once described as “Coil but gabber”. The song’s repeated vocal sample and deep bass work to disorient listeners, throwing them into the chaos of sex, loneliness, and wanting to be wanted.

Beat Boy is loosely built around the performances of identity and sex, which California Girls attempts to play out through a pop framework. California Girls isn’t pop music, but it references that vocabulary within its own expansive, punk approaches. California Girls is electronic music; intense, danceable and mechanic, with vocals that move from soaring autotune, to moans, to yells. These shifting textures align with the personal narratives and lived experiences that drive California Girls' lyrics.

'Invisible You' Out October 11.

LISTEN HERE to new single 'Voodoo Talking' out now via Ghost Train Records.

PRE-ORDER Limited Edition Signed LP / CD!

J.P. Shilo is something of a Mystery Man.

He has spent the last decade helping to create the sounds for such luminaries as Mick Harvey, Rowland S. Howard, The Blackeyed Susans, Adalita and also his very own Hungry Ghosts.

In 2009, following the death of his friend Rowland S. Howard, there was a chasm left by Howard's untimely passing, a void which J.P. stepped into almost by accident. By accepting the task offered by These Immortal Souls & his Pop Crimes band-mates in channeling Rowland's spirit in the form of ensuing tribute shows, something very strange happened - J.P. stepped out from the shadows and into the spotlight. A role he was unaccustomed to but soon proved he was more than capable of - holding centre stage.

Long-time friend & co-conspirator on many seminal records at Birdland Studios, the elusive and reclusive Lindsay Gravina, saw at these shows the chrysalis of Shilo's talent, from their initial connections as a moody instrumentalist in Hungry Ghosts into that of a fully-fledged singer/gun-slinger/songwriter.

"It really started out as a dare." says Shilo "I had no intentions of becoming a singer/songwriter, but something in the process of writing these songs for Invisible You, became really enjoyable, and fresh, and uncomfortable, but inspiring all in one."

What came from this was J.P.'s ability to draw yet another bow from his musical talents, blowing people away on a whole other level again with his seemingly natural ability to play anything he sets his mind to. 

The record, 'Invisible You' brings together colleagues from J.P.'s past. 

Steve Shelley, famously drummer for Sonic Youth, invited Hungry Ghosts to the Sonic Youth's NYC Studios to record their 2nd LP - 'Alone, Alone'. He also released J.P.'s first solo album, 'As Happy as Sad is Blue' on his Smells Like Records label. Collaborating again, Shelley plays drums throughout this new project. Mick Harvey lends his unique stylings to the keyboards on these songs, and even Kim Salmon from the Legendary Scientists & Beasts of Bourbon makes an appearance playing slide on a song or two.

What happens when you combine all these ingredients together with J.P.'s deft touch and new-found skill as a songwriter? A beautifully produced, genre-defying, shape-shifting slab of dark rock and diverse weirdalisations. 'Invisible You' is an intriguing record - just when you think you know what it is, it changes gears and J.P. moves to croon; makes you weep, makes you dance, makes you fall in love.

'Invisible You' is an extraordinarily strong debut, and comes completely from left-of-field.

The first track to be lifted from this record is 'Voodoo Talking' which we proudly heard premiere across the Double J airwaves last night via captain Henry Wagons' Tower Of Song, calling J.P 'one of Australia's greatest enigmas'.

'Voodoo Talking' is what it sounds like when you put J.P. in a room with legends, Mick Harvey & Steve Shelley. Not what you'd expect - The cool groove and hypnotic sound of ~ Voodoo Talking.

Mr J.P. Shilo will also be launching this highly anticipated solo album in Melbourne before heading to Europe with a stellar live band that includes Sonic Youth's Steve Shelley & ex-Bad Seed Mick Harvey, as well as guest appearances by Kim Salmon. Special guests on the night will be Bitumen. J.P. will then step out from the shadows and into centre stage to perform'Invisible You' on a European Tour through October / November.

'Invisible You' Melbourne Album Launch

October 10th 

The Spotted Mallard
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE

With special guests Bitumen

FURTHER INFO HERE

CHECK OUT 'VOODOO TALKING' HERE NOW.

PRE-ORDER YOUR SIGNED COPY OF 'INVISIBLE YOU'. 

'Invisible You' available via Ghost Train Records & Rocket Distribution October 11th.

FOLLOW J.P. SHILO ON

BANDCAMP / FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC

For more information on J.P. Shilo please contact:

lulu@braindrainpr.com / julia@braindrainpr.com

ANNOUNCE DEBUT ALBUM

SHARE LEAD SINGLE + VIDEO FOR “DAMSEL” VIA i-D

Awestruck out September 20th via Frenchkiss

(photo credit: Alexa Viscius - download high-res HERE)

“Nashville-via-Boston duo Twen grew out of the DIY punk scene. The band have maintained that scrappy sensibility…[on ‘Waste’], lead vocalist Jane Fitzsimmons shouts over an extremely catchy but hard-hitting melody, “I make you wanna be someone. I make you want to waste it, I make you wanna waste some time.” The harmonies kind of remind me of early Tegan And Sara with a fuzzy edge.” - Stereogum

"It’s rare to find a band this fully-formed from the start, which is precisely why Twen feels so essential." - Uproxx

"’Waste’ is an arresting introduction to Twen’s genre-defying sound, blending elements of psych rock and dream pop to make a sunny and energetic mélange, like surf rock a la Sunflower Bean. Theirs is the kind of timeless rock that leaves room for introspection and escapism both, conjuring infectious hooks without ever sacrificing texture." - Paste

“[‘Waste’ is a’] catchy debut singles” - Brooklyn Vegan

“TWEN show they are clearly a band to keep an eye on with ‘Waste.’" - Substream

Twen came up in the Boston DIY punk scene, kicking off two straight years of touring in 2017 with nothing but a live EP from the band’s first-ever performance. Now based in Nashville, Twen announce their explosive debut album Awestruck. Featuring their first two studio singles “Waste” and “Holy River” which received praise from the likes of NPR, Stereogum, Paste, Brooklyn Vegan, Uproxx, Under The Radar and more, Awestruck is a time capsule two years in the making and recorded in different locations along the way. Though unabashedly indie rock, Twen’s songs genre-bend from shoe-gaze-sized walls of sound to Beatle-esque call-and-response harmonies, while frontperson Jane Fitzsimmons’ voice weaves through guitarist Ian Jones’ guitar lines with Cocteau Twin’s inspired flair, giving breath of ethereal mysticism across the album. Awestruck will be out on September 20th via Frenchkiss - pre-order HERE.

Today Twen share the album’s massive, sun-drenched lead single “Damsel.” Listen to the song, check out the video and read an interview with the band exclusively on i-D HERE.

What’s a touring band without a record? For the past two years, Twen - led by Jane Fitzsimmons and guitarist Ian Jones - has been re-defining what a touring band looks like in an age of homogeneous pop crafted for streaming consumption, touring endlessly and perfecting a raw and mesmerizing live show without a proper release in tow. With DIY at the core of the band’s ethos, the two Twen masterminds have run Airbnbs while touring, played in exchange for skydiving, screen printed self-designed merch items by hand, and booked their own tours.

Disregarding music industry order-of-operations, Twen defied the mold through their Twen Livecassette release in 2017. Recorded from their first performance (ever) in a Boston basement, the 5-song EP is their only recorded music prior to their upcoming debut release.

Twen’s years-in-the-making live performance is built upon a classic rock setup of vocals, guitar, bass, and drums. With the foundation of Jones and Fitzsimmons, the band has cycled through rhythm players; often to keep up with their packed schedule. Life on the road is hard to maintain, especially when the only mechanism for spreading your music time-warps to an archaic traveling band.

Despite the band's strange start, promise grows with each step Twen takes. The freedom and chaos brought on by their nomadic roots leaks into their live performance, only to saturate further with time. With touring now defining how a rock band can earn keep in 2019, Twen represents a refreshing antidote in an increasingly digital world. Awestruck serves as their digital flag, a compressed promise of the joyous energy that awaits in their tours and records to come.

Awestruck out September 20th via Frenchkiss / The Orchard

 Check out TWEN via:

SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / FACEBOOK / TWITTER / INSTAGRAM

AfterMATH World Premiere

Wednesday 25 September 

Melbourne Town Hall
7pm

With support from Nina Buchanan and RMIT University Digital Media students. 

Australian electronic music pioneer Ash Wednesday has always been determined to innovate and explore. His is a career and influence which spans across generations.

Emerging in the seventies combining the electronic noises of the avantgarde with punkrock rhythms using tape recorder experiments and an analogue synthesiser, Ash became founder of seminal seventies groups JAB and Models,  and later a member of The Metronomes, Modern Jazz and CRASHLAND! Ash was a central figure in the development of Australian synthpop and minimal music throughout the eighties, collaborating with Karen Marks on her celebrated release Cold Café. 

A cross-section of projects he was involved in from this period reveal some groundbreaking and influential post punk electropop and minimal wave music. The 90’s saw Ash relocate to Berlin, working with Nina Hagen and beginning a 17 year stint as live performance member of the legendary Einstürzende Neubauten. 

Ash has always been ahead of his time, repeatedly innovative and a key figure in the Melbourne electronic music scene.

Now, in 2019 we bring you The AfterMATH - a body of work created on Melbourne Town Hall's Grand Organ, a world premiere live performance September 25.

During the past 10 years Ash has been confronted with the onset of a debilitating ailment known as progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Despite losing control of the right hand side of his body he has been able to utilise the computerised MIDI control capabilities of the Melbourne Town Hall Grand Organ to create a stunning new commissioned work for the instrument. After a self-imposed hiatus from creative processes, this composition can be considered as being the AfterMATH.

Throughout Ash’s music career he has been intrigued to find effective ways around the western preoccupation with the number 4 - the predominance of 4/4 timing and the seemingly mandatory construction of verse, chorus and c part (middle 8) in popular song construction. 

Ash has played with odd numbers, probability and chance in the compositions included within AfterMATH to create a ground-breaking self-generating sound work. In combination with the gargantuan 10-thousand-pipe Melbourne Town Hall Grand Organ, this conceptual approach will guarantee Melbourne audiences a truly unique sonic experience.

Support on the night come from Melbourne electronica legend Nina Buchanan playing an exclusive set of her ecstatic melodic and highly cerebral synth music. 

Opening the evening will be students from the RMIT Digital Media course presenting new specially created electronic works for the Grand Organ. 

Ash Wednesday

AfterMATH (world premiere) 

Wednesday 25 September 

Melbourne Town Hall

7pm 

Free admission – bookings essential 

With support from Nina Buchanan + RMIT University Digital Media students.

"Their excellent new record Perfumed Earth — finds the group at a newfound peace, exploring a more meditative, widescreen version of their alluring natural mysticism, culminating in the swooning, soaring album centerpiece and highlight “Two Worlds Apart“." - Gorilla vs. Bear

"...manages to make isolation seem more beautiful than terrifying by playing loosely with structure..." - Pitchfork

"...ethereal & blissful..." - NOISEY

 
"...precise in execution, and — when presented visually — busting with colors." - Tiny Mix Tapes

"An altogether more soothing soundtrack for the days to come..." - The Quietus

New Zealand dreamscape artists Purple Pilgrims announce their long-awaited, sophomore record Perfumed Earth, set for release on August 9th on Flying Nun Records. This release marks their recorded debut with the label.

Today sisters Valentine and Clementine Nixon also reveal the first track off the sublime body of work, titled ‘Two Worlds Apart’. Directed by W.A.M. Bleakly, the accompanying visuals sees the enchanting pair navigate physical distance, while carrying a strong spiritual tie that ultimately reunites them in harmonious ceremony.

The group had these somewhat cryptic words to say about the track: “Swelled hearts will fall like fruit“. Watch the beautiful video premiering now over at Gorilla Vs Bear!

Valentine and Clementine Nixon refer to Perfumed Earth, their sublime sophomore full-length as “kind of like a rebirth.” The duo retreated to the same wooded sanctuary studio in the wilds of Tapu where they tracked their 2016 debut, Eternal Delight, but this time in a calmer, more contemplative headspace: “internal white noise subsided and we really started to appreciate the peace of our environment.”

Aided, too, by a vaster cast of collaborators, they fashioned “a very modern/mobile band,” combining local recordings with inspired long-distance overdubs. Frequent ally Gary Warcontributed bass and synth from various American motel rooms while on tour with John Maus;lush live drums came courtesy of lauded Lorde keyboardist Jimmy Mac, ex-Surf City guitarist Joshua Kennedy layered in additional tiers of jangle and fuzz; veteran improvisational experimentalist Jeff Henderson cameos with subtle arcs of saxophone on the divine “Delphiniums In Harmony / Two Worlds Away”; and even legendary six-string expressionist Roy Montgomery makes a guest appearance, weaving tendrils of heavenly electricity within one of the album’s darkest highlights “Ruinous Splendour.”

 The results were then mixed in Mount Eden, Auckland, with engineer Thomas Healy (Tiny Ruins), utilising his sizable collection of vintage tape machines, arriving at a sound both spacious and sensual, swooning and spellbound. Certain songs rank among the most proper enchantress pop yet ventured in the Purple Pilgrims canon, while others shimmer with more veiled kaleidoscopic textures, yet taken as a whole Perfumed Earth presents a persuasive evolutionary step forward.

The sisters intertwined voices soar, seduce, and slowdive, radiating rich spectrums of archetypal experience: journeys, longing, homecomings. Theirs is a unique nexus of paradise and isolation, beauty and blankness, ritual and the right now; or as they phrase it: “ancient imagery expressed through a modern lens – folks songs played on synthesized instruments.”

 
'Perfumed Earth' is out August 9 via Flying Nun - PRE-ORDER

Follow Purple Pilgrims:

FACEBOOK // INSTAGRAM // BANDCAMP // WEBSITE // YOUTUBE

City of Melbourne and Heavy Machinery Records proudly present the world premiere performance of Cale Sexton's "Sustain". 

The Federation Bells are set for a spaced-out reimagining as cosmic electronica genius Cale Sexton premieres his new original work “Sustain” commissioned by City of Melbourne.   

Hear the iconic outdoor sound sculpture like never before as Sexton combines the Bells with fresh realms of cinematic electro-synth and interstellar ambient techno in this very special free outdoor concert.   

Sexton's most recent album "Melondrama" (Butter Sessions) received rave reviews and has set him up as one of the true innovators in contemporary Australian electronica.   

“Goodbye Pikelet, we’re going to miss you.” - Cyclic Defrost

Pikelet + Julia Suddenly present ‘Dandelion Precious’, a video created to close an album aptly titled ‘Goodbye’, premiering today on Cyclic Defrost

After 12 years of evolution and exploration, 5 albums and multiple awards, nominations and projects including the recent scoring of film 'Acute Misfortune', musician and multi-instrumentalist Evelyn Ida Morris is farewelling their Pikelet moniker forevermore.

‘Dandelion Precious’, the closing track on Pikelet’s final album, is a song that “ruminates on the pitfalls of love; the self destructive narratives that we sometimes find ourselves perpetuating when deeply adoring someone.”

Melbourne based director Julia Suddenly interpreted the song through a figurative lens, to create a masterful, cinematic examination of the notions of self and other, and the confusions and transformations of these boundaries that permeate and define our relationships with each other. 

By mixing on-ground camera work with drone footage, ‘Dandelion Precious’ is able to seamlessly jump from the micro to the macro world, zooming out on itself to reveal perspectives that would otherwise remain concealed.

 ‘Dandelion Precious’ is the final offering from Pikelet; an ode to the binaries present both in the artist themselves and the world in which they live - fragile yet resilient, at once both measured and limitless.

'Goodbye' is out now.

Angie + Dero Arcade present The Underling, the fourth studio album from artist Angela Garrick.

Angie’s vast artistic contributions underpin Australia’s contemporary underground musical culture. Having performed and collaborated in bands Circle Pit, Southern Comfort and Ruined Fortune, Angie launched her solo moniker in 2013. 

A fleeting encounter at an alleyway gig in Athens, Greece in 2016 led Angie to meet John Vulgaris. The much-esteemed Greek engineer and producer had set up a makeshift studio in the Psyri neighbourhood of Athens, to which he invited Angie to record what would become the beginnings of The Underling. 

Angie reflects on this time, saying “We arranged to record and I flew to Greece with excitement and trepidation, unsure of what, if anything, may eventuate from the session. I spent the first few days there trying to help my friend Alekos find his cat, Alma, which had disappeared in the local neighbourhood - but soon enough, the sessions begun with rehearsals in a rented studio space inside a tall dilapidated skyscraper where John’s band, Bazooka, rehearsed. The next three weeks we worked in this makeshift studio inside an underground rehearsal space, negotiating instrumentation and stylistics into the late, late night, often almost spilling into the morning.”

After a solidified period performing piano compositions from her third LP 'Shyness', as far afield as the Sydney Opera House and a small dive bar in Tokyo, Angie describes The Underling as a return to exploring various dimensions of the rock and roll genre; “the final chapter to the exploratory rock trilogy initiated by Turning (2013) and continued by Free Agent (2015) - dirty, sometimes desolate, yet hopeful and groovy rock and roll.”

The Underling, a piece of 30-something minute rock action, will be released on May 24th via Dero Arcade.

PRE-ORDER HERE

Things have been moving at an incredibly fast pace in the world of enchanting Brooklyn folk-rock quartet Big Thief. Having conquered all and sundry on their inaugural Australian tour at the tail-end of our last southern summer, they’re returning triumphantly less than 12 months later clutching their powerful second statement Capacity, a stunning follow-up to their acclaimed debut Masterpiece which introduced them to the world in 2016.

Musically Big Thief remain resolutely in thrall to no particular genre, swinging seamlessly between sparse, atmospheric folk and beautifully refined indie rock. Despite the wide critical acclaim afforded Masterpiece, for Capacity the band chased a raw sound where spontaneity was paramount, arranging the new songs for the first time in the studio and then recording them that very same day to capture the initial spark. The results are fresh and uncontrived, brimming with subtlety and restraint yet immediate and headstrong and unfailingly potent.

On their initial Australian visit earlier this year, Big Thief delighted crowds at Perth Festival as well as at their own well-attended gigs in Sydney and Melbourne (including a slot on the celebrated Melbourne Zoo Twilight series alongside LA rockers Warpaint). Now upon their return Down Under they’re upping the ante significantly, playing headlining shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Brunswick Heads, as well as a prime spot on the cherished Meredith Music Festival line-up.

They’re in fine fettle on the live front having spent the best part of a year criss-crossing the globe since Masterpiece first took root, so take the opportunity to immerse yourself in the gorgeously harrowing-yet-hopeful world of Big Thief as they return south to Australia this December: they may steal your heart, but your soul will be reinvigorated and your spirit left bolstered.

✨  BIG THIEF ✨
AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2017
Brought to you by Love Police

7th December, Freemantle
Fly By Night Musicians Club
TICKETS ON SALE NOW

8th December, Melbourne
The Howler
TICKETS ON SALE NOW

12th December, Sydney
Oxford Art Factory
TICKETS ON SALE NOW

13th December, Brisbane
The Foundry
TICKETS ON SALE NOW

14th December, Brunswick Heads
Brunswick Picture House
TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Big Thief also playing Meredith Music Festival.

Big Thief on - FACEBOOK //  INSTAGRAM // SPOTIFY //  OFFICIAL SITE   SOUNDCLOUD // TWITTER

Sydney pioneers PVT are returning for some intimate shows; their first in Australia since February 2017 and the release of their acclaimed 5th album 'New Spirit'.

In a career marked by uncompromising exploration, we dare say Sydney has struggled to produce a more consistent and adventurous band in the last decade, nor one more capable on stage.

With members living between Sydney and London for several years now, their recent live appearances have been few and far between. 

However, with the release of one of their career best albums in 'New Spirit', and off the back of a recent successful European tour, brothers Richard and Laurence Pike and Dave Miller are seeking to make amends with another return to home shores in September/October 2017.

Joining them on both Sydney and Melbourne dates is the exciting electronic artist Nico Niquo, whose 'In A Silent Way' album is a firm contender for album of the year at PVT HQ, as well as a host of innovative local acts including Melbourne's Corin, Dongelis (aka Sydney's Donny Benét in instrumental synth mode), plus Lower Spectrum and Erasers in Perth.

Five albums in, one gets the feeling that PVT are in a constant state of renewal; that a nostalgia-free form of evolution is their primary mode of practice, and, that they are a band that will potentially remain a creative force in Australia's musical landscape for many years to come.

Don't miss this chance to catch one of our most singular bands live.

Tickets on sale NOW!

PVT AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES:

SYDNEY
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15
THE LANSDOWNE HOTEL
w/ NICO NIQUO & DONGELIS
TICKETS HERE!

MELBOURNE
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 16
NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB
w/ NICO NIQUO & CORIN
TICKETS HERE!

PERTH
THURSDAY OCTOBER 5
BABUSHKA
w/ LOWER SPECTRUM & ERASERS
ICKETS HERE!

STREAM 'NEW SPIRIT' VIA SPOTIFY

BUY 'NEW SPIRIT' VIA ITUNES

DOWNLOAD PRESS ASSETS

FIND PVT ON:
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | BANDCAMP | SPOTIFY

Chain & The Gang, the latest creative vehicle for Washington DC activist Mr. Ian Sveninonius, ex-The Make Up/ Nation Of Ulysses and a man described by fellow Washington native Henry Rollins as “a genius” are heading down under for their debut Australian tour.

Formed in 2009, Chain & The Gang are different than the rest. You won’t see their name on the garbage heap of hyped bands pushed by paid-off web-zine tastemakers. They’re not “jingle-core,” tattooed onto your subconscious via Madison Avenue mind-control ad campaigns. They’re not middle brow NPR indie listening for Prius owning cubicle rockers or a tiresome teenage retread of ‘90s surrender sludge.

No. Chain & The Gang are singular, terrifying, unparalleled. Not only the most ferocious live combo ever witnessed but also the world’s only anti-liberty rock ’n’ roll group. Their motto? “Down with Liberty... Up with Chains!” 

Chain & The Gang don’t care about grades, likes, traffic or hits. They don’t petition publicists for goofy hype or pander to the corrupt institutions who molest rock ’n’ roll and use it as their plaything. Chain & Co. don’t play that game. They want total destruction of the insipid rock ’n’ roll status quo and the foul system it purports to offer relief from –- but in fact keeps afloat. 

After too many years of dormancy, New York City’s glorious garage-noise mutants Boss Hog are back, with their first studio album in 17 years Brood X, out April 7 via the almighty In The Red Records.

Led by Cristina Martinez (ably assisted by her faithful sideman/husband Jon Spencer, as ever playing Flavor Flav to Cristina’s Chuck D), Brood X feels less like the work of a group who’ve been on ice for so long, more a slithering and sludgy monster of an album, a boiling pot of hot funk keys, growling punk attack, searing blues breaks and the ground-shaking holler of Martinez (ex-Pussy Galore).

Having recently released singles'17’, 'Fomula X'and'Ground Control' already championed by Stereogum,The New York Times, The Quietus, SPIN and more, Martinez explains their almost two-decade gestation:

“There are different broods of cicadas emerging in cyclical periods, there are 13-year cicadas and 17-year cicadas. That’s what Boss Hog is like – we’re operating on our own cycle. We go underground for a number of years, re-emerge, make beautiful sounds, and then go away. That’s our cyclical life.”

On hiatus since they finished promoting 2000’s icy, wonderful Whiteout album, Boss Hog began stirring again late in 2008 with the first of several short runs of shows. Things started getting serious a couple of years later, when the Boss Hog all-stars – Martinez, Spencer, bassist Jen Jurgensen, drummer Hollis Queens and keysman Mickey Finn – decided this reunion habit was worth committing to wax.

Cooked up in the same Lower East Side basement where Boss Hog brewed their first blistering noiseouts, and cut at Michigan’s Key Club Recording Company on the same Flickinger N32 Matrix console Sly Stone used for There’s A Riot Goin’ On,Brood X is serious music for serious times, the perfect soundtrack for a necessary revolution.

New York has changed beyond recognition and there’s a buffoonish villain in the White House, but Martinez’s towering vocals and vicious, hilarious, emboldening lyrics have never sounded so sharp, nor Boss Hog so timely. Opener 'Billy', all brawny low-end and delirious funk organ, finds Martinez and Spencer howling about “The brink of destruction!” over apocalyptic beats, while 'Ground Control', a prismatic vision of today’s Big Apple, includes the bitter observation, “This is the cost of privilege”.