Lenka has offered us a taste of her new album Attune ahead of its October 13 release. The lead single “Heal” is a gentle pop ballad with introspective lyrics, the result of a collaborative songwriting session over tea with Sally Seltmann.
If you love “Heal,” you’re in luck. Preorder Attune now and you’ll receive a digital copy of “Heal” and another song “Lucky” to enjoy while you’re waiting for the album. Speaking of the album, it sounds very cool with a papercraft diorama sculpture piece part of its unique packaging. As someone who’s long bemoaned the death of interesting liner notes, I’m impressed.
Lenka will celebrate Attune’s release with a show at Los Angeles’ Hotel Café on October 17 and another at New York’s Mercury Lounge on October 19. Hopefully it’s not too long before we see her back on home soil.
There’s no sign of second single syndrome from Alex Lahey, who’s just released her brand new pearler “I Haven’t Been Taking Care of Myself.” The second cut from her forthcoming debut album, I Love You Like a Brother, this track is absolutely irresistible. I just love its pop energy and introspective lyrics.
“A lot of the songs on the record are about the relationships that we engage in with other people. ‘I Haven’t Been Taking Care Of Myself’ deviates from that in that it’s about the relationship that we have with ourselves and how that is reflected in the way we bring others into our lives,” Alex explained. “If you feel shit about yourself, you’re generally going to get off on the wrong foot with someone else.”
The single will no doubt encourage more people to see Alex on her I Love You Like a Brother tour, celebrating the album’s October 6 release. Catch her in the capitals and major regional centres next month.
4 October 2017 – 48 Watt St, Newcastle
6 October 2017 – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
7 October 2017 – The Zoo, Brisbane
11 October 2017 – Karova Lounge, Ballarat
12 October 2017 – Workers Club, Geelong
13 October 2017 – Fat Controller, Adelaide
14 October 2017 – Republic Bar, Hobart
18 October 2017 – Corner Hotel, Melbourne
19 October 2017 – Rosemount, Perth
20 October 2017 – Mojos, Fremantle
Image used with permission from Riot House Publicity
My inner teen can’t wait to hear California Dreaming, an album featuring two of my first musical crushes, Rick Price and Jack Jones, covering the classic North American music I grew up with. I’m so excited to hear these two fantastic voices take on some of my favourite artists including The Eagles, Jackson Browne, and Joni Mitchell.
“I felt we needed to pay homage to these songs and be respectful to the melodies and arrangements and not drift too far off the reservation. But, at the same time we wanted to add some things here and there that made a difference,” Rick said in a statement.
“Rick and I have been talking about doing something for close to two decades,” Jack added. “It was a great opportunity to work together and celebrate great artists, some great songs and a certain time and genre. That period in music will never be repeated again.”
We get a little taste of what’s in store with the release of the title track, the Mamas and the Papas classic “California Dreamin’.” It does not disappoint.
The California Dreaming album is released on September 29.
Stand Atlantic has dropped brand new single “Sidewinder,” just in time to remind us that the EP of the same name isn’t too far away.
This is another gloriously gutsy slice of pop-punk from the Sydney outfit. Frontwoman Bonnie Fraser says the track “was written as a reminder that if you love someone, it’s important to acknowledge and accept differences between each other. Never compromise who you are just to try and change something you can’t.”
Stand Atlantic will release the Sidewinder EP on September 15. Until then, crank the title track up!
Image used with permission from Paris is Patient
Two years ago Liv Cartledgetook home the top prize in the Telstra Road to Discovery competition. This Melbourne singer-songwriter has made the most of the opportunities this competition provided and honed her craft over the years. Her new EP Timber, featuring the beautiful new single “Heard Your Name” is the culmination of those efforts.
Liv’s voice has such an appealing, huskiness to it. She’s also an excellent songwriter, so make sure you really listen to those lyrics.
“Heard Your Name started out as a grief-stricken heart pour onto paper not long after I lost my dad,” she explained. “Somehow after a few hours it had twisted itself into a song. I guess that’s the beauty of being a songwriter.”
Timber is released on October 6. Liv will take its tracks to the people with a string of shows in October and November.
7 October 2017 – Some Velvet Morning, Melbourne
11 October 2017 – Folkswagon, Sydney (FREE)
12 October 2017 – Porch Light Sessions, Sydney
13 October 2017 – Parlour Gig, Sydney
14 October 2017 – Parlour Gig, Central Coast
21-23 October 2017 – Swagger Music Festival, Wandiligong
3-6 November 2017 – Happy Wanderer Music Festival, Benalla
3 November 2017 – Parlour Gig, Beechworth
5 November 2017 – Parlour Gig, Wagga Wagga
10 November 2017 – The Grace Emily, Adelaide (FREE)
18 & 19 November 2017 – Brown Brothers Spring Festival, Milawa
24 November 2017 – Tap House, Bendigo
I’m really excited to hear Roger Waters is on his way back to Australia for the first time since his The Wall tour smashed sales records in 2012.
Roger is responsible for some of my most vivid concert memories. I’m not quite sure when I saw him the first time, but knowing I was still living at home and working in retail dates the story. A checkout chick’s salary doesn’t really extend to many concerts, but I won a couple of tickets from the radio. I remember being in awe of the production, planes and flying pigs and all that, and the heart-thumping sound. When a concert gets loud it can simply become noisy, but this was so crisp and clear. You felt every beat of the drum reverberating in your chest. And I was in awe of Roger up there, so damn cool despite being roughly as old as my dad, which when you’re still living at home seems pretty old.
Then there was that tour for The Wall, one of the most formative albums of my teenage years. He brought it to life in such spectacular fashion. Again, I was awestruck.
So I have high hopes for the Us + Them tour, which American critics have already praised for its “eye-popping” production and “spectacular” set list which draws from Roger’s solo work and Pink Floyd classics.
Telstra customers get the jump with a presale on September 4 ahead of the general sale on September 8.
2 February 2018 – QUDOS Bank Arena, Sydney
6 February 2018 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane
10 & 11 February 2018 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
16 February 2018 – Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
20 February 2018 – Perth Arena, Perth
Image used with permission from Revolutions per Minute
Ben Salter is one of those incredible Aussie talents that flies under the radar. He releases his albums with little fanfare, then takes the time to assemble another collection of quality songs so he can start the process all over again. What he does isn’t flashy, but it’s bloody good. His latest album Back Yourself, the follow-up to his sophomore release The Stars My Destination, will be released on September 1.
Ben made Back Yourself over 12 months at locations around Tasmania and Victoria, including time spent at producer Chris Townend’s picturesque White Light studio. The studio overlooks Tassie’s Huon Valley and I think it influenced this release. You just get a different sound when you leave the pace of the big city behind and retreat to rural Australia. There’s a calm that comes through the music, putting you at peace as you listen to it.
Back Yourself features the current single “Isolationism.” To call it a love song doesn’t really do it justice, because love songs are a dime a dozen, but at its core that’s what it is. It’s more than though. Take a listen and see for yourself.
If you like what you hear, make sure you check out Back Yourself. Ben is playing full band and solo shows in New Zealand and Australia in the coming months to support the album’s release. Tickets are available from his website.
3 September 2017 – Willie Smith’s Appleshed, Grove (FREE)
8 September 2017 – Golden Dawn, Auckland
9 September 2017 – Leigh Saw Mill, Leigh
10 September 2017 – Refreshment Room, Auckland
14 September 2017 – Nivara Lounge, Hamilton
15 September 2017 – Dome Bar & Cinema, Gisbourne
17 September 2017 – Rogue Stage, Rotorua
21 September 2017 – Sherwood, Queenstown
22 September 2017 – Grainstore Gallery, Oamaru
23 September 2017 – Dog With Two Tails, Dunedin
24 September 2017 – Blue Smoke, Christchurch
27 September 2017 – Mussel Inn, Takaka
28 September 2017 – Meow, Wellington
12 October 2017 – Grace Emily, Adelaide
13 October 2017 – The Barn, Aldgate (SOLO)
14 October 2017 – The Odd Fellow, Fremantle (SOLO)
19 October 2017 – High Tea, Sydney (SOLO)
21 October 2017 – The Flamin’ Galah, Brisbane
25 October 2017 – Smith’s Alternative, Canberra
27 October 2017 – Marrickville Bowls Club, Sydney NSW
28 October 2017 – Gooloogong Log Cabin Hall, Gooloogong (SOLO)
29 October 2017 – The Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland (SOLO)
2 November 2017 – The Eastern, Ballarat
3 November 2017 – The Tote, Melbourne
5 November 2017 – Castlemaine Theatre Royal, Castlemaine
9 November 2017 – St John Craft Beer, Launceston (SOLO)
10 November 2017 – The Wharf, Ulverstone (5 pm SOLO)
10 November 2017 – Mountain Mumma, Sheffield (8 pm SOLO)
19 November 2017 – MONA, Hobart
Custard left fans waiting 16 years for the release of Come Back All is Forgiven. Thankfully they’re not leaving them hanging so long for the follow-up. If the lead single “In the Grand Scheme of Things (None of This Really Matters)” is any indication, The Common Touch was no rush job either.
It’s such a quality song, with an infectious melody and relatable lyrics. And that horn section, sublime.
“’Come Back All Is Forgiven’ was the sound of us playing together in a small room, minimal overdubs,” frontman Dave McCormack explained. “The new album has cello, pedal steel, piano and a variety of backing singers. Some of the tunes were cut up and stitched back together in ways I never thought possible.”
The Common Touch will be released through ABC Music on October 6. Custard will play shows along the East Coast to support its release.
13 October 2017 – The Bundy Hall, Gippsland
14 October 2017 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
20 October 2017 – Soundlounge Currumbin, Gold Coast
21 October 2017 – Woolly Mammoth, Brisbane
22 October 2017 – The Spotted Cow, Toowoomba
9 November 2017 – The Basement, Sydney
10 November 2017 – The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
British-born Adelaide-based pop-jazz chanteuse Sarah King has won me over with her beautiful new single “Back Home.”
It’s the kind of song that stops you in your tracks because it’s so different from what other people are releasing. Her voice is just beautiful, angelic and ethereal.
“The single ‘Back Home’ is pretty special to me as I wrote it at a time where I was settling myself and my family into South Australia, our new home state,” Sarah explained in a press release. “I started exploring themes of home and what home means to different people, whether it’s a place, a person or something completely unique. It’s a song about what and where home can be, a story of longing, reminiscing, reflection, acceptance and gratitude.”
Sarah hopes “Back Home” can also help raise awareness for the thousands of women homeless in South Australia and the rest of the country. She performed the track at Umbrella Winter City Sounds last month to further the cause.
There’s more where that came from on Sarah’s self-titled EP. She’ll officially launch that at the Wheatsheaf Hotel in Thebarton on August 27.
Image used with permission from Against the Grain Publicity/Photo credit: Hannah Tunstill
Fremantle’s own Josh Johnstone has put a big smile on my face with his new single “Just What It Is,” the latest release from his debut album Call in Whispers.
It’s got a great spontaneous energy about it, perhaps because he allegedly wrote it in just five minutes! Who said good things take time?
“It seems that I had just returned home from the local pub after more than my fair share of ales, picked up a guitar and just like that, she was alive!” he explained. “Funny thing was that the following morning I had completely forgotten about it. It wasn’t until a couple of days later I was going though the recordings in my phone and I found it, then it all came back to me. It also explained why I had been wandering around for two days with this random melody in my head. They say the songs you write in five minutes are the best ones, I think this tune is fair proof of that.”
Josh has spent the last couple of months touring Europe, but he’ll be back to launch the album with local shows next month. Whether you’re here or abroad, you can catch him at the following venues.
15 August 2017 – Magick Gathering Festival, Švenčionys
16 August 2017 – Bix Baras, Vilnius
17 August 2017 – Rock River, Vilnius
18 August 2017 – Love Palanga, Palanga
19 August 2017 – Fontaine Palace, Liepaja
20 August 2017 – Kuldīgas Rātsnams un Rātslaukums, Kuldīga
22 August 2017 – Egle, Riga
25 August 2017 – Mad Murphys, Tallinn
29 August 2017 – Chicago 1933 Bar, Tallinn
30 August 2017 – Wall St Bar, Helsinki
2 September 2017 – Beat Café, San Salvo
23 September 2017 – Kalgoorlie Cup @ Exchange Hotel, Kalgoorlie
13 October 2017 – The Fly Trap, Fremantle
20 October 2017 – Venue TBC, Benalla
22 October 2017 – Bar 303, Melbourne
16 November 2017 – The Prince of Wales Hotel, Bunbury
