Fresh from their massive tour with Live and Incubus, The Superjesus have just dropped a fantastic new single “We Won’t Let Go Until It’s Over.” I’ve been so impressed with the new music they’ve been releasing, which is every bit as good as the tracks they released decades ago. Just in case you thought they were just another nostalgia band.
“This song is one of my favourites from the record,” frontwoman Sarah McLeod said. “I wrote it ages ago and submitted it to the band when we were doing the Love And Violence EP back in 2016, for whatever reason it didn’t make the cut. Never one to give up, I tried again in 2023. With our new lineup and producer/drummer Murray Sheridan on the dials it finally came to life. I think the lyric line is quite fitting for this!”
Hopefully this year will bring a lot more new music from this always excellent Aussie outfit.
Image used with permission from Revolutions per Minute PR
Naarm/Melbourne artist Zachary Leo has brought the funk with his latest single, “On My Mind.” Turn this one up and get your groove on. The bass line is absolute fire.
“‘On My Mind’ is about trying to reach out to someone close to you to tell them something is wrong but struggling to find the words to explain how you are feeling,” Zachary explained. “The song’s meaning is backed by an upbeat disco/pop-style groove that contradicts the lyrical theme. It kind of represents how I go about my day-to-day life; inside, I am struggling, and on the outside, I am full of beans and ready to take on the day.”
“On My Mind” comes from Zachary’s forthcoming EP, which drops on June 14. He’ll celebrate its release with a launch show at The Bergy Bandroom in Naarm/Melbourne on July 27.
Mulubinba/Newcastle-based singer-songwriter Dane Tutty is one of those artists who never seems to put a foot wrong. His latest single “Little Fears” is the latest in a string of tracks characterised by emotional vocals and revealingly honest lyrics.
“Most nights at the moment I get high and just try to write a song, basically just cross my fingers as I go to sleep and hope when I wake up and listen to what I recorded it is half decent,” Dane admitted. “They are generally quite bad to be honest, but ‘Little Fears’ was one that worked. ‘Little Fears’ stems directly from those late nights – and is written about how I sit awake some nights while everyone in the house is asleep and have really terrible thoughts.
There’s more music on the way for Dane, who plans to release his third EP later this year.
Tarntanya/Adelaide-based singer-songwriter Jess Day’s unveiled a new, much darker sound with her latest single “Lilith.” While her past releases have been more pop leaning, this new track showcases an edgier rock sound.
“’Lilith’ is a particularly potent song in terms of the language choices I made,” Jess explained. “It’s very visceral and specific to that song. The last song on the album is probably closest to ‘Lilith’ in terms of its content. However, all of the songs on this album have a very clear concept and you can find that specific brand of darkness creeping its way into even the happier songs on the album.”
That album Jess is talking about, called A Garden of Small Disappointments, is slated for a November release. We can expect three more singles before then, so make sure you follow her socials to learn exactly when they’ll drop.
The Nomadic is the coolest local supergroup you haven’t heard about yet. The band features frontman Rob Gaylard, Miles Thomas (Lior, Ronan Keating, Montaigne) on drums, Oliver Thorpe (The Whitlams, Matt Corby, Meg Mac) on guitar, and Brendan Clark (Meg Mac, Montaigne, Jack River) on bass. Their latest single “First Light” has a classic sound that reminds me of 90s bands like Collective Soul and Goo Goo Dolls.
“First Light” comes from The Nomadic’s upcoming album, New Horizons, which should warm up your winter on its release.
Image used with permission from The Planetary Group
After going on a cruise over the weekend, I’m having a Tuesday that feels like a Monday. However, it’s a lot better for hearing “Before I Met You,” the latest indie-folk charmer from Aaron Thomas. If you’re having one of those days, I promise this is exactly what you need.
“This is a song about the joy of a new relationship,” Aaron said. “The killing of the old self and the optimism and excitement of love in a bit of a silly way.”
“Before I Met You” comes from Aaron’s new album Human Patterns, which drops this Friday.
“A lot of the songs were written in the throes of a new relationship after coming out of years of sadness and loneliness. So that’s unavoidable. But there are also songs about family and about loss,” he said. “I always dabble in the painful parts of my life and use music to talk about things pretty openly.”
UK folk-punk icon Frank Turner has teamed up with our ownTeenage Joans for a new rendition of his recent single “Girl From the Record Shop.” I really love what Teenage Joans have brought to this absolute banger.
“I’m beyond stoked to be collaborating with Teenage Joans – one of my favourite new(er) bands in the world,” Frank gushed. “And they really brought the fire to this, they’ve turned the lyric around and made me laugh and dance at the same time, to my own song.”
Teenage Joans were every bit as thrilled to collaborate with Frank.
“We were SO excited when Frank asked us to jump on this song,” they enthused. “It’s punk and it’s punchy, and Tahlia literally works at a record shop … it’s the perfect vibe for us!”
Crank this one up, and don’t be surprised if you don’t press play a few times!
I’ve been following South Summit’s music journey for a couple of years now, and it’s been pretty exciting watching them go from strength to strength. As their new single “Givin’ It Up” shows, their music is maturing, without losing the easy, breezy surf vibes we all know and love. They’re also playing some pretty iconic venues on their upcoming tour. Hello Opera House! But more about that later.
The band says their latest single “tells the story of South Summit! Illuminating the everyday life for us, Sharing the best of times where we as a band, find ourselves at our happiest. We cherish blissful vibes and whanau, and really capture the feeling of sharing stories and having a jam in the backyard over a couple drinks and a bbq. This is elevated through reggae chops and singalong melodies where everyone can feel a part of what makes us, South Summit. The things we give up and the sacrifices we make to reap certain rewards, come in all different shapes and sizes. But at the end of the day, we can all relate to what we are sacrificing for.”
South Summit have built a reputation as one of the best touring acts in the country, and they can’t wait to get back in front of audiences.
“Playing the iconic Sydney Opera House is a huge milestone achievement for the band, we’re so stoked to be given the opportunity! We’ll also be heading back to our favorite spots Brisbane and Melbourne, while finishing off the run with an Indi Bar show in our hometown of Perth. We’ve got a lot of new music coming out soon, and we can’t wait for you all to hear them. These will be some of the biggest shows we’ve ever done around the country, and we can’t wait to see you all there.”
South Summit will play the following shows later this month:
Don’t you just love those songs that sound like classics from the first listen? Heath Burdell’s latest single “No Promised Land” is one of those special songs. It’s radio-friendly rock that simply makes you feel good.
Heath’s based in Eora/Sydney now, but grew up around the sugar cane fields of Northern Queensland. I can definitely hear a lot more of that influence in Heath’s music. Could he be Australia’s answer to John Mellencamp? We’ll just have to wait and see.
AYLA is one of those fabulous artists that always keeps you guessing. Her music is always quality, but you can never put her into a box. Her latest offering is “I Liked You Better When You Were On My Side,” a cool, brooding pop track that you’ll be humming long after the music stops.
She co-wrote this song with Ed Quinn of Telenova, who also produced it. “’I Liked You Better When You Were on My Side’ started as a topline on a production track, and with Ed’s help, we refined the structure and added new elements to take the song to the next level,” AYLA shared. “It was a collaborative effort that brought a real effortless groove to the production.”
“I Liked You Better When You Were On My Side” comes from AYLA’s long-awaited debut album DOPAMINE, which drops on July 12. AYLA will give fans a preview of her new material when she plays Solbar Playhouse in Maroochydore on July 7.
