Joan & The Giants have just dropped their latest single “Good Time”, and it’s an absolute summer anthem. It’s an easy, breezy number that has me thinking of carefree moments like highway drives and bonfires on the beach.
“‘Good Time’ is about being madly in love and letting go of control,” said the band’s frontwoman, Grace Newton-Wordsworth. “This indie guitar-soaked summer song is a sexy ride, and it’s the first time I’ve let myself get sexy and feel sexy in a song. I just love the way it makes me feel, and I hope it brings some good times to people.”
Joan & The Giants will play a few shows this month to warm up for their massive slot supporting P!NK in March. If you don’t have tickets to the stadium shows, make sure you catch them at one of their free gigs!
19 January 2024 – Froth Craft Brewery, Goomburrup/Bunbury (FREE)
20 2024 – Settlers, Wooditup/Margaret River (FREE)
21 2024 – Caves House Hotel, Wooditup/Yallingup (FREE)
1 March 2024 – Optus Stadium, Perth (supporting P!NK)
2 March 2024 – Optus Stadium, Perth (supporting P!NK)
Image used with permission from Kick Push PR
Hit the volume, because Meeanjin/Brisbane punksters Talk Heavy have just released a fabulous new single, “The Montreal Screwjob,” and it’s best played loud. And often. After the emo vibes of their last two tracks, “The Montreal Screwjob” is a bit of a change of pace. Rather than going deep and dark, the lads retell the story of ‘90s wrestling icon Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart.
“We’d been sitting on this instrumental song for a time trying to find the right lyrics. When I was talking to our guitarist Pat about it, he suggested to just try writing about something silly or non-personal instead of our usual personal existentialism,” explained Matt Cochran, the band’s vocalist and guitarist. “We’re both 90’s wrestling nerds so we ended up settling on The Montreal Screwjob. I’ve always wanted to write about wrestling because it’s something I obsessed over as a kid and I was inspired by the way that The Mountain Goats channeled that in their own way for their 2015 album ‘Beat The Champ’. We’re super proud of how it turned out, it’s just a fun dumb song and I can’t wait to play it live.”
Talk Heavy are celebrating the release with the announcement of a brand new East Coast tour. Catch them anywhere you can this February.
9 February 2024 – Black Bear Lodge, Meeanjin/Brisbane (with Melaleuca and Upsetter)
16 February 2024 – Burdekin Hotel, Eora/Sydney (with Great Job! and Hugs)
17th February 2024 – Dicey Riley’s, Dharawal Country/Wollongong (supporting Raised As Wolves and Jayhawks)
23rd February 2024 – The Presynct, Naamba/Nambour (supporting City Council with Robbie Thunder and Electric Prawns 2)
Absolute force of nature Emma Donovan is back with a beautiful new soul single “Lovin’ Looks Like.” But don’t mistake this beautiful ballad for just another love song.
‘“Lovin Looks Like’ is a healing song about learning to love yourself again. It’s about taking a good look in the mirror and seeing who you are and knowing and learning about all your worth,” Emma explained. “After being broken from a relationship, learning to love yourself can be hard but over the years I’ve taken good advice. I’ve learned that putting myself first isn’t a bad thing and that I should never be made to feel bad about that focus.”
“Lovin’ Looks Like” is the latest track from Emma’s forthcoming new album, which Emma said further explores the concept of “not being afraid to do this on my own and walking strong through everything”. Emma will bring her new music and plenty of old favourites to the people on her upcoming shows. She’ll return to Tamworth, where she began playing with her family band The Donovans at the tender age of 11, before embarking on a national tour with Charley Crockett. These shows will be the only place you can get your hands on a limited-edition double A-side 7” single featuring “Lovin’ Looks Like” and previous release “Blak Nation,” so make sure you stop by the merch stand!
One of the hardest working bands in the country, Sophisticated Dingo, are hitting the road again. The band will tour the country to celebrate the recent release of their latest single “I Don’t Mind.” We’re used to these guys going full throttle, but this beautiful track shows the duo’s softer side.
Vocalist and guitarist Lewis Matte says “I Don’t Mind” is “a reminder not to take any moment for granted. No one knows how long they have left. Nothing is perfect. Embrace imperfection. Embrace growth through learning from the outcomes of your actions. Be malleable, open to compromise and to building dreams together with the ones you love. Let them inspire you. Speak simply. Embrace what you have. Don’t overcomplicate it. Enjoy the ride.”
South Coast singer-songwriter ioakim has put a big smile on my face with his shimmery new indie-pop single “alex.” It’s got some pretty heartbreaking lyrics about unrequited love, but its sweet synthy sound helps keep things light.
“Alex and I grew up in a so-called beach town. Same school, same career path. The only difference was that she was into girls and I was into her,” ioakim recounts. “I don’t want to go into too much depth about this first single. If you listen carefully I think you will catch on pretty quickly what it is about. The chorus’ gets a little existential, asking the question “what happens when you realise that everything you love is going to die?” It calls out the inevitable – cherish what you’ve got I’d say.”
If you’ve ever caught feelings for someone that didn’t share them, you’re going to love this one.
Image used with permission from Sony Music Australia
Hollow Coves are making me nostalgic for a time gone by with their latest single “Photographs.” This charming folk song takes us back to a simpler time before mobile phones, when we’d only capture special moments and we’d have those physical images to proudly display. The song was inspired by Matt Carins’ mum and her collection of carefully curated family photo albums.
“This was the first song we wrote during our writing sessions with Matt Corby and Alex Henrikkson. We ended up having a conversation in the studio about how photographs use to be something special that people would keep in a photo album. However, now that we can take photos with our phones, it seems like photos will most likely just get lost amongst the sea of photos,” the band explained. “Matt (Carins) brought up that his mum has kept a photo album for him and his siblings since they were born. We all thought that was pretty special and kind of a lost art in this day and age. So we decided to write a song about her and the lost art of the photograph.”
“Photographs” is the first track lifted from Hollow Coves’ sophomore album Nothing to Lose. International fans can expect to hear more new music and their old favourites from the duo plays shows in Europe, the United Kingdom, and North America in the coming months.
26 March 2024 – Gebäude 9, Cologne
28 March 2024 – Muziekgieterij, Maastricht
29 March 2024 – TivoliVredenburg – Ronda, Utrecht
30 March 2024 – Zeche Carl, Essen
31 March 2024 – Uebel & Gefährlich, Hamburg
2 April 2024 – Columbia Theater, Berlin
3 April 2024 – MeatFactory, Prague
4 April 2024 – Simm City, Vienna
5 April 2024 – Technikum, Munich
7 April 2024 – Magazzini Generali, Milan
8 April 2024 – Komplex 457, Zurich
9 April 2024 – Les Docks, Lausanne
11 April 2024 – Halle02, Heidelberg
12 April 2024 – Opderschmelz, Dudelange
13 April 2024 – Le Trabendo, Paris
14 April 2024 – AB Ballroom, Brussels
16 April 2024 – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London
17 April 2024 – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
18 April 2024 – Academy 2, Manchester
5 June 2024 – Union Stage, Washington DC
6 June 2024 – The Foundry, Philadelphia
8 June 2024 – Warsaw, New York City
10 June 2024 – Paradise Rock Club, Boston
11 June 2024 – MTELUS, Montreal
12 June 2024 – Danforth Music Hall, Toronto
14 June 2024 – Lincoln Hall, Chicago
15 June 2024 – Fine Line, Minneapolis
17 June 2024 – Gothic Theatre, Denver
19 June 2024 – The Grand at the Complex, Salt Lake City
22 June 2024 – El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles
23 June 2024 – Venture Music Hall, Ventura
24 June 2024 – Bimbo’s 365 Club, San Francisco
26 June 2024 – Aladdin Theater, Portland
27 June 2024 – The Crocodile, Seattle
29 June 2024 – Vogue Theatre, Vancouver
30 June 2024 – Capital Ballroom, Victoria
51st Avenue are ushering in the new year with the release of their fabulous new single “Chapters.” A song all about connection and the enduring bonds that bind us as we move through life, it’s a timely release that perfectly combines pop, punk, rock, and electronic sounds.
“The theme and meaning of the lyrics is really about friendship over time, and how time and distance doesn’t necessarily equate to a loss of friendship,” the band explained. “There are some friendships that are able to withstand time, distance and other factors, and in some circumstances, one party may think the friendship is over when in fact, that couldn’t be further from the truth.”
51st Avenue created the film clip for “Chapters” with Oliver Clark of Dunelabs, noting “This was the third video we’d shot within a month and we’d started to run out of ideas. The venue really lent itself quite heavily in terms of inspiration and we just vibed with it for the whole day. Oli really knocked it out of the park when it came to the editing and it turned out to be a really fun video!”
“Chapters” is such an exciting release, and hopefully a sign of big things to come for 51st Avenue in 2024.
From high school pals jamming in lounge rooms after class to up-and-comers on the scene, Naarm/Melbourne alt-rock trio Okay Dane are coming into their own. Their latest single “Interstellar Nihilist,” which explores disconnection in an age where everyone is just a text away, might be their best yet.
“The song uses the imagery of an astronaut abandoned in space as a metaphor to represent loneliness and existential dread in the digital age, where we are more accessible with our communication but far less connected in any in person sense,” explained Okay Dane’s guitarist and vocalist Jake Kougioumtzis. “I started working on the demo and it had a very science fiction quality to it with some of the sounds I was finding, so that inspired the lyrics.”
“Instellar Nihilist” was released today, but the band are giving you a little time to learn the lyrics before the official launch. Catch them at Bad Decisions on January 19 with support from Oh Daisy!, Stepdad Advice and After School Care.
Eora/Sydney-based hip hop artist SAIF is starting 2024 with a bang with the release of his genre-bending new single “Cash Flow.” His hip hop sounds are front and centre, but there’s a little jazz and drill influence that helps set it apart. I also appreciate the lyrics which acknowledge his South Asian roots, Islamic faith, and Australian culture.
SAIF says “The song is about having multiple cash flows when you’re in the creative scene.”
Clocking in at just over two and a half minutes, this single packs a real punch. It sets the scene for a big year from this exciting local artist.
I am really digging “Fake Plant on Fire,” the latest single from Eora/Sydney artist lovemedo. It’s so creative and catchy, a true original. And how often can you say that these days?
“’Fake Plant on Fire’ is one of those songs that in the beginning finds you in one place and, by the end leaves you in another. I wanted to make a video that took people on that same journey,” lovemedo said. “I like to step into my music videos the same way an actor would into a movie role. This video is heavily influenced by ‘art house’ mentalities and performance art. Visual art is truly an extension of my music and a big part of my creativity so I’m proud to say that ‘Fake Plant on Fire’ is the first video to be completely written, directed & edited by lovemedo”.
I am so excited by this song. It’s one of those tracks that takes you on a real ride, the sort of one that makes you want to jump back on when it finishes to experience it all over again. That music video is just the cherry on top of a very delicious dessert. More please!
