Vanessa Lawless celebrates the wild feminine spirit with her latest single “La Loba.” The title translates to the she-wolf and takes inspiration from the book “Women Who Run With the Wolves.”
“‘La Loba’ declares the unleashing of the wild feminine spirit that’s been suppressed and misunderstood throughout time, encouraging total raw expression and the reawakening of our hidden selves,” Vanessa explained.
I love the way this one sounds. It’s got such a primal core which brings something new to the pop genre. I also appreciate that the lyrics deliver feminine power that comes from deep within. We’re so used to women declaring they’re powerful because they don’t need a man or because they’ve risen to the top. This one doesn’t measure a woman’s worth against her relationships or achievements. She’s powerful simply because she is.
Vanessa Lawless shows she’s a real force with this release. I can’t wait to hear what comes next.
King Stingray are bringing all the good vibes with their latest single, “Best Bits.”
“‘Best Bits’ is a song about all the best parts of life all poured into one moment”, the band explained. “Inspired by a particular moment in time, a particular day that had all the right ingredients. It’s about those ripper-of-a-day type moments, those warm days in the sunshine with your mates, with your family or a loved one. The memorable days that just seem to stick with you. It’s about simple living in a complex digital world, and although it can be hard to articulate in just a few words, a feeling that is so massive and profound. Sometimes all the best bits of life are already all around us! Yo manymak!”
King Stingray will be making more memories when they play shows through regional Australia in July and August with Jem Cassar-Daley warming up the crowds. Then they’re off to the United States to support King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizzard. Exciting times ahead for one of the Territory’s finest acts.
I know I’m a bit late to the party, but have we all listened to Fanning Dempsey National Park’s debut single “Disconnect” yet? The brainchild of Bernard Fanning and Paul Dempsey, I thought this new act was likely to be good, but I didn’t quite prepare myself for how good. Clearly, because otherwise I absolutely would have listened sooner! I’m going to be bold and say it might just be better than anything either of them have released before.
“We agreed straight away there’s no point doing something together if it’s going to be what people think it’s going to be,” Paul explained. “It’s not the two of us with acoustic guitars singing campfire songs.”
Bernard says “Disconnect” is about “The idea of having to walk away from something that you love because it’s become unmanageable. ‘Disconnect’ always had a lot of ‘serious moonlight’ energy, right from its beginnings. The swapping lead vocal plays with the idea of connecting and disconnecting by juxtaposing the confidence/ indecision with each consecutive line. We originally wanted to use sax on everything. After we roughly finished a demo we’d say, ‘What else does it need?’ The answer was inevitably more sax.”
That fantastic saxophone comes courtesy of Ron Dziubla, one of the world’s best session musicians. If that name doesn’t mean anything to you, just take a look at some of the music he’s played on. Tracks from Chris Isaak, Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, George Benson, The Crystal Method, and heaps more.
This is just a taster of all the exciting stuff in store for Fanning Dempsey National Park. They’ll release an album, The Deluge, on August 2, which I can’t wait to hear after playing this single obsessively (seriously, I’ve played nothing else since I started writing this article). They’re also heading around the country playing capital city shows in intimate theatres. Tickets are on sale now and probably won’t last long once everyone hears this track!
Naarm/Melbourne-based artist Parmy Dhillon celebrates his late father’s legacy with his joyous new single “India.” I guarantee this one will at least put a smile on your face, if it doesn’t have you up and dancing.
“The song was written as a tribute and reminder to myself after my father passed away, to always remember my culture and who I am,” Parmy explained.
“India” is Parmy’s first release of 2024, and I think it might just be his best work. I’m looking forward to hearing what else the year has in store for him.
When I heard The Buoys had co-written a song with Alex Lahey, I knew it was going to be good. The band’s latest single “Check Mate” doesn’t disappoint. Take a listen to this awesome track which shows The Buoys in top form.
Tas Wilson directed the music video, which captures the energy of a road trip with friends, mirroring the longing for connection that you hear through the song.
“Check Mate” gives us our first taste of The Buoys debut album Lustre, which will be released on July 12. You can pre-order a vinyl copy online. It was all recorded live, so I imagine it’s going to deliver everything we love about The Buoys. Before it drops, you can see The Buoys supporting Luke Hemmings at the following shows
With gloomy weather descending on my part of the country, it seems the ideal time to introduce you to Renee Naccari’s latest single, “Perfect Storm.” It’s a gorgeous introspective pop ballad that I know will leave you spellbound.
“It was challenging, but I had so much fun writing ‘Perfect Storm’. Creating all the little metaphors that I had visualised, into written lyrics to align with the story I was aiming to convey, that being, the push and pull between two people who want nothing more than to be together but finding it hard to make it work, a storm with a ray of sunlight as the clouds part,” Renee explained.
“Perfect Storm” serves as a precursor for Renee’s debut album, slated for release later this year, and a string of live shows. Exciting times ahead!
Dust off your cowboy boots, grab your hat, and settle in for a whole lot of fun with Claudia Tripp’s latest track “Rodeo.” It’s brand new, but it already feels like a certified country-blues classic. If this song doesn’t get played at every country music festival until the end of time, there’s no justice.
“I wrote ‘Rodeo’ as a celebration of the small-town people I grew up with,” Claudia said. “I recently travelled back to my hometown of Kalgoorlie to perform at a rodeo, and when the possibility of unpredictable weather loomed, it didn’t seem to matter. It’s their weekend after a hard work week, and they’ll be dancing in the dirt come thunderstorm or heatwave. My producer Mason Vellios made this song come to life exactly how I imagined it. I hope the track becomes a weekend anthem for everybody who clocks off work and needs to let their hair down”.
With an irresistible pop melody and searingly honest lyrics, GRAACE has captured my heart with her latest single “Love is Getting Wasted.” Following hot on the heels of last month’s release “Jealous Type,” it’s looking like 2024 might be a big year for GRAACE.
“’Love Is Getting Wasted’ is like diving into a whirlpool of emotions. It’s about feeling torn between sticking it out or calling it quits in a relationship” GRAACE explained. “You’re grappling with hope and resignation, trying to hold onto the last shreds of love, desperate for the attention they gave you in the beginning, but uncertainty looms about your future.”
GRAACE has already sold out headlining shows and toured with Stephen Sanchez this year, but she’s not stopping yet. She’ll be back on the road next month supporting The Dreggs at the following shows.
Khan Manuel first came onto my radar more than a decade ago. He was just finding his feet, but such an impressive guitarist. He knew his craft, the classic traditions of the instrument. But he also enjoyed pushing the envelope. At the time I saw him taking cues from instrumental rock gods like Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. Now in 2024, he’s taking even more musical risks by combining his love of guitar with EDM sounds. Stay with me and take a listen to “The Light.”
“The Light” is the first single lifted from Khan’s forthcoming album Alpha & Omega. The album was co-produced by Ralph Wegner, known for his work with David Guetta. Khan plans to release a new single every four to six weeks until all eight tracks are unveiled, so make sure you follow him on Spotify to hear them as soon as they drop.
Local hitmaker Amy Shark should add a few more successes to her repertoire with the release of her third studio album Sunday Sadness on August 16. She’s got my interest piqued with the release of her latest single “Loving Me Lover,” a song which she called “a dreamy love song, based around happy guilt.”
“I was in LA by myself working on music, there were things happening back home, people missing me being around and I remember feeling guilty enjoying this completely different life,” she admitted. “Hence the line fighting forever so stop loving me lover.”
The title of the album, Sunday Sadness, reflects not just the writing process but Amy’s headspace as the weekend draws to a close and a new week begins.
“I specifically wrote this album on Sundays, constantly daydreaming about the happiest moments and the worst, remembering the best people while still getting over others. I am different on Sundays, I am not sure why, but I bet you are too,” she said. “I think about my life so much on Sundays, my family, my friends and probably you. I’m still learning people, I’m still trying to be a better person, Sunday Sadness has every emotion I feel, you’ll smile in some songs and feel the love – but you’ll also be sad and probably not sleep well this Sunday night”.
Pre-orders are available here for the digital download, CD, and vinyl copies of Sunday Sadness. Different retailers have cool offers like signed copies, exclusive coloured vinyl, and guitar picks, so make sure you check them all out.
Image used with permission from Sony Music Australia
