In their press release for their latest single “Worth Your While,” Melbourne five-piece Raging Hormones encourage you to “Check your baggage at the door. Or, drag it in and destroy it altogether.” Either way, the bold energy of this track is all you’re going to need to forget about your problems, at least for a little while. It’s so much fun, so press play and turn that volume right up.
The press release also shares the urban legend that seeing Raging Hormones live “gets you the equivalent of 12 hours sleep, a shot of adrenaline to the heart, a two-week beach holiday, and a giant bear-hug.” I understand the source is a little biased, but until I see them live I’m just going to believe it.
Raging Hormones were all set to take over a Lygon Street shopfront and write and record an EP in front of passers-by this month, but COVID got in the way. Give their Facebook page a follow to find out all about other exciting plans they’re making as they’re announced.
Image used with permission from Little Giant Agency; credit: Nick Manuell
The pandemic has posed more than its fair share for musicians around the country, but few acts had it as tough as Eliza & The Delusionals. The band had members living on either side of the New South Wales and Queensland borders, but it wasn’t going to stop them from making fabulous music together. Their latest single “Nothing Yet” is a fantastic indie-rock track that takes me right back to the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. Its fun nostalgic feel is the perfect counterweight for its heartbreaking lyrics.
It’s a sign of the times that Eliza & The Delusionals have had to postpone their single launch shows, which were due to kick off in Sydney tonight. Stay tight for the rescheduling, but it looks like international fans may get the opportunity to see them first. Eliza & The Delusionals will head to Napa Valley to play the Bottlerock Festival this May.
Image used with permission from Beehive PR; credit: Luke Henery
If you’re sick of the musical cliches, The Plane Sailors are the band for you. This Brisbane indie-rock act feel the same way, so you won’t find the same old lines in their latest track “Bell Curve.” At just a little over two minutes, it’s a great reminder that sometimes less is more.
“This is not your cliche story, I’m sick of happy endings, they feel so boring” singer Curtis Hooper declares in this super catchy single.
Curtis recorded the track in his bedroom before moving to complete it in bassist James Glenleft’s spare room. According to the press release, the recording process was “a labour of love (with sprinkles of frustration), that ultimately resulted in a track the band could be immensely proud of.”
“You’re likely gonna have to do a lot more for yourself in the studio than you think,” added guitarist Joseph Floyd. “Whether it’s adding in the extra layers, redoing your mate’s part for them that they hastily punched in on their lunch break, or spending time alone because the others forgot to show up to press the record button for you; it’s all worth it in the end.”
The Plane Sailors recently launched the single in their hometown. Hopefully it won’t be too long before they take their live show to the rest of the country.
Bloom channels vintage vibes in her latest single “One More Place.” This track is the ultimate breakup anthem, a melancholy rumination on the memories that hold us hostage as we try to move on.
“I’ve had a few (too many) breakups, as most of us can relate to at some point in our lives,” Bloom admitted. “There is always that one place that reminds you of your ex, or that raw phase you go through post break up where you are wondering who they are with and have a bunch of unanswered questions while coming to the realisation that it is really over.”
Most artists have a fairly bare concert calendar at the moment, but not Bloom. She’s playing covers at the following shows all around Australia and New Zealand:
17, 18, 19, 20, 21, & 22 January 2022 – Downstairs at the Maj, Perth (Adele & Amy Songbook)
18 February 2022 – Norwood Hotel, Adelaide (Stevie, Linda & Carole Songbook)
19 February 2022 – Norwood Hotel, Adelaide (Adele & Amy Songbook)
4 March 2022 – The Lounge, Brisbane (Stevie, Linda & Carole Songbook)
5 March 2022 – Kings Beach Tavern, Sunshine Coast (Stevie, Linda & Carole Songbook)
11 March 2022 – Springlake Hotel, Brisbane (Stevie, Linda & Carole Songbook)
12 March 2022 – Wallaby Hotel, Gold Coast (Stevie, Linda & Carole Songbook)
18 March 2022 – Jindalee Hotel, Brisbane (Stevie, Linda & Carole Songbook)
19 March 2022 – Beenleigh Tavern, Brisbane (Stevie, Linda & Carole Songbook)
31 March 2022 – Camelot Lounge, Marrickville (Eva Cassidy Songbook)
1 April 2022 – Lizotte’s, Newcastle (Eva Cassidy Songbook)
2 April 2022 – North Ryde RSL, Sydney (Stevie, Linda & Carole Songbook)
29 April 2022 – York on Lilydale, Melbourne (Stevie, Linda & Carole Songbook)
7 May 2022 – Laycock Street Community Theatre, Wyoming (Stevie, Linda & Carole Songbook)
21 August 2022 – Salt Village, Kingscliff (Stevie, Linda & Carole Songbook)
9 September 2022 – New Plymouth Club, New Plymouth (Adele & Amy Songbook)
10 September 2022 – Upper Hutt Cossie Club, Wellington (Adele & Amy Songbook)
11 September 2022 – Globe Theatre, Palmerston North (Adele & Amy Songbook)
15 September 2022 – Ashburton Trust Event Centre, Ashburton (Stevie, Linda & Carole Songbook)
16 September 2022 – Oamaru Club, Oamaru (Stevie, Linda & Carole Songbook)
17 September 2022 – Wunderbar Lyttelton, Christchurch (Stevie, Linda & Carole Songbook)
18 September 2022 – Wunderbar Lyttelton, Christchurch (Adele & Amy Songbook)
Melbourne punk trio Snark has won my heart with their latest single “Weightless.” This song feels like a natural progression from their lockdown anthem “Pressure.” Instead of exploring isolation, it celebrates the human connection so many of us enjoyed over the festive season (for better or worse!).
Frontman Stefan Sepulveda reveals that “Weightless” is “all about connection and how your relationships with those around you can really define you. The verses of the song are punctuated by darkness, self-doubt and self-sabotage but the chorus overcomes all that – aiming for a soaring, on-top-of-the-world feeling that comes from the love and the friendships that define us. I repeatedly reference the ‘avenue,’ which is a placeholder of sorts – with the idea being that you can meet the people who will mean everything to you in the unlikeliest of places. The avenue could be anywhere, at any time for anyone – you never know when or how these things are going to happen. There’s something beautiful about the serendipitous way people find their way into each other’s lives, and this song celebrates that.”
With the Melbourne lockdowns midyear, Snark didn’t have a chance to launch “Pressure.” Then the COVID storm swept in again and ruined their plans for a double single launch this month. Hopefully third time’s the charm and we see them on a stage really soon!
Image used with permission from Habit Music Co; credit: Act IV Photography
I remember James Johnston as a contestant on Australian Idol and The X Factor. Since that time away from the reality TV spotlight, he’s carved out an impressive career as a country music artist. He’s amassed more than 5 million streams, topped country radio and the Spotify Fresh Country playlist, and had his song “Raised Like That” used on more than 8,000 TikTok videos. If, like me, you’re not across his latest tunes his current single “Small Town” is the perfect reintroduction.
“I wrote ‘Small Town’ on the drive back home to my hometown of Wingham. I had been spending quite some time in the city and I was just so excited to get back to my family farm. I wanted to capture that feeling of excitement and anticipation in the song – that build-up as I was on that drive to get back home,” James explained.
The video captures the simple pleasure of gathering with friends around a country bonfire. It was produced by Elijah Cavanagh (Cavanagh Films) and shot on the outskirts of Gatton, in Queensland.
“The storyline follows the journey of a young country guy who was working in the city returning to his roots,” James added. “We threw a big party with a bunch of friends and just captured the magic.”
James is earning a reputation for his live shows after sets at Bush to Bay Festival, Savannah in the Round, and Pro Bull Riding events. You can see him doing his thing at the following upcoming shows:
26 March 2022 – PBR Australia @ Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle
9 April 2022 – Supagas Canowindra International Balloon Festival @ Canowindra Showgrounds, Canowindra
30 April 2022 – Road to Rodeo @ Longreach Showgrounds, Longreach
27 May 2022 – Beach & Boots Festival @ Breakwall Holiday Park, Port Macquarie
2 October 2022 – Savannah In The Round Festival @ Kerribee Park, Mareeba
Image used with permission from Wildheart Publicity
You might not know Rachael Fahim’s name, yet, but she’s proven a real force in the local country music scene. After her last single “Middle Ground” spent five weeks at the top of the Official Australian Country Charts, she became the second most-streamed female Australian country artist of all time (after Kasey Chambers). Her latest single “Darts in the Dark” is an empowering country-pop song about finding strength even when the odds seem stacked against you.
Rachael co-wrote the song during the 2021 Country Meets Pop song camp with producer Robby De Sa, Ned Philpott, and American writer Rosi Golan, who’s previously worked with acts including Little Big Town and Christina Aguilera.
“When we wrote this song, I was talking about how I often feel stuck while everyone around me seems to be moving forward, life can be a rollercoaster, but you just have to sit back, enjoy the ride and just focus on your own path,” Rachael explained. “Rosi had this amazing title, and the song just flowed; we literally had a finished production six hours later!”
Live performances have been few and far between in recent years, but Rachael said she hoped to recreate their vibe with her latest must video, filmed in a container yard in the Sydney suburb of St Peters.
“We went into this video just wanting to create something fun that gave a sense of the energy you would get from one of my live shows,” she said. “After being away from the stage for two years, I’ve spent a lot of time with my band working on building a live show that was festival ready and hoping that audiences will connect with that.”
Hopefully it won’t be too long before she’s sharing her live show with music lovers. Until then, turn this one up!
With so much angst in the world, listening to music is a great way to drown the noise out and forget your troubles for a little while. That’s exactly what I did on hearing “I Think I’m Falling,” the latest track from Sydney singer-songwriter CSÖKE. This song is such a charmer, with an easy, breezy groove and CSÖKE’s angelical vocals. It sounds all sweetness and light, but tap into those lyrics and you’ll discover it’s more complex than you first realised.
“I found it hard to let people in, even myself. I was scared to let someone love me, be vulnerable and allow myself the possibility of having my heart broken. I had myself for so long, I got used to having my guard up and only relying on myself. The idea of relying on someone else freaked me out,” CSÖKE admitted.
“I wrote this track with Chelsea Warner. Her presence made me feel super calm to talk a bit about how I was feeling and I was scared I had lost the ability to write songs. We decided to write a song about the total opposite thing I was feeling at the time and write about that first realisation of falling in love, that first hit of emotion you feel, the ‘Oh shit’ and the struggle I felt in my own experience of falling in love and pushing down my walls and allowing myself to feel things. It was a silver lining of what was going on in my life, when life felt like it was falling apart I was also falling in love for what felt like the first time.”
After just one listen, I’m sure you’ll have fallen just as hard for this song as I did!
Image used with permission from Beehive PR; photo credit: Stephanie Jewell
I raved about Perth rock act The Faim back in 2019, but like so many bands in the last couple of years they fell off my radar. The pandemic saw everyone slow down, but they’re coming back with a vengeance with their new single “Ease My Mind.” Think world domination and a little something for local fans too.
But back to the song. What a welcome return this is. The band’s bassist, keyboardist, and songwriter Stephen Beerkens says he wrote the track while struggling to process the changes the pandemic brought.
“’Ease My Mind’ was written last year, during a very unpredictable period of my life,” he explained. “Unable to do the things that meant the most to me, I found myself dealing with stress and emotions I’d never experienced. During this time, I was constantly looking for someone or something to lean on and wrote ‘Ease My Mind’ about processing and dealing with these emotions.”
The Faim will head to Europe in the summer to play some big festivals including Rock am Ring and Rock in the Park in Germany, Download in the UK, and Rock for People in the Czech Republic. They’re also planning 15 headline shows across the UK and Europe. But don’t worry Aussies. They won’t forget you. I hear they’ll be supporting a big local act on their national tour next year. I’m sworn to secrecy, but you’ll want to start saving up for tickets!
Like so many of us, WANDERERS seem to be experiencing a little wanderlust at the moment. Their latest single sees the band reminiscing about their last trip to the US. Many of us might not be able to jet off right now, but we can let our minds take us away with this fabulous track.
“Malibu to me is that place in my head, that mindset I was in on that trip, which is a state of mind I always try to get back to, where anything seems possible,” lead singer Dusty explained.
WANDERERS are set for a big 2022. Their self-titled EP drops on January 28 and they’re scheduled to play SXSW in March. They’ll be back no home soil before you know it, with a local tour already in the works.
Image used with permission from Big Oak Records; credit: Samuel Graves
