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
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
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:
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.
Australian powerhouse Greg Gould is bravely sharing his experiences with sexual assault with his incredible new single “Who Gave You Permission?” A potent mix of pop and soul, the anthemic song calls out his abusers and reveals his own strength. He hopes the track might empower other survivors on their own journey through the trauma.
“To be honest I’m only just starting to feel comfortable to talk about this,” he shared. “The first time I performed the song live I burst into tears. I have been a victim of sexual abuse on four separate occasions in all very different circumstances from when I was 10 years old, right up until I was 30. Each time left me feeling so violated, so powerless, paralysed. Nobody has the right to touch you without permission. No means no. It was a very emotional, heart-wrenching, and confronting experience to write this song to be honest as I’d pushed a lot of those feelings and experiences down and hadn’t dealt with them – it took a while for me to be OK to admit it. There is a stigma around sexual abuse in general, and I do think it can be really difficult for men who are the victim – whether it be at the hands of another man or a woman. In my case, it was both on separate occasions. I want other men to feel comfortable to talk about this and speak up too.”
Greg has a string of shows happening over the next few months, including several where he’ll play this stirring single.
“Whether the subject matter is darker or lighter, guests at my shows can expect big vocals, big moments and a lot of fun,” he enthused. “I love to perform and I’m excited for the next 12 months! I’ve got big plans and even bigger dreams. I am so proud that ‘Who Gave You Permission?’ is out now and I’m moving forward both personally and professionally! I would love if even one survivor of abuse feels stronger as a result of hearing this song. I want people to know they are seen, they are heard and they are believed. We won’t be broken.
“WORTH”, an exciting new collaboration from African-Australian hip hop artist Ruu. and R&B act Chelle Tamika, is this year’s first release from Campbelltown Art Centre’s Conscious program. This professional development program first came to my attention when P.Smid released “WESSIDE” in 2022. It’s fabulous to hear it’s still supporting and elevating local artists.
“This song is about my experience growing up Black in South-West Sydney, being (and feeling like) the only Black person in my area and experiences on Black culture and how it has been perceived and taken advantage of as I continue to live life,” Ruu. explained. “I hope the song allows the African-Australian community to embrace their culture stronger, and brings more internal discussion and support for each other, as it is needed as the music scene in Australia continues to grow.”
If you like what he does, make sure you catch Ruu. at one of his gigs this month:
Who said saxophones and hard rock don’t mix? Never one to play by the rules, RedHook are pushing the boundaries yet again with their latest single “Breaking Up With.”
“This song is pretty much the antithesis of our most popular single ‘Bad Decisions’. Rather than revelling in being a total piece of shit, this one is about breaking that cycle of self-hate, forgiving your past mistakes, and just deciding to be bloody kinder to yourself,” explained the band’s frontwoman Emmy Mack. “Lyrically, it takes the piss out of break-up cliches to signify ending that toxic relationship (with, you know, yourself) and starting fresh. I hope everyone who vibed with ‘Bad Decisions’ will also be shaking their hips in the moshpit to this one.”
Emmy also conceptualised the music video, which features a cavalcade of superstars from Pro Wrestling Australia.
“Last year, I was lucky enough to live out my WWE Attitude Era dreams at Sydney’s PWA Colosseum event, so I figured – why not throw the party inside a wrestling ring and get a bunch of my PWA superstar mates involved?” she said. “The shoot was bloody insane. I got to bust a hurricanrana on myself in the perfect visual metaphor for laying the smackdown on all of my toxic traits once and for all – RedHook 3:16 says I just whooped my own ass!”
“Breaking Up With” gives us a taste of a larger release set to be announced in the coming months. Watch this space!
Sometimes it takes a single release to put a song back on your radar. I reviewed Hayley Marsten’s fabulous sophomore album Girlhood last June. One of the songs that struck me most was the album’s opening track “Getting Better”. Hayley’s just released it as a single and I’m relishing rediscovering it. It was recently nominated for a Queensland Music Award in the country category, and while Hayley ultimately lost the title to Tori Forsyth she was thrilled by the acknowledgement.
“Getting Better’ is a song I wrote the night before we started recording Girlhood,” Hayley recalled. “I wrote it for me as a satirical version of how I think about my mental health. I thought it was a huge underdog when I submitted it so getting a QMA nomination is a really lovely pat on the back from the industry!”
“We shot the music video in Brisbane at the end of last year with my long-time collaborator Jazmyn Prodcues. I really wanted what I perceive to be the two parts of me in the song represented in the video. So we have me in my ‘therapy’ session kind of poking fun of the awkwardness that sometimes permeates that experience. We also re-created the album cover just for me to rip it all down in reference to the bridge line ‘and I hate every one of my songs’. Then the shots of me in Ezymart without a care in the world and the shots with my guitar and me surrounded the disco balls and glitter is representative of the feeling of perfection that I feel I’m constantly trying for that doesn’t really exist. The shots in the convenience store were filmed in a real and open EzyMart in Southbank with other customers milling around, so I had to park my embarrassment at the door for that one!”
Hayley will play the following shows to celebrate the release of “Getting Better.”
