Much has been made of John Farnham lending his smash hit “You’re the Voice” to the Yes campaign for the Voice referendum. And quite rightly so. John is an icon and his endorsement might just be enough to encourage some uncertain members of the community to vote yes. But he’s not the only local artist who’s getting behind the Yes campaign. GANGgajang have also offered their support, rerecording their ‘90s hit “Hundreds of Languages” with William Barton and Jack Thompson as a new single, “Speak to Me”.
GANGgajang were pioneers in the Australian music scene, campaigning for the rights of the First Nations community long before the term “woke” even existed. The process of creating this song stretches back to conversations they had with members of First Nations communities back in 1989. Now, they say, is the time for everyone to listen to what those communities are saying. They note that in 2012, before he passed, their friend Uncle Jimmy Little wrote to every politician in the Federal government asking them to listen to Indigenous people on matters that impact them. Now more than a decade later, they say they “stand with Uncle Jimmy and say Yes to the Voice.”
Image source: PeterTea @ Flickr
Naarm/Melbourne emo-rock act Vermont has really impressed me with their latest single “Regretting Me.” Its vocals and lyrics hit hard, but it’s got a catchy melodic core that makes it an accessible and addictive listen.
The single comes with a cool, quirky collage-inspired video clip directed by “good bloke” Andrew Vaughan. Vermont have supported the likes of Clay J Gladstone, Reside, Sleep Talk, and more. With awesome songs like this in their repertoire, expect more headlining gigs in the near future. Follow their socials to learn about them as soon as they’re announced.
Image used with permission from Bigmouth PR; credit: Justin Wiraldi
British-born, Naarm/Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Laurie Cave has wowed me with his latest single “Perfect Lover.” Written shortly after his relationship with his fiancé ended, this is a powerful snapshot of the grief so many of us feel when we’ve lost someone who has a massive piece of our hearts.
“This song was incredibly hard to write … I wrote it shortly after my relationship with my fiancé ended which was the hardest thing I have ever done as she is the most beautiful and wonderful woman I have ever met,” Laurie shared. “I wrote this song on an acoustic guitar in my bathroom, where the acoustics amplify and reverberate my voice and guitar, and I felt safe to bare my soul.”
From these humble beginnings, Laurie worked with producer James Seymour to transform the song into the indie rock-folk powerhouse it is today.
“James helped me to realise this song exactly as I imagined, from the slow and tender start building to the climatic and epic release of raw energy that are the constant waves of realisation of a beautiful partnership now ended,” Laurie explained. “There is a sound reminiscent of a hospital life support machine that was inspired by Bon Iver’s ‘Hey Ma’ which is symbolic of the incredibly painful decision to turn off the machine. Bon Iver’s influence is also omnipresent in the song, they were a seminal band for me and continue to be to this day.”
With the release of “Perfect Lover,” Laurie is now focused on bringing his live music to stages around the country. Follow his socials for news of his upcoming gigs as they’re announced.
Image used with permission from Habit Music Co.; credit: Rick Clifford
DULCIE are back with another irresistible indie-pop banger, “Off By Heart.” It’s incredibly catchy, with sweet harmonies and empowering lyrics about moving on from the wrong relationship.
“There’s a fine line between giving someone another chance and finally calling it quits. ‘Off By Heart’ is about learning to stop ignoring the red flags and to put yourself first above all the excuses and false promises.” DULCIE said. “Ash (Carr-White) wrote the song around the phrase ‘Off By Heart’ with the intention of creating something emotive and relatable. It started out as a soft, slow piano ballad that eventually evolved into much more of a pop anthem! We tried recording it a few different ways but could never get it quite right; it wasn’t until our producer Konstantin Kersting messaged us, ‘I had a dream last night – and we need to completely redo the drum timing and tempo’ that we found the synth-infused, beat-driven direction we wanted to take. The contrast between the lyrics and production gives the song a feeling of empowerment and strength.”
DULCIE haven’t long wrapped up an East Coast tour, but they’re itching to get back on the road again with some choice supporting slots and festival gigs. Here are all the places you can see them play in the coming months.
I’ve just heard lovemedo’s latest single “Dancing on the LINE!” and I can’t stop smiling. The Eora/Sydney artist calls the song a “sonic tantrum,” but listening is much more fun than hearing the histrionics of any petulant child.
“It embodies that nauseating feeling of falling yet feels uplifting too,” lovemedo admitted. “The imagery of ‘the line’ being reality and the idea of me dancing on it was amusing to me. At the time I was hurt, confused and embarrassed about a particular situation so this song became a way of shrugging my shoulders, throwing my hands in the air and asking some loaded rhetorical questions, not because I wanted the answers but to make fun of what they may be.”
This is just the start of the lovemedo story. This is the first lovemedo single released through Sony Music Australia, and the musical project made its live debut just a few weeks ago. But already it shows such promise. You can bet I’ll be listening out for more material.
If you love your rock music with some grit, you’re going to be stomping your foot along with “I Need to Feel,” the latest single from regional Victorian outfit Nick Carver & The Mean Street Butchers. It’s such a soulful swamp-rock track, with a little hint of psychedelia. It already sounds like a classic.
“As far as sound goes, it’s a rock song. There’s very little of the alt-country/bluesy sound that’s on the previous releases. That’s not to say that stuff is over, but I’ve been working towards writing some real straight-up rock stuff that people can be expecting to hear with the next few releases,” Nick said. “I’ve always loved some cool weird rock, like Funkadelic, Ween, Melvins, Brant Bjork, and early Queens of the Stone Age. I think all of those bands just played out some songs that were really simple to them and kept all the little nuances and oddities that we sometimes try to improve on and end up losing the really cool essence of the track.”
The film clip, created by Pete McKew using AI animation technology is also brilliant. Drawing inspiration from Wake in Fright, it explores the violent and alcoholic history of the Aussie Outback, with a little alien abduction thrown in.
With their sound evolving, I’m keen to hear what comes next from Nick Carver & The Mean Street Butchers.
If Joy Division and The Strokes had a baby, it might sound something like The Cherubs. I’m really digging the new wave meets modern rock sound of their new single “Nausea”. The biting lyrics are also delicious. Trust me, you’ll want to crank this one up.
“This song came together on the final days of us writing the EP,” The Cherubs said in a statement. “In fact, Dylan (Clark) wrote the guitar and lyrics overnight while babysitting two cats and the next day we jammed it out as a band. It was a very quick song to write, what with not overthinking the arrangement, rather letting the guitars call-and-response be the hook and allow the lyrics to tell somewhat of a statement against it all.”
The Cherubs collaborated with director/editor Liam Clark, cinematographer Ian Tyler, and students from the SAE Institute for the music video.
“The music video was shot in half a day at Good Egg Studios in Riverstone,” The Cherubs added. “It’s worth noting Tim Berner on bass was attacked by a cactus the day of shooting and as a result had to be replaced by a dear friend and guitarist José Herández.”
If you like this, make sure you follow their socials to hear about their shows and that upcoming EP release.
Image used with permission from beehive; credit: James Winthrop, Dylan Clark
James Johnston has just dropped his latest country charmer, and he’s got some friends along for the ride. “Some Things Never Change” features Zac & George, a country duo from Eora/Sydney who now split their time between Australia and Nashville. James teamed up with Zac & George in the final hours of a songwriting pilgrimage to America’s country capital, and the rest is history.
“Listening back to the demo on the plane ride home, I knew we had captured something special,” James said. “I wanted to record and release it in a way I had never seen anyone do before.”
So he produced the song in secret with just one thing missing: Zac & George’s vocals, which they recorded during their next visit home. The day after laying down the tracks, they were heading to James’ hometown of Dharawal Country/Wingham to shoot the music video.
“The video was truly special, to be back in my hometown with the boys at the local pub I used to go to every Friday night, it just felt right that the video for ‘Some Things Never Change’ was captured there,” James said. The people you see in the video are also James’ fans, who descended on the pub to create the right party atmosphere after he put the call out on social media.
Riding high on the release of “Some Things Never Change,” James will start touring with another friend, Morgan Evans. He’ll also appear at some choice festivals in the coming months. Catch him anywhere you can!
31 August 2023 – Fortitude Music Hall, Meeanjin/Brisbane (with Morgan Evans)
2 September 2023 – Canberra Theatre, Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country/Canberra (with Morgan Evans) (SOLD OUT)
4 September 2023 – Civic Theatre, Mulubinba/Newcastle (with Morgan Evans)
5 September 2023 – Civic Theatre, Mulubinba/Newcastle (with Morgan Evans)
7 September 2023 – The Powerstation, Auckland (with Morgan Evans)
9 September 2023 – Civic Theatre, Mulubinba/Newcastle (with Morgan Evans) (SOLD OUT)
11 September 2023 – Fortitude Music Hall, Meeanjin/Brisbane (with Morgan Evans) (SOLD OUT)
14 September 2023 – Palais Theatre, Naarm/Melbourne (with Morgan Evans)
15 September 2023 – Palais Theatre, Naarm/Melbourne (with Morgan Evans) (SOLD OUT)
17 September 2023 – Hindley Street Music Hall, Tartanya/Adelaide (with Morgan Evans)
19 September 2023 – Astor Theatre, Boorloo/Perth (with Morgan Evans) (SOLD OUT)
20 September 2023 – Astor Theatre, Boorloo/Perth (with Morgan Evans)
30 September 2023 – Deni Ute Muster, Barababaraba Country/Deniliquin
6 October 2023 – Savannah in the Round, Muluridji Country/Mareeba
1–8 December 2023 – Cruisin’ Country
Image used with permission from Wildheart Publicity
Are you planning a big night tonight or like me are you getting excited about a home-cooked meal? If your weekend looks a little bare and you’re secretly thrilled about that, I know you’re going to relate to “I Used To Be Fun,” the rocking new single from Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers.
“‘I Used To Be Fun’ is about getting older and redefining the way you have fun,” the band confirmed. “We have all noticed in the past year or so, going from 22 to 23, that fun looks really different sometimes when you start to get older. It’s about missing your past self who would go out every night and have a fully charged social battery, rather than seeing the fun in staying home alone.”
“I Used To Be Fun” comes from Teen Jesus and the Jean Teaser’s highly anticipated debut album, I Love You, which drops on October 6. Fresh from Les Escales Festival in France, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers will launch the album with shows all around the country. Catch them at the following local venues:
I’ve been so impressed by the music coming out of The Archie Roach Foundation’s Singing Our Futures program. This initiative which pairs emerging First Nations artists with some iconic mentors is giving a leg up to some extraordinary talents like Kiwat Kennell, who’s just released his latest single “Disconnected.” Kiwat worked with none other than Dan Sultan to tell his story through this song.
“’Disconnected’ tells the story of how my father saved my life, from my own actions, in one of the darkest periods of my life,” he admitted. “The yearning for a connection of any kind in a post-lockdown life is one that too many of us have all experienced. Through an unhealthy relationship with my mental health, I lost many personal relationships, resulting in a downward spiral, solo journey, that would eventually have me reconnect with my father, after many years of being apart. What began as a deeply negative and traumatic experience, has me now connecting to family, culture, and life!”
While the song came from feelings of being disconnected, it also sparked a very powerful connection between Kiwat and his mentor, Dan Sultan.
“We had known each other socially for a few years, but when I found out that Dan would be my mentor, and I would have the chance to work with him in a professional capacity, I couldn’t believe it. Dan Sultan has always been a huge influence on my career, his ability to captivate a whole audience with just his voice and a guitar, will always astound me! Being able to collaborate with Dan on this track has really changed how I approach songwriting. He taught me that the story, or song, that you start writing at one point in time, doesn’t have to be finished at that moment. Because like in life, you evolve … and your story isn’t finished yet. Sometimes you have to walk the path, to see where it leads.”
“Disconnected” is the latest track from the Singing Our Futures EP, which drops later this year.
Image used with permission from On the Map PR; credit: Jacinta Keefe
