Jordy Burns proves that her strong debut single “Walls” was no fluke with the release of the follow-up “Second Chances.” This an upbeat pop number sounds so different from her more sombre debut, but its lyrics are every bit as powerful as its predecessor.
“‘Second Chances’ fell out of my brain on a pretty poignant day in a toxic relationship when I finally realised that this person wasn’t going to change,” Jordy admitted. “After a really heated discussion, as many pained artists do, I found creativity in some intense journaling and suddenly I was staring at the lyrics of my next song.”
“Second Chances” is the second single lifted from Jordy’s debut EP Games, which drops on April 18. She’s got a couple of local shows coming up this month, so get onto it Eora/Sydney!
6 April 2024 – Tokio Hotel, Eora/Sydney (FREE) 27 April 2024 – Bucketty’s Brewing Co, Eora/Sydney
After releasing seven albums and bagging a stack of awards in his native Canada, indie-folk artist Donovan Woods is finally making his way to Australia. He’ll play seven shows in intimate venues around the country in the middle of the year.
The tour announcement encouraged me to take a deep dive into Donovan’s music. I’ve had “Truck Full of Money” on my Spotify list of favourites for some time, but for some reason I hadn’t really explored his music before now. On one hand, I am so glad that I did. It’s incredible. And it just keeps getting better; his new track “Rosemary” is exquisite. On the other, now I’m sweating on my husband finding a new job before tickets sell out!
Donovan has partnered with Support Act and pledges to donate a dollar from every ticket sold to supporting music industry professionals in this country with crisis relief, mental health, and wellbeing assistance. He’s also got another album on the way in July, so expect to hear new tracks and plenty of your old favourites at these long-awaited shows:
Eora/Sydney-based R&B-pop act Christian Adjeisa has just released a brand new earworm, “RUNNING.” This song is such a bop. While it’ll get you up and dancing, its lyrics also pack a powerful emotional punch.
“‘RUNNING’ is my journey of grappling with heartbreak and search for truth, trying to outrun the haunting memories and painful truths of a failed relationship,” Christian said.
I also love the film clip, directed by Frederick McHenry, which sees Christian working up a sweat in the outback of New South Wales alongside Indigenous locals in Ngemba Country/Brewarrina. The rugged setting is a powerful representation of the emotional barrenness and isolation felt after a break-up. It’s all great stuff which makes me pretty excited to hear more.
Summer might be behind us, but you can certainly imagine the season’s still here listening to the tunes from Eora/Sydney four-piece Jet City Sports Club. On Thursday they’ll drop their sophomore EP Every Single Dream, featuring the current single “Sunny Morning.” Ahead of the EP release, Jet City Sports Club shared their perfect summer playlist with us here at Sounds of Oz. How many of these songs do you have on repeat?
“Skin” – Spacey Jane
This is a song we listened to heaps during the 21/22 summer when we were a bit earlier on in the band’s career. It feels really free and reflects the fun vibes of summer, paired with some really hitting lyrics – it’s the perfect blend.
“I’m Not Sure” – The Grogans
A band we’ve been lucky to play a handful of shows with across NSW, some of the nicest people you’ll meet. This one’s mad for summer as it’s two minutes of in your face rock, which is always welcome on a summer road trip, Grogs just do that sound so well.
“Midnight Sun” – RVG
Can’t overstate how much we love this album as a whole, and this song is just so powerful. We are lucky enough to be playing the Gum Ball festival in April, which RVG are on too. Come on down everyone!
“Kiss Me Aphrodite” – Oscar the Wild
This song makes you nostalgic for a summer romance you may never have even had. A beautifully heartfelt track with some great tempo and rhythm changes throughout that keeps you constantly engaged and wanting more.
“Dose” – STUMPS
While lyrically one of the sadder songs on this list, it just has this bright upbeat feeling with some beautiful instrumentation that makes you want to dance and sing along when that chorus hits.
“Your Side, Forever” – Middle Kids
This song is so perfect for driving in the summertime. The anthemic bridge is transporting. Taking you away from everything stressful.
“Foam” – Royel Otis
Royel Otis’ entire new album is perfect for getting lost in during the warmer months and Foam is the earworm that’ll get you right into it.
“Cassandra” – Cool Sounds
Get yourself a picnic blanket, and listen to this absolute summery loveliness while cloud watching. Nostalgic guitars and washed out dreamy vocals, make for a perfect, summery dream that we return to frequently.
Jet City Sports Club will bring back all the summer vibes when they release their Every Single Dream EP on March 28. Make sure you take a listen and check them out at one of their upcoming shows:
Shotgun Mistress may well be the last of a dying breed, a bunch of (mostly) long-haired rockers with big chords, big sing-along choruses, and big attitude. Their latest single “Shot Down” is a total throwback, but I for one thing this kind of music needs resurrecting.
Shotgun Mistress are red hot right now. They just played Glam Fest alongside absolute rock legends like Slaughter and Vixen frontwoman Janet Gardner and even appeared on The Project. Up next they’ll support Dirty Honey, Audio Reign, and The Poor, headline Wrestlerock, and release their album Kings of the Revolution on June 2. They’ll also head to Japan for a 10-date tour. Don’t worry local fans, they’ll be back before you know it to headline gigs all around the country. Until then, here are all the shows they’ve got locked in:
Born from a one-minute voice note, ioakim’s latest single “alltimefan” is a total bop. I love its upbeat poppy feel and relatable lyrics about infatuation and that natural human tendency to project onto people that turn our heads.
“‘alltimefan’ was the first song I made in LA with Jackson Phillips (Day Wave) in 2022. It is about drawing up a preconceived idea of someone before you have met them,” ioakim explained. “There’s a lot you can know about someone before you meet them in real life so you have a pretty good idea if you’re going to get along. This song ended becoming reality a month or so later. Life is weird”.
When it results in music this good, I’m all for the weird! Something tells me we’ll be hearing a lot more from ioakim in the future.
I’ve held off for as long as I could. As a Eurovision tragic, I always try to wait for the competition to hear the songs. I want them all to be fresh for me. But I caved. I couldn’t help but listen to “One Milkali (One Blood)”, our entry this year from the one and only Electric Fields. I am properly on board. It’s a disco dance banger, but it’s also got a powerful message about connection with the world around us. And how exciting to hear a didge and some native language in our entry! Talk about representation.
“We are buzzed with euphoria at our chance to share this music with the world,” the duo said. “Our music comes from the deepest place in both of us and Eurovision is the most exciting opportunity to bring together our cultures and share the joy of our global connection.”
Make sure you don’t miss Electric Fields doing our country proud when SBS airs the Eurovision Song Contest from May 8 to 12.
As they prepare to release their sixth album, Angus & Julia Stone might just be making some of the best music of their careers. Their music has always been chilled, but sometimes it veered too close to sleepy territory for my taste. With their new music, they’ve definitely got the balance right. Their latest single “Cape Forestier” comes hot on the heels of “The Wedding Song,” and it’s every bit as good.
“‘Cape Forestier’ is about a boat on a journey. I suppose it speaks to the journey we’re all on in our lives—the comings and goings of love, loss, pain, and moving towards new horizons,” they explained. “We spent a lot of our childhood on and in the water. Elements of nature are lyrically and mythically important in our writing. The ebb and flow of tides, the changing cycles—nature so often helps us to understand our inner world. This is a very personal song to us, so we’ve chosen to share some unseen footage in the music video from the start of our time together making music in the living room at home to where we are now.”
“Cape Forestier” is the title track of Angus & Julia Stone’s new album, which drops on May 10. Remember they’re also playing intimate shows around the world to support its release, so if you haven’t already got your tickets, what are you waiting for?
After a brief hiatus, Tarntanya/Adelaide alt-rock act Choosing Sides are back in action with a new single, “Penelope.” It’s an anti-love song which explores feelings of desire and delusion.
“Penelope is a continuation of the narrative that began in our single ‘Cardboard Seats’,” explained the band’s lead singer Will Wright. “After escaping the city from a supernaturally toxic relationship – our character is fractured by his desire to hear from Penelope despite all the negativity she brought into his life. Whilst Penelope’s curses and evil ways drove our protagonist out of town, he still has a sadistic addiction to hearing her ringtone, her voice, and her coarse language.”
The supernatural plot the band imagined comes to life in the song’s music video. This is a great return to form from Choosing Sides. Hopefully they won’t leave us waiting so long for the next one!
There are few things I enjoy more than some angry girl music. I have a love-hate relationship with the term, because it feels so reductive, but no one has coined anything better for that incredible music that sees women venting their frustrations. Artists like Alanis Morisette and Tori Amos were so influential in my formative years, and I love that there seems to be a renaissance thanks to talents like Olivia Rodrigo, Gayle, and Noah Cyrus. While those big American talents grab the headlines, Aussies aren’t sleeping on the movement. The latest to pique my interest is EDIE, who’s not holding anything back with her new single “Villain.”
“‘Villain’ explores post-heartbreak frustration and the selfish desire for your ex to feel the same pain as you do,” EDIE explained. “This song highlights how sometimes you have to make someone the villain to be able to move on.”
The music video is also stellar, but not for the faint hearted. If blood makes you squeamish, you might want to look away. You have been warned!
