ILUKA – Sounds of Oz

Posted on 08/04/2022 by Lauren Katulka

“Queen of Turbulent Hearts” – ILUKA

On a grey and gloomy day, ILUKA’s long-awaited debut album Queen of Turbulent Hearts brings the sunshine. With irresistible pop melodies and danceable beats, this is the perfect album to take you into the weekend.

No moment is wasted here. As the old adage goes, it’s all killer, no filler. I was instantly hooked from the opening notes of girl power anthem “The Limit.” As ILUKA namechecks history’s most iconic female trailblazers, you get the sense that this Blue Mountains singer-songwriter is proudly following in their footsteps. She may not be as well known yet, but she’s got such a powerful, distinctive voice. Not just sonically, although that’s undeniable. But ILUKA really has something to say. I’m listening.

The songs that come next bring the picture of ILUKA into focus. “Higher Love” is pure and optimistic. There’s a fierce determination in “Get Free”. She reveals her wild side in “Mess”, a brilliant collaboration with Lime Cordiale. This upbeat song hints at a vulnerability that tracks like “Hercules” and “Willing to Break” explore more deeply. The title track “Queen of Turbulent Hearts” is achingly nostalgic. These songs reveal so many facets of ILUKA’s personality, the positive and the flawed. While the music is eclectic, the honesty with which ILUKA shares herself ties this collection together beautifully.

I’ve been following ILUKA’s career since 2016. I’ve loved listening to her evolve from sweet folk-pop songstress to a bold indie-pop act. Queen of Turbulent Hearts shows how fearless she’s become. She knows who she is and she’s not afraid to share it. You don’t have to like it, but it’s much more fun if you get on board.

Queen of Turbulent Hearts is out today. ILUKA is currently touring the country with Lime Cordiale. Limited tickets are still available for some of the following shows:

8 April 2022 – Fremantle Arts Centre, Perth (SOLD OUT)
12 April 2022 – Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne
20 April 2022 – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
21 April 2022 – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
27 April 2022 – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney (SOLD OUT)
6 May 2022 – Riverstage, Brisbane (SOLD OUT)

Image used with permission from Six Boroughs Media

Posted on 06/11/2021 by Lauren Katulka

ILUKA Spreads Sunshine With “Get Free” Single

Weekends are all about freedom, especially now those lockdowns have lifted, so what better time to introduce you to ILUKA’s banging new single “Get Free.” This synthy poppy masterpiece is the perfect track to get you grooving on this Saturday morning.

“I think it was a confession of the journey I’ve been on over the years. A celebration of the messy and long-winded route I’ve always taken – always a little left of centre and always in reach of something but never quite getting there, wherever ‘there’ even is,” ILUKA said of the song’s inspiration. “I think it was a way for me to find joy in that path rather than frustration and loneliness and in turn, to hopefully bring some kind of joy to the listeners.”

The song comes with a beautiful video filmed on Gundungurra and Darug land in the Blue Mountains, choreographed by Matthew Gode, and directed by Sophia de Vries. She explained, “We wanted to create a visual journey that embodied the idea of feeling free. Expansive natural environments, vibrant colours, and expressive movement. I was particularly inspired by the French filmmaker Eric Rohmer and the feeling of long summer days with no place to be.”

Expect to hear a lot more from ILUKA really soon, as she’s currently putting the finishing touches on her long-awaited debut album.

Image used with permission from Revolutions per Minute; credit: Vasili Papathanasopoulos

Posted on 13/07/2019 by Lauren Katulka

Iluka Does It Again With “Fall Apart Again”

Iluka continues her winning ways with her latest single “Fall Apart Again.” This is another retro pop gem from the Sydney singer-songwriter, the kind of track that tugs at your heart while compelling you to reach for your hairbrush and sing it out. Shimmery synths and rich guitars wrap around her distinctive voice so beautifully.

Iluka says it’s “A song I am a little terrified to release into the world because it is so painfully close to my heart. What to say … heartbreak, love lost. There’s no human words to articulate it. To do it justice. I wrote this on the eve of the end. When I knew it was over but I couldn’t say those words.”

Iluka seems to go from strength to strength. I’ll have this song on repeat for a while, but I can’t wait to hear what’s next from this local talent.

Image used with permission from Beehive PR

Posted on 04/04/201801/04/2018 by Lauren Katulka

Out of Sadness Comes Pop Smash for Iluka

It’s a case of turning lemons into lemonade, or heartbreak into indie pop gold for Iluka, who’s just released her new track “Ritual.”

“When I wrote ‘Ritual’ it was quite melancholic and full of longing and sadness,” she explained. “The original demo is slow and kind of heart breaking. I was in this place of loneliness, this bitter sweet kind of feeling that comes after a relationship has ended and you’re reflecting back and in this self-searching phase trying desperately to figure out who you are again. Then as I began playing it with the band and eventually took it into the studio, it became more of this celebration and defiant kind of song. The ritual of falling in and out of love, learning to stand on your own two feet again. To be defined as yourself, by yourself, and follow your own star. Everyone has their own ritual, and this is mine.”

Ritual is the title track of Iluka’s new EP, which is available through her website from Friday. Not so coincidentally, that’s when Iluka kicks off her East Coast tour. Check her out at the following venues.

6 April 2018 – Mo’s Clubhouse, Gold Coast
7 April 2018 – Bloodhound Bar, Brisbane
12 April 2018 – Transit Bar, Canberra (FREE)
14 April 2018 – Grace Darling, Melbourne
20 April 2018 – Rad Bar, Wollongong
21 April 2018 – Waywards, Sydney

Image used with permission from Mucho Bravado

Posted on 19/02/201817/02/2018 by Lauren Katulka

Iluka Releases New Video and Announces Tour

I adored Iluka’s single “Sympathy” when I first heard it in December, but I’ve fallen in love with it all over again with the release of the music video.

It’s the perfect foil for her girl power anthem, with a 1960s housewife abandoning domestic drudgery upon seeing Iluka.

“The whole premise of the song is about radical self expression in an all too often repressive society. The video serves as an expressive response, through art, through colour, through movement, and through community. My vision was to bring together a bunch of beautiful, creative people – dancers, painters, sculptors, circus performers, photographers, musicians – in a wild, dreamlike world and simply give them the freedom to be themselves,” Iluka explained. Joining forces with award winning writer and director Kate Haplin, the video seeks to inspire. Their period piece reminding viewers things weren’t so different 50 years ago and Iluka is leading the charge to fight the good fight.

“Sympathy” comes from Iluka’s forthcoming EP Ritual, which drops on April 6. Wasting no time, Iluka will start her EP tour the same day. Tickets are on sale now.

Posted on 15/12/201715/12/2017 by Lauren Katulka

Iluka Gets Me Grooving With “Sympathy”

Sydney songbird Iluka is back with a groovy new single “Sympathy,” the latest lifted from her forthcoming EP Ritual. This song has such a positive vibe, with rich horns, a clap along chorus, and powerful lyrics about social change.

“Sympathy is a song that’s been sitting in my drawer for a couple of years now,” Iluka explained. “When it was written I had this real sense of impotence and apathy within my generation. That willing or not, so many of us were becoming slaves. Slaves to technology, to consumerism, to authority, to an ideology, to expectation, to our own bodies, and to our own minds. Rather fittingly I didn’t really know what to do with the song at the time. But I feel like with all that is happening in the world right now people are being shaken awake, whether we like it or not. Silence is being broken, indifference is turning to dissidence, people are speaking up and being heard, and the time felt right to bring this song to life, to add my voice to the cause. To celebrate defiance, to champion self-expression, to promote self-belief, and to reclaim our power. As the song choruses… we want it back.”

Iluka will launch the single at the Coven Christmas Party at The Lansdowne in Sydney on December 21.

Image used with permission from Mucho Bravado

Posted on 07/03/2017 by Lauren Katulka

ILUKA Tours “Blue My Soul” EP

ILUKA’s “Blue Jean Baby” was one of my favourite songs of 2016. Good news is there’s more where that came from; ILUKA’s sophomore EP Blue My Soul is out now and available through a number of channels including iTunes and Spotify. The EP was mostly self-produced and tracked to tape as a live band at Linear Recording Studios in Sydney, giving it a real spontaneous, raw feel.

ILUKA is soon ready to take all the songs from Blue My Soul to the masses with a tour around the East Coast. Check her out at the following venues.

16 March 2017 – The Pier, Port Macquarie
17 March 2017 – Miami Marketta, Gold Coast
18 March 2017 – The Milk Factory, Brisbane
30 March 2017 – Smith’s Alternative, Canberra
31 March 2017 – The Gasometer, Melbourne
1 April 2017 – The Workers Club, Geelong
7 April 2017 – Rad Bar, Wollongong
8 April 2017 – Hudson Ballroom, Sydney

Posted on 07/12/201603/12/2016 by Lauren Katulka

ILUKA Releases Feelgood Single “Blue Jean Baby”

Sydney songstress ILUKA has got my toes tapping with her new folk-pop single “Blue Jean Baby.” It’s an irresistible track which bounces along with the help of a driving acoustic guitar and ILUKA’s angelic voice.

“Blue Jean Baby” comes from ILUKA’s forthcoming EP, Blue My Soul. It explores similar themes of breaking away from the ordinary and the self-discovery that can come from such escape. Look out for it in February 2017.

Image used with permission from Mucho Bravado