Vinyl 45 – Sounds of Oz

The weekend is so close you can taste it so you’re moving with a little more groove in your step. Enter “Night Rhythms,” the funky new track from local neo-funk act Vinyl 45. As their name suggests, their music is a bit of a throwback, in the best possible way. This new song is the perfect track to score your Friday.

Vinyl 45 frontman Aaron Gunawickrema, who was born and raised in Sri Lanka, said the song was inspired by his move to Eora/Sydney. “It came about as I had just arrived in Australia in 2020 to attend uni and was working in a fish shop, which I absolutely hated and I missed Sri Lanka where I was working as a musician full-time. I missed being on stage and not having any worries while I was performing, and I was contemplating my move to Sydney which was obviously making me emotional.”

When an artist loves being on stage, you know they’re always amazing live. See just how good Aaron and his mates from Vinyl 45 are at one of the following shows around Eora/Sydney:

13 October 2023 – Oxford Art Factory, Eora/Darlinghurst
28 October 2023 – Bucketty’s Brewing Co, Eora/Brookvale
9 December 2023 – The Factory Theatre, Eora/Marrickville

Image used with permission from Good Intent

With a name like Vinyl 45, you might expect this seven-piece from Western Eora/Sydney to deliver some serious nostalgia. They deliver with their latest track “Top Down,” a song which somewhere combines the soul of yacht rock with urban edge, thanks to the rap stylings of Truboy.

“This track holds a special place in my heart as it was the first track we recorded with the band that was a reflection of my personal feelings at the time,” explained Vinyl 45’s frontman Aaron Gunawickrema. “The lyrics basically talk about that moment when everything around you gets too stressful to handle, be it money matters, study, whatever. And you just want to leave it all behind and go to the one person that will silence all those worries and voices in your head, get in a car with them and drive away, leaving everything behind.”

A true representation of the diversity of their part of the country, Vinyl 45 has members with Sri Lankan, Myanmarese, South American, Scottish, and Welsh heritage. When you get all those backgrounds together, they’re going to create music that doesn’t sound like anything else. I can’t wait to hear what’s up next from Vinyl 45. While they don’t have any headlining shows coming up, you can catch them at The Great Club in Eora/Sydney supporting Sex on Toast on April 22.

Image used with permission from beehive; credit: Kushal Bhattarai

Tag: Vinyl 45

Vinyl 45 Release Funky Single, “Night Rhythms”

Give Vinyl 45’s Newest Track “Top Down” a Spin