<p><span><span><span>- Apparently, if you live in Melbourne, you’ll know Claire Birchall</span><strong> </strong><span>a lot better than I do, thanks to her band, </span><strong>Claire Birchall &amp; The Phantom Hitchhikers</strong><span>.

<p><span><span>- Roza Terenzi has just released her debut album, <em>Modern Bliss</em>, on <strong>D. Tiffany</strong>’s label, <strong>Planet Euphorique</strong>. Terenzi and <strong>DJ Zozi</strong> collaborated for Planet Euphorique's inaugural EP in 2018 and Modern Bliss is the label's first LP.

<p><span><span>- Stalwart followers have heard me bang on about the hypnagogic hip-hop scene for long enough, praising artists like <strong>MIKE</strong>, <strong>Standing On The Corner</strong>, and recent convert <strong>Earl Sweatshirt</strong> for their dreamy explorations of sample based jazz-rap. LA based Pink Siifu sits adjacent to scene progenitors, New York's<strong> sLUms </strong>collective, plying their abstract poetry with rasped yet reserved fusions of spoken word and RnB.

- SAWAYAMA, the self-titled debut from London based Japanese singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama is a revelation. Sure she’s influenced by fellow Londoners Charli XCX and Kero Kero Bonito, but Sawayama’s scope on this record covers exciting new territory. From the hard rock of STFU! to the disco-affected album highlight Comme des garcons (Like the Boys Do), Rina Sawayama finds her own ground amidst a golden age of experimental pop.

<p><span><span>- It's a standard dig at Western Australia to say its timeszone is not hours but decades behind its east coast compatriots. This ribbing lends itself a little too easy when talking about the crew of Datura4,<strong> </strong>taking on a tried-and-true method of psych-rock goodness with often walloping production. A minor caveat, I’ve not waded much into the waters of psych / stoner rock but after this delightful dip, it could very well slot into high rotation.

<p><span><span>- The second album from Melbourne’s Primo! arrives bearing a contrasting collage of paintings and portraits. It shows a more complex and obfuscated arrangement than the simple but elegant band photo that adorns their 2018 debut <em>Amici</em>, revealing something of the explosion of ideas that has taken place between them<em>.</em></span></span></p>

<p><span><span>- It's forty-one years since Lucinda Williams released her debut album, twenty-two since she enjoyed a career renaissance with the country rock masterpiece <em>Car Wheels On A Gravel Road</em>. But the sixty-seven-year-old is back with <em>Good Souls, Better Angels</em> - a new album that sounds right at home in 2020.</span></span></p>

- For someone who’s always been a couple of steps away from being legit certifiable, Fiona Apple is extraordinarily resilient. That’s most true of her musical output and if the relentless truth telling she uses it as a vehicle for is accurate, as a person too.

- Brisbane trio Middle Name Dance Band have just released their second record, suitable titled Middle Name Dance Tracks Vol. 2. This follow up volume is the effort of collaborators Megan Christensen (keys), Sam Stosurr (bass/keys) and Sampology (sampler/sequncer/mixing duties). They’ve managed to elaborate upon their sound over these four new tracks, taking a jazzy/improivisational approach to disco and house.