<p><span><span>- When sleepmakeswaves announced they were releasing new music, it wasn’t a celebratory declaration, but a sombre one of determination. “A lot’s happened since our last release. It’s a crazier, darker world…” they began, adding “It’s damn hard keeping the artist ship afloat, when being an artist doesn’t mean what it used to.” This was in January, <em>before</em> the pandemic came in and more or less obliterated whatever plans any artist had for the future. </span></span></p>

<p><span><span>- I’m a little late getting to the <em>party</em> here, to shower praise on the boutique pop project of <strong>Mel Tickle </strong>and <strong>Luke McDonald</strong>, that is, Holiday Party. The veteran Brisbane musos have been doing quite a bit of business with the songs of their latter-day project (did they win Bigsound? Is that a thing, can you win Bigsound?) and now those songs are all together, forming quite a record.</span></span></p>

<p><span><span>- Combining the bizarre bubblegum pop, trap, dubstep, metal, and electronica of last year’s debut, with an expanded universe of collaborators, the new record by American experimental duo 100 gecs<em> </em>is as thrilling as their last. Initially formed in 2016 for a relatively straightforward EP, 100 gecs’ <strong>Dylan Brady</strong> and <strong>Laura Les</strong> came to public attention with their debut, <em>1000 gecs</em>, a record that went viral on the internet for its distinctively millennial sound.

<p><span><span>- “Cancel culture” is the new bogeyman of our times. Statues of historical figures thrown into the sea, beloved films and TV shows deleted from streaming services, 150 high profile authors and academics last week wrote an open letter warning about threats to public discourse. Every op-ed section of every newspaper has carried something about the dreaded “cancel culture”.