- For a band as wracked by nihilism as Hope Drone, it sometimes seems a wonder they manage to put out records at all. Certainly it goes some way to excusing the four years it’s been since their last album, Cloak Of Ash. Summoning all their remaining strength the Brisbane black-metallers have surged back on to the recorded medium, a testament in stone amidst the dust of failure, an Ozymandian tribute to the pointlessness of it all. Actually that’s not quite true and it marks a key difference between the band’s latest material and what came before.

- As hip-hop approaches the half-century mark we’re beginning to see rappers age within a youth-centric genre. Albums like Jay-Z’s 4:44 or Phonte’s No News Is Good News have been jokingly labelled ‘dad rap’ for their mature subject matter and contemplative nature.

- Far from the bright lights of the music industry, a subculture of folk-punk healthily maintains its existence, played on acoustic instruments and often in informal venues.

- Vanessa Marousopoulos’ debut EP under the moniker Keeskea comes hotly anticipated by the two cities she calls home, Adelaide and Brisbane. If you’ve seen her in any number of local acts, including Bloom Parade and Sleep Club, you’d already be familiar with her particular brand of enchantment. With total control over the suite of tracks on Find Yourself Alone, she only grows more spellbinding.

- “Influence”, definition: the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself.