Play all
Local
Emily Wurramara: Milyakburra (Wantok Music / MGM)
- Zed favourite Emily Wurramara has finally released her long-awaited debut album, and it’s every bit as heartfelt, complex, and beautiful as anything we’ve heard from the multi-award-winning singer-songwriter, with as strong a sense of identity as ever. Named for the community on Bickerton Island, a smaller island off Groote where Emily would visit her Grandparents on the weekends and hear dreaming stories, Wurramara says of the album, sung both in English and her traditional language Anindilyakwa across 11 tracks: “I grew up in two different worlds with two different perspectives of life but I’ve always had a strong love for protecting my land and inspiring and empowering my people through the preservation and protection of our culture, which is why I sing in my language”. (Liz Ansley)
Isaac Cavallaro: Social Currency (NYC Audio Collage Experiment) (Single) (Independent)
- I absolutely love this track's vibe: experimental yet easy to follow the narrative. Perfect for music-lovers who love a bit of Odesza, and also the more experimental style of Willaris. K. Super beautiful and ambient (but not too sleepy!). (Molly Jackson)
Mallrat: In The Sky (Dew Process)
- Though she no longer resides locally and she’s blown up globally, Mallrat’s roots and most dedicated fans will always be here. Latest EP In The Sky is a sparkling pop masterclass, and latest single Groceries effortlessly evokes that brilliantly warm, heart-smiling Mallrat vibe. (Liz Ansley)
Australian
Kult Kyss:Chi Cup (Single)(Indie)
- Thumping and relentless, Chi Cup continues Kult Kyss’ string of razor-sharp industrial pop cuts with as much bite as bark. The Melbourne duo (consisting Rromarin and Haxx, each accomplished in their own rights) wield their golden touch over a momentous, gritty soundscape - you can catch them in Brisbane supporting The Presets at The Tivoli on June 27. (Liz Ansley)
Maya Hirasedo: Cocaine (Single)(Valve Sounds)
- Anchored to a shuffling back-beat, Melbourne artist Maya Hirasedo’s hazy RnB cut conveys pain and wisdom with a world class sheen. A truly stunning track that invites you to a private moment, dropped in the lead-up to Hirasedo’s first full length release. (Liz Ansley)
Dinosaur City Records: DCR Mixtape #3 (Dinosaur City Records)
- The Sydney-based independent label’s third annual mixtape is a stellar collection of 23 gems from indie musicians across the country, largely unreleased but also including a few widely available cuts like Mezko’s ‘Without You’. Local musician Monica Sottile’s ‘I Wanted’ is particularly arresting - a sinking, distorted soundscape oscillating around a clear, honest vocal. (Liz Ansley)
Nylex: Nylex (Tenth Court)
- The first release from Adelaide post-punk group, showcases the band stepping forward with a seductive and grinding, voyeuristic peek behind the curtain. Comprised of members from associated acts, Rule of Thirds, Hydromedusa and Workhorse, Nylex having crafted songs that ebb and flow, in a hypnotic interplay taking place between the shadows. (Jasmine Dunn)
Black Stone From the Sun: Dreamalysis (Independent/Firestarter)
- Forged in the sun drenched, psych-friendly town of Perth, punk/grunge duo Black Stone From The Sun's new album DREAMALYSIS has catapulted them into a whole new sphere. Taking cues from the new wave of fuzzed-out psych stoner metal artists crowding the scene, then fusing these sounds with their brand of energetic punk and passion-driven grunge, the pair have crafted an absolutely mammoth album. It's been a long time since a band had me wanting to chuck a big ol' mosh, DREAMALYSIS has broken that dry spell. (Clayton Bick-Paterson)
Shoeb Ahmad: "quiver" (Art As Catharsis)
- Multi-instrumentalist and noir pop purveyor Shoeb Ahmad (also of Agency, Oranges, Sensaround, Spartak and Tangents) has unveiled her widescreen opus “quiver”, an exploration of identity as a trans-femme Muslim person of colour that feels as weighty in its moments of minimalism and softness as it does in its 70s-soul-influenced instrumental breaks. New single “pinpointed” is as deeply personal as any track on “quiver”, with Ahmad reflecting ““I lost sight of the line and left someone far behind but when I finally tackled the question around my identity, I realised I needed to apologise for this.” (Liz Ansley)
Overseas
Moses Sumney: Make Out In My Car: Chameleon Suite (Jagjaguwar / Terrible records)
- Encasing 4 reimaginings of the Aromanticism-era honeyed slow jam, including efforts from Sufjan Stevens, Alex Isley and James Blake, Make Out In My Car: Chameleon Suite breathes new, exciting life into what was already something very impressive. Performed as a duet, remixed, extended, and built entirely anew within the release, the California and Ghana-raised artist mercifully expands the canon of what was one of the strongest albums of 2017. (Liz Ansley)
Jouska: From Elson to Emmett (Tiny Engines)
- Melancholy indie-rock never sounded so pleasant. Jouska belong in a wonderful grey area of shoegaze, indie-rock and ambient/noise rock while maintaining a grounded sense of emotional expression. Calico is a stand out track and deserves a listen through for any alternative rock/pop fan. (Peter Strasser)
Lithics: Mating Surfaces (Kill Rock Stars)
- The second full length album from Portland, Oregon band Lithics is a sharp and assertive nod to early 1970's new wave, reminiscent of the likes of Au Pairs, Suburban Lawns etc. Contagious, but in all the right ways. Angular and skittish musically, very cool and a little bit apathetic vocally, the amalgamation of the two will keep you in for the whole 12 tracks. (Jasmine Dunn)
Kamasi Washington:Street Fighter Mas (Single)(Young Turks / Remote Control Records)
- Sprawling jazz/deep funk from the Los Angeles multi-instrumentalist, who can perhaps explain his own work better than anyone else could:”When I was younger, I was in between the end of the arcade generation and the beginning of the console generation. We used to go to this place called Rexall to play Street Fighter. At Rexall, there would be different people from different hoods there playing the game. It was the one place that was like an equalizer. It was just about how good you were at Street Fighter...for the most part. In other places, you were afraid of these dudes; there, you would just play the game and it was what it was, you know? I was really good at Street Fighter, so where the song really came from was me jokingly saying I was going to have my own theme song so that when I showed up to play Street Fighter they’d play my theme song before I came in, like a boxer. In the context of the album, it was the connection that we got with those guys in our neighborhood. We used to call them OGs, the older guys that we looked up to.” Washington’s long-awaited album is out on June 22. (Liz Ansley)