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Local
Freer: New House (Indie)
- Dissociative and effervescent, this magical slice of electronica will give your Aperol spritz that little extra kick. With a low key house groove to hold it down, sip, sprinkle and twirl to Brisbane’s New House. (Nicholas J. Rodwell)
Blaq Carrie: Sendereka ft. Kwasi (Single)(Independent)
- Blaq Carrie, one of our most formidable local talents makes her return with this smooth, swaggering track and its stunning video, shot in Redcliffe. Crafted during an APRA AMCOS SongHubs session in Melbourne with production from Lewis Cancut, Sendereka means “swing my way” or “pivot” and certainly inspires both movements with its juicy dancehall-esque elements, come-hither vocals and impressive bars from both Carrie and Kwasi (WVS). Judging by the behind-the-scenes video that was also released there’s more to come from Carrie soon - check out the brightly-coloured music video for Sendereka, shot by Grace Julia (Musemaker) below. (Liz Ansley)
Australian
FLOWERTRUCK: Come Across (Single) (Spunk Records) - Sydney's FLOWERTRUCK have crafted another gem of Australian indie rock with 'Come Across' the second single from the highly anticipated 'Mostly Sunny' their debut record due on the 16th of March. The distinctive twang of Charles Rushforth's vocals manage to channel Suburban-indie rock drenched in Australiana, without ever sounding overdone or tired. It had me from the first line "Accidentally let your cactus die", very relatable in Brisbane with the summer we've had. Yikes. (Fraser Coker)
Tangents: Stents & Arteries (Temporary Residence Ltd.)
- Tangents’ arrival in 2018 offers a balanced drama of contorted rhythmic nests and transcendent harmonic cadence. The Sydney quintet’s three tracks of electro-acoustic experimentalism takes on a gentle air, fertile with calm creativity. (Nicholas J. Rodwell)
Sarah Mary Chadwick: Sugar Still Melts In The Rain (Single) (Rice Is Nice / Sinderlyn)
- Uninhabited and honest, Sarah Mary Chadwick’s songwriting continues to caste humanity in a clear light. This lead single, simple in it’s arrangement, is compassionate as it strips down the self, equal in melancholy and beauty. (Nicholas J. Rodwell)
Various Artists: Listen Records Compilation: Volume 3 (Listen Records)
- Only in its third lifecycle, this annual release highlighting the music of women, gender non-conforming and LGBTQIA+ artists in Australia has already well and truly established itself as one of the most anticipated compilations of the year. Housing everything from post-punk to garage pop to techno to lo-fi bedroom jams and back again, Volume 3 shines a spotlight on the diversity of sound and raw talent coming from artists like Wet Lips, The Pink Tiles, Lalic, Piss Factory and more. (Liz Ansley)
Tannou: Stained Water EP (Independent)
- Stained Water... what can I say about this EP? Tannou have thoroughly raised the hairs on the back of my neck, sent the shivers down my spine, and all of those jazz cigarettes. From what little information I have found about this EP, it was self-written, self-performed and self-recorded on violin, mandolin, guitar and piano. This simple layout of folk instrumentation is utilised on the EP in wonderfully surprising and unpredictable ways, each song paints an entirely different sonic landscape, resulting in a beautifully balanced sound throughout, even though Tannou is essentially working with the exact same equipment for every track. A phenomenal piece of work, from a musician unbound by the walls of the genre complex. Vocally flexible, Tannou's voice can gently sway between sounding- apathetic, pleading, demanding, hissing, defeated. Musically androgynous, this is a release for fans of music that touches you, leaves something inside of you. Fans of Nick Cave, Swans, Dirty Three and even Johnny Cash may find themselves lost in amongst the almost panoramic scenery Tannou paints with music. Music as art. (Clayton Bick-Paterson)
Overseas
serpentwithfeet: bless ur heart (Single)(Secretly Canadian / Inertia)
- An artist without real peer than can only be alikened to a more neo-literary Frank Ocean in the midst of tending an open wound, serpentwithfeet has always possessed a singular ability to make the tiny feel grandiose, to distill the grandiose into a haunting sound byte. bless ur heart, the first cut from impending LP soil, is undoubtedly a less-weird Josiah Wise than the one who emerged on 2016’s blisters, but his flair for the impossibly theatrical is on full display in a hymnal, soul-shaking outro. This is an artist who has been playing by his own rules for years - the culmination of this in a full-length record this coming June looks to be one of 2018’s most elegant and defining releases. (Liz Ansley)
Smerz: Have fun (XL Recordings / Remote Control)
- Smerz, the Copenhagen-based duo who make electronica that seems both frantic and secretive, haven’t seemed to stop lately - their Okey EP dropped midway through last year, and after premiering their decidedly European visuals for singles “No harm”, “Have fun”, “Blessed”, “Oh my my” and now “Worth it”, they’ve dropped a new 8-track featuring these as well as a few new tracks “Girl 2”, “Fitness” and “Bail on me”. It’s the latter, which closes the EP, that feels like a clear standout - it’s both the shiniest, and most vulnerable, Smerz have been with us so far. (Liz Ansley)
Yo La Tengo: For You Too (Single) (Matador/Remote Control)
- Yo La Tengo should be a band that needs no introduction. Forming in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1984, Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew have since released 14 studio albums, 6 compilation albums, 2 film scores and even a covers record. 'There Is A Riot Going On' their 15th studio record (A nod to the Sly and The Family Stone album of the same name) notes a return to the sound that made Yo La Tengo masters of their craft. 'For You Too' the 4th single from the album, brings their ambient, emotionally honest and droning indie rock into a new era, proving their ability to stay relevant 32 years into their career, showing these youngsters how to play the genre they practically created. (Fraser Coker)