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DEATH CLUB 7: FOREVERNEVERNEVER (Independent)
- Those familiar with DEATH CLUB 7’s first album Zenith Horizon (2016), you might have been expecting another sprawling, vulnerable, shimmery offering - and while all those words could certainly be used to describe moments of FOREVERNEVERNEVER, it’s far slicker and operates at a much more break-neck speed. DEATH CLUB 7 seems hyper-aware of his own place in the late 90’s/early 00’s - 2018 pop/RnB continuum, winkingly deploying gated reverb alongside iMessage tone samples, melodies reminiscent of mid-naughties RnB alongside clanging SOPHIE-esque club beats. Propulsive and addicting, FOREVERNEVERNEVER is a document of modern desire and love from a criminally under-recognised artist. (Liz Ansley)
Australian
Plutonic Lab: Blind Eyes Feat. Natalie Slade & Raiza Biza (Low Key Source)
- In celebration of Record Store Day, one of Australia’s esteemed veterans, Plutonic Lab, has released a split that displays just how deep into the crates he has dug. Enlisting the vocal talents of Natalie Slade and NZ-based Rwandan Raiza Biza, Blind Eyes cuts cues from the swelling majesty of 60’s soul to the progressive Hip Hop of new-millennium Roots and pastes together a really captivating song. (Nicholas J. Rodwell)
Gabriella Cohen: BABY (Single) (F) (CAPTURED TRACKS / REMOTE CONTROL RECORDS)
- Former Brisbanite Cohen’s return to the scene comes resplendent with sufficiently weird and delightful visuals and the announcement of a forthcoming record. ’Baby’ begins as a blissed-out haze of an unrequited love song, but it’s the tracks’ lurching, brassy second movement that makes it a standout. The record, created with Kate ‘Babyshakes’ Dillon, is called Pink Is The Colour Of Unconditional Love, and is due out June 1 this year. (Liz Ansley)
Press Club: Late Teens (Independent)
- Press Club are such a refreshing band, taking elements of melodic punk, hardcore, pop-punk and more, fusing them oh so eloquently. Every song on their long anticipated, self-recorded, self-mastered and self-released debut 'Late Teens" is capable of standing alone, sounding different, each with a different tale to tell, a different atmosphere to convey, a different buzz to kill. But put all of these passionate, cathartic and honest songs together, and you have a deeply impressive debut album. Vocalist Natalie Foster plays no small part in this, her voice seemingly conducting the direction each song takes, lifting soaring choruses to anthemic proportions, and paring parts back to their rawest essentials. Catch them supporting The Smith Street Band and launching "Late Teens" at the Tivoli on April 13! (Clayton Bick-Paterson)
Wayfarer//x Aphir:Trust(Single)(Good Manners)
- Crossing paths in Melbourne's underground electronica community, Wayfarer// and Aphir have teamed up to create an intricately intimate track about an essential aspect of any relationship; trust. Taking you down an eerily similar trip through memory lane, this song will undoubtedly speak to you and make you feel some ~things~. Similar to the sounds of JOY., Japanese Wallpaper and Lastlings, Wayfarer// x Aphir are a dream collab you don't want your ears (and heart) to miss out on. (Sarah Tanahashi)
Centre Negative & Kraus: Kraus & Centre Negative (SPIK & SPAN/Independent)
- THIS IS NOT A SPLIT. Presumably a collaboration between two analogue purists, Kraus & Centre Negative is a strange journey, a harsh electrical trip. Crafted on a Roland Jupiter 8 and a Buchla Music Easel, this is music made by electricity, waves so sharp they could cut if tangible. While some may find this release to be harsh at times, the unpredictable beauty of these two circuit boards coming together and finding common ground between them can be a very beautiful and interesting thing to bear witness to.(Clayton Bick-Paterson)
Bloody Hell: My Boss Ross (EP)(SPIK & SPAN/Independent)
- Another band I am left to speculate about, I suspect Bloody Hell is made up of former members of bands like Civil Union(Auckland), Men with Chips (Adelaide) and a host of other southern no-wave savants who I suspect have been blowing people away in various groups over the years, and they serve up the mess you deserve. '1991' is a super fun synth-pop singalong with superbly executed guitar noodles, 'Drone Pilots Union' follows much the same formula, binning the keys for what sounds like a plastic recorder. The energetic, unstoppable and frequently out of key guitar parts and psychosis-inducing keys on "My Boss Ross" invoke the monotonous and the repetitive, instilling you with a feeling of unease. Leaving you with the closer 'Uppity Bodies', the closest thing to a pop song you will find here. With just 4 tracks, it feels as if this EP is over far too soon, leaving me a tad too hopeful that this isn't just a one-off release for Bloody Hell. FFO: UV Race, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Kitchen's Floor. (Clayton Bick-Paterson)
Oh Mercy: Cafe Oblivion (Universal Music Australia)
- This playful yet super lush album holds attractive orchestral vibes, and is probably one of the most interesting albums I've heard this week. The Melbourne man behind these tunes, Alex Gow's quality of arrangement is fun, yet serious, making this album irresistible and definitely one to share around! (Sarah Tanahashi)
Scarpin: Habitual (Grupo Records)
- The stark minimalism of Scarpin’s techno shares the same unnerving suggestions of dystopia of Actress’ 2017 release AZD. The Sydney-sider’s dull and distant pulses have a mutant resilience that are complemented by swathes of hazy yearnings and reflective space. This body of work only serves to bolster Sydney’s already strong offering of techno. (Nicholas J Rodwell)
Pagan: Death Before Disco (Single) (EVP)
- Melbourne’s Pagan will always come at you hard and fast and their latest single Death Before Disco doesn’t betray that fact. Running on the same volatile catalysts that fuelled The Bronx’ early albums, Pagan’s hardcore is irrepressible. (Nicholas J. Rodwell)