Premiere: The exquisite dream pop exponents Fabels exclusively unveil the new ethereal single ‘Luister’ ahead of new album and tour.
Here at the antipodean outpost of Backseat Mafia, we are truly honoured to be able to bring you an exclusive listen to the new single ‘Luister’ from the legendary dream pop duo Fabels. Fabels are Hiske Weijers from Berlin and Ben Aylward from Sydney and together they produce dreamy, hazy vignettes, heightened by an air …
Album Review: ‘I’m In My Brain Again’ – stunning debut from Slowcoaching reveals a luscious dreamscape and soaring melodies.
Slowcoaching is the nom de plume of Naarm/Melbourne musician Dean Valentino, and his debut album ‘I’m In My Brain Again’ is a delicious collection of dreamy songs that seem to float in the consciousness. Born in that fertile era of COVID isolation, Valentino says of the creation of the album: I’ve always been a notoriously …
Track: ‘Honey Go Home’ – Lutruwita/Tasmanian due Isle Two impress with their shimmering single at head of debut live performance supporting A. Swayze & the Ghosts.
With a debut live show supporting the legendary A. Swayze & the Ghosts on 30 January, duo Isle Two are a band going places, and impress me greatly with their new single ‘Honey Go Home’. it’s a shimmering glowing track that skips along on a swirl of synths, a pattering percussion and razor sharp guitars. …
EP Review: Sam McMeekin unveils her stunning pop collection ‘Amelioration’, heralding a bright future.
‘Amelioration’ is Lutruwita/Tasmanian artist Sam McMeekin‘s second release following her debut EP ‘Tempest’ released last year, and it portends an important new artist from the Apple Isle. While the release has ten tracks, which would normally be labelled as an album, McMeekin says it is intended to be an EP as it is not a …
Premiere: Anna Smyrk unveils ethereal live performance video for her elegant and deeply personal single ‘This Is A Drill’, ahead of debut album and launch dates.
We are honoured to premiere the video for the new single ‘This Is A Drill’ from one of our favourite artists, the immensely talented Naarm/Melbourne artist Anna Smyrk, the first single off her forthcoming debut album ‘Spectacular Denial’ via Community Music. She has also announced album launch shows in Eora/Sydney, Meanjin/Brisbane and Naarm/Melbourne in the …
Premiere: Eora/Sydney band Postcards from Pluto return with a thumping, stomping single ‘Arcade’ ahead of headline gig.
We’ve been following the upward trajectory of Eora/Sydney band Postcards from Pluto for a little over a year now and thoroughly impressed by both their singles and live performances (see our reviews here). We are therefore overjoyed to be able to premiere their new single ‘Arcade’, which indicates things are only getting better. Since their …
Premiere: LA’s the black watch exclusively unveil new stand alone single ‘There Are Solutions to Each & Every Problem’ ahead of new album in early 2026.
We are honoured to premiere the new stand alone Christmas single from those iconic dream pop exponents the black watch, the band headed by multi-talented John Andrew Frederick. This follows the magnificent double album ‘For All The World’ released earlier this year (and reviewed by me here) and precedes new material on their twenty-sixth LP on …
Track: Meanjin/Brisbane’s Ancient Channels unveil new single ‘Chimera’ ahead of new album and appearance at showcase label gig organised by False Peak Records.
Ancient Channels are a supergroup of sorts, consisting of members from the myriad of talented bands operating in Meanjin/Brisbane( including Terra Pines, Apparitions, and Deafcult), many of whom have been enthusiastically covered by us here at the antipodean outpost of Backseat Mafia. Their new single ‘Chimera’ is a gloriously dense wall of shimmering sounds that …
EP Review: Sydney-raised, Tokyo-based artist Joey Sachi unveils the luminescent and silky tones of EP ‘Rise’.
Sydney-raised, Tokyo-based artist Joey Sachi has caught our attention with a series of mesmerising singles released over the last few years, including honouring us with the premiere of her debut single ‘Fractured’ back in 2023. She has now collected two of these singles in an EP entitled ‘Rise’ with additional unheard material, and, continuing to …
Track: A. Swayze & the Ghosts urge you to ‘Stay Right’ in a psychedelic swirl of positivity ahead of live dates.
Andrew Swayze has been very busy over the past year releasing solo music and producing other bands (see my Lennon Wells review). As a final blast to the year, the full A. Swayze & the Ghosts juggernaut has got together to release a swirling new single ‘Stay Right’ that positively vibrates with energy and atmosphere. …