Album Review: Sparks are ‘MAD!’ and their enduring legacy is safe.
In the realm of art-pop, few acts have maintained the level of inventive audacity that Sparks have exhibited over their five-decade career. With their 28th studio album, MAD!, the Mael brothers—Ron and Russell—continue to defy expectations, offering a record that is as unpredictable as it is exhilarating. ‘MAD!’ unfolds like a sonic kaleidoscope, blending genres …
Live Review: Dark Mofo Festival – Cold Cave provide an injection of heat into the Winter Festival, The Odeon Theatre, Hobart 7 June 2025
Cold Cave’s performance at Hobart’s Odeon Theatre on 7 June 2025, created an incandescent ray of light in the deepest darkest winter at the southern capital at the very edge of the world. The darkwave pioneers were part of Dark Mofo’s Australian-exclusive lineup, the band delivered a set that was both haunting and exhilarating. The …
Track: Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird ease into the universe with the expansive statuesque ‘My Ghost & Its Crawling’ ahead of new album ‘Rosewater Crocodile’
The sonic behemoth that is Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird (CTBNF) roll into our universe, foot flat to the floor, with the grand expansive and enigmatic single ‘My Ghost & Its Crawling’, proving yet again that this is a transformative and thrilling outfit. It’s a precursor to one of my personal most anticipated album releases …
Track: TEENS are interred in a ‘Shallow Grave’ and the earth is moving ahead of new album.
Careering along like a fully loaded semi-trailer that’s lost its brakes, the new single ‘Shallow Grave’ from Tasmanian sensations TEENS is a visceral cavalcade of guitars and melody ringing out like a chemically enhanced ghoul in chains. Guitars crash with a sound like fenders in a motorway pile up in a delivery that reaches a …
Premiere: Moderate Lovers unveil a passionate paean to things that have passed in the stunning debut ‘Lost City’.
With an onslaught of fuzzy rumbling guitars that has a buzz-saw edge, the debut single from Eora/Sydney trio Moderate Lovers is a poignant reminder that change and evolution aren’t always for the good. It’s a debut single we are honoured to premiere, giving you a first taste of something quite special. Firmly grounded in a …
Premiere: ‘Surprised’ – Silver Fleet Ships announce signing to False Peak Records, debut album ‘Before Never, After Forever’ and orchestral new single.
Joining fellow Tasmanians follow in signing to Meanjin/Brisbane’s marvellous False Peaks Records, we are honoured to premiere the new single ‘Surprised’ from Nipaluna/Hobart band Silver Fleet Ships, ahead of their debut album ‘Before Never, After Forever’ which is set for release in October 2025. Silver Fleet Ships is led by Spiro Noutsatos, who has lent …
EP Review: Look ‘Yonder’ – Sunsick Daisy unveil the shimmering widescreen wonder of a sophomore release.
Fresh out of school and already finalists in the 2022 JJJ Unearthed competition, Adelaide’s Sunsick Daisy released their spectacular debut EP ‘Breathe In…Breathe Out’ in 2023 (see my review here). They have now followed this up with their new EP entitled ‘Yonder’ and it reflects a greater maturity and growth but with the same exemplary songwriting …
Track: Aotearoa/New Zealand based dream pop/shoegaze exponent T.G. Shand unveils new direction and single ‘The Deadpan Break’
A firm favourite of the antipodean outpost of Backseat Mafia, T.G. Shand is the moniker of Ōtautahi/Christchurch resident Annemarie Duff, formerly of the legendary Melbourne shoegaze band Miniatures (on the iconic Saint Marie Records label), and she has returned after a year away with her new single ‘The Deadpan Break’. It’s a track which explores a whole …
Album Review: An aural delight ‘By Design’ – With yet another landslide of impeccable songwriting, The Electorate unveil their new album.
The Electorate are finally back with a follow-up to their magnificent 2020 album ‘You Don’t Have Time To Stay Lost’ (see my review here). ‘By Design’, out tomorrow, puts on full display what has been missed during the intervening five years since their last album. Masterful songwriting with intelligent lyrics and a pop sensibility combine to …
Track: Boorloo/Perth artist ALEIA makes an ethereal debut with her track ‘Had Your Fun’.
The most isolated capital in the world, Boorloo/Perth has always been a fertile petrie dish for musical talent, and the debut single ‘Had Your Fun’ from ALEIA is a case in point. Delivered over gently dappling piano and a pattering syncopated percussion, ALEIA’s vocals are soft and ethereal, soaked in an aching melancholia and indelible …