Arun Kendall, Author at Backseat Mafia

Track: Inland Murmur release the exquisite ‘Freshwater’: vibrant dream pop with a steel spine.

Cardiff’s Inland Murmur drew our attention with the release of their delicate and fragile single ‘Waterline’ last month (read my review here), and the duo is back with another aquatic…

View Post

View Post

Track: Still Corners release the driving shimmering single ‘Heavy Days’ and announce massive EU/US tour.

‘The Last Exit’ from UK duo Still Corners, released earlier this year (reviewed by me here), was a magnificent and evocative collection of glittering and sparkling songs filled with magic…

View Post

View Post

Album Review: Nik Brinkman’s debut ‘Secret Stairs’ is an elegant showcase of glittering dreamy dream pop exhibits.

Opening with an instrumental with a spoken dialogue in the track ‘Silent Cities’, the crystalline beauty of New Zealander Nik Brinkman‘s new album ‘Secret Stairs’ become instantly evident. With the…

View Post

View Post

Premiere: Brisbane artist Aren’t unveils debut single, the transfixing ‘The Black from the Dark ft McKisko’ and announces debut EP.

Brisbane band Requin burned brightly but tragically briefly, leaving behind an impressive body of work (see our review of the single ‘Rules That Won’t Be Broken’ last year). All is…

View Post

View Post

Track: Sydney’s glorious Johnny Hunter is back for more with an evocative and shimmering slice of ‘Life’

One of the most exciting and dynamic bands in the antipodean region, in my humble opinion, Johnny Hunter, is back with another exciting release ‘Life’. This follows the July release…

View Post

View Post

Premiere: Melbourne’s Skybelly unveils the chapter of an exotic space adventure in the dreamy track ‘Sapphire’, ahead of debut album.

The vivid, sparkling and unbound imagination of Sara Nelson, working under the name Skybelly, creates a whole new universe in her forthcoming album ‘A Space Tramp Odyssey’, due out on…

View Post

View Post

Track: Brisbane’s dream pop queen Hatchie is back with another incandescent shimmering single ‘This Enchanted’ and news of singing with US label Secretly Canadian

There’s a frisson of excitement in Backseat Mafia’s antipodean offices. It’s been two years since Brisbane’s dream pop queen Hatchie graced us with her presence with her album ‘Keepsake’ (see…

View Post

View Post

Album Review: Youth Group’s Toby Martin’s solo album ‘I Felt the Valley Lifting’ is an uplifting amalgam of mystical realism and the minutiae of everyday life.

Toby Martin (Youth Group) has a distinctive angelic voice and astute ear for indelible melodies, but more than anything his new solo album ‘I Felt The Valley Lifting’ reveals in…

View Post

View Post

Meet: We chat to John Russell from Brisbane’s glorious 4000 Records label on music, passion, mixtapes and the 4000 Records Birthday Party.

4000 Records in Brisbane is celebrating its second birthday today – an innovative boutique agency that has on its roster some of the most exciting and diverse talent in Brisbane.…

View Post

View Post

Premiere: Let’s Set Sail’s ‘A Savage Goo’ is an enigmatic and beautiful fusion of dream pop, folk and ambient music.

We are honoured to premiere the sonically arresting track ‘A Savage Goo’ from Dublin’s Let’s Set Sail: an enigmatic folk-infusion set on a bedrock of gurgling electronica and haunting vocals.…

View Post

Pages