Arun Kendall, Author at Backseat Mafia

EP Review: Sydney duo Salarymen’s debut EP ‘Scene Change’ is an effervescent ray of sparkling sunshine, plus tour news.

There is a bright ray of sunshine searing through all the tracks in Salarymen‘s incandescent debut ‘Scene Change’, even when at their most melancholic. There is an indelible sixties flavour:…

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Track: Melbourne’s Meghna releases ‘My DNA’: a haunting and atmospheric elegy to poverty and struggle.

Meghna Mitra releases the most sublime music under her name Meghna and her new single ‘My DNA’ belies her youth with its world weary tones and chilling themes. Over a…

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Track: Sydney’s Magnetic Heads unveil the gorgeous and graceful track ‘Time of Your Life’, and announce new album ‘Moral Outage’ for August

There is a sparse and melodic grace to the new single from Sydney band Magnetic Heads (the work of singer/songwriter Des Miller and producer/musician Liam Judson (Belles Will Ring, Lewis…

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Track: The Novus get all psychedelic on us with the brilliant single ‘Castaway’, and announce tour news

Last time we heard from The Novus, they ripped up the tarmac with a blistering, angry blast of ‘I Serve Not’ (see my review here). Now, in advance of the…

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News: New Zealand’s Womb announce EP ‘Holding a Flame’, out through Flying Nun Records, and tour dates

Shoegaze/dream pop exponents extraordinaire, Womb, from Pōneke (Wellington) have just announced the release of a new EP – ‘Holding a Flame’ – on 23 June 2021 through the inestimable and…

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Album Review: Steve Kilbey & the Winged Heels soar into another celestial sphere with double album ‘The Hall of Counterfeits’, plus tour news

It is difficult to comprehend that in the space of a little over twelve months, Steve Kilbey has released three monumental albums under various guises (read my reviews of ‘Chryse…

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Premiere: New Zealand’s Nik Brinkman produces a languid and dreamy ‘Candy’, infused with a psychedelic haze

New Zealand artist Nik Brinkman has the languorous, snarling indifferent vocals of The Jesus and Mary Chain mixed with a dreamy, multicoloured haze that, in his new track ‘Candy’ that…

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See: The enigmatic Second Idol unveils gritty video for the thumping single ‘Out of Time’

Second Idol‘s powerful EP ‘Defence Mechanism’, reviewed by me here, is a refreshing blast of indie rock, and the band has just released a video for the brilliant track ‘Out…

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Track: Make a montage release the evocative dreamy instrumental ‘Horizon Blur’.

There is an indelible feeling of euphoria emanating from the new instrumental track by Brisbane band Make a montage. The track surges and recedes and flows with a sparkle and…

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Premiere: Ipswich instrumental magicians Coalfalls provide us with an exclusive listen to their new EP ‘Pieces’: a shimmering sonic temple

Ipswich band Coalfalls achieve something remarkable for a band that plays instrumentals: they create the most evocative and lush soundscapes that speak volumes without words. We introduced the band last…

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