See: Astari Nite release gothic video for the brilliant track ‘Gloomy Witch’
Astari Nite continue to plough the very verdant fields of their classic goth album ‘Here Lies’ with the release of a video for the track ‘Gloomy Witch’. Soaked in gratifying reverb and delay, the guitars provide an arctic and scintillating palette to this elegant and regal track: dark and mysterious, melodic and throbbing with a …
Album Review: The Raft releases the shimmering and dreamy album ‘Summerheads and Winter Beds’
The consistently elegant and ethereal beauty of The Raft shines brightly in the new album ‘Summerheads and Winter Beds’: a collection of shimmering incandescent tracks that burn brightly. And we know, that which burns brightly lasts half as long: the album is over before you know it and you just want it to keep going …
Track: Heligoland triumphantly return with dreamy new track ‘Palomino’ and announce album ‘This Quiet Fire’
It’s been three years since the magnificent Heligoland released the divine EP ‘Coriallo’, a swooning collection of ambient dream pop tracks mixed and produced by the legendary Robyn Guthrie (Cocteau Twins) (read my review here). There is no better way to begin the new year than with the release of a new track and news …
Track: New Zealand’s Pale Lady release the bright and bouncy track ‘Lost and Found’
Just as New Zealand is the first major land mass to hit 2021, it is fitting that Wellington’s Pale Lady is the first review for 2021 from me. ‘Lost And Found’ is an effervescent start: a bright and bouncy pop track with slightly metal guitar riffs and sky-high catchy melodies. It’s classic indie fare – …
Backseat Downunder: Favourite Releases from Australia/New Zealand in 2020
Last week Backseat Mafia released its Top Fifty Albums of 2020 – a incredibly rich and diverse list of albums from across a wide range of writers with different tastes and a huge spread of genres; a magnificent task delivered well. At the end of a particularly challenging year, I wanted to highlight the outstanding …
Track: The Silver Lines release blistering piece of blitzkrieg pop in their new single ‘Skin’
Hailing from Birmingham, The Silver Lines take no prisoners with their new single ‘Skin’, which pelts along at a cantering pace with a louche and insolent delivery. Snotty, brash and driven on sky-scraping riffs and melody, this is good cathartic fun, and just what the doctor ordered to get rid of those isolation blues: You …
Track: The Chills – You’re Immortal
The Chills have provided a very nice end of the year surprise in the form of a new single ‘You’re Immortal’, and all the horrors of 2020 suddenly seem to dissipate ever so slightly, like memories of a bad dream. ‘You’re Immortal’ has that baroque pop elegance full of pomp and circumstance that the The …
Track: EWAH and the Vision of Paradise return with single Vanishing Point
The arctic and chiming sounds of EWAH and the Vision of Paradise somehow echo and reflect the geographical landscapes of Tasmania and the southern climate – wild, unpredictable and ever so cool. The new single ‘Vanishing Point’ is delectable: mesmerising, hypnotic and crystalline with such a posed sense of style. Guitars scythe their way through …
Track: Dumb Whales release another great indie pop single ‘Communication’
Proving that their chiming single ‘The Great Divide’ (premiered by Backseat Mafia last month) was no fluke, Melbourne based indie pop maestros Dumb Whales are back in town with their new blistering single ‘Communication’. Blasting open with a Pixies-blast of guitars and a driving infective beat, this is magnificent indie fare: melodic, sparkling with a …
Meet: We interview Nic Dalton, owner of Sydney’s legendary Half a Cow Records
As a reviewer, from time to time you come across small boutique labels whose enthusiasm and dedication to the music scene is utterly magnificent and completely inspiring. Over the past few years, I’ve reviewed a number of brilliant bands with one common denominator – they were all on the Half a Cow Record label. This …