Backseat Downunder

EP Review: The Nagging Doubts spread some icy post-punk joy in their shimmering EP ‘Autocalm’
Last year’s glorious double single release – ‘Berlin’ and ‘Marine’ – from The Nagging Doubts served notice of something very special. The Nagging Doubts have now delivered on this with their new EP – ‘Autocalm’ – a collection of brittle, beautiful tracks that evoke an eighties glimmer and an Australian indie tradition of intelligently crafted, …

See: Gordi unveils enigmatic and atmospheric video ‘Refractive’ – an evocative amalgam of tracks ‘Extraordinary Life’ and ‘Volcanic’ and announces news of live EP
Gordi, the name of Melbourne musician Sophie Payten’s solo work, is a living icon in the Australian music scene: her last album ‘Our Two Skins’ released in the middle of the COVID lockdown last year was a graceful and epic release, thrown into release by Payton’s extraordinary work as a doctor, assisting with understaffed local …

Premiere: longing releases brand new single ‘Adored’, the perfect soundtrack to a Myspace break-up
In a Backseat Mafia exclusive, we are excited to bring you the latest single Adored by longing. Originally an internet project, the artist hit an incredible 100,000+ Soundcloud streams worldwide from followers who felt connected to his unique sound. And now, over a year since his last release, longing returns to re-connect with fans and …

Premiere: The Immigrants from Sydney set sail with a cathartic hard rock blast on ‘Saturday Night’
The Immigrants from Sydney don’t believe in a delicacy of approach: their new single ‘Saturday Night’ has all the power and presence of a battering ram and the very cathartic aural impact of thundering guitars and growling, whiskey-soaked vocals. Who needs nuanced delicacy when you can just rock. We are very pleased to premiere this …

EP Review: WA’s Pretty Uglys unleash ‘Party Friends’ – a blistering set of very attractive post punk anthems, executed with sneers, attitude and indelible pose.
Blasting off with ‘Emergency Room’, Western Australian band Pretty Uglys‘ new EP ‘Party Friends’ is a pulsating and vibrant set of magnificent, sneering and imposing tracks. Pure guitar-driven riffs over a thundering rhythm section and with vocals so loaded with attitude you can almost see the arched eyebrows and sneer. It is gratifyingly cathartic and …

NEWS: The Avalanches ‘Since I Left You’ 20th Anniversary DELUXE Edition with added remixed goodness, out June
The Avalanches have announced a 20th anniversary reissue of their ground breaking debut album Since I Left You, with a deluxe edition featuring numerous bonus tracks including previously unreleased remixes by MF Doom, Black Dice, Leon Vynehall, Sinkane and Carl Craig. Set for release on 4th June via XL Recordings, Prince Paul – the de facto fourth member of De La …

Album Review: Bob Evans unveils ‘Tomorrowland’ – a sparkling and shimmering journey through time – along with news of an Australia-wide tour
Australian indie giants Jebediah’s front person was Kevin Mitchell, and Mitchell, in turn, is Bob Evans – a persona created to deliver Mitchell’s solo work. His new album, ‘Tomorrowland’ is a bright, shining and shimmering piece of work fusing an alt. country melancholia with an indie folk rock jangle and yet defies easy labelling throughout. …

EP Review: Juice Webster’s ‘More Than Reaction’ is a cinematic, chilling and beautiful masterpiece
Juice Webster‘s spectacular new EP ‘More Than Reaction’ was born during the early months of January 2020 when flames engulfed Australia, serving as a prelude to the COVID lockdown months later – a time that was fraught and unnerving. Elements of the uncertainty and anxiety of this time can be detected, like the indelible smell …

Track: Offshore Projects deliver a wistful indie pop anthem in ‘Early Morning’
Offshore Projects is the solo work of one Jonas Nicholls, formerly of Sydney indie pop band SURES. His single ‘The Way I Fear’ reviewed earlier this year served notice that Nicholls was a bright firmant in the skies, and his new track ‘Early Morning’ provides irrefutable evidence for the prosecution. It is a sweetly flowing …

Track: Crash & The Crapenters blast out a cathartic dose of reality in their track ‘We’re All In This Alone’
Crash & the Crapenters don’t like you very much. Not you personally but the general world out there. The world of sheep and platitudes. And they don’t like the world of cheesy optimism, blank-eyed obedience and pre-digested mass consumption. The cynical title of their new song says it all really – ‘We’re All In This …