Posts in category

Backseat Downunder

New releases from Australia and New Zealand

News: GANGgajang set to headline Nimbin Roots Festival in October 2024

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Premiere: Naarm/Melbourne Twin Sisters, Idol Minds, Enchant with ‘Needed You’ – A Mystical Odyssey Through the Intricacies of Love

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Live Gallery: Warpaint at the Oxford Art Factory 23.10.2023

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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 my review here), and while she has raised her head above the parapets with a few collaborations (including her duo on the stunning Rinse single …

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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 greater focus on his ability to weave vivid and fascinating tales: reaped from the ennui of everyday existence as well as drawing on folklore and …

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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. And that is quite a feat considering Brisbane is an absolute hotbed of artistic talent at the moment. Backseat Mafia has enthusiastically reviewed output from …

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Backseat Mafia are delighted to premiere the very latest track release (plus video) from rising Brisbane-based singer/songwriter Paulina. Following on from her critically praised single Lonely Drives, the artist has returned with signature poise to release her new track Parasite, an ethereal and gently atmospheric pop track produced by artist/producer Toby Hobart. Featuring gorgeously textured …

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Jack River (real name Holly Rankin) has just released the energising, anthemic ‘We Are The Youth’, with its spine-tingling call for positive change in the face of climate change, First Nations struggle and violence against women. This single has all the emotional impact of a classic like Peter Gabriel’s ‘Biko’: barely restrained, seething anger against …

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Following the release of the effervescent ‘Mousetrap’ (premiered by Backseat Mafia) , Sydney outfit A Swift Farewell are back with another sparkling piece of pop/punk joy. While eschewing the blast of their last release, A Swift Farwell showcase their ability to switch moods and tones, providing quiet reflective interludes with an anthemic chorus – all …

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We wrote recently that Jacob Fitzgerald‘s single ‘Pretty Good For My Mind’ fizzes like a shaken bottle of carbonated pop opened while trampolining, with a quite sprightly bounce and a style of its own. It is a track that is infectious with no vaccination needed (although, please, get one anyway). Fitzgerald has now released a …

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Sydney’s Jack Nolan has a new single out, ‘Gabriel’, which is an atmospheric slice of what is called American, (amusingly translated to the Australian milieu as Darlinghurst Country – inner city urban country). An evocative piece of storytelling is delivered in a multilayered parcel that jangles and sparkles with an organic feel. Nolan’s vocals and …

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Following on from the success of their bold and self-assured debut EP, 2020’s Strangest Desires, COLLAR’S brand new EP HARD TIME TO TAKE IT is out now and proving to be a hypnotic, grungy beat-driven offering that features flickering percussive production from Charles Murdoch and Spencer White’s signature deep vocals. COLLAR will also be playing one of the very first shows at the newly-restored …

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Fresh from the release of his astounding album ‘DISTORDER’ (reviewed by me here), Sydney’s Darren Cross has just released a single and video for the track ‘Rabbit Hole (Polka Dot)’ from the album. This track is a soothing break from the often bleak and abrasive nature of the album – it represents Cross the folk …

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