australia
See: Tyne-James Organ shares an effervescent video for the glorious single ‘Sunday Suit’
I loved Tyne-James Organ‘s single ‘Sunday Suit’ – finding it to have a frenetic racing pace that is energising and buoyant. Organ’s mellifluous tones somehow combine a silk softness with after effects of gargling whiskey and pebbles. It is classic indie pop at its best, and has been further augmented by a brilliant video. Organ throws …
News: Indie royalty Ed Kuepper (Saints, Laughing Clowns) and Jim White (Dirty Three and Xylouris White) announce live shows together
Coinciding with the release by the legendary Ed Kuepper of his forty year career highlights on vinyl (see more here), Kueper has just announced a series of Australia-wide gigs with the equally legendary Jim White, whose drumming in trio Dirty Three is an entire orchestra in itself (see my review of their live performance at …
Album Review: The Paper Kites’ ‘Roses’, featuring stunning collaborations with global female guest singers, is a delicate and beautiful album
The Australian folk/indie pop band The Paper Kites are musical icons and in ‘Roses’, their fifth album, they have crafted a breathtakingly beautiful album that has an indelible sheen and stature. This is a band that is simply getting better every release, and in this release the boundaries have been further extended by a coterie …
Track: Bob Evans’s new single ‘Concrete Heart’ is a charming, jangling and melodic riposte to the unkind
Bob Evans is the nom de plume of Kevin Mitchell, front man for the Australian indie legends Jebediah who has gone solo for a number of years now. His new single ‘Concrete Heart’ is a warm and embracing track from his upcoming album Tomorrowland which is set for release on 16 April 2021. Of the …
EP: Barley Passable’s new EP ‘Hindsight’ is a collection of auditory delights wrapped in gorgeous melodies
Australian duo Barley Passable‘s new EP ‘Hindsight’ is a crystal clear bubbling stream – cool electronic riffs gurgle and flow with surprising twists and turns with vocal melodies skimming across the surface weightlessly. And importantly, it is an intelligent and diverse album that is filled with a sense of disembodiment and melancholy. Of the EP’s …
Premiere: Dumb Whales unleash effervescent new single Pollen
The Dumb Whales‘ proficiency in producing epic melodic indie standards continues unabated with their new track ‘Pollen’, which we are very pleased to premiere today in advance of its release on Thursday. With instantly memorable sky-high choruses, this is a bouncy, effervescent tune that is filled with antipodean sunshine and optimism and a tongue firmly …
Track: Julia Why? unveils glowing, mesmerizing track ‘Waiting for Time’
‘Waiting For Time’, the new track from Australian artist Julia Why?, positively shimmers out of the speakers with a glowing and mesmerizing sheen. Julia Why? is essentially the songwriting talents of Julia Wylie and the track was written across London, Paris and Athens as COVID19 spread its germy fingers across the globe. Hauntingly melancholic and …
Track: Flyying Colours release the shimmering ‘OK’ on the eve of new album ‘Fantasy Country’
Anticipation is building for the new album ‘Fantasy Country’ by Australian shoegaze exponents Flyying Colours, heightened by the release of the track ‘OK’. This shimmering, glowing track offers a tantalizing glimpse of what’s to come: ‘OK’ is an absolutely lovely track with its repeating riffs and layered harmonies – mesmerising and hypnotic psychedelia with a …
See: Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever release playful video for ‘The Only One’ and announce tour news
With the magnificent album ‘Sideways to the New Italy‘ making Backseat Mafia’s top 50 albums for 2020 and my favourite 2020 music list from Australia and New Zealand, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever (RBCF) continue to sparkle with the release of a video from a track off the album and an announcement of a further gig …
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 …