meanjin Archives - Backseat Mafia

EP Review: There’s life in them still – Brisbane jangle pop legends Ups and Downs sound better than ever on ‘Radio Is Dead’

‘Radio Is Dead’ is a bold title for a band to hang an EP on in 2026, but then Ups and Downs have never been shy about naming things plainly.…

View Post

View Post

Premiere: Cloud Tangle Spins Delicate Melancholy On New Single ‘Merry-Go-Round’

We have closely followed the storied career of the ethereal Cloud Tangle for a while now and we are ever so honoured to premiere the beautiful new single ‘Merry-Go-Round’. The…

View Post

View Post

Album Review: Meanjin/Brisbane’s Ancient Channels electrify the darkness with the barbed-wire dream pop of ‘Static Spirit’

Ancient Channels are a supergroup of sorts, consisting of members from the myriad of talented bands operating in Meanjin/Brisbane( including Terra Pines, Apparitions, and Deafcult), many of whom have been enthusiastically…

View Post

View Post

Premiere: Brisbane’s Dopamine have ‘No Words’ for the bland new world in their incendiary new single.

There is something reassuring about a band getting increasingly pissed off as they get better. Brisbane’s Dopamine have always had a certain swagger about them – chiming guitars, mountainous choruses…

View Post

View Post

Premiere: Bloom Parade let the twang in on ‘By Another Name’ – a lush and sparkling release.

Bloom Parade wrote and produced their new single ‘By Another Name’ themselves, at home in Alderley, and you can hear the decision-making in every bar of it — nobody in…

View Post

View Post

Track: Meanjin/Brisbane trio, the inimitable Fingerless, release anthemic new track ‘Grotesque’.

The magnificent Meanjin/Brisbane trio Fingerless are back after a long absence with their new single ‘Grotesque’ and it is a spectacular anthem that soars like an eagle. The band has always managed…

View Post

View Post

Album Review: The epic beauty of The Apartments’ ‘That’s What The Music Is For’ is an elegant beacon of shimmering hope.

The Apartments‘ magnificent album ‘In And Out Of The Light’ was one of the brief rays of light of the grim 2020 – one of my favourite albums of that…

View Post

View Post

News: Peter Milton Walsh’s The Apartments announce new album ‘That’s What the Music is For’ with shimmering new single ‘A Handful of Tomorrow’ a glorious amuse bouche.

The Apartments‘ magnificent album ‘In And Out Of The Light’ was one of the brief rays of light of the grim 2020 – one of my favourite albums of that…

View Post

View Post

Album Review: Deep within the ‘Winter Palace’ The Valery Trails unleash an indie pop master class filled with soaring anthemic tracks that jangle and sparkle.

The Valery Trails have today released their new album ‘Winter Palace – their first release since 2022’s ‘The Sky Is Blue’ (reviewed by me here) and absence certainly makes the heart…

View Post

View Post

Premiere: Soar through the sparkling ‘Universe’ with The Valery Trails, ahead of album release and launch date.

Threaded through with a delicious melancholy and guitars that sparkle like diamonds in the sun, we are honoured to premiere the new single from Meanjin/Brisbane band The Valery Trails. It’s…

View Post

Pages