naarm
News: Enigmatic Naarm/Melbourne duo HighSchool announce self-titled debut album with new single ‘Dipped’.
Naarm/Melbourne postpunk maestros HighSchool have been enticing us with a series of stunning singles over the past few years and they have announced the release of their self-titled debut album slated for 31 October 2025 through [PIAS] Australia. This follows up their magnificent EP ‘Accelerator’ last year (see my 9/10 review here), and as an added …
News: Exploding indie stars Radio Free Alice announce their third EP ‘Empty Words’ for release this month, and entice us with new single ‘Toyota Camry’ and massive tour ahead
We have been closely following the rapid ascent of Radio Free Alice ever since premiering their video for ‘I (Gotta Fall In Love)’ back in 2023. This was followed by their signing to the massive and highly prestigious WME Agency for worldwide representation after their signing locally to the illustrious Double Drummer label. It may be an unrequited love …
Album Review: Blackbirds F.C. release the magnificent ‘Desire Lines’ – a treasure trove of pure pop delights – ahead of live dates.
One of our favourite bands here at the antipodean outpost of Backseat Mafia, Melbourne’s Blackbirds F.C., has just released their third album ‘Desire Lines’ and it is a dreamy treasure chest filled with delicious pop jewels. Songwriter Jeremy Gronow, a fan of homegrown Australian artists, says of the new album: This is a record that is …
Album Review: Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird unveil stunning new album ‘Rosewater Crocodile’ – a powerful beacon of luminescence.
The sonic behemoth that is Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird (CTBNF) arises again. My love for and admiration for this magnificent and criminally underrated band knows no bounds, and there is a delicious and satisfying sense of joy when each new release further confirms their position as one of the most exciting bands around at the moment. …
Album Review: Merpire immerses us in the beautiful tender embrace of ‘MILK POOL’.
It’s been four years since we reviewed Merpire‘s last official release, the album ‘Simulation Ride’, and the Naarm/Melbourne-based award-winning multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter (the nom-de-plume of Rhiannon Atkinson-Howatt) is back with her new album ‘MILK POOL’: a marvellous sonic journey that puts to the fore her immersive vocals and wry intelligent delivery. Merpire shares of the album: I …
News: Blackbirds F.C. announce new album ‘Desire Lines’ for 11 July, exploring new sounds and textures, with launch dates ahead.
The heaters on full blast can barely keep the extremities warm down here at the southern-most outpost of Backseat Mafia, but news of a new album by one of our favourites, Blackbirds F.C., has provided a warm and comforting ray of warmth. ‘Desire Lines’ is the band’s third album – their second ‘Magiclands’ being enthusisatically …
Track: Indie Naarm/Melbourne superlative group Bleak Squad (Adalita, Mick Harvey, Mick Turner and Marty Brown) announce debut album ‘Strange Love’ and unveil the frosty single ‘Lost My Head’.
You can’t get much more super than news of the new group, Naarm/Melbourne’s Bleak Squad, consisting of living legends Mick Turner (Dirty Three, Mess Esque), Mick Harvey (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey, The Birthday Party), Adalita (Magic Dirt) and Marty Brown (Art of Fighting). It’s a match you would only normally fantasise …
Track: Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird ease into the universe with the expansive statuesque ‘My Ghost & Its Crawling’ ahead of new album ‘Rosewater Crocodile’
The sonic behemoth that is Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird (CTBNF) roll into our universe, foot flat to the floor, with the grand expansive and enigmatic single ‘My Ghost & Its Crawling’, proving yet again that this is a transformative and thrilling outfit. It’s a precursor to one of my personal most anticipated album releases …
Track: Naarm/Melbourne-based artist Amaya Laucirica unveils second single from upcoming album ‘The Blue Hour’, the shimmering ‘Road To Us’.
With a voice of velvet and a infectious yearning tone, Naarm/Melbourne-based artist Amaya Laucirica has just released the single ‘Road to Us’, which follows her earlier release ‘Now Or Never’ (see my review here). ‘Road To Us’ coasts along on a motorik beat and dappling crystalline guitars with Laucirica’s vocals seeped in a reflective melancholia. …
Track: Merpire shares the gorgeous yearning ‘Leaving With You’ off her forthcoming album ‘MILK POOL’.
Naarm/Melbourne Merpire, the exquisite work of multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter Rhiannon Atkinson-Howatt, continues to dangle sonic enticements ahead of her album ‘MILK POOL’ due out on 4 July 2025. Next cab off the rank is the soaring lush sounds of ‘Leaving With You’, exhibiting a delicate yearning romanticism over the rich guitars: I only stay in …