Tag Archives: Australia

July 27, 2017 · 4:39 pm

Video: Anna of the North – “Someone”

Anna of the North shares her self-directed visual video for “Someone”, shot on location in Miami, Florida.

Of creating the video, Anna says:
It’s a video made in Miami but it’s certainly not a stereotypical Miami video. The ‘party’ side to cities like Miami can feel vacuous, making them the loneliest places in the world, so it’s a fitting backdrop to the story. It’s set the day after a big night, when you instantly regret something that happened. It’s about the internal battle of the day after; trying to accept that you’re human and how hard it is to forgive yourself for your own mistakes. It gets more desperate throughout as the realization sets in.

The second single to be taken from their highly-anticipated debut album Lovers, “Someone” journeys through a swaggering opening and a head rush of synths, which then make way for Anna’s tender vocals before the chorus explodes into a blockbuster-scale road trip.

Due for worldwide release on September 8, Lovers is an album deeply rooted in heartbreak, a subject that courses through the veins of all ten tracks – through the turmoil, the guilt and the tentative joy of finally letting yourself move on.

In three years since the release of debut single “Sway”, the Norwegian-Kiwi duo of Anna Lotterud and Brady Daniell-Smith have paved the way for their full-length debut following a run of singles which have notched up over 60 million streams, multiple No.1spotst’s on the Hype Machine charts and rotation on Radio 1, Triple J and Beats 1.

Now they offer up an emphatically assured debut LP, its clean, springy beats and shimmering synths underpinned by the rich, emotive clarity of Anna’s voice. Recorded in Oslo and mixed in Copenhagen and London by Luke Smith (Foals, Depeche Mode), Lovers is a coherent but endlessly varied beast.

The story of the project began five years back. Anna was working in a shop in a small town near Oslo, settled with her first love whilst anticipating a life of routine and normality when a customer came in and changed her life. Polite and well groomed, the woman, a stranger to Anna, began making daily visits, browsing for hours but never buying a thing. One afternoon, for reasons Anna will never know, the woman approached her and implored her to abandon the traditional life she had planned out, and go and expand her horizons. The plea jolted something in Anna, and in an act of uncharacteristic spontaneity, she booked a flight to Australia, leaving behind the life and the person she thought she’d spend her life with.

Her time in Australia was fulfilling but turbulent. She fell in love again, only to have her heart broken as suddenly and inexplicably as her decision to leave Norway in the first place. That’s when she met Brady Daniell-Smith. Brady, who’d been struggling with his own complicated relationships, was performing an acoustic show in Melbourne; Anna was in the audience, drinking with friends. Becoming friends, he encouraged her to find solace in songwriting, discovering they could make music together as a way of exorcizing the demons of their love lives and the project was born. He jokingly started calling her “Anna Of The North” and the name stuck.

It’s the two of them combined that make Anna Of The North’s sparse, brooding electro-pop so potent. Brady, who’s from New Zealand and grew up partly in Australia, injects elements of the countries’ bright, vibrant electronic scene to their music; Anna brings the glacial minimalism of her Scandinavian roots.

Anna of the North’s debut album Lovers is due for release on September 8 via Honeymoon / +1 Records / Different Recordings.

Live Dates:
10 Aug 2017 – Way Out West, SW
18 Aug – Pukkelpop Festival, BE
23 Aug – Hudson Ballroom – Sydney, AU
24 Aug – Northcote Social Club – Melbourne, AU
26 Aug – Maroochy Music & Vis Arts Festival, AU
09 Sep – Bestival, UK
26 Sep – Omeara – London, UK
12 Oct – Obaren, Stockholm, SW
13 Oct – Vega Ideal Bar, Copenhagen, DK
14 Oct – Häkken, Hamburg, DE
16 Oct – Auster Club, Berlin, DE
18 Oct – Sugarfactory ADE Live, Amsterdam, NL19 Oct – Yuca, Cologne, DE20 Oct – Pop Up du Label, Paris, FR
09 Nov – Parkteateret – Oslo, NO
18 Nov – Room 2 P12 @ Transardentes, Brussels, BE
10 Nov – Det Akademiske Kvarter – Bergen, NO
Advertisement

Leave a comment

Filed under Awesome, new albums, Shows, video

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

July 21, 2017 · 3:25 pm

Check ‘Em Out: The Kite String Tangle

Australian electronic artist and producer The Kite String Tangle has dropped his debut self-titled album, and it is an absolute work of art. (Check it out below!)

This latest addition to the solo project of Danny Harley is an exploration into the idea of what success and happiness truly mean. The honesty that flows throughout the 11 tracks is crystal clear, with a heavy emotional quality reflected throughout the brave production choices and unburdened lyrics.

“It’s a dynamic album that I hope shows many sides to the music I make and what I’m trying to do with The Kite String Tangle, which is essentially to reach people and hopefully provide a soundtrack for their own existential crisis,” Harley said.
The album was written in his bedroom in order to retain that ‘bedroom producer’ ethos, wanting to create something honest, something of which he could be really proud.
“I think throughout the album you can hear me trying to find my sound and my place in the world, and whilst I wanted to create something timeless and cohesive, I think there’s also a clunky charm to when it sounds a little lost and confused. To be honest, it’s a good representation of how I was feeling throughout a lot of the process,” he said.
Having just released the visuals to “The Prize” there’s no denying fans will be dusting off their dancing shoes right in time for his Splendour in the Grass set. It’s a party tune that will have you working up a sweat on a hot summery day, and will keep you warm during the cold winter nights.

 “Waiting” on the other hand is an underground pulsating banger with a more melodious insight into the light and shade of what electronic music means to this producer. It’s simple in lyrical content but intricate in production conceptualisation.
As you go on this musical journey with The Kite String Tangle you’ll hear a strong presence of strings and horns, something Harley longed to record for a long time. You’ll even hear organs, pianos, drums and all manner of acoustic instruments dotted throughout.
“I’ve always wanted to record strings and horns but have never had the opportunity to up until now. I’ve always been trying to marry the worlds of more traditional song writing like Bon Iver, James Blake, London Grammar and Broods, with artists that are more heavy handed with their production like Odesza, Flume and Purity Ring,” he said.
The Kite String Tangle’s debut album is available everywhere now via Exist Recordings, and Australian fans can catch him performing at Splendour in the Grass today on the “Mix Up Stage”.

And if you weren’t quick enough to snatch up Splendour tickets, not to worry. The Kite String Tangle is hitting the road shortly after for a national tour with ODESZA in September and some boutique festivals in Wollongong on August 19 and in Brisbane on October 14 at Red Deer Festival. For tickets and further info, head to http://www.thekitestringtangle.com.

Leave a comment

Filed under Check 'em Out!, listen, new albums, video

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

July 13, 2017 · 10:42 am

Newest Love: Kamaliza

 

Sydney artist Kamaliza has released a rather powerful and lyrically charged track called “Zanzibar”.

Having decided to quit his office job and pursue music full time, Kamaliza is wide-eyed and ready for whatever the future holds.

Inspiration is key when creating music and that was no exception for Kamaliza as he wrote this song.

I woke up feeling extra inspired one morning in mid-January this year. It took me about five hours to complete the bulk of the song; when a song writes itself so quickly it’s usually a great sign. Most importantly is that I felt so emotionally connected to the song.

Beginning with a whimsical flow of R&B electronica, the song develops into a multi-layered work of rich productions colored in with percussive rhythms and scorching synths.

I used a mixture of software and hardware to get it done and recorded it in my home studio in Western Sydney. I played the song a couple of days later at my first gig under Kamaliza and it got such a great response, so that added fuel for me to polish the song.

Given Kamaliza’s recent career change, there’s no wonder the song blossomed from personal experience and feelings.

The song is about taking the next step in the direction you feel you were destined for, even if that means saying goodbye to those that you care about. I believe there are unknown forces that guide us; in this tangible world of science and fact, it’s the unknown that I’m learning to trust.

To compliment the track, Kamaliza teamed up with Cape & Monocle to create a narrative-based video that continued on from their previous project “Zermatt”.

There was a scene where a robot was used. We wanted to build off that scene and this time create a narrative to go along with it. The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where technology has consumed society entirely. Our main character is a robot searching for something that has been missing from their life.

 

Leave a comment

Filed under Awesome, Check 'em Out!, listen, Newest Love, video

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

September 2, 2016 · 2:49 pm

Rock Out With Them Bruins

them bruins

Australian raucous rock group Them Bruins will released their US debut EP on August 26 titled No One Wants To Dance With Them Bruins via Old Flame Records. Fashioned into shape in a Melbourne warehouse, their new EP features a new batch of calculated killer hooks combined with their punk rock ethos as a springboard. A wider variety of tunes from their previous material, the songs go back and forth from new found fat fuzzy vibes with emotionally charged lyrics to their trademark jangly guitar sound that pairs so sweetly with a venomous scream along.

Check out their single “Barrenlands” which Baeble described, “This high-octane, ass-kicker of a track takes the fuzzed-out tone of 90s grunge and mixes it in with the swagger and balls-deep confidence of 70s punk rock.”
Them Bruins are the rock ‘n roll itch that had to be scratched by Joel Griffith and Ben Woodmason. After pulling in Ben’s brother Tim and friend Jimmy Campbell, they swiftly recorded their debut EP released in Australia in July 2012. Full of turbo charged hooks and short sharp shouty sing-a-longs, God Bless Them Bruins was released via GAGA Digital with lead single “Black Widow” featured in rotation on Triple J radio with follow-up “Shock Rockets” featured on JB Hi-Fi’s commercial that launched their music streaming platform.
Embarking on several trips up and down the east coast and jumping on support slots to the likes of Calling All Cars, Children Collide, The Bellrays, and Kingswood, Them Bruins played for the following 12 months before entering the studio to record their next offering Outrun The Future released in Australia in September 2013 which was swiftly added to Triple J rotation, held the #1 spot on the Amrap Airit singles chart for four weeks, and has since had over 55,000 plays on Spotify. The band continued to take their 70’s punk showmanship on the road which was descriped by AU’s The Dwarf as “If Peter Garrett fronted Nirvana during their In Utero years, Them Bruins would be the sweat mopped off the floorboards and left to ferment in the bucket backstage.”

Track List:
01) Something Beautiful
02) Heading For The Harrows
03) Walk A Line
04) Coming Out Backwards
05) Ready To Know
06) Outrun The Future
07) Barrenlands

Leave a comment

Filed under Check 'em Out!, listen, Lists

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

June 30, 2016 · 3:13 pm

Newest Love: Litche – “Look Up”

litche

“Look Up” is the stunning debut single from an Australian newcomer who goes by the name Litche, giving us a nice little introduction to his chilled atmospheric electronica.

Litche is the solo project of Sam Litchfield, a producer out of Newcastle (Australia) who some may also know for his role as one-half of Aussie/Hawaiian duo Haliia. Over the last few months Sam has been busy working on a number of new productions that aren’t quite right for the Haliia sound & style.

The initial idea for “Look Up” came about while Sam was jamming with his Swiss friend Elias back in 2015, who he was introduced to by a mutual friend on a surf trip to Bali last year.

“After discovering we both had a mutual passion for making music, we decided we’d get together and have a go at make something. Not much came out of it at that time except a simple 4-bar loop and a few vocal samples, but then back in April this year I became inspired by an Ethnic sample pack I’d found and started working this with the beats and vocals Elias and I had recorded all those months ago, and it all seemed to work so well” – Litche

Inspired by some of his favorite instrumental artists for their use of organic soundscapes mixed with deep electronic production (like Seekae & Shlohmo), Sam continued working this rediscovered idea with a variety of foreign samples & sounds, as he strived to create a song that could transport its listener to somewhere else, a place where they can reflect on the different cultures we have around the world, and show just how music can bridge the gap between them.

Haunting vocal arrangements drift throughout a chilled atmospheric landscape of smooth tribal percussion, dark echoing synths and pulsing electronic beats.

Available for free download (but not for long — so do it now!):

Leave a comment

Filed under Awesome, Check 'em Out!, downloads, listen, Newest Love

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

May 24, 2016 · 11:04 am

Video: Kinsky – “I Am The Mountain”

kinsky

After their critically acclaimed 2013 debut album Sunset On The Good Fight, Sydney soul roots band Kinsky are back with a new 6 track EP The Edge Of The Wine-Dark Sea slated for release in 2016. The band is excited to announce the lead single off the EP “I Am The Mountain”.

In the past 2 years the 9-piece have shared the stage with international acts such as The Skatalites, Groundation and Balkan Beat Box as well as top Australian acts such as Dubmarine and Kingfisha to name a few, quickly becoming prominent faces in the Australian roots music scene, commanding legions of fans along the way.

Songwriter and lead singer Ernie Garland teamed up once again with legendary Catalan studio engineer Enric Carbonell in Tokyo to mix the new tracks at the esteemed Volta Studios resulting in their biggest, warmest, jumping-out-of-the-speakers-sounding record to date.

iamthemountain

A swinging reggae groove with a punchy, horn-laden hook, “I Am The Mountain” is a big-sounding, emotive take on the power of collective change when the well-being of current and future generations is under threat from greedy, short-sighted, big-moneyed agendas.

“We’re seeing it locally in Australia where there’s a constant struggle, a constant push-back by people who will be directly or indirectly affected by a government’s poorly thought policy to hand over prime agricultural lands to big miners. It’s insane. If big miners are allowed to go in unchecked to dig up our food bowls then we will be left with nothing but slag-piles and ugly holes in the ground and a permanently damaged water table. To secure our future we must manage the land sustainably and respectfully. It shouldn’t be a hard concept to grasp.” 

For Fans Of: Fat Freddy’s Drop, Bob Marley, Steel Pulse, Salmonella Dub

2 Comments

Filed under listen, video

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

March 23, 2016 · 10:40 am

Check ‘Em Out: The High Learys

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The High Learys are a four piece inspired rock band from Perth, Western Australia consisting of Jamie Turner (lead vocals/bass), Michael Nutt (keys/vocals), Matt Williams (guitar) and Mitchell J Benson (drums). Forming in 2011, they have released one album, and a number of singles. In 2013 the band went over to Europe to play shows in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and England. In August 2014 the band went back into Poons Head Studios to record their next single “Clear My Mind” with producer Rob Grant. It was then released on 7″ vinyl through Soundflat Records in late October. Shortly after it’s release the single was used in both a Bose Headphones and Sportscraft commercial.

During November and December 2014 the band embarked on a second European tour, playing shows in Germany, Spain and England. Their single “Clear My Mind” charted at No. 1 in the AMRAP charts in 2014. the band have released multiple records and have two European Tours under their belt, 2016 finds them causing quite a stir overseas as well as on their home soil.

cabinet

“Cabinet” by THE HIGH LEARYS will be released 25th of March 2016 — listen to it now, right here!

The making of new single, “Cabinet”, was the first time the band had ventured into recording entirely by themselves. Produced and engineered by the band’s keyboard player Mike Nutt and recorded over the summer of early 2015 at various houses and studios. The finishing touches where added at Blackbird Studios with Dave Parkin.

“We’d been talking for a while about recording ourselves so we decided to knuckle down and give it go. We found that doing it this way gave us a lot more creative control in our recording process and enabled us to take our time with tracking to make sure it was exactly how we all wanted it to sound,” says the band.

“Cabinet” explores the insecurities of a young mind. Someone who feels lost in their ways, but at the same time shares the burdens of adolescents with their other half.

“Cabinet” by THE HIGH LEARYS will be released 25th of March 2016 — listen to it now, right here!

 

Leave a comment

Filed under Check 'em Out!, listen

Tagged as , , , , , ,

February 25, 2015 · 4:34 pm

Check ‘Em Out: Tired Lion – “I Don’t Think You Like Me”

tiredlion_photo

The last 12 months have seen Perth’s Tired Lion begin to stand out as one of Western Australia’s most exciting new bands – including showcasing at Singapore’s prestigious Music Matters Live, wowing crowds at the 2014 WAMI Awards, touring nationally for their debut EP All We Didn’t Know, supporting the likes of Gyroscope, The 1975, Kingswood, Luca Brasi, and Velociraptor, and being nominated for ‘the most popular live act’ at the 2014 WAM Awards.

Recorded with Dave Parkin (Emperors, Snowman, Karnivool) in their home town of Perth, the first single of their upcoming second EP is “I Don’t Think You Like Me” is a fresh take on 90’s nostalgia that will ring both true and loudly to the ears.

“We’re all about the raw honesty in the music we make. If you sit back and take in the energy of what we are playing and what it’s all about, it’s a direct view into the looking glass that is collectively our lives – be it happy, sad or confusing. We’re passionate about bringing to people a fresh take on what is a nostalgic sound, keeping the guitars loud and trying to evoke some kind of feeling for the listener with dynamics and melody.”

Fronted by the enigmatic Sophie Hopes, Tired Lion’s infections melodies are brought forth with raw honesty and intensity, calling back to the rich tradition of strong Australian front women. Acting as the perfect ying to her yang, Sophie is backed Matt Tanner, Ethan Darnell and Nick Vasey who play with passion, precision and a ‘take no prisoners’ approach, making Tired Lion a powerful act worth keeping your eyes (and ears) on.

tiredlion_idontthinkyoulikemeListen: Tired Lion – “I Don’t Think You Like Me”

Leave a comment

Filed under Check 'em Out!, listen

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

February 25, 2015 · 3:45 pm

Video: Jasia – “Safety”

This dark and haunting video focuses around a young boy holding onto a single seashell with loss in his eyes. Jumping from dark images of a man in a gas mask and images of the boy and his friend full of youth running free, it soon becomes apparent that this loss was his innocence. At the end of the video the boy places the shell, a symbol of simpler times, in the hand of his friend lying on the beach and walks away. This broken tale fully embodies the feeling of a blissful solitude and ties beautifully into the orchestral electronic sound of the track.

About Jasia:

Jasia is a 23 year old producer who was born in Jamaica, raised in the US and then moved to Australia at the age of 18. Having studied violin, guitar and voice classically while playing in variations of rock bands the style/genre henceforth is one of contrastingly minimal/maximal beat driven, melodic soundscape production utilising a range of electronic/synthesised, acoustic and traditional band instrumentation present in the forms of popular song and instrumental/experimental works accompanied with a visual interpretation by the artist.

The first single “Inverbatim” is a strings and synthesis heavy production that received acclaim and radio airplay by FBi, Triple J in Australia and overseas critically on a range of musical blogs. It was selected as a winner of Triple J Unearthed’s NIDA competition who also named it as one of “Five new genres created this year” styling as ‘orchestral dream-pop.’ Inverbatim is followed by “Safety”, a single utilising a contrastingly bass-heavy/ambient variation of traditional rock instrumentation and synthesisers over a cyclical vocal motif leading into a pseudo-electronic arena rock finale. The song was produced over the span of six months spent between London and Montana in the Rocky Mountains of the US. It is accompanied by an experimental electronic B-side entitled Lowlife. The release will be supported by debut live touring engagements across Australia.

Leave a comment

Filed under Awesome, Check 'em Out!, listen, video

Tagged as , , ,

July 30, 2014 · 10:27 am

Debut Stream: cln – Sideways EP

cln

Stream: cln – Sideways EP

Sideways is the debut EP from Brisbane’s newest electronic wunderkid cln, featuring five glorious examples of chilled downtempo, electronic bliss.

The EP’s lead single “Better Than” took the world by storm, reaching #1 on Hype Machine within just three days of its release, and amassing over 125,000 plays on Soundcloud since. Following closely behind was the EP’s title-track, which quickly strengthened the anticipation of what else this 19 year old newcomer had up his sleeve.

Also accompanying the EP is an intoxicating remix cln has produced for fellow Brisbane-bred producer, Golden Vessel.

Listen: Golden Vessel – Stairwell (cln Remix)

Upcoming Shows:
Saturday, August 8 – Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane (w/ Willow Beats & Tincture)
Saturday, August 9 – Rabbit Radio’s 2nd Birthday Event, Gold Coast
Saturday, August 16 – Alhambra Lounge, Brisbane
Friday, August 29 – The Zoo, Brisbane (w/ The Aston Shuffle & Just A Gent)
Sideways EP is available now from iTunes

Leave a comment

Filed under Awesome, Check 'em Out!, listen, new albums, remixes

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,