We get so many pitches from artists, labels and management and just don’t have the resources to do major features on them all. With Snippetz, we can get across the main points of the artist’s news and give them some kind of exposure on a fairly regular basis. We’ll try to focus on Australian artists and labels but there will be some occasional international news items too. We hope that this new section helps to get your music out there!
Snippetz – Thursday April 4, 2024
THE SETTLEMENT – ‘Bad News’ (Single)
Hailing from the bluestone halls of Southeast Australia, The Settlement is set to captivate audiences once again with their upcoming single “Bad News,” out now. Known for their compelling brand of alternative folk rock, the band promises to deliver a soul-stirring anthem that explores themes of love, loss, and resilience. Led by the enigmatic singer Calvano, The Settlement has garnered widespread acclaim for their dark and relentlessly catchy songs that delve into the dissolution of love, distraction, and honesty. With a sound that seamlessly blends gritty guitars, soaring fiddles, and experimental rhythms, the band has carved out a unique space in the music scene, captivating audiences both in Australia and abroad.
“Bad News” is a haunting reflection on the complexities of love and the pain of heartbreak. Set against the backdrop of a summer’s night on an ancient street, the song weaves a poignant narrative of vodka dreams, whispered confessions, and the bittersweet realization that love can sometimes bring more pain than joy. With evocative lyrics and a stirring melody, “Bad News” invites listeners to confront their own emotions and find solace in shared experiences.
For updates on The Settlement and upcoming releases, visit their official website at https://thesettlementmusic.com/ and follow them on social media [@TheSettlementBand]. STREAM AND DOWNLOAD AUDIO AS WAV AND MP3 HERE
SAM FISCHER to embark upon AUSTRALIAN TOUR this May
In the wake of an absolutely enormous 2023 which saw the release of his debut album I Love You, Please Don’t Hate Me, Australia’s Sam Fischer is set to return home this May with a limited run of shows across the East Coast. The tour will see Sam take his world-class live act on the road, hitting Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne on his travels.
With his aforementioned debut album I Love You, Please Don’t Hate Me currently sitting at over 895.5 million streams on Spotify alone, Sam Fischer is one of this country’s brightest stars, and well on his way to becoming a true legend of the scene. The album saw him collaborate with the likes of Demi Lovato, Meghan Trainor, and fellow Aussie icon Amy Shark, to name a few. More recently, Fischer has collaborated with yet another beloved Australian artist, the incredible Guy Sebastian, on their 2024 single titled ‘Antidote’. In less than a month since its release, ‘Antidote’ has accumulated over 873K streams, and was recently performed live on Australian Idol by Fischer and Sebastian. Australian-born Sam Fischer, now based between LA and London, first hit the scene with his 2018 EP, Not A Hobby. Since then, he has received worlds of acclaim for not only his own work, but for his reputation as one of the most sought-after songwriters in the world right now, having worked with global pop superstars including Ciara, Cat Burns, Lennon Stella, Louis Tomlinson, Elle King, Jessie J, Virginia To Vegas & many more.
Sam’s debut single ‘This City’ currently stands at over 750 million worldwide streams and 4 million worldwide sales. The track stayed in the UK Top 20 for 11 weeks, is double platinum in Australia, platinum in the UK and Gold in the US, New Zealand and Switzerland. Sam has performed the track on US TV, including Ellen, Jimmy Kimmel and The Late Late Show with James Corden. His duet with Demi Lovato, ‘What Other People Say’, has sold over 1 million copies and saw him perform the track on Ellen. Soon, Sam will be taking his show on the road for a jam-packed homecoming weekend across May 9th, 10th and 11th, playing The Zoo in Brisbane, Oxford Art Factory in his hometown of Sydney, and finally Melbourne’s Howler.
SAM FISCHER 2024 AUSTRALIAN TOUR
Thursday May 9th The Zoo Brisbane TICKETS
Friday May 10th Oxford Art Factory Sydney TICKETS
Saturday May 11th Howler Melbourne TICKETS
Sam Fischer: Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | X
CLOE WILDER – ‘Afterglow’ (Single) I Spent My Summer on the Road (EP out April 19)
A stunning mix of romance and nostalgia, the new single Afterglow from American singer-songwriter Cloe Wilder is a shimmering modern folk gem, marking an ethereal step closer to the release of Wilder’s impending new EP I Spent My Summer on the Road, set for release on Friday April 19.
A folksy ballad soaked in acoustic guitar and dreamy melodics, Afterglow also features glossy vocals from both Wilder and her long-time collaborator NICOLOSI, with the track reminiscent of Bon Iver and Lana Del Rey caught in a gauzy trance. Simultaneously introspective and wistful with celestial overtones, Afterglow ultimately evolved from a melancholic narrative, as Wilder elaborates, “Escaping from locations is a big theme in my songs, but I also love the concept of leaving someone behind. Afterglow sort of morphed into this story of two people growing apart in the wintertime; the understanding that the house has gone cold and there’s no way to imagine what that could feel like until it happens. I absolutely love that visual.”
Working alongside NICOLOSI for both Afterglow and its overarching EP, I Spent My Summer on the Road, Wilder also teamed up with Grammy Award-nominated engineer Adam Grover (Maggie Lindemann, Zach Bryan, Dizzee Rascal) and videographer/photographer Jesse DeFlorio (Matt Maeson, Imagine Dragons, American Authors) to bring her creative visions to life, with the accompanying lyric video for Afterglow seamlessly reflecting its subject matter, as Wilder offers, “I wanted to reference the essence of Afterglow. It’s a little bit of a nostalgic nod to classic folk with the super 8 look, but I feel that Sam and I wanted to give it a post-modern twist.”
Afterglow is out now. I Spent My Summer on the Road is due out on Friday April 19.
Listen: AFTERGLOW Stream: AFTERGLOW Watch: AFTERGLOW
NEURAL DUST – HUMAN FACE MACHINE’ (Album out April 4)
Neural Dust is a new band based on the outskirts of Toowoomba, Australia, that makes noise out of a wood hut on an old dairy farm. Their music is a hybrid mix of industrial metal, electronics, and existential dread. Their first music video is Rorschach.
Neural Dust, has released their industrial horror metal album, Human Face Machine. Described as “human-made, AI-centric”, this eight-track album explores the rise of artificial intelligence and its accelerating integration into society.Human Face Machine, can be heard early on Bandcamp.
The album’s lead single, the unconventionally linear Rorschach, features the band’s two distinct vocalists entangled as they build up an isolating cyberpunk dystopia, only to, by the end of the track, completely destroy it.
The album spans the horrors of both today and tomorrow. Basilisk is named for Roko’s Basilisk—the thought experiment that brought Grimes and Elon Musk together— while LOAB is directly inspired by the well-documented 2022 AI hallucination of the same name.
Silence (She Screamed) explores the horrors of battery by online noise, and Approaching the Sun by Boat is a collaged electronic warning about our artificial future. These tight eight tracks constitute the first album from Neural Dust, a sonic collaboration between two award-winning multidisciplinary artists, Tony Brumpton and Jonathan O’Brien. The duo has been actively collaborating in experimental theatre since 2015, while slowly chipping away at the Neural Dust project in the hot, spare evenings of many summers. Their first album, Human Face Machine, is a “human-made, AI-centric” industrial horror metal album, and will be released in April 2024.
NIKSTA – ‘Last Time’ (Single)
Whether in solo, duo or band mode this award winning singer/ songwriter and multi instrumentalist has never been content being pigeon holed as a master of only one genre. Travelling the world over the last 30 years and performing at countless events to enthusiastic audiences her passion and energy is infectious. A veteran of both live and studio performances the Niksta is incomparable and has proudly self funded 8 albums and lists Jon Stevens, Kasey Chambers, Eskimo Joe, Mi-Sex, Mark Seymour, Richard Clapton, Xavier Rudd, Johnny Diesel, James Reyne, Pete Murray, Marcia Hines, Eugene Hideaway Bridges, John Stone, Thirsty Merc, Bill Chambers, Wanita, The Badloves, Lecia Louise Bell, Owen Campbell and Jesse Redwing among her friends, both personally and professionally.
Niksta’s new single Last Time is a pub rock song which is unfortunately a true story. “On a Saturday night I went to my local thinking I would catch up with someone I would know. But no, I didn’t know anyone so I sat alone. It’s a humbling experience really because if you’re shy like me you won’t just start a conversation usually with strangers. I was in a mood so when I left these words came out “I’m never going out again!”
STREAM AND DOWNLOAD AUDIO AS WAV AND MP3 HERE
CALEDONIAN CASTAWAYS – Wee Dream’ (Single/Video)
Three of Australia’s finest blues/roots songwriters collaborated on country, ska, reggae, blues, funk and soul tunes – all with a theme, they were about Scotland, their homeland. Steve Boyd, Alex Burns and Tom McEwan. To deliver them as an amazing live show, they added fellow Melbourne Scots, frontmen and vocalists Steve Montgomery and Stuart Ferguson, completed the “supergroup”, with two fine sidemen, Ken Howden (keys) and Craig Kelly (bass). If you were to describe Caledonian Castaways in one sentence, “A fabulous Melbourne blues and roots band who all happen to be Scottish and their set of original ska, rocksteady, funk, blues and country songs telling amusing and heart warming stories about coming to Australia.”
Scottish song title – universal theme. The guy in a bar who interrupts gathered drinkers to tell tall tales that he hopes will allow him to hit them up for a free drink. There is a distinctly Scottish edge to the fibs and boasts. Heroic goalkeeper making a penalty save to win the cup, the guy who taught Scottish comedian Billy Connolly a whole host of jokes. He wants to tell the younger men about how life was pre-PC’s and pre being PC. Work for his generation was tougher while the younger men now tap away at computers while on benefits.
The Castaways share the singing duties around – here the two Steves (Boyd and Montgomery) share the vocals and that is legendary Melbourne bluesman Alex Burns you can hear interjecting! Caledonian Castaways are a group of ex-pat Scots drawn from Melbourne’s blues/roots scene. Their original material covers amusing and heartwarming stories about their various journeys from Scotland to Australia. All set to ska, rocksteady, funk, blues, country grooves – the styles they know so well.
Beautiful original songs from Steve Boyd and Alex Burns. Tommy McEwan on drums, Melbourne Ska Orchestra singer Steve Montgomery fronting the group. Steel guitar, accordion, trumpet and harmonica.
Is this a new genre………… Hoots Roots!
WATCH VIDEO HERE STREAM AND DOWNLOAD AUDIO AS WAV AND MP3 HERE
JESS LOCKE – ‘Rocket To Ride’ (Single)
With her take on a protest song, Jess Locke shares ‘Rocket To Ride’ from her forthcoming omnibus Real Life out Friday, 3rd May through Dot Dash / Remote Control Records. She’ll continue her in-store run at Clarity Records in Adelaide on Sunday, 7th April before hitting Fremantle and Melbourne.
Full of fuzzed out guitars and an ironic tone, ‘Rocket To Ride’ asks questions of wealth inequality, environmental devastation, slimy politicians and the absurdity of luxury space travel all wrapped up in a tight sub-three minutes. It follows the transcendent ‘The Place’ and “punchy” (Rolling Stone) lead single ‘Uncomfortably Happy’ which was added to heavy rotation at KEXP, and received love from Double J, FBi Radio, Edge, SYN and more.
Locke’s upcoming long play Real Life explores every aspect of mortality with the songwriter attempting to make sense of a world that feels more and more unreal. It’s an exercise of melancholic introspection, dealing in alienation, impermanence, despair and darkness, and then also revelation. Locke explains her experience saying “Writing this record, I found myself thinking a lot about what it means to live when you know that one day you will die, not just individually, but as a species, as a planet.” Through the writing process she came to the discovery that although this notion is true, it’s also a distant event. “So while it’s quite a heavy topic, a lot of the album is a process of returning to the present moment, realising that it’s the only thing that’s real and that the only purpose in a life that will one day end is to experience it, and that’s quite liberating on a personal level.”
She continues “Music is possibly one of the most effective tools for grounding yourself in the present and, in making this record, I found that, along with the darkness, I found moments of revelation – an escape from the fantasy of what life could be into the reality of what it is.”
Stream / Download ‘Rocket To Ride’: https://jesslocke.lnk.to/rocket-to-ride
Pre-order / Pre-save Real Life: https://jesslocke.lnk.to/real-life
ALTER BOY ‘Life Finds A Way’ (Single/Video)
Perth indie outfit Alter Boy have revealed their first taste of new music for 2024 with ‘Life Finds A Way’, out Wednesday April 3.
LISTEN TO SINGLE HERE
Lead singer Molly Priest’s voice transcends, with her powerful voice cutting through the pulsating electronic beats, each note resonating raw emotion; she bares her very essence to the listener.
Molly reflects on the new single, “Life Finds A Way speaks to the evaporating age of men taking credit for a woman’s work. Chien-Shiung Wu, Sophia Tolstoyer, Elsa Einstein, Willie Mae Thornton – all women throughout history who have stood behind great men, carrying out the tactical and emotional labour which allowed these men to embellish themselves in solitude. These women are now being recognised for their labours and located within the works of legendary artists and scholars.”
They have also shared the accompanying Auslan music video – filmed at Brisbane Powerhouse. The first of its kind – the music video showcases the way Alter Boy not only incorporates Auslan into their music, but celebrates Auslan as an integral part of their artistry. The band comment, “We hope that Luke’s ability to embody the music and showcase the dynamics of the song through Auslan helps to highlight the importance of inclusivity in the arts, and that it might inspire other artists to celebrate accessibility as an enhancement.”
To celebrate the launch of the brand-new track, they will be performing a special one-off show at Lyric’s Underground in Perth on Friday April 26 with support from Jocelyn’s Baby & Skyuka – Tickets available here
GET SOCIAL WITH ALTER BOY YOUTUBE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | TIKTOK
DAISY SAMPSON ‘Ode To Aphrodite’ (Single)
Jazz Fusion Pop artist Daisy Sampson is excited to share her long awaited debut single Ode to Aphrodite, available on all streaming platforms. Daisy is proud to be making her first release, she says: “I haven’t released anything before as it always felt like a mountain to climb to get everything together and to actually finally be doing it feels exciting”.
The song was written from the perspective of the Goddess of Love: Aphrodite, inspired by infamous Greek mythology. It is a seductive track that draws on the inner strength of feminine energy. Filled with latin percussive instruments and a driving bassline, the track paints a lyrical picture.
With her dynamic new single on the horizon, 2024 promises to be a big year with some exciting releases to come. For the future Daisy is focusing on a live show and extending her songwriting. About Ode to Aphrodite, Daisy says: “It was fun, I was researching greek gods and looking for inspiration to write a song and I thought this could be an interesting idea and just kept taking it further. It had a funky bassline and I wrote the lyrics separately. It’s about Aphrodite the goddess of love, it’s about that kind of energy of not being controlled by anyone and having the power”.
http://daisysampson.com.au Pre-save on Spotify: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/daisysampson/ode-to-aphrodite
Bandcamp: https://daisysampson.bandcamp.com
CORDRAZINE ‘Hey Man’ (Single)
Cordrazine, the ’90s Melbourne indie pop-rock enigmas, who we last heard from back in 2022 when they celebrated 25 years since their brief but impactful initial existence with a rare performance and the first-ever vinyl releases of both their debut EP Time to Leave and ARIA Top 10 debut album From Here to Wherever, are back.
With their first new music in 15 years – the forthcoming single “Hey Man” – set for release April 19, and a single launch set for April 27 at the Northcote Social Club, Cordrazine have set the ball rolling for what will be a busy couple of years. “It feels like that time again”, Hamish Cowan says. “Once every 10 years or so, seems about the right pace to record and release music. Though the truth is, music is never out of my life, it just takes me a while to get around to sharing it”.
Cordrazine first appeared in Melbourne with their 1996 EP Time to Leave. Introducing the exquisite voice of Hamish Cowan and four beautiful, classic pop songs with flourishes of gorgeous Fender Rhodes, subtle jazzy hues and powerful moods, the EP set the scene alight. ‘Hey Man’ is the first Cordrazine release in almost 15 years. An epic production including a 28-piece string section, Cowan feels like the track is a natural expression of all of the influences that have shaped he and the band. Though he confesses, “As long as we don’t sound like we are bereft of ideas, I will be happy. I don’t care if people hate it, I just don’t want people to be bored and unaffected – hatred is better than indifference”.
‘Hey Man’ will be the first of a series of releases scattered throughout 2024 and 2025, culminating in an album release toward the end of 2025. To celebrate, the band has a number of shows planned throughout Australia, the first at the Northcote Social Club on the 27th of April 2024 – with Autohaze, Blackchords, and Simon Langdon joining the northside line up. Though, given the history of Cowan and this band, who knows. Every show could be the last.
Cordrazine’s new single “Hey Man” will be released through Rubber Records on April 19. Pre-save/order it from https://orcd.co/heyman
Cordrazine will launch “Hey Man” on Saturday April 27 at the Northcote Social Club, with special guests Autohaze, Blackchords and Simon Langdon. Tickets are available here
www.rubberrecords.com www.facebook.com/cordrazineband/
MILKY CHANCE & THE BEACHES – ‘Living In A Haze’ (Single)
With the release of their acclaimed most recent album Living In A Haze and the biggest tour of their career, 2023 was a monumental year for chart-topping German duo Milky Chance. Their 4th album Living In A Haze, featuring the globally acclaimed hits ‘Colorado’, ‘Synchronize’, and ‘Living In A Haze’, charted around the world including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the US, Canada, France, and beyond on its release. It quickly amassed over 500 million streams as the band embarked on their biggest tour ever, spanning 65 cities across North America and gracing iconic venues like Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater.
Today, Milky Chance share a new take on their hit single ‘Living In A Haze’, featuring Canadian band, The Beaches. Like Milky Chance, The Beaches are a band of childhood friends, and bring a refreshing feminine perspective to the track, adding their own verse and proving that wishing you could be a ‘disco boy’ is a state of mind.
The music video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pos3PhlWd0c), captures the spirit of ‘Living In A Haze’ through the eyes of Komet Bernhard, a longtime legend of Berlin’s night scene known for his vibrant energy and enduring passion for music.
Of the collaboration, Milky Chance states: ‘We are very happy that The Beaches decided to jump on ‘Living In A Haze’ and give it an extra musical kick. There was so much love from Canada for this song, so to have such a cool Canadian band come on the track is perfect. We are thrilled by how great Jordan’s voice sounds on the song, how the collaboration fits together, and how they have lyrically given the disco boy a female empowerment touch.’
The Beaches add, ‘We are so excited to be collaborating with Milky Chance on their song ‘Living in a Haze.’ This song is so infectious, and it was so cool to be featured on this remix. Hopefully our version makes it feel like summer is right around the corner.’
The Beaches 2024 AU Tour Dates
Tickets & More Info
May 6 – Brisbane, Australia – The Zoo
May 8 – Melbourne, Australia – Howler
May 9 – Melbourne, Australia – Corner Hotel
May 12 – Sydney, Australia – Metro Theatre
BLAKE DANTIER – ‘Pool Party’ (Single)
2 x Golden Guitar nominee, Blake Dantier, slip slop slaps on a healthy dose of self-love in his tongue-in-check single, ‘Pool Party For One’ featuring Andrew Swift. What started as an April Fool’s joke between Dantier and fellow Country songsmith, Andrew Swift, quickly snowballed into a very real poolside bop. Yet, it truly began at the 2023 Tamworth Country Music Festival.
“We’ve shared a house at Tamworth the last few years, which has a pool of course,” shares Dantier. “I spent a bit of time in there with a dark n’ stormy in hand and Andrew managed to snap a few cheeky photos.”
Swift used the photos to create a mock single cover for the fictional song, ‘Pool Party For One’ and posted it on social media the following April 1st. “It was an absolute pleasure to co-write this one with Blake Dantier… So good to see it out in the world! Happy release day Blake!” he wryly captioned the post. Aussie Country radio giant, Kix Country, joined in on the prank, reposting Swift’s single cover. “We have this new tune from Blake Dantier on repeat today!!”. After having many April fooled, Swift eventually came clean, revealing that ‘Pool Party For One’ was indeed not a real song. Yet, it wouldn’t be long before Dantier made it a reality. “Friends who were fooled had said in their defence that it just sounds like something I’d have written,” explains the singer-songwriter. “So, I wrote it, for real”.
Some of Oz’s best pickers descended on Simon Johnson’s Central Coast studio, Hillbilly Hut, to track the song live – the same place where Dantier’s Golden Guitar nominated album, Dry Season, was born. Johnson and Dantier shared the producer’s chair, while Dantier mixed the track himself, even carving out a space for Swift to make a feature vocal appearance.
The sun-kissed track is the second in a string of new music to emerge since Dantier was nominated for Traditional Country Album of the Year and New Talent of the Year at the 2023 Golden Guitar awards. That same year, Andrew Swift took home the gong for Male Artist of the Year and Dantier warmed up the stage for Swift ahead of back-to-back sold out shows at Moonshiner’s Honky Tonk bar.
‘Pool Party For One’ feels exactly like balancing atop a foam noodle in a backyard pool, cocktail in hand. Dantier has taken the joke and turned it into something truly thoughtful – a classic tale of love gone wrong with a lovable splash of humour.
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | WEBSITE
JOHNNY CASINO ‘Mr Fastgun’ (Single)
Formerly of Sydney’s beloved ’90s rock’n’rollers Asteroid B-612, Johnny Casino now calls Spain home and regularly plays across Europe and in the US. Indeed, his new album High Stone was recorded on a recent US sojourn, in Philadelphia, with members of the band St James and The Apostles. It was mixed in Spain by American Mike Mariconda, who has worked with other Australian legends the Cosmic Psychos and the Powder Monkeys as well as premiere punkers like the New Bomb Turks and Jack Oblivion and garage goddess Holly Golightly.
The new album, as usual, highlights Johnny’s huge guitar chops and fine singing & songwriting. It features a stronger keyboard presence than is usual for Johnny – a great ’60s organ sound – and on some songs an endearing and soulful ’60s garage-pop feel not unlike Memphis greats the Reigning Sound.
New single ‘Mr Fastgun’ was co-written by Johnny with Carrie Phillis and Craig Jackson in Australia before Johnny made the move to Spain.
As Johnny says: “It’s possible we all might have had a ¨Mr. Fastgun¨ in our lives at some point… “A song I wrote with a band I had before leaving Australia to live in Spain, we never got around to recording it (along with a bunch of other good songs) and it felt like a good fit with the songs for the album.¨ Musically I guess I am reaching for a Flamin’ Groovies meets Small Faces kinda groove with a strong and soulful female vocal backed by a tough bullish guitar riff, and listening back I reckon we kinda got there, you be the judge!!
“Rock´n´roll is often at is best when it is coming from the heart with honesty and passion, and I hear that in ‘Mr. Fastgun’ and I really like this kinda lyric being sung by a strong female with presence and power, for me it gives it a real sense of danger and a sharp edge.”
Check out ‘Mr Fastgun’ now:
https://cheersquadrecordstapes.bandcamp.com/track/mr-fastgun
https://www.cheersquad.com.au/releases/johnny-casino-mr-fastgun/
https://bfan.link/mr-fastgun
ANDRE WARHURST – ‘Blue Eyed Gun’ (Single)
Andre Warhurst, guitar for hire with Chris Cheney, Jet and others, to release new single “Blue Eyed Gun”, remixed by legendary US producer Ron Nevison (Led Zeppelin, The Who, Thin Lizzy, Kiss, Bad Company etc), this Friday April 5. The single is the latest to be taken from Andre’s debut album This is Andre Warhurst and follows national Triple M playlisting for single “Love & Mercy” and over 150K views on YouTube for the award-winning (‘Best Animated Music’ video at the Australian International Animation Film Festival) “Love & Mercy” video
“Blue Eyed Gun” single launch set for Friday April 12 at Lulie Tavern in Collingwood
Stream or buy This is Andre Warhurst here
The single is the latest to be taken from Andre’s debut album This is Andre Warhurst and follows national Triple M playlisting for single “Love & Mercy” and over 150K views on YouTube for the award-winning (‘Best Animated Music Video’ at the Australian International Animation Film Festival) “Love & Mercy” video. View the award-winning “Love & Merch” video here
The “Blue Eyed Gun” single launch, featuring Andre and his crack band the Rare Byrds, is set for Friday April 12 at Lulie Tavern in Collingwood.
“Blue Eyed Gun (Ron Nevison Remix)” is out Friday April 5 on Rubber Records https://orcd.co/blueeyedgun
This Is Andre Warhurst is out now Rubber Records. https://orcd.co/4vom6g3
LAVA FANGS -‘Make Up Your Mind’ (Single)
Melbourne garage-power poppers Lava Fangs channel The Troggs and Victims/Scientists/Hoodoo Gurus drummer James Baker with new single and video “Make Up Your Mind”! “Make Up Your Mind” is taken from forthcoming new album Sub Auroram, which was recorded with Paul Maybury of Rocket Science and The Pink Tiles, and which is set for May 17 release on Cheersquad Records & Tapes and available to pre-order now!
“Make Up Your Mind” was inspired by Lava Fang’s freakbeat/garage heroes from days gone by and the here and now: “This song leans heavily into the freakbeat of The Troggs, turns left at Greenland to make a visit to the Pacific Northwest. The travelogue don’t stop there folks. With bleeding knuckles, it ends up in the fertile garage gardens of late 70’s Perth; James Baker will be your tour guide.”
Lava Fangs – Make Up Your Mind [Official Video]
In the accompanying videos you will see some familiar faces as Lava Fangs are made up of members of Fez Perez, Devilrock Four, The Mystaken as well as other Melbourne/ Naarm bands.
Cheersquad Records & Tapes are excited to release the fuzz-filled poptastic garage stomper ‘Make Up your Mind’ from enigmatic Melbourne/Naarm quartet Lava Fangs. The single comes ahead of their forthcoming album Sub Auroram which will be released May 17 2024, and which is available to pre-order as of today here: https://lavafangs.bandcamp.com/album/sub-auroram
https://www.cheersquad.com.au/releases/lava-fangs-sub-auroram/
https://bfan.link/sub-aurora
www.cheersquad.com.au
LITTLE QUIRKS – ‘REVERIE’ (Single)
Following on from their stellar performance at Bluesfest, Central Coast trio Little Quirks have returned with a thumping new track – ‘Reverie’ is out today via ABC Music. LISTEN TO ‘REVERIE’ HERE
Recorded & produced by Nick DiDia (Pearl Jam, Powderfinger, Bruce Springsteen) and mixed by Konstantin Kersting (Tones and I, Milky Chance, Mallrat, Spacey Jane, Amy Shark), the latest single starts with a driving beat that lifts in to a soaring chorus, reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac or the soundtrack from TV series Daisy Jones & The Six.
Commenting on the single, “Reverie is based on a short-lived, long-distance relationship. The feeling where you meet someone, fall in love really fast and you feel immersed in a pleasant sate of daydream. As the song progresses, the daydreams take a darker turn. The couple don’t see each other so much, maybe they didn’t know each other the way they thought they did, but they keep going back to what they had in that moment together. Reverie keeps returning to the phrase ‘I don’t know’ as there is no end to their story yet.”
To coincide with the release the band have shared the visuals for the new single; their own modern take on Alice in Wonderland. WATCH CLIP HERE
LITTLE QUIRKS LIVE SHOWS
THURSDAY MAY 2 | LANDSDOWNE HOTEL, SYDNEY
Supporting Pierce Brothers
FRIDAY MAY 3 | KING STREET HOTEL, NEWCASTLE
Supporting Pierce Brothers
EMILY WURRAMARA – ‘Midnight Blues’ (Single)
Following her performance at A Festival Called Panama, a feature on PNAU’s Hyperbolic alongside names like Troye Sivan, Ladyhawke and Khalid, and a sold-out headline gig on Larrakia Country/Darwin, Nipaluna/Hobart-based artist and proud Warnindhilyagwa woman hailing from Groote Eylandt EMILY WURRAMARA (she/her) beckons us further into the era of her rebith with new single ‘Midnight Blues’ ahead of a one-off headline show on Gadigal Country/Sydney featuring very special guests (details below), plus appearances at The Gum Ball and Ride The Wave Festival. A 70s-inspired track with a momentous build that Emily says still makes her cry, ‘Midnight Blues’ is a heart-wrenching but ultimately uplifting account of a time when the world nearly lost the ARIA-nominated, multi-award-winning artist. Further expanding on the sonic palette introduced on previous single ‘Magic Woman Dancing‘, ‘Midnight Blues’ is the second single taken from Wurramara’s as-yet-unannounced new album and is out everywhere via ABC Music now – stream HERE.
Co-produced by Emily Wurramara and Kuya James aka James Mangohig (A.B. Original, Daniel Johns) and recorded at Boat Ramp Studios on Larrakia Country/Darwin, ‘Midnight Blues’ began its life at the stroke of midnight at a festival in a chance encounter with a man wearing an octopus hat, featuring stream-of-consciousness lyrics that mirror the ways music and people can pull the biggest emotions out of us when we least expect it – and ultimately restore us. Wurramara’s reflection on a year marred by struggles with postpartum depression, alcohol and attempts on her own life, ‘Midnight Blues’ is dedicated to the power of her mother’s love and the community who saw her through it all – “If it wouldn’t be for [my mum] being there every step of the way I don’t think I’d be here to be honest,” Emily shares. Moving from a tender and threadbare opening to a full-bodied chorus that brings blues-rock elements to the forefront, with Wurramara on keys, Mangohig on bass, Ben Edgar on guitar (Gotye, Angus & Julia Stone, Gurrumul), Rowan Dally on drums (Kuya James, DRAFTDAY), the track builds to a raucous outro that sees Emily’s spellbinding voice soar to new heights, uplifted by those closest to her via backing vocals from the likes of Caiti Baker, Serina Pech, John Coulehan, Juran Adams, Mangohig and many more – the very same friends and family who, along with her mother, provided a safe space for Emily when she was at her lowest. Wurramara will launch the track at a special headline show on Gadigal Country, playing music familiar and unreleased with a full band for local audiences for the first time, with on-stage conversation about the songs between herself and Mangohig – and appearances by some very special surprise guests.
Emily Wurramara – ‘Midnight Blues’ Out now via ABC Music Stream
CATCH EMILY WURRAMARA LIVE
5 April – Waywards w/ surprise guests, Gadigal Country / Sydney NSW **special headline show**
6 April – Ride The Wave, Birpai Country / Port Macquarie NSW
13 April – ALTAR w/ DENNI & Jimmy Kyle (Chasing Ghosts), Nipaluna/Hobart, Lutruwita TAS
26-28 April – The Gum Ball, Wonarrua Country / Hunter Valley NSW
DICE ‘Quick To Judge’ (Single)
This week, rising indie-rock stars DICE return with a brand new single ‘Quick to Judge’, out now everywhere via Tone City Recordings. The new single follows on from the announcement of the breakthrough acts biggest ever tour announcement kicking off in May of this year.
Wrapped in shimmering guitars and warm vocals, ‘Quick To Judge’ delivers a more intimate sound we’re yet to hear from the band, with vulnerable lyrics that build up to a hard hitting chorus reminiscent of the arena-style, Catfish & The Bottleman-esque anthems designed to be screamed back at the band. Exploring the all too familiar internal struggle of navigating the social pressure to party while feeling the conflicting urge for self-care, ‘Quick To Judge’ isn’t just about the decision to go out or stay in – it’s about the broader theme of knowing yourself and prioritising your well-being. “‘Quick To Judge’ is about going a bit too hard before going out. It started as a couple different song parts which over everything else, just had this unique feeling” the band explain of the new single. “The idea of the song came after and shaped the song to bounce between these two kinds of headspaces, to go out and be optimistic, disregarding others opinions or to go back home and have the peace of mind that you’re doing “sensible” thing.”
The new music follows on from the exciting news of the DICE’s biggest tour to date, announcing a 19-stop capital city and regional run taking place over May + June of this year. Taking their high-energy live show to every corner of the country, DICE will be kicking things off in Gosford before a stacked run of shows across a number of regional and capital cities in NSW, VIC, QLD and WA, and bringing it home with a final show in Perth. Today, DICE have announced a stacked line up of special guests that will be joining them on the road – Majak Door, Peach Fur, Day We Ran, Little Guilt + Lazy Ghost.
DICE QUICK TO JUDGE NATIONAL TOUR
Tickets on sale now at https://dice.komi.io/
Friday 26 April | 6 Degrees | Albany
Saturday 27 April | Pier Hotel | Esperance
Friday 10 May | Whalebone Brewery | Exmouth
Saturday 11 May | North West Brewing | Karratha
Wednesday 29 May | Drifters Wharf | Gosford w/ Day We Ran
Thursday 30 May | Oxford Art Factory | Sydney w/ Day We Ran
Saturday 1 June | Uni Bar | Wollongong w/ Day We Ran
Sunday 2 June | Shark Bar | Manly w/ Day We Ran
Wednesday 5 June | Hoey Moey | Coffs Harbour w/ Lazy Ghost
Thursday 6 June | Miami Marketta | Gold Coast w/ Lazy Ghost
Friday 7 June | Princess Theatre | Brisbane w/ Peach Fur
Saturday 8 June | Solbar | Sunshine Coast w/ Peach Fur
Sunday 9 June | Beach Hotel | Byron Bay w/ Peach Fur
Wednesday 12 June | Nightcat | Melbourne w/ Majak Door
Thursday 13 June | Howler | Melbourne w/ Majak Door
Friday 14 June | Prince Bandroom | Melbourne w/ Majak Door
Saturday 15 June | Torquay Hotel | Torquay w/ Majak Door
Sunday 16 June | Haba | Rye w/ Majak Door
Saturday 22 June | Rechabite | Perth w/ Little Guilt
DICE ‘QUICK TO JUDGE’ OUT NOW EVERYWHERE
LISTEN / STREAM
MORE INFO:
WEBSITE
INSTAGRAM
SPOTIFY
APPLE
YOUTUBE
JAYNE DENHAM ‘Moonshine’ (Album)
Jayne Denham, proving again that she’s a dominant female force in Australian country rock music, unveils a new groundbreaking album titled Moonshine with the mind-blowing focus track “Lovin’ A Wild Thing.” ‘If you want the fire gotta dance in the flames, that’s what you get for lovin’ a wild thing.’ This focus track is penned by talented songwriters Brian White, Jason Sever, Ben Glover, and Chad Brownlee. The album is infused with the spirited essence of the Prohibition era of risk-taking, love affairs, and dedicated moonshine runners, the resonating themes and sounds blend uniquely in today’s modern country music scene. Drawing inspiration from the raw, wild, and action-packed sounds of that time, Jayne embarks on a sonically rich journey that evokes the spirited and illegal act of moonshine production. With Moonshine, Jayne’s musical voyage pays homage to the adventurous thrill seekers and inevitable heartbreak that characterized a period defined by defiance and rebellion. Miranda Lambert, Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, and Jon Randall all take part in this musical campaign, as their lyrics and songs were all chosen specifically to bring Jayne’s Moonshine album to life.
Building on the success of her chart-topping album WANTED, which earned a Golden Guitar nomination for Contemporary Album of the Year in 2022, Jayne invites listeners on an adventure with Moonshine, a 10-track album that features various Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated songwriters, once again proving why she’s one of Australia’s leading country rock female artists.
Jayne Denham’s RISK IT ALL Tour Dates
May 3, 2024 – Moonshine Album Launch Party at The Beer Shed
May 4, 2024 – Charters Towers Country Music Festival
May 17, 2024 – Harmonie German Club
Jun. 7, 2024 – Freemasons Hotel Molong
Jun. 15, 2024 – Barra & Boots Music Festival (Proserpine)
Jun. 21, 2024 – Moonshiners Tamworth
Jul 5, 2024 – Astor Hotel Goulburn
Jul. 6, 2024 – Oaks Hotel Albion Park Rail
Jul. 23, 2024 – Camden Hotel
Sept. 27, 2024 – Texas QLD Country Music Festival 2024
Oct. 26, 2024 – Mandurah Country Music Festival
https://www.deadhorsebranding.com/
ASHLEY BARRON – ‘Betrayal’ (Single)
Step into Ashley Barron’s triumph and betrayal with her single “Betrayed,” the first single from her upcoming debut album, Checkmate. In this musical journey, the rising country artist invites listeners into a world where fierce moves are weaponized with melodies and lyrics that play perfectly like pieces on a chessboard. In this sonic game of love and life, “Betrayed” serves as the opening move, setting the stage for a journey of conquest over personal challenges, where every song is a strategic move and the ultimate victory is found in self-discovery.
Betrayal is an emotional experience that has inspired Ashley to transform pain and raw emotion into her songwriting. The hard-hitting song is a powerful collaboration with multi-genre Billboard Top 100 songwriter Bill Diluigi, known for his work with artists like Bonnie Tyler and Lonestar’s Richie McDonald. From the moment of infatuation to the painful realization of deceit, “Betrayed” takes listeners on an emotional journey through the highs and lows of romance.
Ashley says, “Betrayed is my anthem to anyone who’s had their heart stomped on by people who didn’t respect their worth. This song is a cause for celebration. To celebrate your triumph over heartbreak. To shout from the rooftops that you won’t be brought down.”
For more information and to connect with Ashley Barron, visit https://www.deadhorsebranding.com/
BETTER LOVERS ‘The Flowering (Single/Video)
Better Lovers, who have been wrapping up work on their eagerly-awaited debut album, return to the road, anticipating a very busy year ahead, with numerous North American, and European tour dates and festival performances already confirmed.
In anticipation of the band’s back-to-back North American and European Spring treks, Better Lovers have released The Flowering, a three-minute track where the band, once again, demonstrates their explosive energy and the remarkable chemistry the fledgling band already possesses. The song is complemented by a Anthony Altamura-directed video that revels in its campiness, showcasing the five-piece outfit as they confront the less-than-friendly aspects of the natural world.
“The Flowering is a song we’ve been playing live since day one,” Greg Puciato explains. “It came from the same batch as the God Made Me An Animal EP, so it’s nice to finally have it recorded and out there. It’s a perfect example of how Jordan, Mitch, Goose, and Will playing together sounds like an absolute freight train. Being able to play this live so many times before recording it really amplified that even more, really deepened the groove of it, the music swings so fucking hard. Not to mention the video is one of my favorite videos I’ve ever been a part of. The title and lyrics are an obvious metaphor for realizing that we are all more than what we’re conditioned to believe, and acknowledging the collective ‘waking up’ moment that we all seem to be going through right now.”
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE Stream The Flowering HERE