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‘Serial Admirer’ is Timothy and the Apocalypse’s technology-bound postcard from Japan’s atmospheric weather

Posted on 2 October 2026

Timothy and the Apocalypse took his ever-expanding audience on a juxtapositional tour of Japan with his latest single, Serial Admirer. Released via Rotate Sound, the track finds Australian electronic artist, producer, photographer and visual artist Timothy Poulton translating the metropolitan momentum of Tokyo and the mist-covered serenity of Lake Ashi into melodic electronica that feels more remembered than recreated.

Refusing to cheapen his connection to the atmosphere of the city and mountainscapes with cultural appropriation, Poulton taps into the energy of the spaces he explored. Tokyo becomes rhythm, repetition and movement; Hakone becomes space, water, mist and suspended breath. His leftfield breakbeats become a conduit to those contrasting atmospheres, while the hypnotically enthralling synthesised textures carry the emotional pressure of place without ever resorting to decorative shorthand.

The release’s visual identity came from Poulton’s own images of the torii gate at Lake Ashi, fragmented and layered until the photograph became less literal landscape and more memory caught in distortion.

Fresh from coverage via international outlets including Magnetic Magazine, EARMILK, Stereofox and NME, Timothy and the Apocalypse deserves his dues for this alchemic approach to production. Serial Admirer is technology-bound, atmosphere-drunk and inventive enough to leave chills down your spine.

Serial Admirer is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Melbourne’s Pointless Daggers Reached a Punk Rock Ferocity Fever Pitch with ‘Breathe Again’

Posted on 2 August 2026

We Turned Out OK by Pointless Daggers

Imagine feral femme punk à la L7, Babes in Toyland and Jack Off Jill on a potent cocktail of amphetamines and steroids, and you’ve got Naarm outfit Pointless Daggers at their riotous zenith on We Turned Out Okay. The distortion-loaded hit, Breathe Again, snarls its way far beyond pastiche, carrying Riot Grrrl energy into punk’s future with its teeth bared; Think Destroy Boys without the posturing.

Josie Jette’s vocals barrel through the tumultuous instrumentals in a landslide of vindication, dragging buried frustration into daylight and giving it a throat. Her rage-inflected delivery grips the serrated guitar attack, while Tom Kosmas drives melodic riffs through the wreckage. Ruari Currin’s bass brings thunder beneath Lisa Daggers’ rhythmic command, keeping the track ferocious and controlled.

The frenzied tempo showcases every ounce of Pointless Daggers’ charged technical skill rather than allowing it to get lost in the sonic carnage. Radioactive Tasmanian devils could chase this rhythm and still leave scorch marks several beats behind.

Formed in 2026 around Josie’s lifelong determination to start a punk band, the quartet pairs communal affection with maximum volume. That chemistry gives Breathe Again its exhilarating snap: catchy enough to colonise the brain, aggressive enough to rattle its cage. Their debut EP captures a band already ravenous for the stage; they’ve swapped hooks for grenades, and they’re ready to detonate across the Australian punk scene and beyond.

Breathe Again is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Glass Skin by Liliana de la Rosa Makes Dark Alternative Pop Feel Like a Mirror Cracking Under Patriarchal Capitalism

Posted on 16 May 2026

Liliana de la Rosa sonically visualised the clean girl aesthetic with Glass Skin, an ethereally spectral alt-indie pop single that runs delicate melodies through arcane harmonies while ragefully mourning the limitations imposed on women by the impermeable glass ceiling. In the dusky shades of the release, it dawns upon the listener that women are expected to be as diaphanous as what limits us; Liliana de la Rosa turns that cruel contradiction into a dark-pop reckoning.

As the perfected aesthetic keeps dragging young girls and women towards pore-less, practically ephemeral self-erasure, Glass Skin unveils a haunting recognition of the meaningless, futile pressure crushing self-esteem beneath beauty standards, patriarchy, capitalism, and industry corruption. Diaphanous to the last breath, the single delivers the kind of divine femininity that could never be packaged, marked up, and sold at a premium.

The Sydney-based alternative pop artist brings her background in film and theatre into the release with cinematic grace, pulling feminine rage, identity, and rebirth into a hyper-stylised, surreal world. Fans of Lana Del Rey, Melanie Martinez, BANKS, and Ethel Cain will feel the dramatic romanticism and emotional tension in the production, while Liliana’s own voice gives the track its ritualistic force.

Glass Skin opens the first part of a two-part visual narrative, with Blood Red Pearl set to follow.

Glass Skin is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Whipd Beats – Not This Time: a Blues Reckoning of Heartbreak and Heel-Down Strength

Posted on 8 May 2026

Few vocalists are truly comparable to Amy Winehouse, but Whipd Beats, AKA Melanie Webb, mined a diamond in the rough when finding one of the kissed by natural talent minority to bring into her weighted with emotion single, Not This Time.

Keeping a balance that’s fine enough to rest upon a pinhead, Not This Time finetunes the art of fusing blues reverence and blues reinvention. Modernised for the contemporary airwaves and audiences looking to be confronted by the unadulterated force of overdriven blues rock guitars and raw vocals that have a distinct way of feeling like they’re reaching out to you personally, yet orchestrated with a pious homage to the rhythm and seduction of blues, Not This Time is a mark-hitting manifesto of fortitude as Whipd Beats summons the strength to draw lines in the sand and put amorous exploiters under heel. Amy Winehouse sits in the bloodline here, alongside Beth Hart and Alabama Shakes, while Melanie Webb, as producer, arranger, and composer, delivers her own bruised-lip truth with electrified conviction.

Based in Perth, Whipd Beats has built an eclectic catalogue spanning house, techno, jazz, hip hop, funk, and blues since breaking through with Afro-house success in 2018. Alongside music, she is also an abstract painter and an advocate for human rights, environmental conservation, and animal welfare.

Not This Time is now available to stream on all major platforms. including Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Refusing the Constraints of Rock: Jon Valenzuela Delivers a Hypersonically Theatrical ‘Shot of Adrenaline’ in His Debut Single

Posted on 9 April 2026

Jon Valenzuela delivered exactly what it says on the tin with his debut single, Shot of Adrenaline, which contorts rock into complex atypical time signatures as the arrangement moves at a hypersonic pace. Following years as a guitarist in the Sydney scene, Jon Valenzuela stepped away to prioritise his own voice, resulting in the lead single for his upcoming album, Alive Again.

Orchestral polyphonia and operatic elements with a jazzy-free form sense of uninhibited energy feed into the tilt-a-whirl-esque mayhem of Shot of Adrenaline, which is truly unparalleled in its exuberant execution. Mike Patton’s more obscure bands come to mind, particularly Mr Bungle in the California era, with its cinematic sweeps and general refusal to stick to the arbitrary constraints of rock. Giving Jon Valenzuela his wicked sense of distinction is the sense of theatrical whimsy that is locked into the chameleonically progressive explosion of ingenuity.

This release is indicative of the wider album, which explores everything from hard rock to experimental jazz. Written during a period of self-discovery, the track functions as a sonic document of feeling empowered once again. Fans of high-energy, multifaceted grooves will find plenty to get stuck into here as the Sydney artist finally does things his way.

Shot of Adrenaline is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

High Like Heaven Leaves Liliana de la Rosa Suspended in Seduction, Sublimity and Full-Force Atmosphere

Posted on 5 April 2026

Ribcage-quaking reverberation tears through the moody indie RnB pop tour de force, High Like Heaven by the visionary of soul, Liliana de la Rosa, whose sound sets a transcendentally high bar in production quality. Based in Sydney, de la Rosa brings a fully formed cinematic sensibility to her music, shaped by her work across film, theatre, photography and creative direction, and that command over atmosphere runs right through this release. The cinematic depth of the track, featuring Corrj, lands with full force; its intensity meets atmospheric sublimity in a way that demands full mind, body and soul attention, leaving you transfixed by her femme fatale aura drifting around salaciously siren-esque old-school chanteuse vocals.

That magnetic pull deepens through Corrj, whose equally seductive, indie-cool vocals add another current of heat to the track. Bringing him into the mix was an act of pure genius, sharpening the sensual voltage and giving the arrangement even greater dimensionality. de la Rosa already introduced a darker, unapologetically feminine presence through her debut Haunted by Roses, and High Like Heaven pushes further into that world of dangerous romance and emotionally charged alt-pop. She has the kind of presence that could send a track flying across platforms, then keep it lodged in the hearts of listeners who want their pop wicked and voracious.

High Like Heaven is now available on all major streaming platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Keith Z’s pop-punk hooks tore into the contradictions of the ‘friendzone’ with ‘Just Friends’

Posted on 22 March 2026

Fans of All-American Rejects, All Time Low, and New Found Glory will find a new pop-punk obsession in the infectiously sticky-sweet yet scorn-laced latest release from Keith Z, Just Friends. The Australian artist, who cut his teeth performing covers before stepping into his own catalogue, carried his livewire energy straight into the core of the track, giving it the kind of immediacy that feels designed for sweat-soaked alt club dancefloors.

Sonically, there’s no arguing with the production. Keith Z’s songwriting remains razor-sharp as ever as he exhibits a natural ease with turning vocal refrains into efficacious rallying cries, while the instrumentals stay pinned at a fever pitch throughout. The hooks land fast and linger longer than expected, pulling listeners straight into the emotional churn of the track without giving them much room to breathe.

Lyrically, Just Friends leans into more provocative territory. The narrative will inevitably rub a few listeners the wrong way, particularly those who bristle at the conversation around the friendzone. Yet that tension is exactly where the track finds its bite. In a perfect world, men and women would create toxicity-free friendships, but a quick glance at reality makes it clear that idealism is naivety in a facade, and the dynamics of the friendzone are never as black and white as some would like to believe.

Someone had to address it, and no one could have said it better. Keith Z has the cheeky sardonic charm that would allow him to get away with murder.

Just Friends is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lynchian Ambient Depths Surface in Venetia Nadin’s Ethereal Electronica Single ‘Submerged’

Posted on 14 March 2026

Submerged by Venetia Nadin

Venetia Nadin has mastered the art of conceiving etherealism from disquieted ambience, a quality fully realised in her latest single, Submerged. The Greek-born, Sydney-based electronic artist operates in a sonic space far removed from the spectacle of mainstream production, choosing instead to sculpt atmospheres that feel introspectively enigmatic and transcendently transformative.

In Submerged, folk-esque chimes toll around her non-lexical harmonies, which drift through the Lynchian atmosphere of the stripped-back arrangement. The production allows the textures to settle into the air, subtly revealing the contours of the alchemic nuances. Rather than forcing momentum, the track lingers within an ambient stillness that gently pulls the listener inward, creating a sense of suspended introspection.

Nadin’s compositional instincts lean towards esoteric symbolism and the emotional language of folklore; she shapes sound as a vessel for exploring the hidden architecture of the subconscious. Submerged exemplifies this philosophy through its layered electronic production, where each sonic detail feels placed with deliberate, caressive care, resulting in an intimate listening experience that gradually coaxes both the shadows and the light within the listener to the surface.

Submerged is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Vanya – Dumb: The Ultimate Alt-Pop Lothario Lambast

Posted on 7 March 2026

You’d think that indulging in convenience instead of true romance would come with less frustration and scorned devastation, but in Vanya’s latest single, Dumb, situationships are pushed into the harsh light of day, exposing how even when the stakes aren’t high, it still stings to lose. The Sydney-born pop renegade drags the darker mechanics of compromise into focus, tracing the strange tension that forms when you keep overlooking the red flags because the temporary warmth feels easier than the chill of walking away.

The Latin-rhythm-infused synth pop structure draws you into what glistens as a treasure trove of lyrical gold, which sees Vanya hitting her lyrical zenith in the tattoo-worthy line, “Call me up when the night gets cold. Kiss me like a secret no one’s told”. The production folds dreamy pop etherealism through new wave-leaning synth textures, tightening the atmosphere around her lothario lambast until it hums with conviction. With a voice that carries harmonic resonance with a hypnotic pull, she delivers the chorus lines in a way that hits you full-transcendental-force while still letting the vulnerability settle over the track.

With over a decade of performance experience, including international shows in America and the Maldives, Vanya moves with the confidence of someone raised in a household where music shaped the walls. Her Serbian roots, paired with classical training from the Sydney Conservatorium, turned her into an artist who understands the tension between awareness and self-sabotage. Dumb plays in that liminal space, letting the emotional restraint speak louder than any dramatic breakdown. It tracks the moment you clock the limits of a connection, yet still decide to stay, convincing yourself the temporary fill is enough for now.

Dumb is now available on all major streaming platforms. Discover your preferred way to listen on Vanya’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jessica Lollato Became a New Icon of Y2K RnB with ‘When It’s Over’

Posted on 28 February 2026

In 2026, Jessica Lollato has become a Y2K RnB icon, skewing the sonic timelines through her embodiment of the moody with soul iconic aesthetic and a production that implants contemporary hooks in the hazy, heavy textures of nostalgia. When It’s Over carries the energy of an artist who brings that entire ethos into sharper focus. If you’re sick of hyper-polished tracks from artists who think RnB started with the Weeknd, Lollato’s seminal single is the ultimate antidote to the posturing of assimilation.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and Lollato channels that spark with a vocal that warms as it scathes; hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and there’s no volition like an RnB artist driven past their limit of tolerance to the recording booth where they lay the audacity of entitled lust-fuelled lotharios on the line right next to their heart strings. The mood is thick, sultry, slightly bruised around the edges, and carried by that moody, soul tone she twists into her own signature style.

Raised on the 2000s greats, influenced by the early conversations heard through Brandy, Ashanti and Destiny’s Child, she now shapes that lineage into something more personal. When It’s Over speaks in the rhythm of someone who has lived every emotional push and pull. It forms a private love language that still invites you in, steadying you in the grey zone between closure and salting the sting that lingers long after the moment has gone.

When It’s Over is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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