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Australia

Drift away with the fiercely dreamy ardour within Mums Favourite’s latest single, Loveboat

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Carrying the atmosphere and attitude of Honeyblood, The Breeders and Throwing Muses, the indie rock nostalgists Mums Favourite gave vintage bluesy soul an injection of punk visceralism with their latest single, Loveboat.

After lulling you into a false sense of dreamy and lofty ambient security, rancour starts to rile in the riotously clever production, which lyricist and lead vocalist Sasha Theunissen always keeps command of with her dynamically captivating vocal range.

After taking their sound which stands at the vanguard of alt-indie ingenuity around the world since their 2017 inception, the Adelaide-hailing quintet has established itself as an outfit for anyone who harnesses a proclivity for aural curveballs. Executing an archetypal track to this superlative level would be an achievement, but with the experimentalism it contains, it is clear to see that the trailblazing outfit has a career which reaches the pinnacle of promising.

Loveboat was officially released on November 8th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

heaven // alone seared their striking alt-metal aesthetic into the airwaves with their sophomore release, cognitive decline

With melodic grooves as rhythmically seductive as the White Pony LP fused with an early 00s metal aesthetic in the same vein as Mudvayne, complete with white-hot searing riffs and cataclysmically all-consuming breakdowns, heaven // alone asserted themselves as one to watch via the unveiling of their sophomore single, cognitive decline.

The vocals effortlessly keep pace with the seamless sonic transgressions as they veer from atmospheric harmonies that draw you into the ennui to guttural cries that will throw you right back to when Mushroomhead held dominion over the alternative scene.

The Perth-hailing five-piece may be fresh from their debut, but through their stylistic authenticity, alchemic song crafting and polished production, you can consider them a triple threat as you lose yourself in their evocatively compelling ingenuity.

cognitive decline was officially released on November 3rd; stream it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Make your soul whole with Mark Braham’s introspectively compassionate indie single, Somebody’s Pain

Taken from his debut LP, After a While, the standout single, Somebody’s Pain, from the indie rock singer-songwriter Mark Braham seduces the listener into an Elliott Smith-esque tender sequence of compassionate consolation.

With the raggedly euphonic acoustic guitar chords flowing in complete synergy with the melodic lines projected through his hushed, honeyed and harmonic vocal range, Somebody’s Pain is a deeply affecting, artfully enticing score which unravels as a viscerally resonant exhibition of ennui and painfully conscious introspection of how we all have the potential to become someone else’s pain. From the first experience with Somebody’s Pain, you’ll stop, think, and feel the compulsion to hit repeat.

The Darwin, Australia-born artist has had music in his blood since a young age; his creative journey began by writing melodies on a cheap classical guitar before he joined a band. With enough talent to become a one-man powerhouse, he released his debut LP in 2019, opened his recording studio, Freestone Productions, in Canberra and turned his delectable talent to producing, mixing and mastering for other artists.

We can’t wait for the sophomore release, Authenticity, which is currently in the works. His ability to make your soul feel warm and whole is unrivalled.

Stream Somebody’s Pain on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

BLOCKED personified stoicism in her ethereal alt-indie single, I Don’t Mind

BLOCKED

The Melbourne-based Singaporean singer-songwriter BLOCKED reached the epitome of ethereal magnetism in her artfully quiescent self-produced single, I Don’t Mind.

After some of the most accordant and assured acoustic guitar chord progressions I have ever aurally bore witness to in the intro, the single intensifies in ornate beguile through the introduction of quiescent chamber strings which swell around the shoegaze-y vocal lines, which will captivate fans of Cigarettes After Sex and Elliott Smith.

I Don’t Mind is just one chapter in the four-part story of growth and resilience told through the artist’s forthcoming EP, which encapsulates mastering the art of letting go. Socrates couldn’t have said it better himself.

I Don’t Mind will be released ahead of the highly-anticipated 4-track EP, no worries, which is due for release on November 17th. Stream I Don’t Mind on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ojay put devil horns on their latest pop-rock earworm, Creep in the Night

This isn’t Thriller, but the Bad Guy by Eilish-esque swagger in the recently released macabrely magnetic pop-rock hit, Creep in the Night, from the prodigal sons of accursed experimentation, Ojay, is one of eeriest infectious earworms you will meet this year.

With their ability to bring the funk in the basslines, the grooves in the razor-sharp guitar cuts and wear the devil may care horns all too well in the vocal performance, the high-energy Australian outfit knocked it out of the seventh ring of hell with Creep in the Night.

Between the exemplary modern production which puts Highly Suspect to shame, the swathes of chilling charisma and the efficaciousness of the vocal hooks which seduce you into the dark heart of the release, I’m struggling to see how I will leave this hit alone.

Creep in the Night was officially released on Friday the 13th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Holly Riva is as stormy as a tsunami in her latest alt-soul single, Drowning.

The hypnotic harmonic effect on her ethereal vocal lines over the crashing waves in the intro was a mesmerising way for Holly Riva to kick off her latest lyrically dark, texturally luminous single, Drowning.

With moody electronica motifs sending shockwaves of reverberance through the stormy as a tsunami release, the horn stabs harbingering doom and the metaphors alluding to the relatable phenomena of losing your power under the weight of toxicity, the Australian singer-songwriter succeeded in visualising universal emotions, which typically leave us out of our depth when we have chased an idea instead of a person.

Artistically and technically, it is a phenomenal release from the evocative enchantress who has already racked up 250,000 streams on Spotify alone since she made her debut with the EP, A Memory. Now that she’s shown a more vulnerable side to her creativity, we can’t wait to hear more of it rush to the surface.

Drowning was officially released on September 29; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

ELSKA delivered synthwave redemption in her latest single, Flashback

With an 80s edge as sharp as the one carved by The Human League paired with the same spiritual zeal of Stevie Nicks, the latest single from the ever-ascending Australian pop icon, ELSKA carries enough of the nostalgic new wave feel-good factor to leave you exhilarated by the swells of retro aesthetics, but Flashback is so much more to an ode to seemingly everyone’s new favourite era.

The juxtaposing lyrics reminisce on crying on the bathroom floor – yea, we’ve all been there – while the shimmering aesthetic of the track affectingly attests to how we all have to write our own redemption story, which also goes for survivors of sexual abuse and assault. If the sticky-sweet hooks in the stellar four-to-the-floor bop don’t convince you that dark days don’t set a blueprint for your future, just wait until the harmonies start to layer into a synthesised choir.

Prior to the release of Flashback, ELSKA performed at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, collaborated with the world-renowned Brad Hosking on a track, and became a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition. She has come a seriously long way since she made her debut in 2018. We can’t wait to see her make more Olympian strides.

Flashback was officially released on October 6; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Luce Cargo encompassed the alienation in existentialism in their shoegaze single, I Don’t Belong Here

Since the release of their 2021 EP, Paradise, the Australian shoegaze duo Luce Cargo have been honing their talents and attuning the authenticity in their sonic signature; I Don’t Belong Here is the first exhibition of their freshly manicured dream pop sound, and it is a sign that if any outfit is strong enough to stand at the vanguard of the 21st-century Shoegaze resurgence, it is them.

With soft angular guitars which echo Slowdive influences leading into My Bloody Valentine-esque walls of distortion, the progressive instrumentation sets the tonal shifts for the vocals which transition from bleeding into the reverb-laden synths with blissful accordance to bursts of primal candour.

The title gives plenty of clues to what the lyrics relay, but the resonance for anyone who feels alienated in their existentialism shouldn’t be underestimated. The compassionately relatable narration of loneliness holds a mirror to the fractures that splinter across society, leaving us all disconnected in an increasingly connected world.

I Don’t Belong Here was officially released on September 29; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Pomaa – Wide Eyed: Painfully Sober, Sonically Celestial Indie Dream Pop

With a transfixingly astral vocal register layering harmonies over the retro reverb-swathed synths, Pomaa’s latest single, Wide Eyed, bridges the gap between Siouxsie and the Banshees and cutting-edge outfits in the vein of Wolf Alice and Desperate Journalist while allowing you to linger in a kaleidoscope of dreamy psych-pop tones.

From the first immersion, the artist’s unique talents in blending the spirit of her own hypnotically authentic expression with the mixer of era-spanning signatures from shoegaze, post-punk, psych, pop and indie to pour the perfect sonic mocktail becomes immediately apparent.

Through Wide Eyed, Pomaa narrates the isolation of being the only sober person at a party; starved of connection and wracked with unshakable sensations which embed the loneliness of growing at a different pace to everyone around you.

Wide Eyed will be available to stream on all major platforms from October 11; stream it on Spotify & SoundCloud. If you like what you hear, stay tuned for the release of her debut EP, Bridge to Somewhere, which will drop on November 15.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tylar Smith dropped a nostalgia atom bomb with his retro jazz-pop hit, ONE MORE CHANCE

Get in the Doo Wop swing with Tylar Smith’s jazz-pop nostalgia atom bomb of a single, ONE MORE CHANCE. The award-winning Australian-born singer’s reverence for retro pop and old-fashioned soul, powerful vocal lines that could start a Rockabilly riot and his ability to spin a powerful narrative over his melodies that will hit your ears like candy has put him on the right path towards his dream of becoming an international recording artist.

With the timeless appeal of ONE MORE CHANCE and music fans increasing their proclivities towards nostalgia, the young artist, who started cutting his teeth in the music industry before his teens, is sure to make an ever-lasting impression with his debut EP, REMINISCENT, which has been crafted over the last 12 months in collaboration with a US Grammy-Nominated producer and songwriter.

ONE MORE CHANCE will reach the airwaves on September 29; hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast