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Australia

Ted brewed the ultimate blend of jazzy indie-folk dream pop with ‘The Coffee Shop’

There was no forgetting Ted’s folk-meets-dream-pop hit, Revolution Then, which reminisced on the times when revolution action was a feasible act of retribution amongst the repressed masses.

In his latest single, the Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist waltzed into The Coffee Shop to share a jazzy and intimate vignette of an unassuming female protagonist who inspired the laidback with luxe style from the fleeting observations made on her curious reticence.

With touches of the Beatles melding with a dreamy iteration of the 70s folk style, The Coffee Shop is far from short of beguile. Ted captured the coffee shop mood perfectly. The snug comforting atmosphere breathes right through the sax-infused kaleidoscopic melodies.

Visit The Coffee Shop for yourselves by heading over to Spotify first.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Douzey orchestrated a euphonic utopia in her quirky piano-pop hit, Hera’s Song

The up-and-coming Melbourne songstress Douzey wore her anachronistic originality on her sleeve when she penned her latest euphonically utopic single, Hera’s Song. If you thought Barbie was a feminist triumph, wait until you indulge your senses in this ode to the goddess of women.

With neo-classic tendencies that lend themselves to the ornate elegance of the release and contrast the power in Douzey’s Tori Amos-esque vocal lines and the rich-in-sonorous-resonance piano keys, the entire single is underpinned by beguile, class, and perhaps most importantly, authenticity.

The consoling proclivities of the melodies have a cradling effect when the piece of sonic poetry is in motion; as you contemplate bigger phenomena than yourself, you will find yourself solaced by the score that unravels as the epitome of empowering purity.

Hera’s Song will hit the airwaves on August 9th; stream it on Spotify and Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The maters of monolithic metal, Bridging Oceans, are back with vengeance in their sophomore single

After the success of their debut single, Not Lost, the up-and-coming monoliths of the metal scene, Bridging Oceans, unleashed their rancorously rabid eponymous sophomore single.

After the intro threw us right back to when Job for a Cowboy dominated the death metal scene in the early 00s, a more melodic side to the international outfit started to break through the blast beats and technically frenetic grooves laid down by the crunchily distorted guitars.

For the same reasons I can’t help but return to acts such as SCUMFUCK for the highest-possible-octane catharsis, I’ll want to sink my teeth into the blisteringly hot ingenuity in this release, which promises even greater things in the international pipeline.

With the drummer and lyricist, Stuart, hailing from Brisbane and the vocalist and guitarist, Stanis, residing in Kyiv, Ukraine, Bridging Oceans stay true to their moniker by being the first-ever Ukrainian and Australian metal band. When the war is over, Bridging Oceans will be prepared to celebrate.

Stream Bridging Oceans’ latest single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Be Clear: Highly rated Australian artist Any Girl moves on from Reija Lee with the quite sublime Into The Black

After over 40 million streams under her previous artist name, Any Girl reinvents herself and shows us why she is one of the best in the game on the must-listen new single to pour love deep inside despite the cracks emerging, Into The Black.

Formally known as Reija Lee, Any Girl is an exceptional Perth, Australia-based indie electronic-rock singer-songwriter who performs with a cutting edge to slice away all those previous fears.

On the surface, Into The Black is a song about the dreaded ‘situationship’. But in a deeper sense, it’s about our fear of the unknown. The lyrics portray someone who would rather be in an unfulfilling relationship, simply because it’s what they know, and it’s better than their fear of being alone. But the uplifting feeling of the chorus and the lyric ‘in the black’ being used as a metaphor for intimacy, kind of poses the question of whether giving in is always such a bad thing. Change is scary, but sometimes comfort is just what is required in the moment.” Any Girl

Wanting something intimate but going back into old habits due to her past romantic encounters, Any Girl has dropped a soul-nearing single which guides us through modern-day love. This is excellent and sung so purely, by a young woman who desires so much more than something which she knows won’t fulfil her like it should.

Into The Black from the acclaimed Perth, Australia-based indie music producer/musician Any Girl is surely one of the best singles released yet in 2023. This is dreamy stuff which will have hearts beating so much faster than before.

Packed with emotion and wonderfully electric honesty, this is special like a first kiss which will never be forgotten.

Turn this up on Spotify.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Pull Me Closer: Jimmy Theo wonders why we lose ourselves sometimes on Pray for Us (feat. Matthew Clark)

Taken from his brand new 10-track album Next Step, Jimmy Theo wants to talk closer to his love on the body-swaying single about keeping things calm romantically despite the chaos amongst the windy trees of life with Pray for Us (feat. Matthew Clark).

Jimmy Theo is a UK/Australian indie singer-songwriter and music producer who makes meaningfully substantial music to make everything okay again.

After previously featuring on our platform via the memorable The End Of Time in 2020, Jimmy Theo is in top form here. Goodness me. This has real quality in droves.

Pray for Us from the multi-creative and artist-collaborating Jimmy Theo is a gem of a track made for all indie fans all over the world. Helping us forget our fears and find ourselves again after past romantic blunders, this is a stress-evaporating soundtrack to ease the anxiousness away into the wind.

Well done Jimmy. This is a special track for everyone who loves the solo singer-songwriter vibe. Turn it up okay?

Hear this single come to life on Spotify.

See more on the IG page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

How Hard Can It Be: Ian Shortall feels his epicentre bypass a nostalgic beat on Chesapeake

Sensing that he was under a special spell by a lovely water-loving human with a heart of gold, Ian Shortall feels sad that they left in the middle of the night on the massively reflective single to contemplate with, Chesapeake.

Ian Shortall is a Melbourne, Australia-based indie country/folk-blues-fusion solo singer-songwriter who learnt his trade back in Dublin in the 90s.

Not one to shy away from outside influences and bring something new to the table, Ian also pulls imagery from the metal world, which is echoed and hinted at throughout his lyrical content.” ~ Ian Shortall

Captivating all alert listeners with something rather special and indelible to be enraptured by, Ian Shortall has brought forth a gem of a song which hasn’t been rushed in the slightest.

Chesapeake from Melbourne, Australia-based indie country artist Ian Shortall might be one of the most beautifully created singles of the year so far. This has been made with complete care. There is affection in droves throughout and we are opened up to a memorable story to cherish for its authenticity.

There is so much to like about such a lovable story with so much emotion and total class, which shall give many hearts an extra beat to help when the lonely nights set in.

Embrace the feeling shine through the curtains on Spotify.

Find out more about live shows and more via IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Tony Coppola filled the entropy void with his debut alt-rock track, Empty Shell

The Adelaide-haling independent singer-songwriter Tony Coppola called out into the vacuous atmosphere which is leaving its mark on increasing numbers of us with his artfully progressive alt-rock debut single, Empty Shell.

Ironically if you want to remember what it feels like to feel viscerally alive, sink your teeth into the sonics of the crescendos, powerful enough to make your rhythmic pulses fasten to the builds in momentum before the breaks give you a cathartic cortisol release.

With his devilishly diaphanous vocal lines in the intro that will render your heart just as raw as the vox that features on Porcupine Tree’s Fear of a Blank Planet paired with the assured ring of the acoustic guitar against the cinematic strings, Tony Coppola set the standard for evocatively strong debut singles.

After sharpening his instrumental chops in prominent bands in the Adelaide live circuit, Coppola clearly had no more teeth left to cut before he stood alone and orchestrated this monolithically mesmerising feat of alt-rock

Empty Shell will fill an ingenuity void on the airwaves on June 16th; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

All by Myself: Canberra’s MAXO keeps on climbing to stay alive on Can’t Hold Me Back

After being featured on Sky Sports, BBC Radio, Triple J and many more established worldwide platforms, MAXO returns to the music world after courageously dealing with and speaking up about his battle with anxiety & depression and drops a hugely unforgettable banger to help mend despondent hearts on Can’t Hold Me Back.

MAXO is a Canberra, Australia-based indie pop artist who has shown us all what a proper lifetime commitment to one’s craft looks like.

Sending shivers down our backbones and clicking us back into shape again like a professional chiropractor, MAXO rips through the reaper’s glances and survives like the brave warrior that he is. Dropping a reminder of his greatness, we find a sing-with-me modern-day classic determined to help others rise above everything.

Can’t Hold Me Back from Canberra, Australia-based indie pop artist MAXO is a move-forward-from-yesterday anthem which cements his status as one of the best in the game. Known best for his massive single Dreamers, this is a return like no other and shows us immaculate progression in a forget-quick world.

Ascending up those moody mountains is a test which will teach many lessons.

Turn this one up on full blast to burn away the past on Spotify.

See more vibes manifest on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Post-Punk Meets Desert Rock in The Immaculate Crows’ Spellbinding Single, School of Hard Knocks

Taken from their Light in Dark Rooms EP, The Immaculate Crows’ alt-indie rock single, School of Hard Knocks, is an 80s-nostalgia-swathed invitation to wear the scars you have amassed in your fight to survive as a badge of honour.

In recent years, there has been a heightened prevalence of the presumption that society is a mediocracy where everyone is granted the same opportunity, in complete disregard to the disparity in starting lines. The Immaculate Crows reached out to the disenfranchised with validation written into their spellbinding single, which bridges the gap between Siouxsie Siouxe and Echo and the Bunnymen while working in an extra slice of desert folk-rock glamour. The endlessly compelling female vocal lines pull you right into the centre of the dark yet radiantly mesmerising orchestration.

School of Hard Knocks is available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Immaculate Crows held a mirror to human-derived harrow in their psychedelic alt-indie single, Dolly

The Immaculate Crows never fail to strike all the right chords with their sympathetic sensitivity and superfluous arrangements; their single, Dolly, was no exception to the rule. With a Southern country folk twist to psychedelic new wave indie, they orchestrated the ultimate soundscape for profound reflection.

A tale of torment-driven suicide and domestic violence could have easily sat heavily on the soul, but with the rich tapestry of psych, folk, indie, pop and country rock, The Immaculate Crows efficaciously advocate for a reality that gravitates around compassion and kindness.

The sonic olive branch may be small, but sometimes, all it can take is one push in a more positive direction to create a ripple effect of change, and therein lies the beauty of The Immaculate Crows’ discography. It holds a mirror to human-derived harrow before melodiously illustrating the capacity for tenderness, which lies in us all.

Stream Dolly on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast