Browsing Tag

Australian Pop

Tiara Crowned Herself the To-Be-Throned Princess of Pop with the Y2K Earworm, ‘Butterfly’

Posted on 16 August 2025

If there’s a chance of a Barbie sequel, the soundtrack wouldn’t be complete without the Y2K pop track, Butterfly, from Tiara, whose moniker mimics what she should be wearing as the to-be-throned-princess-of-pop.

The shimmering disco grooves in the salaciously sweet pop earworm lend an irresistible retrofuturism, but in attitude, energy and unfeigned empowerment, Tiara roots herself firmly in the present, daring to stand tall in the full glare of her convictions. Vocally and lyrically, she keeps the hooks sugar-sweet while commanding enough presence to make them cut through with purpose. Every generation of pop fan could find something to adore about Butterfly.

Based in Sydney, Australia, Tiara is a nineteen-year-old singer-songwriter whose sound pays homage to the fearlessness and glamour of 2000s pop while adding modern edge and subversive sensuality. With a background in classical music and studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, she threads musical precision through the boldness of her aesthetic.

Her debut single, All Eyes On Me, introduced her hot-pink universe of feminine power, a place where every listener becomes the femme fatale she embodies. In Butterfly, that world grows louder, brighter and bolder, shimmering with confidence and pulsing with the energy of an artist ready to take the crown.

Butterfly is now available on all major streaming platforms – including Spotify.


Review by Amelia Vandergast

Darcy Thomas’ ‘It’s You’: Aussie Pop’s Anthemic Heartbreak in Full Bloom

Posted on 5 April 2025

Darcy Thomas’ latest single, ‘It’s You’, carries 00s pop nostalgia in acoustic guitar chops that lend immediate intimacy before the track swells into an anthemic radio-ready proclamation. Raw rock riffs spike through the chorus, fuelling a heart-in-throat crescendo as the lyrical protagonist lays it all unapologetically on the line.

The emotional intensity strikes hard enough to bruise, providing a bittersweet reminder that fairytale love stories rarely survive off the page, screen, or airwaves. Thomas deliberately avoids neat resolutions, leaving listeners tangled in ambiguity as they root for a protagonist faced with losing the one person who makes them feel whole.

At just eighteen, Darcy Thomas has transitioned from writing his first song at six to crafting his vocal identity under the watchful eye of renowned vocal coach ‘Mama Jan’ Smith, whose clientele famously includes Justin Bieber and Usher. Alongside producer Greg Stace, whose guidance at Ignite Studio in Alexandria has been pivotal, Thomas has shaped a visceral sound ready to capture global attention through its expansive cross-over appeal.

‘It’s You’ is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dani Enli became the soul-pop supreme with her empowering RnB hit, used to it

Posted on 11 February 2024

Dani Enli’s debut RnB pop release, ‘used to it’, is a revelation in the world of bedroom pop. The Malaysian-Chinese Aussie artist, now an emerging icon in the pop scene, demonstrated swathes of talent that have been eagerly waiting to be unveiled. ‘used to it’ is a bold statement of Enli’s potential to not only hold dominion over the industry but to redefine the pop landscape with her contemporary sonic signature.

The track is a melodious, tonally tender anthem, resonating deeply with anyone who has felt burned by passivity and is ready to reclaim their power or find it for the first time. Enli’s skill as a singer-songwriter shines as she floods her own emotions into the production, ensuring the song unravels as a succinct, sweet, and rhythmically cathartic experience.

Enli’s background as a singer-songwriter, producer, and dancer, coupled with her journey from graduating as a doctor to pursuing her childhood dream in music, adds layers of authenticity and passion to her work. Her songs are not just melodies but vessels of healing and understanding, reflecting the power of music that has always resonated with her.

This track is just the beginning for Dani Enli. As she steps into 2024, poised to be the next pop trailblazer, there’s a palpable sense of anticipation for what she will bring to the table next. If ‘used to it’ is any indication, the future is bright for this talented artist.

used to it was officially released on February 2nd; stream the single on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Urban Cafe Crew unleashed their classically contemporary tinsel-wrapped perennial pop earworm, ‘Baby It’s Christmas’

Posted on 22 November 2023

Urban Cafe Crew wrapped a perennial pop earworm in tinsel to deliver the catchiest Christmas single since Mariah Carey dominated the festive sonic landscape with All I Want for Christmas is You.

Hit play on Baby It’s Christmas by the eclectic Australian music collective and instantly succumb to the modern spin on the classic Christmas motifs. From the first beat following the swells of classic strings, you’ll register that Baby It’s Christmas sets itself apart from the usual holiday fare.

From the bells to the butter-wouldn’t-melt croons to the keys working in complete synergy with the percussion to raise the energy, Baby It’s Christmas ticks all the sentimental boxes while oozing cross-generational appeal. It has been a while since a Christmas single melodiously moved with the times while keeping sonic traditions alive; Urban Cafe Crew achieved the feat effortlessly.

Even if you usually recoil to the tune of White Christmas on the radio when November rolls around, you won’t be able to resist turning a smile as you hum the exhilaratingly vibrant melody.

Baby It’s Christmas was officially released on November 10th. Unwrap it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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

Posted on 28 October 2023

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.

Posted on 16 October 2023

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

Posted on 14 October 2023

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

Bree Gregory cut right to the emotional core with her orchestral ballad, See You Soon

Posted on 22 September 2023

The Adelaide singer-songwriter Bree Gregory captured the bitter-sweetness of impassioned goodbyes and the beauty of uninhibited vulnerability with her latest orchestrally arranged piano pop ballad, See You Soon, which strips the sonorous production right back to her vocals, piano keys and a string quartet.

Between the cutting crescendos and the steady strides in her dynamic vocal register that carries the same sense of beguile as Adele, See You Soon cuts you right to the emotional core.

Moving away from her RnB soul sound, which saw her peak at number 4 in the top 10 AMRAP charts with her single, Waiting, was a bold move, but discernibly, her talents lend themselves efficaciously well to more than one genre. We can’t wait to see where this Billboard & Grammy-worthy exposition of viscerally warm raw emotion takes her. Even greater successes are surely in the pipeline.

See You Soon will debut on September 22; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Georgia Jones digs through ‘Ruins’ in her melancholically cold debut pop track

Posted on 24 August 2022

Contrasting the warm climate that she hails from, the 23-year-old Australian singer-songwriter, Georgia Jones, unleashed a sombrely cold serenade with her debut single, Ruins.

With a penchant for poetry and influences from Taylor Swift, Lorde, Bon Ivor and Billie Eilish, Georgia Jones found her signature somewhere in between her inspirational artists. From the bruisingly raw lyricism of Eilish, the tender melodicism of Bon Ivor and the stylishly melancholic edge of Lorde, Ruins serves as a candidly contemporary introduction to the artist, who frequently traverses fear as the prevalent theme in her music. Considering that there’s little else but fear in the atmosphere these days, you would struggle to find a more timely release.

As far as pop debuts go, Georgia Jones left nothing to be desired – apart from the sophomore single.

Ruins was officially released on August 12th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Arlo Boe – Eclipsed: One small step for pop, one giant leap for the airwaves.

Posted on 19 August 2022

The Australian up-and-coming pop sensation, Arlo Boe didn’t just go lyrically interstellar with her latest single, Eclipsed. The stratospheric energy resounds just as much through the catchy, spacey 80s synth pop textures, modernised by Boe’s unique futuristic pop vision.

Beyond the spacey intonations, Eclipsed is dedicated to the people who don’t fall into the category of marriage material but are dynamite between the sheets. A bold concept, but with Arlo Boe’s signature cinematic yet casually cool style, it is impossible not to get hooked on the synthy grooves and her vocal dynamism, which asserts her authenticity on the airwaves.

Eclipsed will officially release on August 12th; hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast