Month: March 2019

Track of the Day: Heavy Heart “Dowsabel” (2019)

Mixed and co-produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Gabe Wax, “Dowsabel” is a potent and atmospheric combination of Wax’s most famous produced sounds for the likes of The War On Drugs, Fleet Foxes and Soccer Mommy, to name a few. The British quartet’s newest single features the soothing croon of Anna Vincent over luscious dream pop whilst…

Read More

Album Review: Devin Townsend’s Empath is an observation on the weight of genius

Devin Townsend is a mainstay in metal circles, with an almost three-decade long career spanning industrial, speed metal, rock, ambient and even novelty projects. Empath, his 25th album and the 13th under his own name, sees him solidify the presence he has built up in the progressive metal genre over his last few projects. Epic is often…

Read More

Book Review: David Cullen’s Parkland provides a deeply moving account of the teenage survivors of the Parkland shooting

David Cullen, author of the definitive bestseller Columbine, returns with a second book, this time detailing the story of the events surrounding the Parkland, Florida school shooting in February 2018, the extraordinary teenage survivors and the March For Our Lives (MFOL) campaign that followed.  In Parkland, Cullen takes the readers inside the school in the…

Read More

Album Review: Alexander Wolfe – Little Death (2019 LP)

There’s something funny to me referring to Alexander Wolfe as “an unknown, unheard of artist”. Most definitely to almost all Australian audiences he would be, but the British folk singer-songwriter has been releasing music since 2009. And even though it would be impossible to find one of his physical CDs in a store, he’s quite…

Read More

Photo Gallery: Butterfingers + Fresh Violet + The Donald Trumpets – Badlands Bar, Perth (29.03.19)

The next stop on their ’15 Years Of Breakfast At Fatboys’ Anniversary Tour was the Badlands Bar where Butterfingers delivered an energetic and entertaining set. Joining the party were Melbourne MC Fresh Violet and Perth’s very own The Donald Trumpets. Our photographer Stuart Sevastos was on the ground to capture the highlights of the night.

Read More

Interview: Melina Marchetta holds up a magnifying glass to beautiful & ordinary aspects of suburban life

Melina Marchetta’s novels are often about the boy or girl who lives next door. Her book, Looking for Alibrandi, was a perfect example of this and continues to find new audiences, some thirty years after it was released. Marchetta’s latest novel, The Place on Dalhousie, takes a leaf out of her previous works by reprising…

Read More

Live Review: Muse deliver unrivalled rock spectacle in Toronto

In a spontaneous, last minute decision, tonight I attended the latest arena spectacular by rock legends Muse in Toronto, Canada. The show comes off the back of their latest record Simulation Theory, with the tour in question given the same name. Hype articles have been floating around over the last few weeks talking about how the current arena show…

Read More

Film Review: Amma Asante’s passion project Where Hands Touch (UK, 2018) falls frustratingly short

The year is 1944. Leyna (Amandla Stenberg), the teenage daughter of a white German factory worker (Abbie Cornish) and a black Senegalese soldier, is dubbed a “Rhineland bastard” and flees for Berlin, hoping to find anonymity and safety in the larger city. But, after she is kicked out of school and is forced to falsify…

Read More

Hold onto your badonkadonks: Borderlands 3 is finally official

Borderlands 3 has been in development at Gearbox Software for five years at two different studios. It has become the worst kept secret in the video game industry. Today, it finally gets its moment to shine and Gearbox gets to stop sidestepping the question everytime they’re asked about its existence. During the company’s hour-long PAX…

Read More

Exclusive Video Premiere: Graham The Grand “Mum, i’m Sorry” (2019)

Graham The Grand is the moniker for Brisbane singer/songwriter Isaac Nichol. His song “Mum, i’m Sorry” is a deeply personal conversation between Isaac and his mother. It deals with the themes of depression, anxiety and suicide. Discussions about these difficult topics are often very difficult to broach between those suffering and their loved ones. Whilst the…

Read More

PlayStation’s move to Nintendo-like State of Play updates makes total sense

There were a lot of raised eyebrows going around when PlayStation announced late last year that they’d be pulling out of E3 2019. PlayStation’s departure from the show floor and the cancellation of their annual press conference meant that competitor Microsoft would be the last of The Big Three hardware makers to have a press…

Read More

Track of the Day: Gold Complex “Acrylic Heart” (2019)

Gold Complex are an eight piece soul band based in Toronto, Canada. The band have spent the last three years in the studio working on what would ultimately become their debut album: New Soul, which was released late last month. Our track of the day, “Acrylic Heart”, is that album’s centre piece a powerful and…

Read More

SXSW Interview: Your Smith (USA) on her origin story, love of Tim Tam Slams and touring Australia with Ry X

Caroline Smith is a Minneapolis-based songwriter who has been steadily building her career since 2006; first as a solo artist, then in a band (Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps – releasing the record Little Wind in 2011), and then as a solo artist again – which saw her release the underrated 2013 record Half…

Read More

Interview: Cautious Clay (USA) on his musical upbringing, Table of Context and the genius of OutKast

One of the buzz acts at this year’s SXSW was rising star Cautious Clay, who also happened to be one of the best acts we saw at the annual Texas festival. While at the Vevo House, I caught up with the Brooklyn based artist – real name Joshua Karpeh – to find out more about his…

Read More

Track of the Day: Sahara Beck “I Haven’t Done A Thing Today” (2019)

Sahara Beck, the super-talented and bubbly singer-songwriter from Brisbane, is back with a cracking new single, ‘I Haven’t Done a Thing Today’. It was produced by Tony Buchen, who has also worked with Mansionair, Courtney Barnett and Montaigne. This track is breezy, upbeat and very catchy. Whilst the title might indicate it’s much about nothing,…

Read More

Hotel Review: Mantra on Hay keeps things simple in East Perth

In a relatively quiet area of East Perth is where you’ll find Mantra on Hay, not as central as some of Mantra’s – well, now Accor’s – other properties in the “most isolated city in the world”, but close enough that you don’t feel like you’re missing any of Perth’s increasingly energetic social scene. It’s…

Read More

Get ready, slabs: Gearbox just teased a new Borderlands game

One of the gaming industry’s worst kept secrets might finally be about to step into the light. It’s been common knowledge that Gearbox has been hard at work on a new entry in the Borderlands series for several years now. Despite never formally confirming anything, the project has seen it all — leaks, tech demos,…

Read More

Exclusive EP Premiere: primetime. – crimetime. (2019 EP)

Today we’re stoked to introduce you all to primetime., Melbourne’s latest self anointed “superb-troup” featuring members of Fan Girl, Sophisticated Dingo and more, as well as premiere their debut EP crimetime.  crimetime. is a raucous, swaggering and no bullshit slice of Australian punk rock. Occasionally jarring, but always full of character and attitude, the EP is…

Read More

Film Review: Dumbo (USA, 2019) returns with slightly less flying fanfare

2019 is going to be a fairly big slate for the House of Mouse with not one but four “live action adaptations” of their intellectual property hitting cinema screens. The first one out of the gate is the film about a baby elephant with overly large ears who can fly. Originally Dumbo was based on…

Read More

Tech Review: Bang & Olufsen refresh the E8 with “Late Night Blue”

Every now and again Bang & Olufsen reach back into their ever-growing catalogue of high-end audio devices and iterate on what they’re most renowned for: design. Aesthetics in tech has always been hovering over the industry, but it’s only within the past few years that a sharp focus on exquisite looks has really shifted into…

Read More

Yoshi’s Crafted World Review: Pure platforming delight

Yoshi’s Crafted World has been made with all the love and care in the world – and it shows. From the subtle, crafty touches to the gorgeous soundtrack, cutesy worlds and stellar gameplay, everything about it screams wholesomeness. The game is so wholesome that it makes me want to be a better person. Story If…

Read More

Meet Rachael Fahim, the Aussie Country artist set to take America by storm

One of the unexpected Australian buzz artists at this year’s SXSW was one you may have not heard of – rising star in the Country world Rachael Fahim. She was listed as one of NPR’s artists to watch, and delivered a slew of impressive performances while in the Texas capital. We caught up with the…

Read More

The 10 Best Musical Moments at SXSW 2019

With weekend of films and special events that included appearances from the likes of Boyz II Men, Santigold, Bishop Briggs and more, into a week of official showcases that included everyone from Joan Jett to Shakey Graves and Andrew Bird, SXSW 2019 was as jam packed as ever. So what were our favourite musical moments…

Read More

Track of the Day: Morning Fuzz “I’ll Be Around” (2019)

Morning Fuzz are an indie band from Long Island, New York and have just released their latest single “I’ll Be Around”. It’s the first single from an album which is expected to be released later this year. They’ve been around for nearly ten years, and this track shows off a band which knows their craft,…

Read More

Hotel Review: The Press Hotel flows with history in Portland, Maine

As part of Marriott’s highly regarded “Autograph Collection”, the one of a kind Press Hotel in Portland, Maine is a shining example of the kind of magic one can spark when channeling a building’s history into something new and exciting. In this case, it’s the site of the old Portland Press Herald newspaper, the state’s…

Read More

Hands-On with Huawei P30 Pro: This camera is all kinds of magic

Uluru, one of the most famous rock formations in the world, and one of Australia’s most essential sites/sights, stands solidly in the scrubby dessert of the Northern Territory. Its presence is really like no other natural landmark in the country: powerful, spiritual, beautiful, inspiring. Located about 335km south west of Alice Springs, it is one…

Read More

Hands-On with Huawei P30: Everything You Need to Know

Leaks aside, the official word is now out and spreading like wildfire. Announced just moments ago from Paris, Chinese tech giant Huawei will be releasing their follow-up flagship smartphones to last year’s remarkably successful P20 and P20 Pro with, you guessed it, the P30 and P30 Pro. The company’s incredible growth in recent years (up…

Read More

An Afternoon in an Arcade with Yorke: Byron Bay’s Pop-Protege

The ringing sirens and looping jingles that echo through the arcade are maddening, even after a few minutes. They’re also the antithesis-soundtrack to the personality of Yorke. 20-year old Grace Hughes, who adopted the moniker “Yorke” last year in homage to her love of New York City, is calm, chilled and charming as we spent…

Read More

Book Review: Carrie Tiffany’s Exploded View presents a surprisingly feminist coming of age story

The unnamed protagonist of Carrie Tiffany’s new novel, Exploded View, lets us into her life by increments. Immediately, as readers, we are welcomed into her interior world– a place where the only things that make sense are cars, and engines. It is the late 1970’s, and the girl and her brother watch things like Hogan’s Heroes on the TV, careful…

Read More

Interview: Director Rebecca Stern on working with the colourful dogs of Well Groomed and Dan Deacon

Earlier this month at SXSW, I had the chance to sit down with Rebecca Stern, the director of the new film Well Groomed – a surprising documentary about the niche world of competitive dog grooming. Scored by the great Dan Deacon, the film is as engaging as it is entertaining (and garnered four stars from…

Read More