Month: August 2020

Track of the Day: KVNYL “Running” (2020)

Melbourne-based emcee KVNYL (Kuh-Vinyl) has got something special on his hands with “Running”, the fiery bass-heavy single taken from EP The Worst of Me. And its influences are clear. Kendrick Lamar, Saba, Denzel Curry – those three individual styles stomp all over this track, but KVNYL is certainly carving his own identity in the midst…

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D-Link COVR-1102 Mesh Wi-Fi review: Does a lot with just two nodes

The need for a Wi-Fi mesh system has never been greater. Even if one’s home isn’t the size of a footy field, with home offices becoming a norm, smart homes more demanding, and Australia moving towards an NBN, having something to maintain a consistent, fast connection in a household or office is invaluable. That router…

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Xbox Series X

Xbox Series X will officially launch in November

Microsoft has narrowed down the Xbox Series X launch window from Holiday 2020 to November. The news comes as 343 Industries confirmed Halo Infinite will miss the console’s launch date, and Xbox works to get its house in order. Though Halo Infinite‘s delay is a substantial blow to its launch fortunes, Microsoft quickly took to…

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Halo Infinite

Halo Infinite delayed to 2021, no longer a launch title

343 Industries have delayed the release of Halo Infinite into 2021. The delay means it will no longer be a launch title for the Xbox Series X in November. The announcement came via the official Halo Twitter account. 343 were not specific about when in 2021 they intend to launch, citing the difficulty of developing the…

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Meg Hitchcock

Exclusive Single Premiere: Meg Hitchcock “Hello Moon” (2020)

UK-born and bred, but now a local of Byron Bay, Meg Hitchcock is launching her debut single and video, and we are thrilled to be able to offer the first view and listen of “Hello Moon”, a soulful shimmering love song to the moon. It’s also an affirmation on living the life she wants to…

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APRA AMCOS announces the 2020 Art Music Awards finalists

APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre have unveiled the finalists for the 2020 Art Music Awards, streaming live on Tuesday 8 September.   The annual event recognises distinctions in the fields of composition, performance, education and presentation of Australian art music. In light of the current COVID restrictions, this year’s Awards will be streamed as…

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Mobile-first entertainment platform QUIBI launches in Australia

Quick bites.  Big stories. Designed specifically to engage the masses in the smallest of time frames, Quibi produces fresh, original content in bite-sized portions so you’re entertained at any given second. After successfully launching across the US, where their short-form, mobile-specific content proved a viable alternative to the predominant lounge-room streaming of Netflix and Amazon Prime…

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Cyberpunk 2077

New Cyberpunk 2077 trailer digs into lifepaths, music and weaponry

Cyberpunk 2077 is now only three months away. The second episode of Night City Wire, a periodic web series by developer CD Projekt Red, debuted overnight. In this episode: Lifepaths, the music of Cyberpunk 2077 and getting to grips with weaponry. You can watch the full broadcast right here, or hit the embed below. Lifepaths…

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Applejack Group opens Hester’s Cafe and Bar this week

After the successful launch of restaurants in the Wynyard Precinct with Bopp & Tone and June’s Shoppe, the Applejack group is launching its third CBD venue, Hester’s Cafe and Bar. The cafe and bar will offer a dine-in and takeaway menu designed by Bopp & Tone Head Chef, Sa Va’afusuaga. Expect some classic breakfast dishes,…

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Kathleen Jennings

Interview: Author Kathleen Jennings on Flyaway, the Aussie landscape, and the intersection of picture and prose

It’s been a week or so since Kathleen Jennings released her debut novella Flyaway into the world. You can read our review of the book here! We caught up with the Brisbane based writer and illustrator to chat about the release of Flyaway! First of all, can you tell us a little about Flyaway? What’s it…

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Midnight Oil

Track of the Day: Midnight Oil “Gadigal Land” (2020)

Midnight Oil are back with their first new song in close to twenty years. “Gadigal Land” sees the veteran rockers team up with vocalists Kaleena Briggs, Bunna Lawrie, Dan Sultan and Gadigal poet Joel Davison. The fiery slice of rock is part of The Makarrata Project, a themed mini-album of collaborations with Indigenous artists, which…

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PGA Tour 2K21

PGA Tour 2K21 Preview: The unlikely career of the malignant Clint Golfboy

After proving their bona fides with The Golf Club series, developer HB Studios has gone all in. PGA Tour 2K21 aims to return the humble golf sim to the glory days of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14, with real-life courses and real-life golfers in the mix. Unline any of these real-life golfers, I am not very…

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Alexia Avina

Track of the Day: Alexia Avina “Fit Into” (2020)

Alexia Avina is an ambient folk artist based in rural Massachusetts in America. She’s a recent addition to the wonderful Scottish label Lost Map Records, who will be releasing her new album Unearth in October. “Fit Into” is the first taste of that forthcoming album, and it is absolutely stunning.  It’s a striking piece of…

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These Guy House: Brisbane’s These Guy take us through their new album track by track

Brisbane psych-pop outfit These Guy released their new album, These Guy House, on Friday. Premiered by us on Thursday, the album was conceived, written, recorded and mixed during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic and shut down. As such the album has taken on something of a ‘cabin fever song cycle’ feel. To help us, and you…

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Assassin's Creed Valhalla

This new Assassin’s Creed Valhalla EP is a viking symphony

Ubisoft has released a second EP of select tracks from the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The EP, called The Ravens Saga, features music from composers Jesper Kyd, Sarah Schachner, and two originals by Einar Selvik. Packed full of hard-edged strings, thunderous percussion and strident, chanting choirs, it is every inch a viking symphony. Kyd is…

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Marvel’s Avengers Closed Beta Preview: Shouldering a heavy load

With the way Marvel’s MCU has come to dominate the movie landscape, and AAA superhero games such as Marvel’s Spider-Man breaking sales records, there’s been a lot of interest in Square Enix’s take on Marvel’s Avengers. We got our hands on roughly three hours of gameplay in this week’s Closed Beta, and while there’s plenty…

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Movie Frenzy: rent Midway, Guns Akimbo, 1917 and more for $3 this week

Seeing as Australia is likely to be pouring with rain all weekend, the return of Movie Frenzy couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. Participating services like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store will be dropping rental prices for some big-ticket new releases to $3 or less from now until…

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TikTok

*Updated* Donald Trump signs Tencent order, may make many video games illegal

Update 3:00pm AEST Here is the (rather oddly written) section that indicates the order is targeted at Tencent’s WeChat app and not their broader portfolio. Update 2:45pm AEST Sources have reportedly confirmed to the LA Times that the executive order itself pertains only to Bytedance’s TikTok and Tencent’s WeChat and was written to specifically exclude…

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Track of the Day: KIT “King Size Bed” (2020)

KIT, the solo-project for Katie Wighton (All Our Exes Live In Texas) has just released her second single, and this is one hell of a tune. It kicks off with punchy guitars, sultry vocals and cute backing vocals, and from that point on you are hooked. It’s a joyous emotional rollercoaster about falling hard for…

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State of Play

Every trailer from today’s PlayStation State of Play

A brand new PlayStation State of Play broadcast has arrived, this time focusing on forthcoming third party titles. From Crash Bandicoot 4 to forthcoming PS5 releases like Godfall, there was a little something for players of every stripe. Good to their word, Sony had no news on PlayStation 5 hardware, pricing or release dates —…

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Glass Animals

Interview: Glass Animals on Dreamland, vulnerability and recurring nightmares

Glass Animals are making their return with their third studio album, Dreamland, which presents an unusually personal collection of songs for frontman Dave Bayley. Previously, Bailey focused on other people’s narratives – How To Be A Human Being was inspired by interviews he conducted with strangers along their ZABA tour.  This time Bayley turned the…

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Cocktail recipes from the best bars in Oklahoma, USA

From the historic stockyards of Oklahoma City to the electric streets of downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma is one of the most fruitful stops on that bucket list Route 66 drive you’ve always wanted to take. While that quintessential trip may be off the cards for now, we’ve gone ahead and sourced a few cocktail recipes to…

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Hitman 3 to bring VR support across entire trilogy

Hitman 3 will bring PlayStation VR support to the entire World of Assassination trilogy. The VR trailer debuted during this morning’s PlayStation State of Play broadcast and gives a short but solid sample of what the game will look like in VR. Support will be applied retroactively to Hitman and Hitman 2 as well, so you can play…

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Crash Bandicoot 4

Watch Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time‘s brand new gameplay trailer

Today’s PlayStation State of Play broadcast opened with a brand new gameplay walkthrough of Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. The walkthrough, narrated by producer Lou Studdard from developer Toys For Bob, showed off the game’s classic design, and new features like the Quantum Masks and new characters. Fans will be able to play through…

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Sony aims for wireless headphone dominance with WH-1000XM4

When Sony released its WH-1000XM3 over-ear headphones in 2018 it seemed to company had finally bested competition and delivered what is, even two years later, the best wireless noise cancelling headphones money can buy. Now, Sony are seeking the improve upon that with the follow-up WH-1000XM4 releasing in Australia mid-August. Available in black of platinum…

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Etihad PPE

There’s now a website that rates airlines’ compliance with COVID-19 measures

AirlinesRatings.com has long been a reliable and comprehensive guide to the best and worst of aviation. Now, in an industry first, the website has introduced a very relevant dimension to its safety rating system, considering a score for airlines based on their COVID-19 protocols. When the time comes to chose between multiple airlines, passengers are…

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Kate Miller-Heidke

Track of the Day: Kate Miller-Heidke “Deluded” (2020)

Brisbane singer-songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke has some great news to share today. We have her latest single and video, “Deluded”, hot off the press, and news that her next album, Child In Reverse will be released on 30th October. “Deluded” is classic Kate Miller-Heidke, the incredibly elastic vocals front and centre. It’s got a vibrant groove…

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Lebanese-style charcoal chicken chain El Jannah debuts first drive-thru venue

The lingering taste of garlicky toum that has left an indelible mark on Sydney’s food scene in the past few years can typically be traced back to El Jannah. The charcoal chicken joint, born a stone’s throw from Granville Station, peddles the kind of dreamy never-forget-your-first-time that has since seen the business expand to include…

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Skater XL Review: Tricks, Trucks and Tumbles

If this generation has been missing a particular genre of note, it’s most definitely skateboarding games. You might find it hard to believe, but there was a time when these games ruled supreme, and Tony Hawk was a household name. The Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series has remained dormant as of late (we don’t speak…

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Interview: Aya Yves on “Smart Girls”, creative direction and tattoos

Aya Yves was introduced to the Australian music scene with her dark pop track “(in)Sanity”, which flexed her natural control over an acrobatics of vocals. Her latest offering, “Smart Girls” is equally impressive as it takes its audience on a journey through stripping back and rebuilding, layering an earworm plucked guitar and deep piano chords with…

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