Month: November 2020

Interview: Sloan Peterson on being a rebel teen, religious faith and strange nightmares.

Sloan Peterson is your nostalgic 60s- 70s-infused pop dream (if her Ferris Bueller moniker didn’t already tip you off). It’s a new era for Peterson, having recently inked a deal with Warner Music to begin what she’s calling “Sloan 2.0”. Her debut single with the label, “Nightmare”, has given us an insight into what to…

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Interview: Visual Concept’s Erick Boenisch and Mike Wang Outline NBA 2K21‘s New Next-Gen Modes

We recently had the chance to chat to Executive Producer Erick Boenisch and Gameplay Director Mike Wang of Visual Concepts to outline some of the new modes and mechanics making their way to the next-generation build of NBA 2K21. Built from the ground up, this edition will bring with it a deeper WNBA presence in…

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Track of the Day: Psychedelic Porn Crumpets “Tally-Ho” (2020)

The Psychedelic Porn Crumpets have just released a killer video for their latest blistering release, “Tally-Ho”. This single is the fourth off their upcoming album, the imaginatively titled SHYGA! The Sunlight Mound, which is due to be released on 5th February 2021. The band has some shows lined up, supporting Ocean Alley – details below. “Tally-Ho”…

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eFootball PES 2021: Season Update Review: New Year, Same Solid Football

The Pro Evolution Soccer series has always been a personal favourite of mine, and while I love the exciting modes and interesting iterations that FIFA brings to the table, I have always admired the PES series for it’s tactical nature, and solid gameplay. eFootball PES 2021: Season Update has been aptly named, as it’s basically…

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Exclusive Album Premiere: Quinton Trembath – Amateur Art (2020)

Quinton Trembath is on the cusp of releasing their debut album, Amateur Art, and we are thrilled today to give you the first listen at this entertaining collection of songs. A raucous four-piece folk-punk band, the album colourfully details the ebbs and flows of the life led by frontman and lead singer, Quinton Trembath. Trembath…

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Western Digital’s WD_BLACK NVMe Solid-State Drives will be crucial to gamers as titles get more demanding

With gaming only getting more demanding, and titles only larger, it’s time to think long and hard about storage expansion. That’s the most widely discussed issue surrounding the next-gen gaming right now, and will likely be the main concern for gamers as we move into a world where Microsoft and PlayStation have both levelled up,…

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Don Glori

Exclusive Single Premiere: Don Glori “Dawn Calling” (2020)

“Dawn Calling” is the debut single from Melbourne-based artist Don Glori (a.k.a. Gordon Li). Recorded live to tape over two sweltering days earlier this year, it is also the second release from Nothin Personal, and teases an EP of the same name that’s on the way next month. The lead single drops this Friday, November 13th, but we’re stoked…

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Track of the Day: Fletcher Gull “City Is Busy” (2020)

Fletcher Gull‘s “City Is Busy” is a clashtastic anthem of gritty synths and kaleidoscopic production, quickly coming off the back of his 2020 EP, Remember That You’re Gone. The single is heavy-handed in the best sense – think the soundtrack to your fly-kick in the air landing in a superhero floor punch. It’s adolescent angry,…

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Clanlands

Book Review: Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish’s Highlands travelogue Clanlands is for the Outlander faithful

Last year, Outlander stars Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish set off for the Scottish Highlands in a questionable campervan, keen to explore more of the country they grew up in. From Glencoe to Culloden and countless lochs and castles in between, Clanlands is a record of their adventure filming what would eventually become Starz doco…

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Interview: Freaky star Kathryn Newton on swapping bodies with Vince Vaughn and her love of the horror genre

Christopher Landon‘s self-described “batshit crazy” body-swap horror movie Freaky is getting ready to be unleashed in Australian cinemas this week, and to coincide with its impending release The AU Review’s Peter Gray was fortunate enough to chat with the film’s lead actress, Kathryn Newton.  After the Big Little Lies alum noted that making scary movies…

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Assassin's Creed Valhalla

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Review: An axe to the face is not very stealthy

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is a game that feels like it’s a little at war with itself. The intersection of its warring Viking heroes and its lineage as a stealth-centric action title are at odds with each other. While it works hard to bridge that philosophical divide, this dissonance suffuses the entire game and ultimately weakens…

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Mario Kart Home Circuit Review: Nintendo push AR further with an inventive new way to play

Anyone can see what Nintendo is trying to do with Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, and for all it’s faults, the experiment feels necessary as we move forward in the gaming industry. The console wars between Xbox and PlayStation are just about to explode, and from what we’ve seen, the competition will be fiercer than…

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Spider-Man: Miles Morales Review: A Web of Style and Substance

Spider-Man is my favourite Marvel superhero, and because Miles Morales is also Spider-Man, he’s my favourite too. Miles’ first appearance was in Ultimate Fallout #4 in August 2011. Created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Sara Pichelli, the character struck an immediate chord with readers. His popularity was a bit of a surprise —…

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Black Star Pastry now has a Summer S’more pastry on the menu

Following the introduction of dramatic new cake Chocolate Mirage to their acclaimed menu, Black Star Pastry has once again expanded its inventive range to include the “Summer S’more”. Inspired by the good ol’ fashioned tradition of toasting marshmallows over an open fire, the Summer S’more boosts the beloved brand’s pastry selection with a light croissant…

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Dutch Monks

Exclusive Album Premiere: Dutch Monks – Yours To Lend (2020 LP)

This week sees the release of Yours To Lend, the debut album from transcontinental indie duo Dutch Monks. Ahead of the album’s release on Friday, we’re excited to bring you this exclusive first listen.  Dutch Monks are Melbourne singer-songwriter Jesse Rudd-Schmidt and Dutch pianist Thijs Flinsenberg. The pair met whilst they were both working together…

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Track of the Day: Nearly There “You Make Me High” (2020)

Nearly There is the latest project by music extraordinaire Jackson McRae. If you don’t recognise the name, you’ll have most certainly come across his work having collaborated on the likes of George Alice‘s “Stuck In A Bubble”, Japanese Wallpaper‘s GLOW LP, and Allday‘s “After All This Time”. McRae is a session musician, musical director and producer/engineer,…

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DJI release ultra-light and accessible Mini 2 drone in time for Christmas

I don’t know how competing brands are going to catch up to DJI after this announcement. The leading civilian drone company has now put out the ultra-light Mini 2 ahead of the Christmas rush, effectively making drone piloting and the unique creation tool the sector brings much more accessible than ever before. A sequel to…

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The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 2 opts for sci-fi scares

Fans of The Mandalorian will now be settling in for a week to week drop of episodes now that Disney Plus has regained everybody’s attention. In the latest episode of Mando and the Child, the show throws a variety of things into the mix but the most prominent of all is it ramps up the…

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Xbox One

Two Days to Retirement: The life and times of the Xbox One

For the last seven years, the Xbox One has been one of the internet’s favourite punching bags. The machine that Xbox debuted at Microsoft’s Redmond campus ahead of E3 2013 was suffering an identity crisis. It was a video game console that focused on everything BUT video games. Against a resurgent and clear-minded PlayStation, the…

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Track of the Day: Chase Zera “Over Here” (2020)

After her success with debut single “Bring Me Down” and “Saving Bugs” with Warner Music Australia, dance-pop artist, Chase Zera releases her addictive brand new single “Over Here”. With entrancing beats and raw lyrics, the track encapsulates a soulful dance party that you don’t want to end. Chase Zera talks about the inspiration behind the…

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Album Review: Felicity Groom – Magnetic Resonance Centre (2020 LP)

Western Australian dark pop songbird Felicity Groom is back with her third album Magnetic Resonance Centre; her first since 2014. And she’s bitten off plenty, largely producing it herself amidst having and raising two daughters. “It has been predominantly written and recorded in in my house in-between daytime naps that my children would have,” Groom explains in…

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Xbox Series X

Xbox Series X Review: Back in the game at last

The pain of being publicly humbled suffuses every part of the Xbox Series X. Its predecessor’s missteps inform every facet of its design, from its outer shell to the operating system that powers it. After seven long years of being trampled by the competition, Xbox is finally getting up off the mat. It has taken…

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NBA 2K21 Introduces ‘The W’ for the Next Generation

NBA 2K21’s next generation counterpart will be introducing ‘The W’, a new portion of the game dedicated to the WNBA. Narrated by WNBA legend Candace Parker, the trailer revealed a new fully fledged career mode, which allows players to take their own custom created character through the ranks of the WNBA. It’s worth noting that…

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Photo Gallery: Elana Stone Band + Inêz – Marys Underground, Sydney (04.11.20)

The Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival presented the Elana Stone Band at Marys Underground in Sydney last night. It was the first time in nearly a decade that the band played together, and a very-pregnant Elana Stone rolled out some favourites from the back catalogue. Many of the songs were off her sophomore album, Your…

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Exclusive Single Premiere: Tanya Ransom “Cyclone” (2020)

“Cyclone” is the latest single from Western Australian singer-songwriter Tanya Ransom, and we are thrilled to have the first listen of this track, and accompanying video, ahead of its release tomorrow. Ransom is a vivid storyteller, weaving together her narratives as skillfully as her blend of folk, blues and alt-country. In a time when there…

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Dust

Guest Playlist: Perth’s Dulcie share the tracks that inspired their latest single “Dust”

Late last month Perth indie girl band Dulcie released their latest single “Dust”. We enjoyed the song – a three minute burst of sunshine and positivity to help get you up and going – so much we made it our Track of the Day.  The song which is full of charm, personality and displays a…

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Interview: Aloe Blacc on All Love Everything, meeting his wife, and working with Avicii.

Aloe Blacc was thirty one when “I Need A Dollar” became an international phenomenon. Since then, the genre-less singer has presented good-time track after good-time track with raging success (take “Wake Me Up” with Avicii, or “Brooklyn In The Summer” as examples). He even dropped a whole Christmas album – a testament to Aloe’s pursuit of…

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Egoism

Album of the Week: Egoism deliver a gold mine of classic tunes in On Our Minds (2020 EP)

Egoism, the classy two piece from Sydney’s Inner West, return in 2020 with their killer second EP; the floating and completely lovely On Our Minds. Having taken the time to deliver their follow up to 2017’s It’s Wearing Off, On Our Minds is a massive step forward for the duo who’ve seemingly found not only…

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A Wind from the Rift

Book Review: Bonnie Wynne ups the ante in The Price of Magic sequel, A Wind From the Rift

Gwyn just wants to go home. After months of imprisonment, first in the Clockwork City’s Bird Tower prison, then its horrific Charnel Vaults, her control over her magic is weakening, and the sooner she’s safe amongst friends, the better. But the Mancers of the Syndicate have come to a decision. Too dangerous to be freed,…

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Pesos

Track of the Day: The Terry’s “Pesos” (2020)

South Coast rockers The Terrys, named for their landlord, are back with their latest single, “Pesos”. The band, who have developed something of a cult following across Wollongong and Sydney, only released their debut single four months ago. Brought together in less than 24 hours, “Pesos” is a real delight, with the five piece hitting…

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