Month: May 2021

Resident Evil Village Review: Small town screamer

When most Resident Evil fans think of the series and a village setting, they likely think of the great Resident Evil 4. This comparison is something Resident Evil Village, the eighth mainline entry in the venerable survival horror series, freely trades upon. The old ways Set several years after the events of Resident Evil VII:…

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Dunluvly

Exclusive Single Premiere: Dunluvly “Hazey” (2021)

Dublin-based singer-songwriter and producer Dunluvly is all set to release his new single, “Hazey”. The single, a delightful slice of dream pop, is the culmination of three years work, and we’re pleased to bring you this exclusive first listen ahead of its official release tomorrow.  The single is Dunluvly’s first since the release of his…

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Interview: Spiral director Darren Lynn Bousman on returning to the Saw franchise

After over a decade of vacating the director’s seat on the Saw franchise, Darren Lynn Bousman has returned to the series that gave birth to his career as a staple within the horror genre.  As the latest instalment releases in cinemas across the country, Spiral: From the Book of Saw (read our review here), our…

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Film Review: Ema is an alluring, invigorating and breathtakingly hallucinogenic drama from Pablo Larrain

Ema tells the story of the titular lead (Mariana Di Girolamo), a young insatiable dancer who is on a quest to bring her family back together. She is currently estranged from her husband Gaston (a brilliant Gael Garcia Bernal), the director of the dance company she performs. The couple had encountered problems with their marriage…

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Film Review: Spiral: From the Book of Saw is politically minded and incredibly grisly

Defying the critical odds in 2004 and spanning an unlikely 8-film-strong series in the process, the original Saw became much more of a phenomenon than expected, and, arguably, than originally intended.  Often synonymous with the horror sub-genre of “torture porn”, James Wan‘s grimy, low budget affair delighted in its gory aesthetics, but tried its best…

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You Am I

Interview: You Am I’s Russell “Rusty” Hopkinson on recording The Lives of Others remotely, Mexican psychedelic 45’s and Chuck Berry

You Am I will release their eleventh studio album tomorrow, The Lives of Others. It’s been six years since their previous album was released, Porridge & Hotsauce, and hasn’t the world changed since then. In February they released the first track off the album, the highly lauded “The Waterboy”, and the rest of the album…

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Babe Rainbow

Album of the Week: Babe Rainbow – Changing Colours (2021 LP)

It’s not uncommon to link a song or artist with a person, place, thing or memory. Music plays a massive role in association throughout your life, whether it be through a good or bad memory and experience. For me, since first hearing Babe Rainbow during their “Secret Enchanted Broccoli Forest” era, every time I hear…

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Film Review: Those Who Wish Me Dead is an efficient actioner that modifies the western genre

Adhering to a similar action efficiency of his penned Sicario, though not quite as emotionally rousing as his own Wind River or near-note perfect Hell Or High Water, Taylor Sheridan‘s Those Who Wish Me Dead is nonetheless a strong continuation of his brand of modifying the western genre. Adopting an environmental temperament and leaning into…

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The Rose Daughter

Book Review: The Rose Daughter is the latest addition to Maria Lewis’ Supernatural Sisters squad

Dreckly Jones lives by one core rule. Don’t be a hero. She wouldn’t have lived this long without it – and as a 140-something year old sprite that shouldn’t have existed in the first place, that’s no mean feat. But when a group of supernatural beings come to her, begging for help, her resolve is…

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Disney: The Magic of Animation exhibit to bring wonder to Melbourne this winter

Australia’s national museum of screen culture, ACMI (formerly Australian Centre for the Moving Image), has brought the internationally acclaimed Disney: The Magic of Animation exhibit to Melbourne for its Australian debut as part of the city’s Melbourne Winter Masterpiece series. From today, May 13th, through to Sunday, October 17th 2021, the exhibition celebrates a near-century…

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Kyle Jenkins

Brisbane’s Kyle Jenkins leads us through his new solo album Love Lost Love

Brisbane artist Kyle Jenkins is back with the first of two planned solo albums: Love, Lost Love. Released at the end of April, the album is an introspective and philosophical collection of songs that deals with disappointments, disillusionment, longing, and of course, love.  The album’s fifteen tracks have been intentionally left sparse and pared back….

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Interview: Australian actor Finn Little on Those Who Wish Me Dead and bonding with Angelina Jolie

At the age of just 14 years, Brisbane-born talent Finn Little has already amassed an impressive filmography.  After securing the lead role in the Australian drama Storm Boy at just 11, Little has continued his steady rise in the industry with roles in the Netflix series Tidelands, the mini-series The Reckoning, and the Luke Evans-led…

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Romanie

Exclusive Single Premiere: Romanie “Fake Friends” (2021)

  Melbourne based singer/songwriter Romanie is about to release her latest single, “Fake Friends”. This follows on from ” I’m Anything (But Myself Around You).” which was released back in February this year. This is a beautiful track acknowledging that perhaps we aren’t always being the best friend that we could be.  We are thrilled…

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Lucy Lucy

Track of the Week: Lucy Lucy “$25” (2021)

Lucy Lucy is the new solo project for Sydney singer/songwriter Lucy Washington. You might have seen her previously fronting the pop duo Yuma. If you were at Yours and Owls recently, you would have seen her on stage with What So Not. The first track to be released by Lucy Lucy is the banging “$25”, and…

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QT Sydney Gowings

QT Hotels and Four Pillars plan one night only dinner to celebrate Ordered Chaos Gin

When we posted about an exclusive new gin created by Four Pillars and QT Hotels – the Ordered Chaos Gin – in February, even we were surprised at just how much demand came flowing through. Traffic was good that day, and the next, and the next, and the next. Needless to say, something about a…

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Smokehouse

Book Review: Melissa Manning’s Smokehouse is a warm debut that’s hard to pin down

Melissa Manning may be based in Melbourne now, but her connection to Tasmania resounds strongly throughout the stories in her debut collection, Smokehouse. Told in the form of nine interlinked tales, the book follows the lives of a number of residents of a small Tasmanian coastal town. At the centre (and also bookending the collection) is…

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Live Review: The Rubens own the stage as they bring 0202 to the Margaret River

Aussie alt-rockers The Rubens are yet another band who’ve been denied the opportunity to tour their latest album due to COVID restrictions, but they are making up for it right now. In fact, The Rubens have been making hay while the sun shines, travelling the length of the country in support of their latest studio…

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Heartsick

Book Review: Heartsick offers hope to the heartbroken but not much in the way of healing

In Heartsick, journalist and assistant head of content at Mammamia, Jessie Stephens goes undercover in search of the truth about heartbreak. Inspired by her own relationship breakdown and a search for a “book that [she was] fairly certain [didn’t] exist” which could “put into words how [she was] feeling”, this debut work of narrative non fiction looks…

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Alfie Templeman

Interview: Alfie Templeman on Forever Isn’t Long Enough, getting experimental and Kid Harpoon

Alfie Templeman, the 18-year-old prodigal British musician, has released his first mini-album Forever Isn’t Long Enough, following the success of previous collections including Happiness in Liquid Form, Don’t Go Wasting Time and Sunday Morning Cereal. Featuring producer collaborations with UK electronic duo Jungle and music mastermind Kid Harpoon (Harry Styles, Shawn Mendes, Maggie Rogers), Forever Isn’t Long Enough draws…

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Film Review: Fatale is an entertainingly frivolous throwback to the cinematic thrillers of the 1990’s

Fatale tells the story of Derrick Tyler (Michael Ealy), an eager sports agent who seemingly has the perfect life. A rising business, his loving wife Tracie (Damaris Lewis), immense wealth; it sounds like the perfect success story. However, underneath the façade lies a crumbling marriage on the rocks. Through the behest of his friend Rafe…

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JBL Xtreme 3 Speaker Review: Powerful, portable and pricey

I don’t know what JBL did but their speakers lately have been hitting more home runs than the brand usually does. And with this current winning streak, of course the reliable, bass-obsessed brand is going to lift their game for their Xtreme series of wireless Bluetooth speakers. As such, the JBL Xtreme 3 is one…

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Returnal Review: Live, Die, Repeat.

Returnal is, in many ways, the crowning achievement of Housemarque’s journey as a developer. With recent entries standing out as shining examples, from the likes of Matterfall to Nex Machina, and the impeccable Resogun, it’s incredibly satisfying to see a challenging reflex-based rogue-like experience get the royal treatment. Fast-paced action meets a rogue-like structure in…

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Little National Hotel Sydney Review: Designed for city staycations

The gentle tune of minimalism sweeps through Sydney’s Little National Hotel. Opened in September of last year, the latest from Canberra-dominating Doma Group is a conscious push against the often irresistible excesses of big-city hospitality. Not just that, the hotel’s soft, soulful accommodation is an obvious embrace of Japanese-influenced, less-is-more philosophy, gently sketched onto Sydney’s…

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De’Longhi PrimaDonna Soul Review: Wow factor guaranteed

The De’Longhi PrimaDonna Soul is a very expensive fully automatic coffee machine, but it continues the brand’s very solid reputation of putting out class-leading devices designed for hard-to-please coffee enthusiasts. Experimentation sits at the heart of the enormous $2,799 machine, which requires quite a bit of counter space and is perhaps a bit too large…

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Nokia 5.4 Review: Keeping it simple might just be the point

As budget phones begin to adopt more attractive value propositions, Nokia are in a nice position to maintain its reliable reputation, but are they doing enough with the Nokia 5.4? Though Apple is now playing heavily in the mid-range, and wallet-friendly Android options are solid from the likes of Samsung, Google, and Oppo, Nokia still…

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KitKat’s new Australian flavours are some of their greatest yet

KitKat have released a 2-flavour “Dark Down Under” collection that is, in our opinion, some of their finest work to date. The Australian flavours focus on Tasmania and South Australia, creating two distinct ingredients from two of the country’s most abundant produce regions. KitKat Dark Tasmanian Mint makes use to refreshing mint chocolate using oil…

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Spring Loaded

Photo Gallery: Spring Loaded Festival – Randwick (08.05.21)

The Spring Loaded festival is currently touring the country, and came to Royal Randwick in Sydney yesterday. Setup on the lawn at Randwick Racecourse, it was a comfortable and inviting setup to see some of the favourite bands of the last decade or two. It was good vibes all round. The crowd might be a…

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AAT Kings’ Inspiring Journeys plans luxury Dark Mofo weekend tour for next month’s epic Hobart arts festival

Inspiring Journeys, the luxury arm of renowned tour operators AAT Kings, is planning on heading down to next month’s Dark Mofo in absolute style with a four-day excursion. Designed to dive in deep to Hobart’s famously controversial winter arts festival, the immersive luxury tour has been carefully curated to pair the highly anticipated event with…

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Win a double in-season pass to see Spiral: From the Book of Saw starring Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson

Thanks to StudioCanal we have five double passes to give away to the upcoming release of the horror film Spiral: From the Book of Saw, starring Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson, the anticipated continuation of the Saw film series, in Australian cinemas from May 13th, 2021. A sadistic mastermind unleashes a twisted form of justice…

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Rag'n'Bone Man

Album of the Week: Rag’n’Bone Man – Life By Misadventure (2021 LP)

Self-reflection is probably one of the most grounding things someone can do in an attempt to better themselves. Whether it’s stuffing up at work, waking up completely ruined after a big night and wondering where it went wrong, or contemplating a failed relationship, being able to reflect and find those faults allows for quicker fixes,…

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