As we hit the half way point of 2021, there’s been an extraordinary level of great new music released week in, week out this year; especially in the months April through June. From Wolf Alice to girl in red, London Grammar, EJ Worland and Martha Marlow, the second quarter of 2021 has seen a variety…
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Drenched in nostalgia and melancholia, Lucy Dacus does sadness at its best and most potent. Now onto her third album, Dacus returns with Home Video, eleven songs that are a deep dive into her coming-of-age years in suburban America. Written mostly from a bibliographical viewpoint, much of Home Video is Dacus exploring her own being,…
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Less than 18 months since releasing the exemplary The Piss, The Perfume EP, Hayley Mary has returned with The Drip, a seven-track EP that will continue to assert her place as one of the leading Australian vocalists and musicians. More than a decade since first breaking through as the leader of The Jezabels, Hayley Mary’s…
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After ever-so quietly building up a small catalogue of first rate singles, 2020 was set to be the year Sly Withers broke through with their brand of melancholic punk. All their ducks seemingly beginning to align, the capitulation of the world as we know it only proved to be a small speed bump for the…
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On the back of the world-beating and completely dominant Visions of a Life, Wolf Alice were always bound to make another great album; we just didn’t know if it was going to be straight away or in a couple of albums time. I’m here to say their new album, Blue Weekend is that next great album….
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Returning to play a hometown show for the first time since releasing their stellar second album, Middle Kids brought more than their A-game to Sydney’s City Recital Hall as they tore through a career-spanning set and set a new high standard for what you should expect from the band. Opening up the night was The…
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Surely everyone went through a pop-punk stage during their teens, right? It makes sense though. Growing up through late primary school and early high school listening to whatever your parents listened to or whatever was on the communal house radio (maybe I’m showing my age), your early teens were generally the first time you got…
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In a time like 2021 where disease and virus feels like its just around every possible corner, even for those of us whom are relatively healthy, you some times forget the risks and struggles many others go through to try live their lives without getting more sick. Every day on the news you hear about…
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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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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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Hot on the heals of the release of his debut EP in early April, EJ Worland hit up Mary’s Underground in Sydney on Saturday night to showcase the best of the EP to a keen and loyal home town crowd. With the release of No One Left to Blame still fresh in the mind, and…
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Every good road trip needs a playlist that tracks the highs and lows of the trip. From those opening hours where excitement reigns, to the middle hours where the enthusiasm ebbs and flows, before picking itself up again just as the trip reaches its culmination. For girl in red, it’s these road trips that helped…
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The older I get, the more I realise it really doesn’t matter what people think about you and what your hobbies, style or tastes in the things are. Now in my late 20’s, I’ve come very comfortable listening to (and reviewing for that matter) albums and artists younger me wouldn’t have given the time of…
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I vividly remember the first time I saw London Grammar live. It was at Falls Festival Byron Bay in 2013/14 just as the band had exploded on the back of “Strong” and debut album If You Wait. With the sun having just set and vision from the stage obviously limited, frontwoman Hannah Reid politely asked…
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Ever heard an artist you instantly connected with? Like, from the first time you heard their music you just knew they were red hot? Having grown up in a household where I was force fed your 60s, 70s and 80s classics, I’ve developed a strong appreciation for acts who sound like they don’t belong in…
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We’ve been blessed (musically) with a killer opening quarter to 2021, with plenty of stellar and groundbreaking albums and EPs already released, many of which have received our Album of the Week. From Shame to Arlo Parks, Julien Baker, Genesis Owusu and Middle Kids, 2021 has so far seen a variety of albums released that…
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Ben Howard is seemingly a reluctant, successful musician. His ongoing success and acclaim from fans and critics does not always sitting so well with himself. Instead, he comes across as an artist who is consistently and constantly looking to grow and evolve, all while perhaps being held back by his historical success. Having been a…
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The last time I wrote anything about Middle Kids I made a not so subtle comparison between the Sydney band and Australian musical royalty Paul Kelly. At the time, they were touring their debut album Lost Friends and had released a little song called “Mistake”, which I’d go on to call the best song of 2018….
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There was a study done in the past couple of years that showed the likelihood of you not listening to new music or styles increases exponentially the closer you get to thirty years old, and then going off the chart once you past the milestone. Now, I grew up in a house that mostly played…
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Genesis Owusu is an artist in control. Taking a few years to get here, his debut album Smiling With No Teeth showcases an artist well and truly ready to breakdown barriers and take the world on, fifteen tracks at a time. A lengthy debut, Smiling With No Teeth is the sign of an artist not…
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Julien Baker has always been an artist that makes you stop, notice and absorb her talents. Now onto her third album, Baker is as prolifically complete on Little Oblivions as she’s ever been since releasing debut album Sprained Ankle half a decade ago. There’s very little, if any, façade to what pours out in her…
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After a few years between drinks, Tash Sultana is back in 2021 with Terra Firma, the follow up to their much acclaimed and lauded album Flow State. Much like its 2018 predecessor, Terra Firma is an exploration into the soulful and trip driven escapades of Sultana’s mind and musical expertise. With all the groove driven sounds…
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Google defines tenuous as “very weak or slight; insubstantial”. While this could very well be a text book definition of my physique, there’s nothing tenuous about my next claim: Luca Brasi has absolutely crushed their new album, Everything is Tenuous. Returning with their fifth LP, the Tasmanian legends have managed to kick things up a…
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Australia has always been a keen exporter to foreign markets. From traditional resources like coal, wool and copper, to the non-traditional, like Paul Hogan and wine. But, one thing that Australia’s always been pretty consistent in exporting is quality music. Currently, one of Australia’s biggest exports globally is our psychedelic rock scene. Having gradually risen…
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There will always be a place in the musical world for thought provoking rhythm, blues and jazz. The general downbeat nature of the style allows for introspective and reflective songs to reach the masses; and allow any listener to relate to the music irrespective of their preferred taste. For Arlo Parks, she welcomes all music…
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After the absolute shitstorm of 2020, you’d have thought 2021 would hopefully deliver some sort of reprieve. After losing pretty much every avenue of income last year, English band Shame pinned all their hopes on 2021 being the year they could thrive, via touring their new album Drunk Tank Pink. Slaving away through last year…
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the AU review is proud to announce The 40 Best Albums of 2020, from Australia and around the world. Who will top our 12th annual list? Read on to find out, and enjoy streams of the records as you scroll through. 40. San Cisco – Between You & Me After more than a decade together, San…
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It was always going to be hard for The Avalanches to follow up their debut Since I Left You. At the time of its release, it was groundbreaking and re-wrote the way in which music could and would be created. It may have taken them sixteen years to follow it up, but 2016’s Wildflower went…
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YUNGBLUD has been pretty busy since realising his debut album in 2018. With a slew of features and collaborations in the two years since, he’s been pushing the limits on what sound he’s creating and who, as a result, may want to listen to his music. Following a tender single with Halsey in 2019, he’s…
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Musicians like Clio Renner are what makes the musical landscape go round and round. For every act you know as a near household name, there’s those musicians working in the periphery, as touring or session musicians helping create those songs you’ll play on repeat and love year in, year out. And if you’re lucky enough,…
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