Books Editor. An admirer of songs and reader of books. Simon has a PhD in English and Comparative Literature. All errant apostrophes are his own.
Late last month saw Launceston visual artist, songwriter and musician PARKER release her stunning new single, “Become The Fool”. A striking Bauhaus-inspired clip, which was created in Unity, the iconic game building engine, accompanies the single. Check it out below! Stunning visuals aside, “Become The Fool” is a beautiful song in its own right. The…
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The line-up for Boardmasters 2020 has dropped and it is huge! Celebrating its 40th Anniversary, the Cornish-based festival has dropped a hundred plus strong line-up. Skepta, Kings Of Leon, and The 1975 are amongst the headliners of the three day festival. Joining them will be a handful of some of Australia’s finest too. Indie surf rockers Caravãna Sun will take…
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Northern Beaches multi-instrumentalist Charlie Gradon has dropped “Grieving”, his new single, and the first taste of his forthcoming sophomore EP, Blurry Ones. Created in his bedroom studio, the nostalgic track documents the bleak moments of a pretty bleak week. With a near death experience, an album lost, and a band broken up, it was far…
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Last September saw American psych synth rockers Moon Duo release Stars Are The Light. For their seventh album, the duo moved into new territory, drawing influence from the world of disco. This week the band bring the record down to Australia. Kicking off on February 9th in Hobart the tour will take in the East…
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Following a massive 2019 where he played shows and festivals all across Australia, New Zealand, the UK and more, Perth-based singer-songwriter Ben Catley has dropped his new single: “Run”. Describing “Run” as energetic and up-tempo is an understatement. Catley’s guitar work on the track is frenetic and blistering. Whilst, the track might be inspired by…
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Edinburgh-based singer-songwriter and visual artist Hailey Beavis released her new EP, Whatever You Feel I Do Too, earlier this month. Recorded at Pumpkinfield Studio, near Perth (Scotland), the EP is the second release on OK Pal Records, the label Beavis founded alongside her friend Faith Eliott in 2018. Kicking off the EP, is the beautiful…
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“Softly” is the new single from Canadian band Heaps. Formerly known as The Kents, this is the group’s first single under their new direction, with a full length album to follow. The forthcoming album, What Is Heaps, and the new single, were recorded at Union Sound in Toronto. The quartet enlisted Leon Taheny (Fucked Up,…
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“Given Up On Hope” is the new single from Faroese singer-songwriter Sigmund. Recorded last year in an old knitting factory, the track is Sigmund’s first ‘new’ release since 2014. It’s a short, sweet injection of twangy bluesy rock; and I’m very much here for it. I stumbled across Sigmund and his music almost by accident….
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Flying Lotus makes his long-awaited return to Australian shores this week, bringing his cosmic 3D live show to a series of East Coast dates this weekend. Whilst in the country the LA artist will be hosting a handful of exclusive and intimate in store appearances, taking place at Melbourne’s Northside Records and Sydney’s Network Connections….
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Formed in 2014, Samoaja are a four-piece ‘Landscape Pop’ band from Finland. Musically, the group blend Nordic soundscapes with a modern folk sensibility and haunting melodies. It all makes for a sound that is high on the atmospherics and ambience. Earlier this month, Samoaja kicked off 2020 with the release of their new single, “Their…
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Ahead of his debut Australian headline tour this week, UK-based singer-songwriter Nathan Ball has dropped his mesmerising new single, “Borders”. As singles go, “Borders”, is understated and subtle in style and the delivery of its message. Beautifully melancholic and ethereal, the tone is set by the guitars, but cemented through Ball’s atmospheric vocal melodies. Despite…
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Ahead of the release of their debut EP Get Bleak this Friday Toronto’s Ducks Unlimited have shared their delightfully jangly new single “Gleaming Spires”. The single is bright, effervescent, and completely infectious. So much so I’ve found myself putting it straight into high rotation. You’d also be forgiven for thinking they might be an Aussie…
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With summer officially arriving at the end of the week, we’ve found the perfect track to soundtrack those lazy days at the beach, by the pool, or tucked away in air-conditioned bliss. “Sleepyhead” is the debut single from Bronte Public Housing, the brainchild of Sydney’s Jimmy Heathwood, frontman of Hiaground. It’s a bright and dreamy…
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Australia’s premier queer arts experience Midsumma Festival have tonight launched their 2020 program and is set to be bigger than ever, with the festival taking over ninety eight venues across Melbourne’s CBD and outer suburbs. Running from January 19th to February 9th 2020, the festival will showcase a spectacular array of performances, exhibitions, talks and…
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Earlier this month Brisbane rockers Port Royal dropped a new music video for their single, “That’s How You Want It To Be”. The track, which champions the idea of doing things your own way, is from their forthcoming EP Golden Years, which will drop next year. The single is brimming with feisty riffs and plenty…
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Award-winning author Margaret Atwood will be making her way down to Australia early next year for a series of ‘In Conversation’ events across the country. Margaret Atwood is the author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry and critical essays. Her novels include Cat’s Eye, The Robber Bride, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin and the MaddAddam Trilogy. Her 1985…
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Award-winning Brisbane singer-songwriter Jeremy Neale has returned with new single, “Everything I Do Is Replaced By Two”. The track is the lead single from freshly announced forthcoming record We Were Trying To Make It Out, which will be released February 28th 2020 via Dot Dash and Remote Control Records. The single and album follows on…
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Late last month raucous Sydney trio Crocodylus dropped their latest EP: Enjoy. Featuring singles “Ghosts” and “Adrenaline”, the seven track EP gives fans everything they’ve come to expect from the band: tempo changes upon tempo changes, grungy riffs and plenty of swagger. Currently out on the road touring on the back of the EP’s release,…
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London-based eight piece funk and soul outfit Crowd Company have today dropped their delightful new instrumental, “Express 76”. The up-tempo and high impact new single also has the group expand their number. The track features guest appearances from sax and trumpet virtuosos Ryan Zodias and Eric Bloom from the veteran US funk band Lettuce. “Express…
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Last week Melbourne singer-songwriter Munro Melano dropped his new single, “Cannonballs”. The track is the second single to be lifted from his forthcoming self-titled debut album, due on November 7th. A week on from the release of the single, we’re stoked to bring you the exclusive premiere of the accompanying music video. Produced by long time…
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Today the Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher have announced the winners of the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards for 2019. These awards are given in recognition of the significant contribution literature, history and poetry make towards shaping our Australian identity. The Awards are presented across six categories:…
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Darwin songwriter and producer Ben Allen a.k.a Broadwing released his new single “Wasp” on Friday. The single is his first official release since 2015 and the first taste of his new album Lumen, which is all set for release on November 15th. Today we’re excited to bring you the exclusive premiere of the single’s accompanying…
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London-based group Los Bitchos last week dropped their latest single, “The Link Is About To Die”. Produced by Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos, the track is an intoxicating blend of instrumental cumbia, psychedelia and garage rock. Although they reside in London the band have quite an international flavour, with members hailing from Perth, Montevideo, Stockholm and…
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In a surprising turn of events Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo have been jointly awarded the 2019 Booker Prize for Fiction for The Testaments and Girl, Woman, Other respectively. Whilst it is not the first time the prize has been awarded jointly, the rules were changed back in the 90’s to rule out such an occasion. But, cut to 2019…
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Ahead of the release of the deluxe repackaging of his debut album Amir, the Belgian-Egyptian singer-songwriter Tamino has dropped an early demo recording of album track “Tummy”. Tamino, who is of Belgian, Egyptian and Lebanese heritage, appeared on the scene last year with the release of his debut British single, “Habibi”, a song which quickly…
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To celebrate his recent signing to 4AD / Remote Control Records, US artist Spencer. has dropped new single, “Automatic”. With its retro groove and mesmerising bass line, the single is oozing both cool charm and confident swagger. There’s plenty to be confident about too, with the twenty year old garnering some serious buzz in his…
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Sydney pop-punks Sal & The Mandas have returned with their swaggering new single, “Stoic Soul”. Recorded in Sydney’s inner west, the band have teamed with Ben Salmon for a track that is not short on energy, pace or attitude. With the promise of an EP and an Aussie tour still to come, “Stoic Soul”, builds upon the…
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The London and UK Jazz scene has been undergoing something of a renaissance lately, thanks in part to a handful of select labels and up-and-coming artists. One such rising star is the award-winning bassist Daniel Casimir, an alumnus of the Birmingham Conservatoire, and regular fixture on the UK scene, having worked alongside the likes of Nubya…
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You might remember Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Reuben Apirana a.k.a. Camp 8 from when we featured his debut single “Everything” earlier in the year. Well, he’s back with two new tracks, “Barbie” and “Shudder”, and whilst Barbie might be the ‘single’, “Shudder” is too beautiful to overlook. The two tracks once again feature Hayden Calnin on production…
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Earlier this week Perth soul band, Randa and The Soul Kingdom dropped their infectious new single “Put Your Hands Up”, along with an accompanying music video. To celebrate they’ve also announced a handful of tour dates in WA and VIC. Based in Perth, the six piece have released two albums on London label Freestyle Records,…
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