As the first week of December comes to a close we’ve updated our Discovery playlist on Spotify and Apple Music with ten new tracks, including one we premiered the music video for earlier in the week. And, with Christmas only a few weeks away we may have snuck in a festive track or two too.
Our Track of the Week is “More Than What I Am”, the brand new single from WA trio Yo Yo Sun. Produced in Fremantle, according to the band the track is all about longing and doing whatever it takes to get what you want. Yo Yo Sun are a band we’ve featured on the playlist before and they’re continuing to go from strength to strength.
“More Than What I Am” sees the band go “big”, with a bold, sweeping and cinematic soundscape. It’s all very sophisticated and polished, with added strings and percussion; but what really engages is that strong, emotive central vocal. We can’t wait to hear what the band does next.
“ICK” is from Anya Alchemy, a singer-songwriter from the Dandenong Ranges, Victoria. Anya is very early on in her career – this is only her second single, and she is very much one to watch. “ICK” is packed with attitude and oh, so very addictive.
Also added to the playlist this week is “Right Time”, the latest single from Barcelona’s Bloomhaus. “Right Time” will hook you right from those opening bass lines. Vibrant and full of brightness and light, the vibes are on point on “Right Time”. It’s playful, funky and undeniably feel-good – just what we all need right now. The press release suggests it’s the sound of late summer – but it works just as well in the early stages too. The track also comes from the band’s debut album, Endless Hours, which is all set for release in early 2025.
In exciting news today, the much-loved Mallrat has announced that her next album, Light hit my face like a straight right, will be released on the 14th February 2025. Do certain landmarks trigger strong memories? Especially when returning home ? “Horses”, the track from Mallrat, also released today, captures these feelings beautifully.
Award winning New Orleans band Hot 8 Brass Band are back with a new album for 2025 – Big Tuba. The new album announcement comes with a new single, a cover of the Bill Withers classic “Ain’t No Sunshine”. The album will be the band’s first new music since 2019, and “Ain’t No Sunshine” was inspired by the loss of Bennie Pete, the band’s co-founder and sousaphone player, and several influential women in the band’s lives. Heartfelt and triumphant the band breathe new life into an American classic infusing it with their trademark second-line sound.
Sydney’s Pinky Ring have dropped ‘China White’, a track written in the immediate aftermath of significant trauma, as Samuel Vickary of the band explains – “‘China White’ was written a few hours after a long term relationship ended, I couldn’t think of anything to help other than get absolutely cooked. The verses are me telling myself it doesn’t mean anything to me and the chorus is the realisation it actually does.”
We love the energy of this. It’s potent and rousing. The band draw you into their stories and you are with them every step of the way. You can catch them on Sunday 15 December at the North Gong Hotel in Wollongong supporting another AU favourite, Little Green.
In a nod to the impending chaos of Christmas, we’ve also included “Leave It All Behind”, the latest indie-folk single from Diving At Dawn. The track was composed one Christmas whilst snowed in at a remote cottage in the Scottish Highlands. But, don’t worry this is not a saccharine or cloying festive number. Uplifting, emotive and full of heart “Leave It All Behind” is devised as a wake up call to stop living in the past and to take a leap of faith. It’s beautifully realised and whilst not a Christmas song as such, it’s close enough for this week.
“Slow Burn” from Naarm/Melbourne via Walyalup/Fremantle indie-pop trio the stamps features beautiful harmonies and an upbeat instrumentation, singing of the frustration of playing telephone tag with a friend separated by oceans, and failing. Their harmonies, guitars and storytelling have them standing out from the crowd. There is something special that glistens about them. Get on board now.
Also added to the playlist this week is new tracks from Brooklyn indie quintet April Fools (“Sleeping On The Train”), and our exclusive video premiere from BELLA DEER (“In The Nebula”).
Catch all the new music updated every Friday on Apple Music:
and on Spotify:
Here’s the complete list of new additions this week:
Yo Yo Sun “More Than What I Am”
Anya Alchemy “ICK”
Bloomhaus “Right Time”
Mallrat “Horses”
Hot 8 Brass Band “Ain’t No Sunshine”
Pinky Ring “China White”
Diving At Dawn “Leave It All Behind”
The Stamps “Slow Burn”
April Fools “Sleeping On The Train”
BELLA DEER “In The Nebula” [Exclusive Video Premiere]
