Tag: melbourne

Skink Tank Announce New EP

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Skink Tank is another of the great Melbourne acts on the rise, just announcing their self-titled EP this week! While it opens with a soaring vocal over a muted guitar bend, the song quickly moves into a communal pop song, as all three members join in on the joy of singing this song. For me, that’s really what keeps me coming back to the songs this lot are sharing; they’re finding joy in the most mundane of places, finding “something to wake up for” even when the world seems sort of grim. You’ve got to root for the band that claim to be a “wimpy pub rock band,” especially when the tunes lift your spirits like the hits here. Skink Tank EP drops on November 27th via Psychic Hysteria.

Quality Used Cards Share Ripoff Merchant

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Francis Tait has worked in various outfits around Melbourne, but it sounds as if his debut solo record under the moniker of Quality Used Cars might be the one that sort of breaks out into the open. Musical, the song definitely fits into the vibe of the Aussie casual pop, steady and careful, pensive and powerful; you’d be forgiven, too, if you thought you’d heard it before, as the sound has grown increasingly familiar around the world. But, an area that allows Tait to forge his own ground is his vocal delivery. He ends up sounding an awful lot like he’s delivering a sermon about the trials of an employee at his father’s record store…oddly reminds me a bit of Courtney Barnett’s distinctive delivery. Good Days/Bad Days will be out next February via Spoilsport Records.

The Permits Announce Time Permits LP

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I had no idea there was a Permits until the other day, which just goes to show you how important it is to keep an eye on your favorite acts; the band is a super-group of sorts, gathering up members of Chook Race, Dag, Pop Singles and the Shifters to help one another wrap up odds and ends of songs they had left from their various projects. They ultimately recorded the record in a short time with Jesse Williams of Girlatones (who also put out a brilliant LP this year!), then they’ve been working through the pandemic on overdubs and final tweaks. Just one listen, and you get what you’re looking for; you get that nostalgic NYC underground pop sound, spun through the lens of the best musicians in Australia. Pretty much the perfect way to introduce yourself to the world I reckon; Time Permits will be out on November 26th via Tenth Court.

Gregor Shares Final Single Before Destiny Drops

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One of the record’s I’ve really been looking forward to hearing is Gregor‘s new album, Destiny. I just love the craftsmanship of his tracks, particularly from what we’ve heard thus far. For instance, here, it opens with this voice sort of hanging in this sparse musical backdrop. Soon, a beat drops in, swirling with shimmering cymbals and beats to really build this palpable texture that allows Gregor space to offer up his soulful croon. It’s like this magical place where you find trip-hop and lounge music intertwined behind an indie rock curtain. The show must go on, and it looks to be pretty special; Destiny drops on November 13th via Chapter Music.

Time for Dreams Drop New Conflict Dream Video

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Our friends over at It Records some good jams coming your way, so we’re back this week with a spotlight on Time for Dreams, who will have a new LP coming out in early 2021 via the label. On their latest single, they have this sort of new age anti-pop feel to it; its clearly a pop song, but the beats are subdued, almost there as a place holder. But, Amanda Roff’s voice is like finding a sparkling crystal buried in the wall of a some dark cavern, just faintly sparkling and hopping around the 1:31 mark; you sort of have to dust off that crystal to reveal the inherent pop nature of the track, but do so and you’ll be supremely rewarded. Life of the Inhabitant will be out early next year!

Eggy Release Absentia Single off Bravo

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A few weeks ago I encouraged you to dip your toes in the waters of Eggy with their single “Johnny Whoop,” but now they’re here with a more skittish little jingle that should be right up your alley, particularly if you’re a fan of all things Melbourne. It’s got that sort of swaggering gallop that you’d expect as background music to some sort of satanic dance (I was thinking Midsommar here); it sort of leaps and lands, spastically throws this way and that with angular guitar notes cutting in and out of your speakers. It’s that brand of post-punk that begs you to balance the see-saw between exuberance and anxiety…and I mean that as a compliment! And then it stops. Look for Bravo! on Spoilsport Records on November 13th.

Chris Smith Shares Second Hand Smoke Video

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Chris Smith just released his brand new album Second Hand Smoke, and since records never die, we’re encouraging your attention by sharing this video that accompanies the album’s title track. In the video, you’ve got this colorful stop-motion footage, seemingly matching every stretch and stomp of the guitar. The song reeks of a swampy blues, raw and barbaric, with guitar lines snaking around your speakers as sounds of the lonely desert echo through your brain. As for the rest of the record, its as if Smith has just split his chest open with a knife and let his guts spill out before you; you’ll be greeted by an emotional album that will haunt the rest of your day. I’ve been really enjoying “Sunny” and “Animal;” you can find it now via It Records.

Sleeper and Snake Share Shoot Through Video

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Sometimes I like to imagine what my life would be like if I was a Waler Mitty type character, with a soundtrack written for my life. Today, it seems like Sleeper & Snake have done just that, providing me with my own theme song. From the start, the track is fairly relaxed, resting on the joint vocals of Amy Hill and Al Montfort. They don’t seem to be in any rush, just letting life come at them and riding out the ebbs and flows tossed their way. Plus, your life gets its own sax solo, though I haven’t decided if that’s life in its ascendency or on the way out, but a pleasant plot twist in a gorgeous pop song you won’t want to turn off. Fresco Shed is out now via Upset the Rhythm.

Farewell Horizontal Share Where Did All the Fun Go to Die

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Just when you think you have the Melbourne scene pigeonholed, another band like Farewell Horizontal pops its hard offering a slight glimpse at just how incredible the music is in that fair city. I love how this track sort of flirts between the casual pop sounds of the region and this sort of light indiepop. It’s the sort of track you never want to end; you just want the song to kind of hang around in the aura behind you, just lifting your spirits ever so carefully. Pat Walker’s slight little toy with the word “fu-un” really does it for me too…I’m such a nerd that I swoon over little moments like this. This track appears on the group’s new LP, Avoiding the Void, which you can grab for the NYOP right HERE.

Eggy Share Johnny Whoop and Announce Bravo

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We all know by now that Melbourne is a hot bed of incredible tunes, but now Eggy are ready to make their mark with their debut LP, Bravo! They’ve got this sound that seems like its part grungy psychedelia, but then it sort of has this proto pop feel. It’s like they’ve taken the exploratory nature and jammed it up with a bunch of jittery pop nuggets, particularly the way the vocals fall in the chorus. There’s just this unmistakable cool to it, this undefined bad-assery that just makes you want to throw your credit-card down and pick it up. I’m pretty sure that’s a smart idea based on this single alone. Bravo drops on November 13th via Spoilsport Records.

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