This is fine.
Maybe you thought we were done previewing bands for SXSW this week? Well maybe you thought wrong! We were not quite finished with all of our previews and have one more for you today coming from Australian based upstarts Hachiku. These are some great and thoughtful responses, and we super appreciate these and all of the responses we’ve received so far. See ya out there! Hit the jump for interview from Hachiku along with tunes and set times.
It is upon us and here people. SXSW music officially kicks off TODAY and while most of the ATH staff is stuck at work, you should be out and about or at least prepping for the week ahead. We are super pumped today to finish off our preview interview series with possibly our favorite band coming in to town this week, Australian buddies Delivery. They smashed it out of the park with these responses and we hope you’ll enjoy them as much as we did. Full responses along with set times and music can be found after the jump.
While we admit to throwing certain generic modifiers into a lot of posts (unfairly so, occasionally), but as unfortunate as that can be, there’s no better way to turn you onto Low Monroe than by depicting them as the bastard child of Bauhaus and Joy Division. When listening to their new “Deviant Hotline” tune, you can hear the darkness, but like the aforementioned Manchester outfit, there’s a buoyancy to the shadows, particularly in the drive of the rhythm section. Guttural vocal tones give you that intoxicating stomach knot, built upon anxiety and primal desires, coating the tune in this ominous texture. You deserve post-punk like this. Go ahead, get lost in the darkened corners of this great jam.
There’s a new project coming out of Melbourne that I just couldn’t wait to share with you: Tag Dag. While the tune below is filled with ripping guitar licks and feedback, the project is mostly offered up as a bedroom recording, so you can hear a certain level of sincerity coursing through its center. The vocals, for their part, carry that weight, taking on a subtle softness that perhaps reveals a softened melodic push that Tag Dag want to bring to their sound. It’s a nice little balance, with walls of noise heavily dancing around that beautiful core. Plus, there’s some added “whoa, whoas,” and that never hurts anyone.
You may have your day filled with your go-to jams and your playlist is set, but if you do anything for your own well-being, you must listen and include this new track from the Great Divides. Set upon a fairly simple musical background, the vocals enter with that indifferent swagger that’s made Melbourne one of our favorite musical scenes over the last few decades. Those moments are perfectly, letting the rhythm and the pulsating keyboard notes accent the track, but the chorus is something wholly different. The vocals fall into an accompanying duet, buoyed by sharper strings and a swelling of grand pop that simply sweeps you away; I live for these sort of pop moments, and store them in my brain for rainy days. The group will release (I’m Sure) on November 15th via Spoilsport Records.
I’ll admit, I didn’t have a ton to run today, so I went to my reserves folder, as I sometimes do, which is where I picked up this Glas Nost single. The Australian group’s been around for a few years, and they’ve got this sort of darkwave post-punk vibe that definitely feels perfect as we gear up for the spooky season. There are tons of little sprinkles of synthesizers in this, layering the dark shadows with little pop elements that allow the tune to walk the fine line between the edgier side of post-punk and pop vibes. Give a listen.
Today the ladies are belting it out; we had UV-TV and Rose earlier, and now the howling pipes from Charlotte Gigi keep me coming back to this fresh tune from Melbourne’s It Thing. Upon a few run throughs, I’ve decided that this track is definitely a war between the discordant ringing of the guitars and Gigi’s voice; they have this sparring swirl, almost like a call-and-response between one another. It gives the song a natural tension that allows for the track to seduce the listener whilst it carefully moves towards its quick finish. A pretty special opening track from their new Spirit Level EP, out next week via Marthouse Records.
A month or so ago, our friends down in Melbourne, Pop Filter, tossed a new track our way, with a slight hint that more would be on the way…and thus here we are. This new single offers a glimpse into the songwriting process of the group, having been playing together for nearly two decades, they’re carefree and driven by the joy of one another’s company, leading to a diverse collection of tunes. You’ll hear a stabbing bit of synth work running through this tune, punctuating the bob and weave of the rhythm section that certainly propels the tune. As you settle into the song being a sort of pop jam, they open up into a rolling rock moment with Lachlan punctuating the track with a heavy drum roll and thumping burst of vocals. They continue to push themselves, and in that, their new record Ray and Lorraine should be something special, coming out on October 4th.
One can’t run away from their Britpop past, and as an avowed fan of that era, this track from the Burbs feels right at home in my listening today. That being said, the Melbourne outfit have these little subtle classic rock flourishes too, sort of holding onto nostalgic tendencies while they continue to push themselves. It’s like Oasis got stuck in a pit of quicksand, as they try to escape, the vocals seem like their drifting into the ether, which gives it more of a Pink Floyd vibe. A lot of buzz behind this outfit, so expect to hear more as we push towards the year’s end.
Felt like the best way to begin a Friday was with a solid bit of rock n’ roll, though of course it would also come with a little melodic morsel to sample, like this ripping new Sylvia tune. They’ve just recently dropped EP II, and while I didn’t catch on until just now, you can bet I’ll have you cranking up your speakers immediately. The tune rushes right in with this shattering smatter of noisy discord, all centered around singer Gemma’s voice. Something about the vocals comes across as a bit pensive; they seem dreamy, sure, but they kind of feel as if they’re more of a place of solace amidst the band’s brash sounds. Sample this tune, then go check out the rest of EP II.
