As you begin to wrap up your collection of albums to make it through the end of the year, might I suggest you save a spot for Pop Filter, the band that sprang up after Ocean Party. They’ve already delivered some great batches of tunes, but on the first single from CONO, man, you get some full-fledged punching pop rock. In the past, they’re songwriting has flirted with energy, but they’re letting go here, and you’re going to find yourself stomping your feet and bobbing your head as Lach bemoans a mundane existence, begging us all to relax a bit and soak it all in, instead. My favorite moment hits at the 1:35 moment, where the vocals are emphatic, yearning for that youthful exuberance; it reminds me of a more sincere Strokes at their best, and I totally love it. CONO will drop on December 1st via Bobo Integral.
Zac Denton was one of the many heads of the Ocean Party, which to be honest, probably turned me onto the Australian scene as a whole. He was also a member of various other acts from Cool Sounds to Ciggie Witch to No Local and more. Unfortunately, tragedy took Zac away from us, but we’ll always have his songwriting to hold onto. Today, Osborne Again/Spunk/Lost and Lonesome/Emotional Response announce the limited release of some of Zac’s unreleased songs. I’d like for you to slide into this unreleased tune, and I’m not going to go on and on about its finer details, instead letting you just take in the pure joy that is a Zac Denton penned tune. Love, Lust, Lost will be released on August 26th, celebrating Zac’s birthday.
In case you haven’t been following Timeshare, it’s the solo project of longtime ATH fave Jordan Thompson, known to our six readers as one of the core members of the Ocean Party/Pop Filter. This week, Jordan announced the Yellow EP, the third in a series of EPs that sees Jordan work his way out of a period where he says he “was drifting.” Like all his cohorts, Jordan’s songwriting has an indie rock drive to it, though spun with a unique penchant for pop music; you can listen to the joyous chorus here and hear the euphoric that hits when he Maddison Newman joins in with backing vocals. I’m a fan of the way the song’s verses have this forceful nature to it, while the chorus seems more akin to exploratory folk rock; it’s a cool little juxtaposition. The Yellow EP is out on May 8th.
Over the last few months, surely you’ve noticed us hyping up Deuce; it’s the project of our old friend Curtis Wakeling (Pop Filter/Ocean Party) and Kayleigh Heydon. Deuceis an album filled to the brim with these incredible duets, where vocal duties are shared and guitar lines seem to go for a walkabout as they turn and burn in the mix. Honestly, the surprise here, or introduction perhaps, is Kayleigh’s performance throughout; she’s got such a remarkable voice that I wouldn’t be surprised to see a solo effort bubble up on her end in the near future. Still, it’s the way the two play off each other that’s delighted me, which you can hear immediately in the album’s slow-burning opener “Heat Wave.” This album takes time, and actually deserves time, as you’re not going to find a track to skip over. If you do, let me know, and we can talk about it. Stream it all below!
The story of Pop Filter as a band is quite long, although Banksia is their debut LP. But, that story is easy to find for those who wish, so instead, I wanted this post to reflect how the a group of friends was able to cope with tragedy by writing an album full of wonderful pop songs. We dive in a little bit to the process that went into this record, plus, Mark is so kind as to share his recipe for Chicken Fricassee with Porcini Mushrooms; you can really impress your friends with “something you just threw together.”
ATH: The band is essentially a gang of songwriters/friends working together. How does the editing process work for you all? Does is change from songwriter to songwriter, or is there a routine approachyou all use when it comes to completing a track?
Mark: It genuinely changes song to song and album to album. Sometimes things arrive pretty much done, with a lot of parts already written. Sometimes things are jammed into place. Sometimes things sort of accumulate as we record them. With Banksia, because it was all done so quickly, we basically started recording things before wed even heard the vibe of the song. Then figured it out piece by piece, adding things and trusting that Snowy would be able to mix it into a nice shape. Theres a lot on the album that is first or second take. Most of my guitar parts Im just improvising to the song. It was very loose.
ATH: There’s a huge backstory/history to Pop Filter, but does Banksia represent something new, aside from the name? Does it feel like you have to start all over? And to a certain extent, is it a relief to have it under your belt, so to speak?
Mark: It definitely doesnt feel like starting over exactly. It feels more free, in a way. Because were releasing ourselves from the expectations of what being a band means. Were going to be less interested in concrete things like whos in the band, whats the album title, whos putting it out, whats the artistic statement – and more interested in the simple act of getting together and playing music. For me, its a kind of relief to lose some of those more careerist aspects of being in a band and focus on the real reason we play together in the first place, which is because were friends. In a world where the worth of everything is determined by the clicks it garners and the money it makes, it feels like an act of rebellion to focus on togetherness and friendship as the most important thing about an artistic project – rather than focusing on making a product. I think i speak for everyone when I say that I would make these albums with these people even if no one ever heard it and we never showed any of it to anyone. That would be just as valuable to me.
ATH: Is there a story behind covering “Romance at the Petrol Station?” Any particular connection that brought that song into the album process?
Mark: Everyone in the band has always loved that song and that first Stolen Violin record was Zacs favourite album. Lach had wanted to cover it for ages so it felt like the right time to do it.
ATH: Most of this record has been promoted throughout a global pandemic. How does that affect the way you, as a band, go about promoting the album? Plans for any live streamsor that sort now that it’s out in the world?
Mark: We havent really talked about it I guess. Obviously wed be touring if we could. Most of the band is under a serious shelter in place lockdown in Melbourne while Im free and relatively easy in a totally different state so I can at least go to the pub to celebrate the release. No plans for anything yet.
ATH: I admit this is a tough one to answer, but who brought the best songs this go round?
Mark: A lot of the songs were written in the four days we were recording so not many of us were very prepared! I like them all really. They all hit different feelings and vibes for me. I love Curtiss song Visions of You, and Nicks Kit Home, Jords songs didnt have lyrics at first so I loved hearing all the mixes back months later and discovering the songs anew. Jord pushes his voice to these amazing places on his tracks which I think is super thrilling. Dunno, mate. Theyre all good. You tell me!
ATH: Is there a story to your recipe, or any personal significance, other than you just enjoy cooking it?
Mark: I cook this all the time. Its my oh, this, I just threw something together show off dish. It has bugger all ingredients but is stupidly rich and delicious. Its a Marcella Hazan recipe and its like alchemy. I serve it with a crisp lettuce salad with heaps of Olive Oil, Mustard and Lemon. And crusty bread.
Chicken and Porcini Fricassee
A whole chicken – broken down in four pieces. (Keep backbone for stock)
40g Dried Porcinia Mushrooms.
100ml ish of dry white wine. I try to use resiling because I also like to drink that.
A can of Cherry tomatoes.
Salt
Pepper
That’s literally all the ingredients. This recipe rules.
– Soak the Porcini Mushrooms in about 400ml of boiling water for about 20 minutes. Keep them hanging out in that awesome umami mushroom water! Dont throw it away.
– After youve broken down your chicken pat the skin dry and salt and pepper it liberally.
– Get a decent sized pan (I have a biggish stainless steel one) nice and hot and add a big glug of olive oil.
– Place the chicken pieces skin side down in the pan and reduce heat a bit to medium-low. Leave them on that side for like 15 minutes until theyre really brown and crisp. Then flip em and give them another 5 mins.
– Chuck the wine in and let it bubble for a bit until it doesnt smell quite so boozey. About 3 mins.
– Pour in the mushrooms and the amazing juice theyve been soaking in, along with the can of cherry tomatoes, and bring to a boil.
– Turn heat down to low and half cover the pan. Cook for about half an hour. Turning the chicken every so often.
– When the chicken is definitely cooked through but not horrid and dry take it out and set aside for a bit.
– Then you want to reduce the sauce down so its barely watery at all, its just super charged mushroomy, tomatoey slightly wet mush. It will look brown and gross, do not worry. It is meant to look like that.
– When the sauce is thick and mega rich (prob 7ish mins), salt it to your liking and return the chicken to warm through.
– Serve it in a bowl with salad and bread. You can squeeze a lemon over it if this is your thing. You can also garnish with parsley if thats the vibe.
– Impress your friends with something you just threw together
We’re all holed up at home, looking to our favorite artists for glimmer of hope in the world. But, they’ve got to make a living too, so a bunch of Australian labels like Osbourne Again, Hotel Motel, Spunk Records and more have organized the Stay Inside Compilation. 100% of the funds will be split between the bands, many who’ve taken a financial hit. Now, not only do I love the labels and the acts, but it also is our first introduction to Popfilter, a band that features members of our beloved Ocean Party; our first introduction has the band covering “Romance at the Petrol Station” by Jordan Ireland/Stolen Violin. This version seems to strip away some of the darkness on the original, choosing instead to highlight the song’s natural pop sensibility. Future tunes from the likes of Snowy Band and Emma Russack are said to be on their way too!
Ciggie Witch has long been an outlet for Ocean Party member Zac Denton, but on the work for the group’s newest album, they took a more collaborative approach to the recording. In the end, it leaves listeners with a completed sound…details are fleshed out, space is filled…but pop sensibility is ever present. For instance, take the exuberant explosion that jumps off around the 3 minute mark, which comes after a brief interlude of stark guitar work. It continues to amaze me how consistently good these guys are; some artists are prolific to their own detriment, but as Zac and his pals illustrate, there’s not a bad track this round. Mad Music will be released by Lost and Lonesome next Friday (10/13).
In the midst of gearing up for another Ocean Party album, a few members had time to sit down with other friends (somemembers of Totally Mild) and record the latest album from Ciggie Witch.Classic Connection is their first new work since 2014, and it’s pretty much an all encompassing of the guitar sounds of Melbourne; it’s casual and catchy, filled with pop sensibility that’s ultimately undeniable for any listener. Lost and Lonesome is handling the release, and I hope a few copies make it to my side of the pond. Enjoy your morning.
If you haven’t heard of Ciggie Witch, you just need to know that their statement on the world is best summed up in their Facebook page, “classic Melbourne bullshit, never climaxes.” That might turn some off, but for those like me, just gives me more reason to indulge my Aussie obsession (that and a connection to the Ocean Party never hurts). Yep, it’s that classic sound, bright guitars, vocal hooks and a coolness that never seems to fade away. Their album is titled Classic Connection, and it should be on its way June 3rdvia Osborne Again Music.
In case you didn’t hear how happy we were to help with the Ocean Party LP last year…we were, we really were. But, the long story is that I came to the band by way of Curtis W, the man behind Velcro, and one of the core members of OP. He just put up his new self-titled LP, and I think it’s a good bit of tunes to help you see where his songwriting comes from/goes. I think I’m currently stuck on the slight jangle of “Bed Ridden 2.” But, for you newcomers, or fans of Aussie pop, you can currently grab the album for NYOP…though we always encourage dollars going to the bands. Sweet streams.
As you begin to wrap up your collection of albums to make it through the end of the year, might I suggest you save a spot for Pop Filter, the band that sprang up after Ocean Party. They’ve already delivered some great batches of tunes, but on the first single from CONO, man, you get some full-fledged punching pop rock. In the past, they’re songwriting has flirted with energy, but they’re letting go here, and you’re going to find yourself stomping your feet and bobbing your head as Lach bemoans a mundane existence, begging us all to relax a bit and soak it all in, instead. My favorite moment hits at the 1:35 moment, where the vocals are emphatic, yearning for that youthful exuberance; it reminds me of a more sincere Strokes at their best, and I totally love it. CONO will drop on December 1st via Bobo Integral.
Zac Denton
In case you haven’t been following 
Over the last few months, surely you’ve noticed us hyping up 
We’re all holed up at home, looking to our favorite artists for glimmer of hope in the world. But, they’ve got to make a living too, so a bunch of Australian labels like Osbourne Again, Hotel Motel, Spunk Records and more have organized the 
