Tunesday is here and it’s an eclectic bunch this week! There have been a flurry of exciting EPs, singles and albums lately, but it seems that some old favourites are floating to the top. 2018 is shaping up as a year of music to treat all the senses, and I’m down with that as you can see from this set of ten for the tenth week of 2018.
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HANDSOME is the new moniker for the hugely talented singer and songwriter formerly known as Caitlin Park. Having taken a sideways turn with Late Night Ball Game last year, we are treated to the second song from the project, Save Some Love, and it’s a super jive little ditty. With the meaning behind the song, reminding us to save a little love for ourselves, this track is another little sneak into a project that is certain to turn some heads this year. Slick production, glistening vocals. This is a winner.
Yes, they’re already huge, but it’s hard not to include the brand new track from Flight Facilities. The duo, named after Hugo’s grandfather’s airline company from Merimbula, went completely gangbusters with their debut album of 2014, Down To Earth, and 2018 looks to be when we see their follow-up. Need You is the third cut from their next release and it balances well with what we’ve heard and what we can expect. The vocal you’ll hear on track is NÏKA, (aka Olivia Nott). She’s Georgia Nott’s little sister (Broods) and it’s a beautifully smooth layer on top of the gliding beats from the boys. Pumped for the new album..
Urthboy is a busy lad and doesn’t stop working, advocating causes and generally being a great Dad and all-round top bloke. He has also been quietly creating since The Past Beats Inside Me Like a Second Heartbeat from almost exactly two years ago and decided to put a few tracks together into the five track Turning Circle EP. The final and title track of the EP is a standout and represents a direction that we see Urthboy frequently taking towards reflection, love, introspection and caring for your fellow human.
In what is sure to be one of the top albums of 2018, Camp Cope released their second, How to Socialise & Make Friends last week, and it’s a triumph of songwriting, lyricism and musicianship. (check out my review on Lunchbox here). It’s hard to pick a favourite off such a strong album, but The Omen stood out to me straight away. With a more laid-back vocal from Georgia Maq, we get to enjoy the melodic bass line. It’s an honest and raw song (like most off the album) and if it speaks to you, then it’s doing its job.
When you hear Unknown Mortal Orchestra, even from afar, you can’t miss that unique vocal from a Kiwi that we wish we could own, Ruban Nielson. UMO are well-known for creating tracks that bends genres a bit and this one’s no different. Not in Love We’re Just High is a twisted mix of Prince-like vocals and pulsing synths before a beat kicks in three-quarters of the way in and then drops as quickly as it arrives. Minimal, clever and a little weird. Just like they always are. Nielson describes the track as his attempt to write a UMO version of an Adele piano ballad. Funny too.
When Jaala seemingly came out of nowhere in 2015, we were excited for them, but mostly for us to hear something so fresh and exciting in the local scene. Three years later and whilst we are surrounded by exciting Australian music every day, Jaala cuts through again with Horn, a daring, melodic and exciting tune that takes up higher. In the spirit of other Melbourne acts, Hiatus Kaiyote and Tetrahedra, Jaala have delved further into the world of jazz-infused pop. Cosima Pay’s lead vocals lead the way, but the band support her beautifully, delicately and precisely sticking to the abstract and intricate beat that pops her up around her. Second album, Joonya Spirit, comes on the 20th of April.
It’s a match made in heaven, my friends. Zhu, known for dance-dream-pop like Working For.. and Faded has consummated with none other than Tame Impala to conceive a synthy, dreamy offspring. Pop those headphones on and turn My Life up. Feel the stereo effect bounce around your head, listen out for the organ and the sax, wait for the build-up effect that leads into glistening poppy synth. It’s a combination that could have resulted in some sort of psychedelic glow-stick sucking spawn from hell a neon pit of happiness, but instead it’s blissed out and lovely.
A success story of 2017. Ruby Fields lives on the southern beaches of Sydney, makes her own guitars and may have just finished school. 2018 can now go down as the year she releases her debut EP. You Dad’s Opinions for Dinner is a six track boomer of an EP and starts with this song, Ritalin. Singing about getting paid ten bucks an hour, eating a parma (or parmy depending on where you come from) and masterbating a lot, you are painted a picture by Ruby that makes it easy to relate and enjoy. She asks, “Doesn’t it suck growin’ up?”, but when you’re Ruby Fields, I reckon it probably doesn’t suck.
He’s been called the poor man’s Nick Cave, but baby, he’s so much more than that. Jack Ladder has returned with his (all-star) Dreamlanders to deliver White Flag, a sensual slow-burner of a track in the crooning style that he has become synonymous with. Ladder sings both parts of this duet and produced it himself because he’s basically too damn talented. The bass of Donny Benet and the drumming of Laurence Pike hold up the glistening guitar of Kirin J Callinan and Ben Hauptmann. There is lots to like about this song and we’re looking forward to more. Their fifth album is called Blue Poles (apologies to Jackson Pollock?) and is out on the 4th of May.
The last track in my playlist gives you a chance to get your proverbial cock out and do your thing. ebolagoldfish teach us our ABC’s with this new solid track that picks up with 2014’s Prophet & Loss left off. With slicker and tighter production, it’s a pumping 3 minutes of rock and sees them on their way to finally releasing a new album and doing some live shows. Catch them somewhere on east coast soon!
