Music is literally pumping out of every pore of this country this week, as the year well and truly kicks into gear. It can start to actually get overwhelming to hear so much new music being released, but that’s the point of my playlist! Ten songs, of varying styles, to get into each week makes it easy to digest!
We start with the brand new track from Okenyo. This soulful dynamo is building towards an album release in 2018 when she’s not starring in TV shows (Check out Sisters). ISO is the newbie it jumps out at you with its crisp production, stand-out vocal and a smooth af transition near the end.
Changing gear now, straight into your own garage, with the new Straight Arrows track. This Sydney four-piece have been plying their trade for over ten years now, but it’s ok if you haven’t seen them, that’s about to change. Lo-fi, straight to the point and fun as hell, Out and Down, is the track we all wish we could make in our own car-hole.
When did Mallrat get so good? Of course, her track of last year, Better, was a huge step in a new direction for the young Brisbanite and this track sees her heading skywards. Literally. UFO gets us all cosmic with an airy beat, some floating vocals over the top and the unmistakable rap voice of Allday in the middle. Digging this tune big time and 2018 will be huge. SXSW and a new EP to come.
I am literally frothing over a new album from The Presets. Long player number four (called HI VIZ (shoutout to Frenzal?)) is due out this year and if Do What You Want didn’t get you excited enough, take a listen to this one. 14U+14ME (read it as One For You and One For Me) is another pumper of a track delivered in that distinct Presets style. Drop a hella beat, add a minor monotone verse and then yell a chorus over the top. It bloody works, y’all. Get hyped.
Remember Kids? Remember Electric Feel? Yes, those New York retro-synth lords, MGMT, are back with a killer album, Little Dark Age. Ok, this track speaks to me, not only because they say my name like twenty times (yes, hello, that’s my full name), but it’s a beautiful homage to euro-synth pop. A funny fact for this song, however, it was originally “Me and My Girl”. LOL. Bliss out, kids.
While you’re thinking about 2007, just go back a few more years to 2004 when we first heard Missy Higgins. That distinctive Aussie twang from Missy is back in Futon Couch, a poppier number from the beloved songstress. Her voice evokes another time, but it’s great to hear it in a new way, and with a new album on the horizon and bloody massive support with Ed Sheeran coming up, 2018 is set to be Missyive. Oh god…that was bad.
Straight ahead rock. There’s not enough of it in this country. The Dead Love, from Sydney, have been working hard, touring with Grinners last year and recently announced to be supporting The Barking Spiders (look up who they are). Ordinary is a song that wastes no time. The opening riff has a distinctive feel to it (yeah, it’s not hard to hear a similarity there with a certain 90s grunge band) and then it kicks in hard, relying on a steady bass line below. Some yelly vocals in the chorus and you have a solid two and a half minute rock track. Yeah, baby!
Don’t ever say I’m not eclectic in my tastes. Next we slip into something a little more relaxed. Out of Melbourne, Totally Mild have dropped a brand newie, From One Another and it’s jangly little indie riff are gorgeous for a sunny day rolling down the road to the beach (Yes, it’s still summer!) Singer, Elizabeth Mitchell, has such a sweet sounding voice that it makes you smile. Look out for there second album, Her, dropping in just a couple of weeks!
I cannot write enough words about how much I love Alice Ivy. Everything she releases seems to be coated in a shine that makes me feel fresh, clean and happy. Her debut album, I’m Dreaming, is out as of last week and it’s a sensational debut. Bella is one of the instrumentals from the album with a smattering of Avalanche-esque cuts throughout and an off-beat rhythm that harks back “to the classics”. Listen and you’ll get it.
Lastly, and it’s hard to pick a last song, but I want to introduce you to Spruced Moose. These five dudes from Sydney are fairly new on the scene, but have stepped up their game with this bright little number, Never Over Till You’ve Left. There’s a dancing organ, there’s some toe-tapping fun lyrics and a very cute video clip. It’s two minutes and thirteen seconds that you won’t regret!
I am collating all of the tracks I pick for my weekly playlist into monthly playlists as well (February is here with some bonus A Perfect Circle).
