Community radio music directors often have an encyclopedic knowledge of local music and an insatiable thirst to keep their ears ahead of the curve. So in this Tone Deaf series, the Australian Music Radio Airplay Project (Amrap) invites music directors to highlight new Aussie tunes that you might have missed.
In this edition, Amelia Jenner from FBi Radio in Sydney contributes with a selection of tracks currently making their way to community radio through Amrap’s music distribution service ‘AirIt’.
Check out Amelia’s selections below and if you’re a musician you can apply here to have your music distributed for free to community radio on Amrap’s AirIt.
This week’s 7 best Australian bands
Death Bells – ‘Only You’
I’ve been a fan of Death Bells for a while now, and their debut album Standing At The Edge Of The World certainly didn’t disappoint, a true hallmark of excellent local, DIY production.
‘Only You’, in my opinion, is the standout on the record. It’s a hearty mix of Ian Curtis and Morrissey-style bravado, served up in a uniquely Sydney post-punk manner.
Death Bells also run their own label Burning Rose home to other local punk acts such as Buzz Kull, Publique and Dormir. Keep an eye on these guys.
Chela – ‘Bad Habit’
I’ve been waiting for Chela’s big pop moment. ‘Bad Habit’ is it. It’s everything a good pop song should be; catchy, danceable, and powerful.
Chela has only released a handful of singles over the past few years, but each time they get better and better. I can only imagine the gold she’s got stashed away under her mattress.
HTMLflowers – ‘Chrome Halo’ feat. Banoffee
‘Chrome Halo’ is the first and only taste we’re heard of HTMLflowers’ new album of the same name, coming out in a few weeks on Wondercore Island, and I’m here for it. Do yourself a favour and smash that pre-order button, and support this amazing musician, writer, visual artist and person. I think this album is gonna be pretty spesh.
Wafia – ‘Bodies’
Arguably Wafia’s catchiest track to date, ‘Bodies’ is a personal tale of her family’s struggle to escape the ongoing civil war in Syria, and to attain refugee status in Australia.
She’s masterfully juxtaposed lyrics about the war with upbeat pop instrumentals, with the aim of reaching a wider audience than those already concerned with the Syrian conflict. In doing so, she’s created one of the most memorable pop tracks to come out of Australia this year.
Keep an ear to the ground for her forthcoming VIII EP
Georgia June – ‘Cool’
‘Cool’ is the debut single from Sydney-based indie-rocker Georgia June, and it’s the angsty teen anthem we’ve been waiting for. She’s also just released another banger called ‘Broke’. Listen to ’em both together, they’re the perfect pair. Georgia’s on fire – go Georgia!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guVrtUS-3RU
RVG – ‘Quality Of Mercy’
‘A Quality Of Mercy’ is the title track of RVG’s brilliant new album. The track was born from lead singer Romy Vager imagining herself in the mind of the Bali Nine. It’s a song about empathy and perspective, both of which seem to be in short supply in Australia at the moment, especially among those in power.
The album is a powerful pub rock record that centres around the myth of the tortured artist and about the isolation of being trans. It’s still relatively fresh, but it already feels like an Aussie classic.
DIN – ‘Jinni’
‘Jinni’ is the debut release from Sydney based duo DIN, which is a new collaborative project between Rainbow Chan and Alex Ward (Moon Holiday). DIN has emerged as an outlet for their more experimental club leaning productions which is perfectly exemplified in Jinni.
If you get the chance to see them live, do it!
