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, Luke Penman from Radio Adelaide in Adelaide contributes with a selection of tracks currently making their way to community radio through Amrap’s music distribution service ‘AirIt’. Check out Luke’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.
Heaps Good Friends – ‘Let’s Hug Longer’
I’m sure everyone’s already heard of them by now, but they’re still one of the most exciting Adelaide bands of the moment. The lyrics are a mishmash of sentences that shouldn’t go together but somehow do and it turns out to be catchy as hell.
Tom West – ‘Prescription For Reality’
For years, Tom West wrote solo acoustic songs that showcased an excellent singer-songwriter, but it’s his newer works that show his musical vision is grand, and he’s got the ability to bring it to life. Recently signed with Little Acorn and with a set at the Adelaide Groovin’ The Moo, his album’s out in August and we’re expecting big things.
https://soundcloud.com/tomwest/prescription-for-reality-tomwest
Battlehounds – ‘Night Crawl’
These guys have been cranking out quality, dark, hard rock for a while now and just keep getting better with each release. They’ve been a bit quiet for a while, coming back into view to play in front of a few thousand people at the Clipsal 500 in March. Now back with a new EP and a national tour, they seem more focused than ever.
PNK FME – ‘Fell For It’ feat. Zephyr
Kind of chilled but kind of epic, this one surprises me all over again with each listen. Zephyr’s rap is a great addition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIez5AstltU
Hana & Jessie-Lee – ‘Eight Tonne Shackles’
Hana Brenecki’s been my favourite Adelaide singer since I first saw her in a punk band. When I heard she was moving towards country music I was disappointed but not overly surprised. She’s got quite a range, often moving between delicate and ball-tearing in the one song.
Urtekk – ‘New Aeon’
These guys were very quiet for far too long, and it’s great to see them back again with a new song and heaps of gigs coming up. Billed as a ‘live electronica’ band, make sure you see them if you get the chance. It’s quite an experience.
Sitara – ‘Oh Mama’
It’s been a few years since we’d heard from sister duo Sitara, but they’ve been hard at work. Gearing up to release a ‘visual album’ in June, if the first single’s anything to go by, it’s gonna be something.
