We listen to a lot of music here at Tone Deaf HQ, and we’re the first to admit we’re perhaps a little biased towards sounds of the Australian variety. We do make the best music in the world, after all.
In honouring our favourite Aussies, we’ve once again compiled a list of the most outstanding local releases you should be listening to right now – whether they’re smaller indies acts or big-name essentials, these are the newest Australian records you should be adding to your ‘must-listen’ list.
Let’s get started.
Left. – Sirens (Create/Control)
It may be early days in 2015, but Sydney duo Left are taking a rather retrograde route with a debut album of curiously nostalgic, noughties-sounding pop.
Left’s first LP, Sirens, is released on February 6 and the lead single “Lay With Me” is a confident, quirky track from the nascent group (their music first surfaced online early in 2014). It’s an up-tempo number, whose somewhat jaunty tone stands in stark contrast to the song’s subject matter, tackling the dark emotions at the heart of a (hypothetical) arranged marriage.
Elsewhere on Sirens, the pretty vocals of singer Sarah Corry and the florid beats from guitarist/producer Jono Graham follow a similar vein to “Lay With Me”. Tracks like “Poison Vine” with its slightly jangly, Foals-influenced melody, further reveal Left’s odd aesthetic – a touch too dark to be pure pop, and a touch too bustling to pass as simple electronica.
Sirens is out now and fans of this quirky take on electro-pop can catch the duo at one of their live gigs in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. (Claire Francis)
Chook Race – About Time (Independent)
Having released the rather well received Powernap cassette in 2013 and the even more impressive split 7” with Sydney’s Unity Floors last year, to say there is an air of anticipation surrounding the release of Melbourne’s Chook Race debut full length About Time, is something of an understatement.
The guitar pop trio – Carolyn, Rob and Matt – recorded About Time over the space of one weekend last month, with Tom Hardisty (Nun, Woolen Kits) at the desk. While it was mastered by the always dependable Mikey Young (Total Control, Eddie Current Suppression Ring), who seems to be the go to guy within the realms of the local independent scene.
About Time is an incredibly enchanting affair from start to finish, with the band’s ability to write exceedinlgy catchy power pop gems, such as; ‘Dentists’, ‘Figure It Out’ and ‘Everyday’, prevalent throughout.
With infectious harmonies on tracks ‘Time’, ‘(Just Can’t) Relax’ and ‘Tables Turned’, and the abundantly obvious jangly guitar influences of the Flying Nun brigade, it’s obvious that Chook Race have layed a fantastic, if at times whimsical foundation with About Time. (Conor Callanan)
Jonny Telafone – Romeo Must Cry (Chapter Music)
The past couple of years have seen RnB soar in popularity, with an explosion of high quality acts revamp the scene through the likes of Frank Ocean, Blood Orange, The Weeknd and Autre Ne Veut.
Repping Australia’s bourgeoning scene is Jonny Telafone, who just dropped his very first full-length LP, the stellar Romeo Must Cry, however this 11-track is ain’t no straight-laced RnB release like the aforementioned.
Melding together the original suave elements of funk, soul and dance, the wizard Telafone tosses the traditional notion of RnB into his bubbling cauldron with monster-like synths, menacing drumbeat and percussions and almost goth vocals to create a futuristic dark RnB record.
Major highlights from Romeo Must Cry include the manic ‘Neuromancer’ which sees Telafone at his most diabolical, pressing hard on the distorted bass button to create a thick layer of industrial sonics.
Coming in at a close second is ‘Carry Me Far Away’, which is dominated by Telafone’s haunting and unforgettable vocals, the artist crying “will be there for me?/will you carry me far away?” before repeatedly questioning “will you stay strong for me?
Romeo Must Cry is a daring first release from an artist that wields a whole lotta potential, and if the studio output is anything to go by – will translate to an insane live show. (Joe Harris)
Dorsal Fins – Mind Renovation (Remote Control)
It seems as though it’s all happening for Dorsal Fins at the moment. Besides signing to Remote Control Records, the band, the brainchild of Liam McGorry of Saskwatch and Eagle & The Worm, have finally unveiled their much talked-about debut full-length album, propelling the release with a well-received first single of the same name. If we didn’t know any better, it looks as though they may be the Aussie it-band of 2015 – eat your hearts out, DMA’s.
While Mind Renovation the album bears all the same quirks and aesthetic characteristics as Mind Renovation the single, including that increasingly worrying reverb wobble that seems to permeate so many Australian indie releases these days (personally, we blame Kevin Parker for that one) and the equally trendy blend of garage sounds strained through a psychedelic filter, it’s a surprisingly variegated and at-times even challenging album.
While the band tout their “organic, no bells and whistles” sound, Mind Renovation is in fact an album marked by excess, in the best sense of the word. Much like labelmates King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and Velociraptor, the band’s sound is a rich and determinedly leftfield tapestry. Featuring dynamic vocals from Jarrad Brown and Ella Thompson, the band’s arrangements are tight and the songcraft is intricate, featuring propulsive drumming, warm horn trills, and spacey guitars that beg for repeated listens. (Greg Moskovitch)
Pearls – Pretend You’re Mine (Remote Control)
The debut album from Melbourne three-piece Pearls is a jewel in the ocean of musical malady, the beacon of hope sighted from a shipwreck, and the glee of buried treasure uncovered.
Dazzling us like a tiara on Oscar night, the opening single ‘Big Shot’ brings back glam rock with a vengeance, and sets it amongst breezy dual girl/boy vocals, and a most infectious pop edge that demands to be danced to.
The rest of the album settles into dreamy indie goodness. Ballad ‘Better Off Alone’ is another highlight, shining iridescently as it bounces off the water in the afternoon sun, where sunglasses are vital so nobody can see the slight tears in your eyes.
‘Dirty Water’ gets the fuzz out and a bit of psych, just when you thought they might play it safe.
Here’s hoping Pearls explore more of their glam rock side in future releases because they’re excellent at it and nobody is really doing that right now. If it’s done well it rules the sea – like pirates used to. Pre order via Polyester Records (Kristy Sullivan)
The Finks – Luckluster (Milk! Records)
Quiet and candid is the best way to describe this unassuming but simply stunning LP from The Finks, the indie Melbourne based folk collective curated by Oliver Metitz.
Recoded inside Metitz’s Sydney Road apartment, the writing of Luckluster has been a three year work in progress.
Opening track ‘No One Writes To The Colonel’ is definitely one of the record’s highlights, waiting a minute (halfway) into the track before opening with the lazily sung “anxietyyyyyy, leaves you with nothing” sets the mood for the rest of the record – a hybrid of indie folk, alt country tinged pop that captures the lo-fi live sound.
Accrording the the band the LP contains “the sound of cars, trams, trucks, taps, toilets, doors, venetian blinds, a crow and a dog” but it also contains 12 of the most stunning, heartfelt, stripped back folk songs you’ll hear this year. This, the first release from Milk! Records for 2015 is an exciting start to what promises to be a very fruitful year for the Melbourne crew.
