Roya is a six piece band from Brooklyn with a strong pedigree: singer Rahill Jamilifard fronts Habibi, drummer Hamish Kilgour is a member of legendary band The Clean, Jay Heiselmann is from the critically acclaimed Grooms, and bassist Alix Brown is previously of The Lids, Jay Reatard and Golden Triangle. This is their latest release, to mark theUS political events of the last 24 hours. Continue reading NEW MUSIC: ROYA – End Times
Music documentaries often follow one of a few common narratives, whether documenting the rise (and often) fall of a band or musician, or following the making of an album or tour. Once More With Feeling fills a couple of different roles in that it acts as a preview and scene-setter for Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ new album Skeleton Tree, released the day after … Continue reading FILM REVIEW: Once More With Feeling
Kim Gordon has kept pretty busy in the last couple of post-Sonic Youth years. She’s continued to work on visual art, collaborated with in Body/Head, released her acclaimed Girl In A Band autobiography and now, with little buildup, she’s released her first single under her own name. Murdered Out was recorded with producer Justin Raisen and is built on a huge lurching drum beat courtesy … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Kim Gordon Releases Debut Solo Single ‘Murdered Out’
Red Bull continue their support of local music with this sponsored show curated by the good folk at I OH YOU. It was a super low door price and first in first served which ensured punters were queuing at the door early. You Beauty had a false start to their set with guitar amp issues causing a minor delay before they returned to the cramped … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Gold Class + Straight Arrows + You Beauty @ Plan B, Sydney (26/08/16)
Originally hailing from Hobart Tasmania, Quivers are now based in Melbourne and have a new cassette/download album out called We’ll Go Riding on the Hearses. Their bio name-checks Townes Van Zandt, Neil Young, The Triffids, The Chills, Twerps and Courtney Barnett which is a mighty fine barrel of sounds from which to draw from in our opinion. On the first single Pigeons they nail a swaying melancholic jangle, … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Quivers – Pigeons
Melbourne Cans made the trip up to Sydney with their soulful, shuffling and shaking sound. There was a lo-fi backbeat to their songs, somewhere between the 80s Postcard Records sound and a woollier Royal Headache. Keyboards took the songs out of straight strum and sing territory, adding a psychedelic feel which worked well. Terza Madre have been gathering a slow buzz and reputation. They are … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Witch Hats, The Laurels, Terza Madre, Melbourne Cans @ Red Rattler Theatre, Sydney (19/08/16)
Witch Hats have a few very good albums under the collective belt but their latest, Deliverance, is hands down the best thing they’ve done. It’s a blistering set of lurching rock ‘n’ roll and in our review we said “They’re firmly in the realm of The Clash, The Drones and The Gun Club yet they’ve dug their own hook-laden hole and decorated it with all … Continue reading SONIC KICKS: Witch Hats
Sere hit the ground running on their debut self-titled release. It’s a three track EP but it could easily be considered a mini album with its 24 minute runtime and the varied terrain they cover. The doom quota is high from the Auckland quartet yet never in a super-serious, studied manner. These guys can hammer down but they also show a desire to expand the … Continue reading EP REVIEW: Sere – Sere
Terry – It’s not the kind of name that screams rockstar or great commercial ambition and as such it’s a fitting moniker for this Melbourne quartet comprised of members of skewed rock ’n’ roll, underground royalty bands such as Total Control, UV Race and Dick Diver. They operate firmly in the realm of woolly and wonky, lo-fi indie rock with a healthy strain of blank-faced … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Terry – Terry HQ
Auckland band Trust Punks return with their sophomore album and in the process they’ve tightened their sound, ratcheted up the tension and broadened their interpretation of post-punk. On 2014’s Discipline they mixed jangling guitars and sparkling, ramshackle melodies and, though those are still a key part of the mix, they’ve now emboldened their sound with a brasher rhythmic attack while bringing in seemingly contradictory sounds … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Trust Punks – Double Bind
Their third album and first in five years, Deliverance is a consistently impressive encapsulation of the evolution Melbourne’s Witch Hats have shown across their records. There’s plenty of dark, lurching rock ‘n’ roll with howling dirges and claustrophobic angst. The bass is deep and heavy, anchoring the songs as they stagger off into Stooges proto-punk, and nihilistic post-punk. The key is the melodies that still burn … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Witch Hats – Deliverance
New Zealand psych pop explorers Ghost Wave have a new LP called Radio Norfolk ready for release on July 9th via Flying Nun Records. It follows their excellent 2013 album Ages and going on this first single, All U Do Is Kill they’ve headed further out into the sonic wilderness. Pre-order Radio Norfolk Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Ghost Wave – All U Do Is Kill
Doubtful Sounds 