NEW MUSIC: Acrylic – Money From Home

‘Money From Home’ is the latest single from Gaswegian group Acrylic and what we like about his piece of indie rock is how it dials into a shadowy post-punk melancholy while still retaining a lightness and grace on the surface. You can hear shades of The National, and Midlake in the harmonies and sparkling, interwoven guitars. It’s a sophisticated sound and one that really gets … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Acrylic – Money From Home

NEW MUSIC: Kerchief – Til The End

A sultry slice of indie pop/rock this afternoon from American trio Kerchief. They’ve just released their debut album Fluke and ‘Til The End’ is a great example of the way they subtly approach shimmering and sparkling guitars, softly unfurling melodies and a danceable element that gets under the skin. We’re hearing Jen Cloher and Placebo as possible influences on their sound. Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Kerchief – Til The End

NEW MUSIC: Bollard – TSINA

‘TSINA’ has an unsettling start, it feels off kilter and slightly disorientating. Then things fall into place as guitars drench the song in warm and fuzzy distortion. There’s a really nice blend of styles going on in Bollard’s music. Part, jangly rock, part post-rock and post-punk deconstruction and the verve and carefree noise of 90s rock pioneered by bands like Swervedriver and Sonic Youth. The … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Bollard – TSINA

NEW MUSIC: 100 – Just Us

Crawling out of the Sydney underbelly is 100, a tension-laden quartet with a brand new song to follow-up their EP Cortisone and a split 7″ with Nick Nuisance & The Delinquents. ‘Just Us’ lurches and staggers across the speakers with the creeping malevolence of Jesus Lizard and Nirvana. It’s unhinged yet the band are in full control as they delivered these monolithic crashing post-punk chords … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: 100 – Just Us

NEW MUSIC: FortEver – Hwy 62

Shoegaze guitars that recall Smashing Pumpkins’ Gish, dubbed out hypnotic drums, psych-folk acoustic guitar, MBV trippy effects. There’s a whole bunch of stuff going on in this instrumental track from a Californian act that we know very little about other than it is the project of Scott Fairbrother who has had music placed in a few TV shows and games such as Grand Theft Auto. … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: FortEver – Hwy 62

NEW MUSIC: Engine Summer – Outside The Curtain

There’s a strong LCD Soundsystem sound on this track from the Chicago band Engine Summer. It comes from their recently released EP Indiana. There’s more than just that particular influence going on here though. Bits of post-rock and post-punk are built into the DNA. Skronking guitar notes warble and scatter and the groove is of the utmost importance, much as it is with other contemporary … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Engine Summer – Outside The Curtain

LIVE REVIEW: Khruangbin @ Metro Theatre, Sydney

Khruangbin, Harvey Sutherland Metro Theatre 14 March 14th, 2019 by Chris Familton This was a night of very few voices given that both acts on the bill were primarily instrumental trios. It was the music that did the talking and it transformed the Metro into a wall-to-wall sea of bodies-in-motion and conjured up a celebratory vibe in the room. Harvey Sutherland, the self-described funk-synthesist, was … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Khruangbin @ Metro Theatre, Sydney

NEW MUSIC: Mantell – Can I Set It Right

Last year we posted Mantell‘s single ‘Lulu’ and now they’ve gone and upped the ante with this excellent new single ‘Can I Set It Right’. The tempo is brisk and breezy with cascading guitar melodies over a lazy and choppy Strokes-ish rhythm. The chorus is totally theirs even if it sounds like one of those eternally familiar, catchy indie rock refrains. Since their last single … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Mantell – Can I Set It Right

NEW MUSIC: Deep Sea Peach Tree – Zanzibar

Woozy, aqueous, dreamy, tripped-out vibes are dripping out of the speakers with this great track from NYC’s Deep Sea Peach Tree. It looks like they’ve been around for a few years with some EP and single releases  and an album, Vaguely Navy (2017), already under their belt. Some of their stuff reminds of the much-missed Girls. Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Deep Sea Peach Tree – Zanzibar

NEW MUSIC: Baroness – Borderlines

Baroness have announced their new album Gold & Grey will be released on on June 14 via Abraxan Hymns/Cooking Vinyl Australia. “Our goal is, was, and will always be to write increasingly superior, more honest and compelling songs, and to develop a more unique and challenging sound,” offered Baroness founder, guitar player and vocalist John Baizley. “I’m sure we have just finished our best, most adventurous … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Baroness – Borderlines

NEW MUSIC: Superego – Loose

The tumbling drums were the first thing that caught my ear on this track. A rhythmic collapse into the song as it takes flight on guitars that chime and cascade in shoegaze waves. The vocals are detached, afterthoughts almost. Certainly not central but casually integral to the song as the bassline sways with a dead-eyed swagger and another crashing chorus careens around the corner. Great … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Superego – Loose