Our region continues to impress with its musical output. Here are you April tunes, curated by Zac Fahey.
Saint Barae’s Queer Anthem
Saint Barae has given us his first release of 2021 with the stunning new single ‘Boys!’ In his own words Saint Barae describe the track perfectly - “Boys! is a queer anthem - it's a call for the disenfranchised to storm the dancefloor: glamorous, flamboyant, and most of all, free.” Lush synths and rich layered vocals help create an emotive, powerful soundscape that masterfully sits between dance floor banger and a soundtrack to a Sunday afternoon.
Local Collab Of The Year
The all-star Gold Coast collaboration of the month, and perhaps even the year, is the new track by prolific music makers daste featuring the beautiful vocals of DVNA. ‘here with me’ offers the groove-heavy, slow burning goodness that we’ve come to love from the local three-piece featuring masterfully simplistic production and vocal harmonies that will melt in your ears. A lustful track written on a rainy day during COVID lockdown, ‘here with me’ has us excited for what’s to come on the band’s long awaited forthcoming debut album.
Frantic Post Punk
One of the Gold Coast’s most underrated bands Girl and Girl have just released their frantic post punk single ‘White Tiles’. Charging along with the energetic drumming of Aunty Liss (who is quite literally the Aunty of band member Kia) the track channels the gothic styles of The Cure with a charming nonchalance that will have you hooked from the very first listen. Check out the band’s past singles for more gems like this one.
Low-Key Psych Rock At Its Finest
With the amount of touring and accolades that The Oogars have achieved it’s hard to believe that the local four-piece have only released three singles since forming in 2018. Clearly choosing quality over quantity their latest offering ‘Girl In The Mirror’ is low-key psych rock at its finest, mixing spaghetti western guitar with a lazy rhythm section over a drooling, yet commanding lead vocal. Complete with an excellent David Lynch-inspired video clip that takes a creepy turn, ‘Girl In The Mirror’ was well and truly worth the wait. Check out our interview with The Oogars in this edition.
Raw Deep Keep Us Guessing
Always keeping us guessing with their wonderfully diverse sounds, Raw Deep have just released the melancholy piano rock jam ‘Squeezing My Heart’. Led by the unmistakable vocal of Nathan Lindsay, the track moves along, effortlessly painting a melodic picture of a quest to escape a one-sided relationship. As the sixth consecutive single for the band in just over a year, we are loving seeing the progression from this band and can’t wait for what’s to come.
The Year For Lily Papas
One of the Gold Coast’s most promising upcoming stars, Lily Papas, has released to us yet another single from her forthcoming album with the dark pop anthem ‘Freak’. Complete with a saucy accompanying video, the cinematic track plays out a tumultuous relationship over a driving rhythm and Lily’s commanding vocals. Having just supported Vera Blue for two massive shows at The Fortitude Music Hall and with an album on the cusp of release, surely 2021 is the year for Lily Papas.
Josh King’s Emotive Pop Package
After a string of impressive single releases through 2020, Josh King has stitched things together this month with the release of his debut EP ‘Guess We’re Strangers Now’. Featuring two previously unreleased tracks ‘The Game’ and ‘ I Still Miss You’ the EP is bursting with catchy melodies, polished sounds and slick production. Josh King’s passionate vocal style portrays the running theme of love and heartbreak, offering an emotive pop package that will be stuck in your head all day.
boWsER Just Keep Getting Better
Gold Coast Rock veterans boWsER have released an absolute beast of an album this month titled ’Whispers From The Wicker Man’. Describing the record as “what three dudes making rock music in a dark room sounds like” the 11 tracks draw clear influence from Queens Of the Stone Age, producing a complex, riff heavy body of work full of catchy hooks and intricate musical parts. The kind of record that just keeps getting better with every listen, ’Whispers From The Wicker Man’ is easily one of the strongest local releases of the year so far. Check out our full review by Anthony Gebhardt in this edition.
Harry J Hart’s Pop-Rock Belter
Harry J Hart has made a huge statement with the climatic first single from his forthcoming EP ‘Make It Easy’. Beginning with just a guitar part and Harry’s vocal, the song quickly builds into a fully-fledged pop-rock belter with the help of masterful production and cleaver instrumentation. ‘Make It Easy’ has pop at its core, channeling both the singer songwriter sound of Dean Lewis and the anthemic rock of Sheppard. Impressive stuff here from Harry J Hart.
50 LGE Authentic Vintage Rock
50 LGE bring guitars to the front with their latest vintage rock EP ‘Loaded’. The opening tracks ‘Coachella’ and ‘World’ offer straight up meat n’ potatoes rock n’ roll while the closing two mix things up a bit with the instrumental surf vibes of ‘Hooked’ and the punk attitude of ‘Raising Cain’. Without much of an online presence to speak of and preferring to release their material on vinyl, 50 LGE are as authentic as they come.
Lust Is In The Air
It seems that lust is in the air this month with yet another intimate track here from local favorite Doolie. ‘Woke Up Feeling Dramatic’ offers the signature downtempo R&B/electronica production that has earned the young artist national acclaim and millions of streams over the past few years. Written about the feeling of infinite possibility with a new lover, ‘Woke Up Feeling Dramatic’ is another strong release set to build upon Doolie’s growing profile.
Candice Dianna’s Powerful Tribute
Candice Dianna is channeling some serious RnB vibes on her powerful new single ‘Love Peace Help The World’. Inspired by the final words left by Candice’s late nephew who tragically took his own life at the age of 17, the track was released on the one-year anniversary of his death to help spread his message further. Truly stunning stuff here from Candice Dianna.
Cameron Maher Speaks From The Heart
Local multi-instrumentalist Cameron Maher has followed up his 2020 debut album with the release of another raw and engaging body of work. ‘4 Songs 4 You’ features four vastly different self produced tracks ranging from the piano ballad ‘If I Stayed’ to the up beat pop of ‘I’ve Been Trying’. Traversing young love through musical expression, Cameron Maher’s ‘4 Songs 4 You’ is an authentic EP written straight from the heart.
Satisvibes Bring The Summer Vibes
Satisvibes are holding onto the summer vibes with their reggae-fueled debut single ‘Beautiful Kaos’. Based around a classic one-drop reggae formula, the track pushes along confidently with the help of a tactful horn section and smooth dub production. The first single from a forthcoming EP that was put on hold due to border restrictions, ’Beautiful Kaos’ puts Satisvibes back on track, with a lot more in store for fans in 2021.
The Silencio’s Epic Rock
The Silencio have gone back to back with the release of their second consecutive single in as many months. 'Crossroads' is a truly epic alt-rock track, hosting a plethora of sounds ranging from orchestral moments to heavy rock choruses and progressive instrumentation. The accompanying video reflects on times of isolation and features the familiar sight of band members performing separately at home, with performance footage interspersed with escapist nature shots. With more tracks and videos set to be drip fed to listeners over the coming months, The Silencio plan on painting a full picture ahead of the release of their forthcoming sophomore album later in the year.