Jen Kroher – Being Human
For fans of: mod, triffid
It was a significant release for Clawher, as her fifth album, I Am The River, The River Is Me, comes almost six years after her critically acclaimed fourth album. She has her new band (with only drummer Jen Sholakis left) and a new sound, and on Being Human she’s backed by the full-throated haka of Naarm-based group Te Hononga ongāIwi. Krohar is reclaiming her matrilineal Maori heritage here, but in doing so, she admits that she lives on stolen property herself. – Andrew Stafford
For many: I Am The River, The River Is Me will be released in March.See also preceding single mana Takatapui
Partiboi69 and the Choirboys – Run to Paradise
For fans of: Madonna, Underworld, all the dud rock
The ‘ironic’ comebacks of time-honored Australian classics often come with an ugly stench of macho. The worst people you know are still dropping their pants on Eagle his rock and begging the DJ to play his Horses in his 2022. This ecstatic rework of the Choirboys’ pub rock hit time-warps the 1987 original to his early 2000s club nights and, above all, Ray of Light. It’s a hymn to the party: paradise interpreted at its most disappointing. Michael Sun
For many: Watch Partiboi69’s 2022 single Hoe and its windmill video
Pretty Girl – nice to meet you
For fans of: Daphne, floating point, overmono
With new single ‘Nice To See You’, Melbourne producer Pretty Girl takes her usual brand of dreamy, watery house to a whole new level of heaviness. A biting synth line runs through the entire track, giving the song a charming, trance-leaning backbone. Vocal snippets occasionally surface, suggesting an emotional outlook as tense as the song itself. “Do I let you down? Don’t let me down,” she sings, giving the whole incident her grisly melodramatic feel. – Shaad D’Souza
For many: Listen to Pretty Girl’s debut EP Middle Ground
Marcus Whale – All is Full of Love (Björk cover)
For fans of: FKA twigs, Perfume Genius, Jenny Hval, HTRK
Marcus Whale has long been on a quest for transformative desire and devastating devotion (see his last two albums, The Hunger and Lucifer), so the Sydney musician has made her 1997 classic It’s fitting that Bjork’s mantra of love follows from Homogenic. Whale expands on the song’s liturgical implications, creating a moving ballad of gentle drone synths, auto-tuned blips and swirling saint-like vocals. Like Björk’s original, it slowly transitions to a grand climax and recreates the blossoming of a frenzied romance. – Isabella Trimboli
For many: Listen to Whale’s albums The Hunger and Lucifer
Gina Rose Bruce – Misery and Misfortune
For fans of: Angel Olsen, Caroline Polachek, Julia Jacklin
One of Melbourne’s finest artists drops the tempo with an evocative new single, immersing listeners in a rich emotional world. Bruce’s sultry voice carries this slow, sumptuous track, while the strong production and bleep and swirling electronic elements provide a change of pace from her usual tunes. Between her duet with Bill Callahan and the propulsive single “Foolishly in Love,” Blues’ second album, Deep Is the Way, out later this month, sounds pretty good. – Giselle Ounien Nguyen
For many: Deep Is The Way will be released on January 27th.
DMA – Olympia
For fans of: Oasis, Peace, Manic Street Preachers
DMA has always sounded anachronistic: Manchester was still the center of the universe, bursting out of space from a world where Liam and Noel Gallagher were chatting. Later, Olympia put Sydney’s three-piece back where they started, and we find a rippling riff that sounds like a long-forgotten melody suddenly bursts to the fore. And on top of that: frontman Johnny Tooke’s clarion of pipes, choir quality, bunny ears and something cryptic about the violin proselytize. Michael Sun
For many: Olympia is the third single from the album How Many Dreams?, which will be released in March.
Civic – born in the heat
For fans of: Saints, Radio Birdman, Dead Boys
It’s a hard-hitting punk song made for the stuffy, sweaty summers that most Australians end up suffering from. The Melbourne band’s lyrics are relatively low-key, but the story seems to be someone trying to pull another band away from the bad crowd. , about emotions that threaten to boil over, accurately captured by producer Rob Younger of Radio Birdman and New Christs fame. – Isabella Trimboli
For many: Civic’s new album Taken By Force is out next month
Handsome, Flower Kid, Saint South – Time Out
For fans of: Avalanche, Sylvain Esso, Troye Sivan
This is a strange euphoria. An ecstatic collaboration by three Australian queer artists – Sydney’s self-proclaimed ‘tomboy pop’ purveyor Handsome, fellow Sydneysider and producer Flower Kid, and Perth’s St South (her debut album Get Well Soon was one of the hidden gems of 2020) – Running Out of Time combine their unique sensibilities to create a harmonious sense of wonder. Lingering beats and dreamy synths give way to her amazing guitar solos layered over the unique vocals of all three artists. Something magical. – Giselle Ounien Nguyen
For many: Listen to Handsome’s EP Blame and Flowerkid’s 2021 EP Everyone Has a Breaking Point
Tropical Fuck Storm – Golden Ratio
For fans of: Drone, Gizard King, Lizard Wizard
According to Tropical Fuck Storm leader Gareth Lydiard, the Golden Ratio follows a formula that makes music perfect. Unsurprisingly, Liddiard has his tongue against his cheek. The listening experience is messier and jarring than the title implies, but oddly catchy. It kicked off with an EP titled Submersive Behavior, released in February, followed by a 19-minute cover of Jimi Hendrix’s epic 1983… (A Merman I Should Turn To Be) and a previously released snippet from The Stooges’ Ann. Rampage included. – Andrew Stafford
For many: Sadly, tour plans were put on hold when bassist Fiona Kitchen was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, but you can listen to Tropical Fuck Storm’s cover of Talking Heads’ Heaven.
DJ’s Pleas and Dirt – Rent Claims
For fans: skinny puppies, ski masks, zombies
Melbourne’s DJ Plead has teamed up with Delhi’s bass producer Stain on Rent Request. A far cry from Plead’s packy 2022 EP Quick – a glittering four-track built around glassy synths and sassy samples – Rent Request is wild with dubby vocal lines and percussive snatches. It’s a dingy, noxious piece that thunders steadily for four minutes in a dingy, barren environment. Growing tension. – Shaad D’Souza
For many: Rent Request is a two track EP featuring London producer Dusty Ohms. DJ Plead’s EP Quick has also been released
