New Music
Fresh Scoop
Benee, Disclosure, Stand Atlantic, Tkay Maidza, Vera Blue: Ticketmaster Fresh Scoop
Wrapping up the best tunes from throughout August...
Somehow we have made it to September. And, honestly, we don’t think we could have gotten here without all the incredible music released over the last month. Here’s our August Fresh Scoop round-up to keep the good times going.
A.Girl – Lola
We kicked off this year telling you to keep an eye on West Sydney’s A. Girl, and with every single since then she has continued hitting it out of the park. We didn’t think it was possible, but her latest single ‘Lola’ is surely her best yet. Showing off her smooth vocals on top of a glitchy beat, and delivering it with more attitude than we can muster, if A.Girl isn’t already on your radar this is the perfect introduction.
Agnes Manners – Brilliant Blue
In another beautiful, gut-wrenching take from their debut album, Agnes Manners – AKA the new project from ex-Hellions guitarist Matt Gravolin – continues to sweep us up into their world. We’ve heard a few different sides to the project already, but on ‘Brilliant Blue’ they’re stripping it right back, letting Gravolin’s songwriting, and the emotions and vulnerability within it, lead the way.
Bastille – What You Gonna Do???
After their previous (brilliant) album Doom Days last year, there surely weren’t many of us who expected that a thumping tune like ‘What You Gonna Do???’ – featuring guitar by Blur’s Graham Coxon no less – would be what Bastille delivered next, but here we are. The track has been described by frontman Dan Smith as a new beginning for the band, so expect more of this to come on album number four.
Benee – Snail
New Zealand popstar Benee continues her upward climb towards world domination with her latest slice of feel-good, quirky fun ‘Snail’. Inspired by her lockdown obsession with the little slimers, she’s described this one as her lockdown song and as she works towards the release of her debut album, we can’t wait to hear what comes next.
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Briggs & Thelma Plum – Go To War
Briggs and Thelma Plum is truly the team-up 2020 needed. Not the first time the pair have worked together, the hard-hitting Briggs banger is countered by Plum’s haunting soaring vocal. Discussing how exhausting it is for Indigenous Australians to exist between two worlds, the track is taken from Briggs’ second solo record Always Was, the follow-up to his 2014 debut Sheplife.
Didirri – The Critic
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Marking the lead single from his forthcoming EP Sold For Sale, Didirri’s latest track ‘The Critic’ brings together all the classic hallmarks we’ve come to love from the singer-songwriter, but presents them with a slightly more refined edge. With just one listen, it’s pretty clear why Didirri has become one of Australia’s best up-and-coming storytellers.
Disclosure – Energy
It is both a blessing and a curse that Disclosure decided to drop their sensational third album Energy right when we cannot go out and dance to it. The long-teased album has been five years in the making, and the wait is well and truly worth it. Swelling with dancefloor-ready anthems and toeing a brilliant line between glossy pop sheen and gritty underground, the Disclosure brothers plus their roll call of guests – from Kelis to Channel Tres – have us dreaming of a future summer’s festival fields. For now, bedroom dance parties will have to do.
Genesis Owusu – I Am
Wowee. Canberra-based rapper Genesis Owusu continues to create music in his own universe, combining infectious grooves and hook-filled songwriting in a way that both defies genre and sounds like something you’re sure you’ve heard before. From its future-funk melody to the wild guitar that whips in, we’re certainly going to be sticking ‘I Am’ on repeat this summer.
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Graace – Body Language
Graace’s new tune ‘Body Language’ is a readymade dancefloor bop and it has us very very excited to see what she does next. The moody, electro-pop single continues to build, showcasing Graace’s powerful, sultry vocal. Following up a huge 2019 with two stellar singles, it definitely looks like 2021 could be Graace’s best year yet.
Johnny Hunter – Early Trauma
We have had our eyes and ears on Sydney band Johnny Hunter for quite a while now, so it is brilliant to have a record in our hands. Their debut EP Early Trauma, shows the post-punk band in absolute fine form, backing up the industry buzz that’s been surrounding them since their debut single. Balancing ‘80s post-punk nostalgia with an infectious forward-thinking sound, everything about Early Trauma makes Johnny Hunter hard to ignore, but why would you want to?
Kuya James X Stevie Jean – Why Dem Pills?
Every Kuya James collaboration is expertly crafted to show off the best sides of everyone involved, and ‘Why Dem Pills?’, his latest team-up with Stevie Jean does just that. Individually, everything these artists do is golden, so you can be certain that when they come together, it is truly electric.
Lanks X Sam Phay – Ghost
It’s surely no surprise by now that Lanks and Sam Phay are two of our favourite vocalists, so bring them together, throw in Alice Ivy on production and you get the magic that is ‘Ghost’. We’ve got 22 new Lanks tunes, across two albums, landing in the next six months, and that is exactly the news we need right now.
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Laurel – Scream Drive Faster
‘Scream Drive Faster’ is a dive into Laurel’s sound that we haven’t quite heard before. Heavily leaning into her pop side, the bright, ‘80s-tinged synth-pop number is a far cry from the melancholic, dark pop of her 2018 debut album Dogviolet, but she wears both sounds just as comfortably.
Luca Brasi – Dying To Feel Alive
Luca Brasi, AKA our favourite Tasmanians, just know how to deliver top-notch quality, and they’ve done it again on ‘Dying To Feel Alive’. It’s sure to hit you right in the feels, and with its big, bold hooks and huge guitars (enter the guitar solo), this one is readymade for live crowd singalongs. Luca Brasi have never been a band afraid to dig deep, and ‘Dying To Feel Alive’ is jampacked with heart-on-your-sleeve moments.
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets – Mr Prism
At this point in time, WA’s Psychedelic Porn Crumpets are as ever-reliable as they come, before you even hit play you just know you’re in for a good time. Their latest single ‘Mr Prism’, with its surrealist psych-rock chaos. showcases the band’s frenetic mastery in full flight. The way this band manage to sound completely loose and yet still tightly held together is a magic we’re not even certain the band truly understands.
Samia – The Baby
Pop-inflected, sardonically sunny, indie rock carries Samia’s soaring vocal across her debut album The Baby. A brilliant introduction to the New Yorker, there are moments of country-storytelling and gritty grunge, Lana Del Rey-esque summer jams and angsty anthems – every element of Samia’s unique sound brilliantly slotting together like a big, eclectic puzzle. Intimate lyrics conjuring a kaleidoscope of emotions, The Baby is a beautiful listen.
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More August new music treats:
Grace Turner takes us through her stunning debut EP ‘Half Truths’
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Stand Atlantic – Pink Elephant
On their second album, Stand Atlantic deliver another sweet dose of feel-good pop-punk. Just as packed full of quote-ready hooks as its predecessor, Pink Elephant is a more expansive and ambitious adventure, covering a stack of sonic territory across its 33-minute run time and ensuring you’ll never quite know where Stand Atlantic are heading next. It’s a strong injection into a genre that can sometimes get stale, and sets Stand Atlantic up at the forefront of the Australian scene.
The Flowers – You Don’t Say!
Another punchy anthem from Sydney band The Flowers, on ‘You Don’t Say’ everything just seems to work. From the commanding vocal to the crunchy guitars and soaring hooks, it is blissful and vulnerable and confident and powerful, and it makes The Flowers one of our favourite up-and-coming Australian bands.
Tired Lion – Lie To Me
It’s always a good month when we get new Tired Lion – even better when they give us a new single AND news of a new album. Their newie ‘Lie To Me’ is chock full of huge riffs, grungey goodness, catchy melodies, and all the spunky attitude we’ve come to love from the Perth band. Vocalist Sophie Hopes is as relentless as always, powering through another winning anthem. It’s a quick burst of energy, but it’s enough to get us through for now.
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Tkay Maidza – Last Year Was Weird, Vol.2
By now, it is well and truly clear that Tkay Maidza is the master of her own game, her craft as both a songwriter and performer going largely unrivalled. Her latest EP Last Year Was Weird, Vol.2, picks up where the first instalment left off a couple of years ago, and the strides she has taken since then are clearly on show. In less than half an hour, Maidza covers more sonic ground than most albums, bouncing between laidback jams, big bops, and grittier moments with ease. Tkay has locked into her groove and the only direction now is up.
Towns – Boring
If you are still reliving the days of sun-drenched pop-punk we had on repeat in the late ‘90s-early 2000s, then you’re going to want to wrap your ears around ‘Boring’, the latest single from Adelaide duo Towns. It’s a quick one, not even ticking over the two-minute mark, and while we wish it was a little bit longer, it just means we have more time to hit repeat and start the fun all over again.
Vera Blue – Lie To Me
By now you can pretty instantly recognise Vera Blue’s distinctive, graceful vocal, and on her first single for 2020 ‘Lie To Me’, she is well and truly in fine form. The electro-pop production backgrounds a tale of both the beauty and anxiety you can find in a new romance. Bright grooves bounce over a thumping sub, building into a huge moment.
We made it through to September, and now we’re left with all these musical goodies to remember August by. You can stay updated on all things new music right here.
