Every week a plethora of big name acts, Australian musicians and little-known musos drop brand spankin’ new tracks on the internet. We’ve trawled through the internet to find some of our favourites and plucked them from the masses.
Shihad – ‘You Think You’re Free’
“Total brutality from start to finish,” that’s how drummer Tom larkin describes Shihad’s new album, FVEY, and judging from the first sounds taken from the band’s ninth studio album – due to land 15th August – he’s not wrong.
‘Think You’re So Free’ is all low-end guitar riffage and stop-start muscular shifts, and recalls peak era Jane’s Addiction without the fancy frills and even the industrial grind of Nine Inch Nails in its densely-mixed distortion and frontman Jon Toogood’s call-to-arms vocal delivery. (AN)
Andrei Eremin & Fractures – ‘Ghosts’
Released as a co-single between prolific producer Andrei Eremin and Fractures, the track came into formation while working on the upcoming Fractures EP. Mark Zito (Fractures) and Eremin decided to collaborate on Eremin’s own release and with that, ‘Ghosts’ was born.
There’s something about this single that’s both huge and reserved. You can feel the beat wanting to burst out of its skin, but it never does, Eremin and Zito demand patience and restraint which is what makes ‘Ghosts’ such a rewarding track. (LD)
Dead Waves – ‘Promise’
Dead Waves are a cantankerous trio based in Queens that have been heralded as the “anti-surf-wave” band to drag NYC’s music scene back to the murky depths of the hard-hitting world of sludge rock.
‘Promise’ is our first sneak-peek of the Dead Waves-Albini creation, and man, does it wail. From the rusted symbols and crashing drums to the gritty and menacing walls of dirty guitars this track truly is like stepping through the dark fuzzy portal of the distorted head-bashing 1980′s, distinctly reminiscent of early Dinosaur JR, The Pixies and of course, Nirvana. (JH)
Zola Jesus – ‘Dangerous Days’
The first single from Nika Danilova’s latest LP as Zola Jesus, Taiga, runs in a vein that isn’t quite so dissimilar from the former and yet it feels like a crime to compare Zola Jesus to anyone. Such is the esteem that the songstress is held in that her dominant and affecting vocals are enough to leave her trademark stamp on just about any sound. The rising synths and walloping drums of ‘Dangerous Days’ takes everything we know from synth pop and provides it with a dark edge.
“In the way, the way you hold yourself straight, you never were innocent, and then I just lay here frozen, curious” sings Danilova on the track. Her lyrics along with those unmistakable pipes are what keeps this track from being saccharine. After the excellent Conatus in 2011 and 2013′s string-led Versions ‘Dangerous Days’ sounds like Zola Jesus at her most accessible yet. And boy is the dancefloor thankful for that. (CT)
Goat – ‘Hide From The Sun’
Swedish group Goat came to worldwide attention when they released one of the biggest surprise records of 2012 World Music. Mysterious and and intriguing, Goat claim to be from Korpilombolo, a tiny and isolated Swedish village north of the Arctic Circle which legend states has a history of voodoo worship.
After a dropping a live and remix album since the release of World Music, the band have announced they’ll be releasing Commune their second full length record later this year. The first track off this upcoming release is ‘Hide From The Sun’, which follows in a similar vein to their 2012 single ‘Run To Your Mama’ – it’s an afrobeat driven, acid tinged, psych-fusion jam. Goat know how to be both incredibly worldly and experimental while staying completely accessible. (LD)
HWLS – ‘Test And Recognise’ (Seekae remix)
HWLS, the joint project between prolific Australian beat maestros Ta-Ku and Kit Pop, have uploaded their latest SoundCloud gem that’s currently doing the rounds across tastemaker blogs worldwide.This time the duo have worked their magic on Seekae’s latest single, the frenetic ‘Test And Recognise’. They’ve smoothed out the Sydney trio’s deliberately unnerving, off-kilter original and have instead morphed it into a smooth, glossy trap cut.
It’s a heavy, floating chiller, building with a slow-burning progression from its sparse opening to pull in crisp snares and pounding drums, eventually blossoming into a more densely-layered soundscape. Maybe it’s just the anti-Auto Tune vocals, but this one sounds like it could be the instrumental for an A$AP Rocky verse. Once again it’s another stroke of brilliance from HWLS. (DM)
Richard In Your Mind – ‘Hammered’
Richard In Your Mind are a five-piece that hail from Sydney who produce addictive indie-pop and psychedelic gems. In the lead-up to the release of their forthcoming record Ponderosa, the outfit have dropped one of their first single ‘Hammered.’
The track is a sugar-sweet number laden with sunny pop-hooks and simple lyrics that instantly burn into your conscious. It’s the kind of jam to start your day with and trust us once you do, you’ll catch yourself humming the words “me and my baby get hammered in the day time” for hours on end…and then you will want to go throw a few back with your pals, it’s just that damn good. (JH)
Lowell – ‘I Love You Money’
Toronto-based indie princess Lowell makes the kind of feel-good pop numbers that make you think about chewing bubblegum, skipping rope, and dancing beneath falling confetti. But beneath the colourful quirk of her earworm hooks, like those in the bubbly new track ‘I Love You Money’, Lowell also more than demonstrates her sharply-attuned lyrical sensibilities, writing empowering lines that balance substance with buoyant, infectious catchiness.
‘I Love Money’, the lead single taken from her forthcoming debut LP We Love Her Dearly, is kind of like the musical equivalent fairy floss. Dancing along on a frolicking melody, Lowell cheers and woo’s above upbeat drums and cutesy hand-clapping, creating a summer anthem practically hand-crafted for a road trip singalong. Press play and it’s impossible not to feel a little bit happier. (DM)
