While it’s easier than ever these days to find and get music, it seems like every day it becomes more and more difficult to just get the things you actually want to hear.
With tons of albums getting released each month, sometimes it’s hard to keep track of the releases you definitely want to get your hands on and you find yourself just giving up.
In the interest of promoting great music, we’ve decided to give our readers a forecast of the best and most promising releases coming out this month.
Dorsal Fins – Mind Renovation
Label: Gripless / Remote Control Records
Release Date: 13th Feb
Pre-Order: www.remotecontrolrecords.com.au
Melbourne ten-piece Dorsal Fins are gearing up for the release of their debut album, Mind Renovation, and judging by the reaction to the album’s eponymous lead single, fans couldn’t be more excited. The brainchild of Liam McGorry (Saskwatch / Eagle & The Worm), the eclectic group began as an experimental flight of fancy for the young musician but eventually evolved into a collective of musicians with an expansive, genre-bending sound held together by the excitement and expertise of this talented crew of musos.
Pearls – Pretend You’re Mine
Label: Remote Control/ Dot Dash
Release Date: 20th Feb
Pre-Order: www.remotecontrolrecords.com.au
They first cocked ears with their single ‘Big Shot’, a creeping, stylish slice of electro-glam that got major play on Triple J in 2014. Now, Melbourne outfit Pearls are gearing up to unveil their highly anticipated debut album via Dot Dash, titled Pretend You’re Mine. The album promises to serve fans with another hot shot dose of syrupy synths, earworm melodies, and hazy atmospherics that sit somewhere between Goldfrapp and Blondie.
Marika Hackman – We Slept At Last
Label: Sony
Release Date: 13th Feb
Pre-Order: www.jbhifi.com.au
Her elegant mini-album debut That Iron Taste left us craving more and now UK singer-songwriter Marika Hackman returns with her full-length debut, which comes at the tail-end of one of the busiest and creatively fruitful periods of the young songwriter’s career. Having toured with the likes of The 1975, Alt-J, and Laura Marling, Hackman’s own star is now set to rise with the release of We Slept At Last, which was produced by longtime collaborator Charlie Andrew, best known for his work with Alt-J and Matt Corby.
Peace – Happy People
Label: Sony
Release Date: 6th Feb
Pre-Order: www.jbhifi.com.au
Their critically acclaimed debut album, In Love, positioned them at the forefront of the new wave of UK indie pop, alongside such equally lauded bands as The 1975 and Alt-J and garnered comparisons to the likes of Vampire Weekend and Foals. Now, Peace are set to return with their second full-length effort, Happy People, which features the hits ‘Money’ and ‘Lost On Me’. The album comes just in time for their Australian return as part of the highly anticipated Groovin The Moo 2015 tour, which follows on from their inaugural visit back in September 2013, which received rave acclaim from critics and fans alike.
Ghostface Killah & BADBADNOTGOOD – Sour Soul
Label: Warner
Release Date: Feb 24th
Pre-Order: www.warnermusic.com.au
What do you get when you combine one of hip-hop’s most iconic and creative lyricists with one of its most intriguing upstarts? You get Sour Soul, the forthcoming collaboration between Toronto hip-hop by way of jazz outfit BadBadNotGood and Staten Island rap vanguard Ghostface Killah of the Wu-Tang Clan. In addition to this sterling pair-up, the album will feature collaborations with the likes of Danny Brown, DOOM, and Elzhi, formerly of legendary Detroit crew Slum Village.
Dan Deacon – Gliss Riffer
Label: EMI/ Domino
Release Date: Feb 20th
Pre-Order: www.dominorecordco.com
Recent visitor Dan Deacon nabbed plenty of rave reviews for his appearance at Sugar Mountain and now the New York native is set to thrill Australian audiences once again with the release of his latest full-length effort, Gliss Riffer. The album sees Deacon exploring new sonic territory, following the release of his two grand, ensemble-based recordings, 2009’s Bromst and America. Gliss Riffer sees Deacon returning to a simpler, self-produced method of writing and recording, more akin to the process used for 2007’s acclaimed Spiderman of the Rings. In addition to his usual electronic stylings, there is a cross-rhythmic element suggestive of his prior orchestral effort, as well as a revitalised dynamism.
Steve Earle & The Duke – Terraplane
Label: Warner
Release Date: 20th Feb
Pre-Order: www.jbhifi.com.au
It looks like 2015 is going to be another good year for fans of roots music. Steve Earle is back with the current incarnation of The Dukes, featuring Kelly Looney, Will Rigby, Chris Masterson, and Eleanor Whitmore. Together they will soon release Earle’s 16th studio effort, Terraplane. The album is said to follow Earle’s roots peers like Ray Wylie Hubbard and Lucinda Williams into more blues-focused territory and coincides with the release of his memoir, I Can’t Remember If We Said Goodbye.
Father John Misty – I Love You Honeybear
Label: Inertia/ Sub Pop
Release Date: 6th Feb
Pre-Order: www.fatherjohnmisty.merchline.com
Few artists come packaged with the kind of incredible story that Father John Misty has. The acclaimed singer-songwriter has been unveiling a steady stream of increasingly compelling and original folk music since 2004 and now he’s ready to release his latest tome, I Love You, Honeybear, the eagerly anticipated follow-up to 2012’s Fear Fun. “There’s a case to be made that it sounds and acts a bit like solo-era John Lennon, Scott Walker, Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson, and Dory Previn, while taking more than a few cues from Woody Allen, Kurt Vonnegut, Alejandro Jodorowsky and Muhammad Ali,” says the artist about his latest release.
Clowns – Bad Blood
Label: Poison City
Release Date: 20th Feb
Pre-Order: www.poisoncityestore.com
Clowns proudly embody everything that is right about Aussie guitar music. Imbuing each note with a carefree, kick-around attitude, their 2013 debut I’m Not Right was lauded a “sharp” and “savage” onslaught. Now, the band are unveiling their latest batch of fiery tunes as they reel from tours supporting the likes of Hard Ons, The Meanies, Frenzal Rhomb, and Cosmic Psychos. Recorded at St Kilda’s famous Hot House on a swag of vintage and boutique gear, Bad Blood is a rich, raw, and utterly ferocious.
Duke Garwood – Heavy Love
Label: Mushroom / Heavenly Recordings
Release Date: 9th Feb
Pre-Order: www.itunes.apple.com
Though he’s been a mythical figure to a close-knit collective of fans and a trusted comrade to musicians around the world for years now, Duke Garwood’s new album, Heavy Love, is set to thrust Garwood onto the world stage. With the release of Heavy Love, a wider audience will finally experience the deft songcraft and soulful vocals that had Mark Lanegan saying of Garwood, “The entire record listening public should know Duke Garwood’s music. The fact most don’t is a fucking travesty. He’s a mystic, a musical genius and ‘Heavy Love’ is a total mind-blowing masterpiece.”
Falling In Reverse – Just Like You
Label: Warner
Release Date: 20th Feb
Pre-Order: www.fallinginreverse.com
With the release of 2013’s Fashionably Late, post-hardcore mainstay Ronnie Radke established once and for all that Falling In Reverse wasn’t simply a vanity project, silencing detractors with its bold experimental vision that incorporated elements of hip-hop and electronica. Now, the band is set to release their most eagerly anticipated effort yet, their third album, Just Like You. The new album comes just in time for the band’s first ever Australian appearances as part of the upcoming Soundwave Festival 2015 tour.
