We listen to a lot of music here at Tone Deaf HQ, and we’re the first to admit we’re perhaps a little biased towards sounds of the Australian variety. We do make the best music in the world, after all.
In honouring our favourite Aussies, we’ve once again compiled a list of the most outstanding local releases you should be listening to right now – whether they’re smaller indies acts or big-name essentials, these are the newest Australian records you should be adding to your ‘must-listen’ list.
Let’s get started.
Null – Almost (Acéphale + Siberia Records)
Hayden Quinn is the mastermind behind Null, a name that’s being whispered more and more amongst Melbourne’s electronic producer scene. With good reason, too – his debut EP Almost is one of the sharpest head-turning arrivals we’ve seen this year.
Almost is a sonically diverse EP that feels like you’re being taken on an expedition through Quinn’s mind as he hops neurotically between many of his different influences. Across seven disparate tracks, homogeneity is thrown out the window in favour of constant exploration, with Quinn operating well and truly outside the parameters of a box as he scales new and unexpected territories.
There’s servings of satisfying late-night bangers on offer with the hip hop-inspired ’40’ and the skittish 90s breakbeat of ‘Dhash’, contrasted by moments of beautiful orchestration in the more celestial, down-tempo offerings like ‘Luv U, Luv Me’ and ‘Oil Run’.
Great debut EPs should establish an artist’s sound, or whatever that ‘thing’ is that differentiates them from the crowd. But Quinn goes one better than that with Almost. After traversing across Almost‘s impressive patchwork of varied electronica, Null’s brilliance is much more plural than singular. He’s working out of a vast sonic palette with possibilities that, at this stage, seem pretty endless – and that’s pretty exciting. (Dylan McCarthy)
Catlips – Casual (Pilerats)
Catlips (aka Katie Campbell) crafts technicoloured dance tracks that are equal parts poppy and trippy. Experimenting with sounds that feel deliberately and defiantly ahead of the crowd, Catlips has a penchant for making challenging left-field club jams that sound a little bit odd and unexpected, but you’re not exactly sure how or why.
Her debut EP Casual is a collection of neon-bright house tracks designed for the dance floor.
Dizzying tribal beats repeat in hypnotic fashion on ‘U1’; a glossy 80s synth line bounces like a rubbery bouncy ball on ‘Fade’; clanging industrial percussion drives the mechanical ‘Candy Crush’; there’s what sounds like a sample of a snake charmer on ‘Banker’; while things get a little weird on the closing ‘Primary’, which sounds like the kind of track that plays at 6am when your senses start playing tricks on you.
If you need an injection of fresh, designed-for-the-future dance music for an upcoming house party, let Catlips help you out. (DM)
Psycroptic – Psycroptic (EVP Recordings)
Hobart’s Psycroptic have carefully catalogued an expansive fifteen-year career, building on their unique sound with each new release. So, to have their sixth full-length album bear unique artwork as well as a deliberate lack of a title definitely raises some eyebrows as to the band’s direction.
Joe Haley’s guitar wizardry has always been the band’s strongest trait, which is in no absence on their newest self-titled record, together accompanied by his brother Dave on drums, reinforcing the balance between heaviness and technicality.
Opener ‘Echoes to Come’ as well as ‘Sentence Of Immortality’ cement themselves as highlights, allowing the Haley brothers as well as vocalist Jason Peppiatt to come out in full force – even if Peppiatt’s screams lack a little variety.
So often, the self-titled album defines a band’s sound so accurately than any of their past work, that it’s only fitting that they name it after themselves. It is in essence, them – so as such, it must be named after them.
Ultimately, that is the case here. Psycroptic have produced a solid technical death metal record that’s sure to satisfy eager fans, but one that ultimately finds the Tasmanian four-piece more than comfortable in their own shoes. (Dylan Evans)
House Of Laurence – Awake (Strange Pursuits)
Love Of Diagrams – BLAST (Bedroom Suck)
Australia’s favourite alternative to the standard format of “rock n roll”, Love of Diagrams, have long held a special place in the hearts of fans who dig the sounds of anything from punk and alt-rock to post-punk and straight-laced rock, and at long-last the trio have unleashed their massive fourth LP, Blast.
Recorded with the legendary producer Steve Albini (of Nirvana and PJ Harvey fame), the record is an 11-track opus laden with explosive yet infectious post-punk gems.
‘Double Negative’ is the perfect opener, the rushed riffs crashing into listener’s ears, painting the perfect picture for the live experience of such a track, conversely the hushed “
Another major highlight is the initially stop-start ‘In My Dream’ that commences with a brooding, doom-like sensibility before raising the tempo, Antonia Sellbach’s sugarsweet vocals cutting through the razor-sharp guitars and menacing base line in a manner very akin to the likes of Kim Deal.
Blast is easily one of the finest guitar-driven records to emerge from Australia this year and we cannot wait to see it translate live. (Joe Harris)
Day Ravies – Under The Lamp (Strange Pursuits)
Sydney four-piece Day Ravies continually impress us with each piece of musical output they release, who could forget the immersive dream-pop meets shoegaze record Tussle and of course the more kraut inspired tune ‘This Side Of The Fence’, and just this week the quartet dropped a double A-side that sees the band embark on a new sonic adventure.
The first track ‘Hickford Whizz’ feels like a tune that could have fallen from the iconic Kiwi label Flying Nun, the guitar tones highly reminiscent of the watery jangle-pop and indie DIY sounds that emanated from Dunedin years ago, whilst adding their more krautrock explorations, too.
‘Hickford Whizz’ is a more more head-bangin’ release by comparison to the group’s previous slow-tempo and at times sombre tunes like fan-favourite ‘I Don’t Mind’, the quartet nail the sound with professional prowess.
The latter half of the release is the more rockin’ ‘Taking Time’ which is backed by a buoyant bass line and soft, dreamy vocals. The tune is a far more starry-eyed effort, the spacelike synths lifting listeners into the stratosphere before being pulled back to ground by the mini solo that burns throughout the closing minute of the track.
‘Taking Time’ is definitely one of Day Ravies’ most catchiest beats to date, the infectious chorus as punchy as it is sunny, the jam would have shone brightly in your summer soundtrack playlist. (JH)
