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.
Belle Haven – Everything Ablaze (Shock)
Alyx Dennison – Alyx Dennison (Popfrenzy)
Aussie songstress Alyx Dennison first came into our periphery a part of the experimental pop duo kyü a few years ago, and despite the brilliant outfit sadly parting ways, Dennison has continued with her musical creativity, releasing her sublime debut solo record this week.
The self-titled album sees Dennison explore the sonic worlds of folk, experimental, electronica and dream-pop all of which seamlessly meld with her enchanting willowing vocals, coming together to create a mysterious yet accessible pop release.
There are of course tracks that one may have heard (and love) already like the heart-breaking ‘Jewels Are Just Lumps’, a more straight-laced folk-inspired tune, as well as tribal beat effort ‘I Don’t Love You Anymore’, however the album’s opener, ‘Triptych’ is a major winner. Dennison’s vocals are cloudy soft, backed by a haunting choir, the incredible song spins for over eight minutes, Dennison leading listeners by the hand to her mystical world.
The record bestows a myriad of diversity, tracks such as ‘Boat’ builds from a slow, brooding atmosphere before crashing to a wall of murky distortion whilst ‘My My’ is an almost industrial meets ambience experience that feels almost David Bowie Low-esq.
Alyx Dennison’s debut record is an absolute must listen, it’s the release we’ve been hanging out for and we cannot wait to see it translate to the live setting. (Joe Harris)
Primitive Motion – Pulsating Time Fibre (Bedroom Suck)
Back on the Brisbane psych scene after their debut album Worlds Floating By, Primitive Motion have set themselves up for a great year in music to come with their newest album, Pulsating Time Fibre. This fantastic album had been released on local Brisbane label Bedroom Suck Records giving the label a continuous string of great records under their belt.
The record is fast paced and imaginative with some seriously vibing yet short songs creating a 15-track album for some serious zoning out and relaxing. There is a large psychedelic element within the album with heavy use of airy pads and drones with some interesting jazz beats intertwined in tracks such as ‘Question D’ and ‘Bodies of the Placid Furnace’, the use of a live kit to really bringing-in the garage vibe that all the kids are going crazy for.
The songs are superbly airy and euphoric yet with some underlying darker tones that can be heard throughout the record. This brings an interesting warmth that can only be described by the track names alone. The recurring drum machine heard through the album gives a quirky slant to the ambient sound and cuts through in the sweetest way. The garage recording of some of the real instruments and especially the vocals also creates a very nice body for some tunes such as ‘Coronet’ and ‘Plant Me Deep’.
Each synth and machine is picked perfectly for their track and are all blended excellently for a very content-full lineup of songs. The production is simple, raw and beautiful to say the least, Primitive Motion capture the essence of electronica psych through a splendidly compiled album for fans of the duo and genre alike. (Elvis Walsh)
Alison Wonderland – Run (EMI)
When I spoke to Sydney DJ Alison Wonderland earlier this month when her album was still a week out from release, she was a ball of emotions. If there was one thing I took away from our lengthy conversation, it’s that she puts a lotof passion into this project. And with Run finally out, it comes across on the record, too.
Run feels like the confident and polished debut Wonderland was always destined to make.
The producer, who cut her teeth playing DJ sets at country pubs then inner-city clubs around the country, knows how to make a certified banger. She demonstrated this with lead singles ‘U Don’t Know’ and ‘I Want U’, two titanic trap anthems that are gritty enough for club dancefloors but accessible enough for high rotation on Triple J.
The rest of Run continues in this fashion, Wonderland cementing her skills as a hit-maker (and vocalist) with each new track of floor-filling EDM. But lurking beneath those wall-smashing drops – like the skittish ‘Naked’, for instance – is something dark, moody, and mysterious. And this ambiguity makes her club tracks more interesting that most.
Alison Wonderland might’ve been nervous ahead of the release of Run, but in the end all of her hard work paid off. The album peaked at number 2 (and would’ve gone all the way had it not been for Kendrick), and today it’s just secured her a slot at Lollapalooza. And that’s on top of Coachella. Not bad for someone who started out sleeping in pubs. (Dylan McCarthy)
Super Best Friends – Status Updates (Gun Fever)
A strong case can be made that if it weren’t for Detroit, punk rock as we know it today simply would not exist. No, not the bands that came out of Detroit, the city itself. With its insular, industrial infrastructure and a beating heart powered on pure diesel, only the Motor City could have given us the acrid sounds of The Stooges and The MC5. The Velvet Underground? Could anywhere besides New York sustain something so simultaneously arty and street-level?
Likewise, Super Best Friends could only have come out of Canberra. While the Australian capital and the hub of all of our politics certainly doesn’t conjure images of sweaty rock and roll for most, Super Best Friends’s super-charged brand of sardonic, politically-minded rock and roll. You certainly won’t be racking your brains to figure out the influences here, there’s a little Homme, a little Frenzal, and some Jebediah, but they’re seamlessly blended and respectfully emulated. (GM)
Benny Walker – Through The Forest (Independent)
Any songwriter will tell you, it’s not enough to simply write a song, you have to get away with it too. Rarely does a song survive on its own merit. It’s all about driving it to its logical conclusion, hitting that catharsis. During live performance this is almost child’s play, but on a record it’s much harder to achieve. That’s what makes Benny Walker’s Through The Forest a significant achievement for the young singer-songwriter.
Over the course of nine deftly composed tracks, Walker balances his songs, which hit on shades of country, folk, blues, and even gospel and soul, with a sophisticated and tasteful atmospheric structure that drives each song home. What’s perhaps even more noteworthy about Through The Forest, however, is the fact that Walker sounds like a seasoned veteran on what is in fact his second album. No wonder his instincts are on-point. (GM)
