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.
Fractures – Fractures (Create/Control)
In 2013, Mark Zito had a rarely-achieved faultless debut year, issuing a string of stunning singles that somehow managed to live up to the growing hype with each subsequent release. In this context, Zito had set quite a high bar for himself to clear with his highly-awaited self-titled debut EP, but the Melbourne producer once again effortlessly surpasses his self-imposed expectations.
Zito makes oil-slick alternative RnB for ears attuned to the sounds of James Blake and How To Dress Well, or Chet Faker – for a more locally-appropriate comparison, but the multi-instrumentalist’s own sound relies less on digital cues and instead builds his tracks with an IRL drum kit and a smoky, reverb-laden six-string.
Fractures features last year’s now-familiar stand out singles ‘Twisted’ and ‘Cadence’, but importantly, it doesn’t lean on them as crutches. Newer cuts like the anthemic ‘Won’t Win’ and ‘It’s Alright’ are just as polished as their predecessors, with Zito’s milky vocals and lyrical narratives once again sounding beautifully compelling over his crystalline, smoothly-delicate production.
Miraculously, Mark Zito’s debut EP confirms the hype. Fractures is the real deal. (Dylan McCarthy)
Allday – Startup Cult (ONETWO)
Australian hip-hop has been the fastest-evolving scene of the past two years, maturing well beyond its initial (cringeworthy) roots to blossom into a genre that’s incredibly diverse and incredibly talented. As this writer has already said, “if you still subscribe to the stigma of Australian rappers being politically-troubled tank top bros, you’re really looking a) in all the wrong places or b) not hard enough.”
One of the names inarguably leading the charge of this new wave of local rappers is Melbourne MC, Allday, who recently gave Tone Deaf his very own guide to the bustling Aussie hip hop genre.
Prior to the release of his debut album Startup Cult, lead single ‘Right Now’ made it abundantly clear Allday has the required skills to make a ubiquitous pop anthem. The breakout single and its equally-addictive followup anthem ‘You Always Know The DJ’ – with the rapper’s endearingly ocker accent and those perfectly summer-ready flows and melodies – instantly made the long-haired, turtleneck jumper-wearing rapper a poster boy for the rap game.
Finally out in the world, Startup Cult all but verifies the skill-set that has already garnered Allday a swarming, dedicated following. It’s a laid-back, blissful and ultimately enjoyable record that combines sophisticated, chilled out beats with intelligent rap-along flows. Above all, it’s an album that represents the exciting world of modern Australian hip hop. (DM)
Wax Witches – Centre Of The Universe (Stop Start/Burger Records)
Wax Witches is the solo outlet of Bleeding Knees Club’s Alex Wall, and Centre Of The Universe is the sophomore release from his side project.
You very much get the impression that Wall uses his lone moniker as a means of therapeutic artistic and emotional expression. While Bleeding Knees Club are known for their crazy punk-party anthems, with Wax Witches, Wall basically lays out his diary scribblings on the table for everyone to read. The themes are darker, much more personal, as Wall explores his experiences with social anxiety, drugs, break-ups, and thoughts about death. It’s unashamedly angsty, and there’s something here for everyone to relate to, even if it’s just the feeling of wanting to sleep all day.
It makes for pretty dark listening, but it also has its moments of fluoro-bright colour too. ‘Summer Suckers’ is a feel-good summer anthem that rivals the best BKC singles, while ‘Headshave’ is an optimistic cut that tells its perturbed listeners that “the day will pass/ and tomorrow will be so much more.”
On his second solo effort, Alex Wall ends up resembling an Australian version of Wavves’ Nathan Williams, and his pop-punk belters will happily help you get rid of any built-up angst you’ve been harbouring since your mid-2000s emo phase. (DM)
Brother James – Confetti Cuts (Independent)
“Judging by this explosive debut track, Brother James are a force to be reckoned with,” that’s what we wrote about first single ‘Singalong’ way back in October last year, and though it’s taken some time for the album that song was heralding to arrive, here we are some eight months late with our opinion having changed little.
First spawned during a series of jam sessions in coastal Anglesea between The Vasco Era’s Ted O’Neil and Michael Fitzgerald, Brother James soon scooped up members of local bands Rat & Co., Second Hand Heart, and The Exploders. While the lineup gleans from some strong musical DNA, Confetti Cuts benefits from the production of Neil Gray (who’s dabbled with Dan Sultan, Little Red, and The Living End).
All in all, the result is a record anchored by sheer rock sensibilities – a love of volume, velocity, and texture – yet understands that restraint is as important as ferocity, all delivered in a passionate vigour in a mix not heard since… well, The Vasco Era’s own Oh We Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside.
The Pixies-esque see-saw of ‘Singalong’ is the first aural highlight, cleverly backed by the vulnerable surf rock patter and male/female vocals of ‘In The Sun’. The late-appearing, brilliantly titled ‘Freedom (In The Key Of Seasick)’ manages to scale both halves of Brother James’ quiet/loud disciplines, slowly unwinding over six minutes with rattling timpani, dulcified organ, and cooing harmonies for good measure. If you’re looking for a decent Aussie rock record, then let Confetti Cuts‘ straight-ahead delivery and no-nonsense charm sail its way into your playlist. (Al Newstead)
Guerre – Ex Nihilo (Yes Please)
Lavurn Lee is the Toronto-born, Sydney-based wunderkind behind Guerre’s dimly-lit ambient electronica. First emerging as one of our most promising local producers with his debut EP, 2011’s Darker My Love, then again with ‘Hypothermia’, his 2012 collab with Collarbones. Now Lee has put the finishing touches on his latest bedroom creation, his debut full-length record Ex Nihilo ,which sees Guerre’s orbiting sound fully-realised.
Somewhat embodying the visuals of its album cover, Ex Nihilo is a collection of foggy, mystical ambient tracks that hide under billowing layers of atmospheric bass before slowly revealing their true form as Lee brings intricately-programmed house-inspired dance elements to the fore. Lee is a master of experimenting with sound and empty space, and his dark, eerie soundscapes begin sparse before gradually unfolding with specks of light in the form of scintillating, off-kilter beats, all the while casting you under a trance with his hauntingly distorted vocals.
It’s the kind of intelligent, high-concept electronic record that simultaneously feels at home in a strobe-lit underground rave, whilst also filled with enough mesmerising intricacy to demand your full undivided attention. (DM)
Tobias Hengeveld – The Daylight Express (Independent)
It’s easily argued that Australia needs another folk-driven singer-songwriter, but in the case of the self-determined Tobais Hengeveld and the rustic yet rousing sounds of his self-released sophomore, you’ll be willing to make an exception.
For starters, he’s obviously got the folk feel, melodies, and spirit down pat – complete with his delicately vocal (his comforting Aussie twang shining through), but what sets The Daylight Express apart from the pack of heart-on-sleeve men with acoustic guitars is his stylistic diversity. Wrangled with the help of some open-minded production, elements of blues, jazz, and country help splinter the musical backings without fracturing the overall mood.
Further tying the whole 11-track set together is a conceptual bent – a train journey on the titular Daylight Express train – with Hengeveld’s songs acting as its proverbial passengers, staring forlornly at the passing landscapes (‘Fools Rush In’), as the steam engine slowly chugs like twisting oakwood into the next stop (‘Throw My Rifle From The Train’). The subtle arrangements – enhanced by The Drones’ Steve Hesketh and Andy Papadopoulos and Ash Davies (of Ron S Peno & The Superstitions) – tend to provoke such evocative descriptions.
It might be getting harder to distinguish the indie folk throng, but spend some time travelling the sonic trails of The Daylight Express and you’ll find it’s creator isn’t just another singer-songwriter also-ran. (AN)
