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.
Sarah Mary Chadwick – 9 Classic Tracks (Rice Is Nice)
Melbourne-via-New Zealand songwriter Sarah Mary Chadwick – vocalist and guitarist of the sadly retired Batrider – has released her second full-length solo album, 9 Classic Tracks, a stunning collection of hyper-personal songs that is utterly captivating.
Listening to 9 Classic Tracks feels like stumbling upon an open diary into the inner-workings of Chadwick’s mind. Some entries are sad (‘You Said I’m Buying’), others are gut-wrenching (‘Am I Worth It’), a few offer moments of bittersweet elevation (‘Lying Down’), but all of them will make you feel something – and probably more things and/or feels than most records you’ll hear this year. Seriously: Chadwick knows how to pluck on your heart strings.
Meanwhile, the LP’s simple lo-fi instrumentation, which mostly consists of melancholic church organ keys that set the LP’s poignant tone, allows for Chadwick’s harrowingly beautiful vocals to be the central instrument of these melancholic tales.
Chadwick’s sophomore album is disarmingly emotional, and without doubt is one of the most stellar local releases we’ve heard in recent times. Bravo. (Dylan McCarthy)
Totally Mild – Down Time (Bedroom Suck Records)
“Forget everything you heard about the Melbourne ‘dolewave’… we have found something much more important for you to listen to,” so reads the opening line of the Bedroom Suck’s press release for Melburnian four-piece Totally Mild’s debut LP. There’s two sentiments we agree with there: first, that the D-word should definitely be locked out of 2015’s vernacular, and more importantly, Totally Mild are above and beyond any kind of zeitgeist categorisation.
The quintet make crisp and elegant pop songs that weigh more than the sum of their parts. Advocators in minimalism, their barely-there instrumentation is measured and precise, like an archer aiming their bow at a bullseye target.
With bluesy guitars, gentle percussion, the occasional brass section and frontwoman Elizabeth Mitchell’s crystalline falsetto harmonies, Totally Mild manage to buck any trends while remaining equal parts classy, casual and cool. (DM)
World Wild – Caribbean Gold (MGM)
Adelaide-based artist Jarrad Lee is the long-haired maverick behind World Wild. His debut EP, Caribbean Gold, is a vibrant kaleidoscope of sun-drenched sounds and summertime vibes, making delectably kitschy 80s synth pop that takes its cues from the likes of Client Liaison, M83 and The Beach Boys.
Lee’s production is all about feel-good electronica. It’s the sound of rollerbladers skating down the palm tree-lined shoreline of Venice Beach, or the sight of people sipping sangria in a blow up pool in a backyard.
From the shimmering 80s synths of title track ‘Caribbean Gold’ to the catchy sing-along hooks of ‘Poolside’, Caribbean Gold is a wild world designed for electro lovers. (DM)
Gang Of Youths – The Positions (Sony)
If one were to judge Gang of Youths solely on their name, you’d expect their debut full-length effort, The Positions, to be full of songs documenting any number of high-school melodramas, and in a way you’re right. However, in an ironic twist, the Sydney four-piece are able to pen songs that are not only beautiful and deftly crafted, but come with a sheen of maturity and at times even wisdom.
No glint of hope is without a good measure of caution, no sadness is without a shimmer of joy, and all excitement felt comes with a last call. This precise and sincere songcraft, which rests somewhere at the musical intersection of indie, punk, pop, and pub rock, gives The Positions a sort of ‘night out in your own head’ feel. It’s an ode to the teenage spirit, complete with all of its triumphs, tumults, and neuroses. (Greg Moskovitch)
Gunslingers – Djangus (Independent)
Gunslingers are a young surf punk band coming out of Melbourne, though they sound like they could be from California, living somewhere down the road from Wavves or Weezer.
Recorded by Paul Maybury (King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard) and mastered by Andrei Eremin (Chet Faker, Closure In Moscow), their debut album Djangus is an impressive barrage of pumped-up garage psych perfect for sweaty mosh pits.
With Triple J loved singles ‘Paradox’ and ‘I’ll Always Be Waiting’ measuring out perfect amounts of Bratty, Rowdy and Carefree, this up and coming pack of shredders have made a great first impression with their first full-length release.
Ivan Ooze – The Social Alien (Independent)
Melbourne indie rapper Ivan Ooze has been gathering hype with singles ‘Trippin’ and ‘Jimi Hendrix’, the young artist boasting polished trap-inspired beats and the high intensity bars to match.
Now, Ooze’s blistering new mixtape The Social Alien proves he’s yet another name to watch on the long list of Australian artists who are redefining our country’s hip hop identity. Featuring collaborations from hyped producers WZRDKID, Sable, and an enormous remix with RL Grime on ‘Eroc’, the rapper says it’s “a reflection of the good, the bad and the ugly from my life on this planet so far”.
