Community radio music directors often have an encyclopedic knowledge of local music and an insatiable thirst to keep their ears ahead of the curve. So in this Tone Deaf series, the Australian Music Radio Airplay Project (Amrap) invites music directors to highlight new Aussie tunes that you might have missed.
In this edition, Aeron Clark from Edge Radio in Hobart contributes with a selection of tracks currently making their way to community radio through Amrap’s music distribution service ‘AirIt’. Check out Aeron’s selections below and if you’re a musician you can apply here to have your music distributed for free to community radio on Amrap’s AirIt
Sarah Mary Chadwick – ‘Makin’ It Work’
Sarah Mary Chadwick is an amazing performer. She’s incredibly raw and vulnerable on stage, with a sparseness to her work that allows the listener to give their full attention to the lyrical content.
She’s unflinching and affecting and makes me hurt a little bit, but she’s never depressing. This one’s the first single from her new album ‘Roses Always Die’, which will be out in August.
Ermine Coat – ‘Rent Network’
Alex Griffin’s latest release under the name Ermine Coat is the beautifully lo-fi Faulty Landscape album, out on his home label Workplace Safety.
This song is a yearning lament to a share-house dalliance, with frank lyrics that demonstrate Griffin’s knack for youthful uncertainty and suburban ennui.
Mount Trout – ‘Top of the Road’
‘Top of the Road’ is taken from the record Geeveston B and was recorded in a shack about an hour south of Hobart.
Starkly beautiful, the song instantly transports me to the drizzly Tasmanian bush, and I am certain I want to hitch a ride in the back of that ute they’re going on about.
Pikelet – ‘The Neighbour’s Grass’
Evelyn Ida Morris is a fascinating artist, with a wonderfully exploratory approach to pop music. ‘The Neighbour’s Grass’ pulses gently and seductively, somewhat in contrast to the bleakness of the lyrics.
Morris even adds a touch of hip-hop into the mix on this song, which is taken from the fantastic new tape release Tronc.
Heart Beach – ‘Counting’
Hobart sad-pop three piece Heart Beach have a knack for deftly articulating those little moments in our lives that are perhaps a lot more significant than we appreciate at the time.
‘Counting’ is two and a half minutes of perfectly understated summery pop that sticks in my head for days at a time. Make sure you check out the B-side, ‘Relief’ also.
Nearly Oratorio – ‘Veracity’
Nearly Oratorio is the solo project of Simon Lam, known for his work with I’lls and Kllo.
In this guise, he blends electronic and acoustic instrumentation seamlessly with cracked, vulnerable vocals. ‘Veracity’ is evocative, yet warm and comforting, and is taken from Nearly Oratorio’s stunning EP Tin.
The Drones – ‘Boredom’
The Drones’ seventh album Feelin Kinda Free is an enthralling listen. The band are moving in a really exciting direction at the moment, and their latest single ‘Boredom’, plus accompanying video, is a great example of the unhinged nature of this genre defying record.
Rainbow Chan – ‘Nest’
On ‘Nest’, Rainbow Chan combines her trademark slightly left of centre beats with sugary vocals to create an addictive retro-pop gem.
The classically trained artist has a knack for producing delicately constructed musical collages. Late last year we were also treated to the engaging first release from her more experimental project Chunyin, titled ‘Softcall 101’.
POPPONGENE – ‘Do It Girl’
POPPONGENE is the solo project of Melbourne based Sophie Treloar, who also plays in Sunbeam Sound Machine.
She’s currently busy recording her first EP, but for now we have debut single ‘Do It Girl’ to keep us interested. It’s kind of like being enveloped by a cosy, psychedelic cloud.
