Tone Deaf and Amrap are continuing in 2024 to ask music directors or presenters at some of the finest community stations around Australia to share their best Australian music finds discovered on amrap.org.au.
If you haven’t got your music on Amrap, what are you waiting for? Community radio uses Amrap to source Australian music for airplay.
Anyone can discover all the great Australian music championed by community radio on the Community Radio Plus App, featuring the diverse range of community radio stations nationwide in one handy spot.
This week, Caitlin Ramsay and Mia Ranalletta, Music Directors at SYN Media, contribute with a list of Australian music from community radio you should be listening to right now.
Caitlin Ramsay’s Community Picks
Off his latest EP Jump to 3D, Billam has delivered more egg punk perfection with “Red Hot Iron”, off the back of his 2023 debut album Corner Tactics. If you haven’t yet seen Billiam & The Split Bills live, add them to your list of must-see acts!
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This country-tinged love song is featured on Moon’s self-titled EP released in February this year. Hailing from Perth, this artist writes intoxicating and emotional alt-folk tracks that should not be missed.
Emily Wurramara – “Midnight Blues”
“Midnight Blues” is one of two beautiful new releases from seasoned folk and blues singer Wurramara. It’s a deeply personal and soul-bearing track that describes the paralysing nature of sadness.
Merryn Jean – “THANK GOD! FOR ASTROLOGY!”
Jean’s debut album DOG BEACH is probably my favourite Australian release of 2024 so far. It’s a beautifully candid portrait of navigating love and life in your twenties. This punchy pop track is a definite highlight.
Mia Ranalletta’s Community Picks
Charm of Finches – “Clean Cut”
It’s all in the name – Charm of Finches deliver a folky whimsical sound that is as utterly enchanting as it is intriguing. “Clean Cut” channels this sound and energy in droves, leaning heavily into Celtic lilts and string sections that transport to a truly magical place through a spellbinding piece.
“Be My Medicine” is an electronic dream. RONA. captures such a pure dancefloor energy, conjuring a feeling of elation while grounding the track with natural elements throughout the soundscape. It’s been on constant rotation since its release and has entered the bucket list of must-see live sets for me.
Since the moment I first heard her, Maina Doe has been stuck in my mind with silky smooth melodies -“Lucid Dreams” is no exception! It has this groove that is impossible not to move along to and hits all the right notes, but the draw card is undoubtedly the vocal performance. Flowy and funky, it’s a perfect example of modern R&B.
The production on “Blood Majik” is really what pulls you into this track. There is so much going on and it works so incredibly well. The use of sampling and pulling from a lot of different sounds gives it this really timeless hip hop feel, and when completed with ad-libs from the incomparable Barkaa, it just adds the cherry on top of a killer track.
