As the Australian music scene begins to enter a cautious state of normalcy following a few difficult years, the country’s musicians are still facing enormous limitations in working opportunities to support and sustain their careers.
The Australian Music Radio Airplay Project – better known as Amrap – offers an excellent pathway to airplay to the many community stations who have long championed Australian music in all its myriad forms. Providing exposure often before anyone else, community radio is a strong and unique network immune to passing trends.
In this Tone Deaf series, a different music director or presenter at some of the finest community stations from around the country get their opportunity to share the best community music discoveries from Amrap.
This week it’s the turn of RTRFM’s Lawrence Drown, and you can check out his picks below.
Check out ‘American Honey’ by Jewel Owusu:
Maatakitj ft. Paul Mac – ‘Yornan’
Maatakitj (pronounced “mart-a-key-tch”) is the alias of award winning composer from Great Southern Western Australian, Clint Bracknell. The Professor of Indigenous Languages at the University of Queensland collaborates with Australian music icon Paul Mac to bring you a complete album of dance tracks sung in Noongar language.
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The intro track ‘Yornan’ tells the love story of bobtail lizard mating seasons, while the full length release Noongar Wonderland, premiering in Perth Festival’s 2022 program as multi-sensory performance Boomerang and Spear, casts a light on the ecological value of local wildlife.
Self described as “four sport-lovin gals playin sweaty punk” out of Fremantle, this slice of grunge-punk showcases comedic angst surrounding Australian sport culture and the ongoing gender divide and imbalance in professional sports.
Jewel Owusu – ‘American Honey’
Perth-based Filipino/Ghanaian songstress Jewel Owusu brings her smooth vocal style to this relaxed electronic R&B beat. A catchy chorus and genre-bending production supports the lyrical narrative. Already featuring on lineups supporting the likes of Pond, Methyl Ethel, Supathick and Gordon Koang, Jewel is another exciting prospect on the R&B/Hip Hop scene in Australia.
Perth disco-pop supergroup Supathick hold a wealth of performance and songwriting experience, sharing members with acts Demon Days, Wooly Mammoth, and Almond Soy. This latest release brings a polished brand of soul and funk featuring lush vocal layers from Keely Brittain.
The band continues to build strong collaborations since forming in 2018 with previous features from Adrian Dzvuke, Your Girl Pho, Saskia Brittain, Kaitlin Keegan and Leah McFetridge.
Check out ‘Love Back’ by Supathick:
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets – ‘Lava Lamp Pisco’
These psychedelic icons continue to deliver their signature hard hitting rock style on their fifth full length release Night Gnomes. Catch their powerful live performance touring nationally this June and July with support from The Buoys.
Web Rumors – ‘Northern Service’
Perth multi-instrumentalist Em Burrows returns with her new wave pop group Web Rumors (an anagram of her own name). This energetic 80’s inspired synth pop release features UK rail announcements from Celia Drummond (Humphris), formerly of 70’s acid-folk group Trees. Wavering synth stabs and a chugging bassline maintains a steady groove set to soar in a live performance.
Fremantle/Walyalup singer-songwriter releases her debut EP Peccadilloes off the back of a national tour supporting Stella Donnelly and performing at festivals including Out of the Woods and Summersalt. This five-track folk EP is as delicate and affectionate as it is emotional and sets an exciting prospect for Banjo’s career ahead.
Check out ‘Leaving Again’ by Banjo Lucia:
