‘Rocked the Boat’ is a soft lullaby taken from Budding Teens, a new Velcro tape released on US label Terroir Edition. The label guy has a pretty unique aesthetic and posts merch from Spokane, Washington with another cool band Campfires on the roster.

Velcro will be launching the Budding Teens cassette on Thursday, 7th March at The Gaso upstairs in Melbourne. I’m still not totally down with tapes even though the Velcro stuff sounds real sweet on a sony tape deck, I bought new in 95. It still feels weird but it’s a cheap way to make something worth buying and hanging onto. So if you have any sentimentality – get to the show for this limited release.

Budding Teens has 5 tracks from the Velcro catalogue including the disco number ‘Bong Lion’. These tracks are short, sweet, direct and heartfelt. ‘Rocked the Boat’ is obviously my favourite despite being an older track. It’s because like all good poets, Velcro weaves my emotions into a little ball and plays with it like a kitten. I’m helpless when I hear those warm tones and weighty Melbourne sound.

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Single Twin has released a free (if you prefer) 9-track collection of tales that were recorded around the time he made the LP Marcus Teague. They didn’t make the cut for that record but it wasn’t because they were crap instead they just didn’t work. I won’t specualte as to why they didn’t work, I’ll just say that they do require a different level of listening. This is a delicate gathering of guitar/vocal song making with some atmospheric layering, which resides in the framework of Australian singer-songwriting style but has a more folk-husk, kind of wide-vista country, and an almost miserable bearing. Nice Cutlass has a tickle of Explosions in the Sky going on. How could a singer-songwriter strumming a guitar equate to a four-piece instrumental goliath from Texas? By connecting with real emotion and setting your thoughts free to wander through the record.

I’ve selected ‘Sometimes I Think About Taking Care Of You Sometimes’ for your Friday morning as a warm hug to start your weekend. The rest is up on Bandcamp with a ‘pay what you like’ option to raise funds for a vinyl pressing of Marcus Teague. Kinda crowd-funding but more so you know he won’t just buy cigarettes with the 5 bucks you sling him… do they still cost $5?

Single Twin has a backyard show on this weekend in Richmond, Melbourne. So drop by. Details here. And possibly a solo show in Sydney mid-March.

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Rainy Day Women are a four-piece from Fremantle, WA that knock out summer gems like SPF 50+ knocks out UV. Seriously, slip slop and slap kids. Their new EP Friends is happy times with production by Andy Lawson, the wizard that makes Eskimo Joe appear to actually sound good. I’ve posted the title track ‘Friends’ which is a cute tune that has the right mix of vintage fuzz with sweet melody to be perfectly on-trend with the current West Coast sound. Someone send them to the States.

Of course these guys have also sewn up the summer must-have festival slots at Southbound Festival, Big Day Out (Perth) and St Jerome’s Laneway Festivals in Perth. They continue on for an east coast tour that looks like this:

Fri, March 8: Amplifier Bar, PERTH w/ Bastian’s Happy Flight + Special Guests

Thurs, March 13: Black Bear Lodge, BRISBANE w/ Oceanics + Ben Fahey

Fri, March 15: FBI Social, SYDNEY Hot Spoke + Special Guests

Sat, March 16: The Workers Club, MELBOURNE w/ Split Seconds + The Red Lights + Hudson

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Flamingo are from Adelaide… no seriously they are from Adelaide. I don’t know why that seems crazy but it does when I listen to this stuff. Sure, guys making beats at home can draw from anywhere now and create a sound that doesn’t have to fit their scene or landscape or whatever but make no mistake – it is way harder. Mostly because it’s difficult to know what’s good. The feedback is on yourself which is why I’m impressed by the way these guys have worked up this sound. Check their soundcloud for an ‘EP’ of sorts. The first half of O.T.H.A.F.A sounds straight out of Brooklyn and the rest is all worth a spin too. Some dub step beats and sparse jamie xx bass as well. Yes, it’s a mish mash but the highs out way the missteps. ‘Watch It Blow Up’ is our choice cut. Enjoy.

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This new track from Strange Talk was directed, produced and edited by Costa Vakas. Yeah he goes alright… he’s a ‘doing what you never dreamed possible’ kinda guy. And for this ‘banga’, he has taken us into a Faithless (circa 98) type club vibe, complete with glow sticks, lasers, and leo’s. I. Think. I’m. Falling. In. Love.

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