New Music

Blurst of Times Festival

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blurstoftimes

So Blurst of Times Fest is happening this Sunday in Brisbane. There’s always a pal in every group who pulls out a stale Simpsons reference at a given time, but used in this context, against this ridiculous line up – Blurst of Times will get very, very loose.

The guys from Bedroom Suck, Fans Group and Hairy Mexican have pulled together their collective forces to bring a </DREAM> lineup that includes:

VIOLENT SOHO
VELOCIRAPTOR
SCOTT & CHARLENE’S WEDDING
GUNG HO
BORED NOTHING
THE CAIROS
SURES
BITCH PREFECT
WITCH HATS
TERRIBLE TRUTHS
DRUNK MUMS
KEEP ON DANCIN’S
TINY MIGRANTS
CIRCULAR KEYS
MAJOR LEAGUES
PIRATES ALIVE

Some of Oz’s best acts will hit the stage this Sunday the 31st of March across Alhambra Lounge, Black Bear Lodge and Coniston Lane (formerly Woodland). There are a handful of tickets left available HERE. If you’re not occupied with consuming chocolate or shackled to any other pious duties on Easter, get yr tune on. Blurst Fest will get very, very loose.

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LISTEN: The Living Eyes

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The Living Eyes

The Living Eyes are a super rad band from Geelong, who, if you can’t tell from the Bee Gees reference, are unduly committed to their throwbacks (never a bad thing). Their tracks wink at nostalgia. while being too cheekily raucous to get weighed down by it. These guys are definitely worth getting to know.

Their rad previous 7″ Ways To Make A Living came out last year and the guys managed to snag a gold spot on arguably the one of the best releases of 2012 (if compilation CDs count).

On April 1st (no foolin’), the band are releasing their debut self-titled LP recorded by Mikey Young, and they’re doing a pretty extensive tour around the East Coast to launch it (full dates below).

The two tracks below are worth your ears: ‘Slave Labour’ – a fast and cranky working-dudes anthem and ‘Up And At Them’; a fleshed-out, scuzzy workout but with the same defiant stomping ‘tude.

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LP Tour Dates:

Fri April 5th – FBi Social Club, Sydney w/Gooch Palms, East River + Family
Sat April 6th – The Oxford Art Factory, Sydney w/ The Otchkies + The Nugs
Sun April 7th – Hollywood Hotel, Sydney
Sat April 20th –  Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane w/Tiny Migrants, Cobwebbs + Sewers (FREE ENTRY)
Sun April 21st – Mustang Bar Rock’n’Roll BBQ Brisbane w/The Sulphur Lights + Midnight Woolf (FREE ENTRY)
Fri April 26th – Grace Darling Basement, Melbourne w/ The Bonninelis + The Clits
SAT April 27th –  The Baron Club, Geelong w/ The Kremlings

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‘Slave Labour’

‘Up and At Them’

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LISTEN: Velcro – ‘Bottle shop’

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velcro

Velcro has a refreshed lineup. Joining Curtis (Velcro) is the lovely Ashley Bundang (Pencil, Zone Out) on Keyboards and Zachary Schneider (Full Ugly, Great Outdoors – dude responsible for this video) on bass. This is their new single ‘Bottle Shop’ packaged with B-side ‘Morning After Party’.

Word on the email is that Velcro are recording a debut long player very soon, which will be interesting as previous releases have been short and immediate EP’s. By that I mean, a straightforward idea or theme rehearsed, recorded, and released. You wouldn’t put two of their EP’s on one record as it would be quite a discordant experience. Of course it will be a challenge to create a full length record but I suspect the answer is in the lineup change. There is a unique creative community around Osbourne St and if they manage to produce something as honest as a previous Velcro EP; it’ll be bloody good.

The bass line is really thick on ‘Bottle Shop’ and Bundang brings a lightness that caresses Curtis’ melody into a lovely two-minute slice of pop. Velcro are launching ‘Bottle Shop’ on the 7th of April at The Workers Club, with supports from Ciggie Witch, King Tears Mortuary & A Man Called Son. Download the single for a smile.

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EXPAT: Islander

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islander

We’re pretty grateful for the volume of amazing new artists that email us every day. That said, every now and then it’s real good to hear new music for what it is, without the intention of trying to verbalize or justify why it sounds the way it does. Hugh Gavin emailed us late last year with material from his band Islander. Somehow his email only resurfaced recently, but I’m real glad it did.

Hugh’s dad is an opera singer. While that could go on to make a good Donny Benet style bio in theory, Hugh’s done a notable share of us own solo work. He made the move over to London when he was 15 after some convincing from his opus-toting dad. Impressively, the first support slot he played was with Laura Marling and Myles Mumford (who played as a solo act at the time). Hugh spent the next few months touring with Communion Records with his band Wise Man Said.

However, he soon realised he wasn’t a “folkster”. Since taking a break from that side of things, he’s spent the last few years developing his songwriting, forming his band Islander two years ago.

Hugh has kindly taken a series of photos for us – from his home in Kentish town, to the studio, to night lights and back again.

 

(PS. Worth having a look at this Loudon Wainwright cover too. Such a voice.)

 

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WATCH: Major Leagues

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Major Leagues Teen Mum

In high school, a friend and I used to play a game where we’d sit in the local Westfield foodcourt watching people eat. While the crux of fat suburbia would devour their goods, we’d make corresponding bestial ‘eating noises’ for each person based on reasonable moral grounds such as appearance, weight and assumed saturated fat content of their food-court meal fare. It was a terrible game. But one I kinda have strong urges to repeat after watching this new one from Brissie’s Major Leagues.

Thirty five people in a room, eating in slow motion. Reads like the plot outline for a work of custom erotica. Thankfully, Major Leagues have made the whole thing heaps of fun! The cast here look like the types who spend more time taking photos of their food rather than scoffing anything, but there are some outstanding table manners and scenes of some dudes bonding over breast meat.

Easily one of my fave clips so far this year.

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LISTEN: GRRL PAL

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GRRL_PAL

Dolly Doctor quiz time, GRRL PAL. ‘What does your band name really say about you?’

Bands who have a strong disposition for removing vowels in titles should be approached with relative to high caution. Most of the time. Grammatical farts are all the rage, y’know. If we’re talking the symbolic clusterfck of the current music rainbow (△△△), then these guys should sound reasonably accessible.

GRRL PAL are a new three piece from B̶r̶o̶o̶k̶l̶y̶n̶ Perth. Only 55 people vibing on these guys on Facebook right now. Babies, really. Digits like those don’t stay stagnant for long when you look like an American Apparel clothes horse and tell the kids your tunes are directly influenced by Futurama episodes.

‘Amazon’ is the first taste of the band’s debut EP. This track files in with the type of pixelated indie-pop that America usually stamps all bragging rights to. Geo-speaking, GRRL PAL have departed from the typical expectations of the usual prog/psych and guitar weighted stuff we’re all used to from Perth. While there’s a great wave of upcoming experimental artists springing out of Perth too (fostered by guys from New Weird Australia especially), these guys don’t really fit in either category.

Influences are worn on the sleeve here; you can definitely point out bits of Chairlift, Glass Candy, Cults and Grimes‘ breathy woo-ing swimming around in with your cereal. Lyrically, it’s more style than substance, but definitely still a highly likeable first track. With a bit of time and love, I think these guys have the potential to hitch a ride on the hype wagon pretty fast.

GRRL PAL are releasing their debut EP next month.

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LISTEN: Courtney Barnett

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courtney

Courtney Barnett is a genius poet. In case you didn’t know. This is her new track ‘Avant Gardener’. It’s amazing. It tells the story of a very hot sunny Monday. Like any other day. You wake up and decide to clean up your front yard because you realise your rental probably looks “like a meth lab”. You know what I’m talking about. A little gardening. It’s good for the soul. It makes every slacker feel productive. And slightly less guilty when the old lady across the road stares at your wheelie bin that you left out cause it’s almost bin day… again. So you pull some weeds. Plant some herbs. And girls plant sun flowers (which I think look creepy) and guys dig up shit and plant way too many tomato plants.

Anyway, all of a sudden our pal Courtney can’t breathe and calls 000 (yeah that’s the right number!) and gets a shot of adrenaline. Nice story. Humbly recounted like spoken word and soundtracked by her friends including Dan Luscombe who makes guitar scratching and squealing sound bloody beautiful. The harmony is great, the tune rolls along like a road trip and Courtney’s matter of fact dry lyrics have inspired this lengthy rant and probably a whole heap more reviews that will detail the story and how good she is. Everyone is getting a piece of her on support slots but get along to one of these single launches. It should be rad:

21 Mar – Black Bear Lodge w/ Grand Atlantic & Dom Miller – Bris, QLD.
23 Mar – Brighton Up Bar w/ Pear Shape & Bec and Ben – Syd, NSW.
28 Mar – Toff in Town w/ Money for Rope & Atolls – Mel, VIC

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