New Music

PREMIERE: The Townhouses – ‘Magpie’ (Video)

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Leigh Hannah has been making tracks under the Townhouses moniker for over five years. ‘Magpie’ is the first single from his new record Ill-Fitting, which will also be the third – and last – full-length Townhouses’ release. While his previous LP Diaspora was slated with themes about displacement,  ’Magpie’ sees a return to the touchpoints of introspection seen on his earlier releases.

Featuring footage of Gippsland’s Corner Inlet, the southernmost occurrence of mangroves on earth, cut against scenes from Apichatpong Weerasethaku’s 2002 Thai romance Blissfully Yours, ‘Magpie’ is an “intimate representation” of Hannah’s “personal anxieties”.

‘Magpie’ might be about restlessness, yet each stagnant phrase and repetitive arpeggio seems to resolve itself – in the same way that closing time music does. I think a younger, suburbia-scrubbed Bill Callahan armed with a vibraphone would have been pleased.

 

Ill-Fitting will be released on cassette and photo zine format on the 23rd of September via Healthy Tapes.

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LISTEN: Many Things – ‘Chains’

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Many Things are a London-based group led by a familiar Aussie face. If you, like me, got caught up in the whirlwind surrounding Yves Klein Blue a few years back, then you will instantly recognise Many Things’ vocalist, Michael Tomlinson. Now living in London, Michael has spread his wings not just geographically but musically, too.

‘Chains’ is the new single from Many Things. It’s a heartbreaking take on obsession and an inability to let go of past loves. This tune is a proper rollercoaster, starting slowly but swelling to a bombast that parallels Tomlinson’s passion. He’s angry, he’s miserable, and it feels like he’s trying to pour every molecule into this song in the hope that he can contain it all there.

Take note, this isn’t a solo outing. Many Things is a group of talented musicians who create a strong foundation for Tomlinson’s voice. The small details are the most interesting. Listen close for the odd voicemail snippet – they add a level of personal sadness to the picture of obsession already being conveyed.

The newly released video for ‘Chains’ is a warped, VHS-style clip that features a bare-chested Tomlinson, his image distorting every time he begins to break apart.

Many Things will be releasing an EP, What We Are, on 22nd August through Dew Process.

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INTRODUCING: Main Beach

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Newly formed Sydney garage-surf-slackers Main Beach have been hard at work in their short existence, releasing no less than half a dozen singles since February. Their Bandcamp reveals a band driven by nostalgia for simpler times and endless summers, with music that walks the line between sugar-coated and bittersweet.

‘Down By The Wall’ features a lazily strummed guitar, bright and snappy drums and a healthy measure of distant ‘oohweeoohs’. The song’s sleepy, jangle-y vibe will make you long for the sea and won’t leave your head all day. The vocal hook is frankly heartbreaking, and the wash of reverb reflects the glare of the summer sun or the haze of sea spray at your favourite secret surf spot.

Main Beach will release a video for ‘Down By the Wall’ early next month. If the band’s first six tracks don’t satisfy the need in your life for garage surf jams, their debut album is due out on 12 September.

Main Beach will play a series of shows in their hometown over the next few weeks. Here are the dates:

21 August – Captain Cook Hotel, Surry HIlls

24 August – Valve Bar, CBD

12 September – FBi Social, Kings Cross

13 September – Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst

20 September – Tokyo Sing Song, Newtown

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LISTEN: Rolls Bayce – ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’

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Dean McGrath’s Rolls Bayce continue on their path of psych-pop exploration with the release of their new track ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’. The production has been polished up since the release of prior track ‘Arrows’. The song sounds quirky yet familiar, and it’s catchy as hell.

With a tight and dry rhythm section chugging along throughout, McGrath lays down sweet falsetto over raw, warped guitar lines. The track moves at a driving pace, leaving little time to notice how much detail this band can pack into less than four minutes. All that’s missing is a soaring, fuzzed-out guitar solo – but maybe that’s not their thing. Perhaps they’re saving it for the live show.

Bouncy, to the point and just a little psychedelic, ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’ is one for the summer festival-goers and spaceheads alike.

You can catch Rolls Bayce live over the next couple of weeks on the tail end of their three-week Saturday night residency at Black Bear Lodge, and in September at BIGSOUND.

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PREMIERE: MKO – ‘Puddles’

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Brisbane’s MKO sent this song to us a few days ago, describing it as a “sub-aquatic, other-wordly plea”. I don’t know what that means, but it’s probably no coincidence that all your wild ideas and short moments of genius come to fruition when you’re mid shower.

Lathering aside. The arrangement begins sparse. It’s the same way MKO (Hannah Macklin) makes her foray into previous songs – lulling your ears along with that coy vocal, backlit by giddy tryptich beats. Soft R&B twists and turns hold this track by the shoulders, but it’s MKO’s subtle delivery that wins here.

‘Puddles’ is available to purchase via MKO’s Bandcamp from tomorrow.

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PREMIERE: Singing For Humans – ‘Walk Don’t Run’

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‘Walk Don’t Run’ is the brand new single from Melbourne four-piece Singing For Humans. The group has been gathering momentum for a little while now over a bunch of new releases, and we are happy to offer you the first taste of their upcoming album.

The song is a rousing track of simple yet elegant pop with the volume turned up to 11. Crystal clear vocals, pristine musicianship – Singing For Humans know how to write a tune. ‘Walk Don’t Run’ has a distinct UK indie-rock feel, channelling bands from the ’90s and early 2000s, combining the sonic qualities of acts like The Big Pink and The Verve.

After a few opening bars of acoustic strumming an electric guitar is introduced that sounds like an air-raid siren (if it were powered by failing Duracell batteries) and lyrics that provide a warning: walk, don’t run; simple but sound advice.

Singing For Humans will be releasing their self-titled EP on the 30th of August via Shock Records. 

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INTRODUCING: Mermaidens

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Dual guitar and drum-kit toting Wellington trio Mermaidens last month put forth a new three-track EP of icy, self-recorded guitar music that may very well send shivers down your spine.

Following on from the release of Bones earlier this year, O sees the band embrace a slower pace and a more spacious sound. In a show of brevity and skilled songcraft, Mermaidens lead you down a grim path with ambiguous intentions. Dark and swirling, O achieves a great sense of depth and movement in the space of three tracks and little more than 12 minutes of music. It’s an almost gothic experience, but it also carries the lo-fi grit of a noise band trying in vain to play quietly late at night.

Their sound is much bigger than their simple instrumentation would have you believe. O is a charming and brief experience that gives you enough in the way of spooky vocal melodies to make you want to listen again and again. Ideally on headphones, alone, and at night.

 

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