Tagged By pop

INTRODUCING: Zsa Zsa Lafine

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zsazsalafine

Zsa Zsa Lafine has enlisted serial collaborators Simo Soo and Brendan Maclean for some seriously brash bump ‘n’ grind goth-pop for her new single ‘Milk’ – the first track off her debut album, slated for release later this year. In an unsolicited rebranding of milk as the drink most likely to inspire sexy thoughts, Lafine, Maclean and Soo have pulled an ambitious amount of influences together – like lazers, desert-bound acid trips and probably even some musical influences too.

The first time you hear Lafine drop that sultry milk-appreciation refrain it is so deliciously inviting that the coarseness of Soo shouting ‘WAKE UP TODAY LIKE I OWN THIS SH-’ completely blindsides you – for about a second, and then you eagerly await the next round to join the lyrical ruckus.

It goes without saying that the production is the real hero of this audio dish. The club-ready bass line is over-dubbed with camera flashes, screeching tires and a bunch of other fittingly dark-kawaii sound bites that have been neatly pieced together with the precision of three musicians who make simple work of the humble Banger. If the inoffensive cute of PC Music has got you all emo about the future of Internet-as-art electronic subgenres, let these guys re-assure you that there are still musicians out there making abrasive, high-octane tracks without compromising their Tumblr weirdness.

Catch Zsa Zsa Lafine at Oxford Arts Factory on July 2nd. BYO dairy.

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INTRODUCING: Fonz Whaler

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Fonz-Whaler

Snubbing out lyrics ain’t such a bad thing when you have bands penning medleys about religious icons and shrines to fruit. Tom Kakanis is Fonz Whaler, a Brisbane guy making instrumental music out of his “brain oven” – which I’m sure is how all this fiddly ambient loitering incubates in the first place.

Fonz Whaler’s debut EP is a smoggy recount of solitude – fuelled by playful melodies, bow-legged instrumentals and every weird conversation you’ve probably had with yourself after 2am. This EP reminds me of some of Lalic‘s more downtempo tunes. And like Lalic’s work, there’s something special about lo-fi recordings like this which still cut clean sounds without suffocating in distortion or crying about the suburbs ’cause it can. 

Kakanis does attempt vocals on a few tracks, but it’s his instrumental-only version of events that do best. ‘Milestones’ kicks off with a succession of peppy guitar pluckings, the sort Andrew Bird would mount in his trophy cabinet, maybe on a Christmas album. That glorious treble guitar continues to bubble away in ‘Projections’. ‘Life on the Mandoline’ could be the motion picture soundtrack for a ridiculous coming of age biopic set in Crete, but it’s most definitely a song about a glorified fruit slicer.

You know, whether this is a baked dribble for soundscapes or vita C for the imagination, it’s been a nice way to kick off my leisure time. It’s all yours for $3, right here.

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INTRODUCING: Le Pie

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Le Pie

Who doesn’t love pie? Whether it be the home-cooked apple variety that spawned an infatuation with Sean William Scott, or the meat pie grub catcher that you can buy for $9 at the SCG, pie has thoroughly wormed its way into the collective conscience. Now, with the introduction of Le Pie, the world is about to get even friendlier with everyone’s favourite pastry delight.

Wrung from Newtown, Le Pie has only one single to her name, the heart-fluttering ‘Secrets’. But a few seconds in, you can already see that she’s going to be a star. She’s built on the same teen-crush pop panache that Go Violets, Meg Mac and Airling do so well. ‘Secrets’ is a surefire tearjerker, with an ability to evoke emotions we all didn’t even know that we had.

Maybe this is all a bit too flowery, but Le Pie makes a connection that most pop songwriters find unattainable. The fact she’s been able to do so on her first single is remarkable. Le Pie is sure gonna break hearts this year.

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INTRODUCING: Mope City

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Mope City copy

Australia’s in the shitter at the moment. We’re currently run by a bloke who outdoes the definition of misogyny whilst also being the national Minister For Women. That’s an irony to cruel for a higher power. Often, the best sort of bands present themselves to soundtrack dire times. Lo and behold, here’s Mope City.

Featuring members of Day Ravies and few others of Sydney’s finest, Mope City have kicked around for a while. The band have two creatively titled EPs to their name, Disneybland and Boo Fuckin Hoo. Where their former material rekindled the likes of Teenage Fanclub, their latest, Halfway House is a mid-fi pop choke-chain that brings out the darker elements in their music.

The production in this EP sums up with Mope City are aiming for, more firmly than previous material. Only three songs long, the material is tightly wound – but slides from rainy day pop, to more perturbed vibes. For an Aussie climate where the bitter heat is the least of our problems, Mope City provide an uncomfortably appropriate soundtrack.

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Mope City will be performing on the following dates in support of the release:
Jan 8th – Liberty Social, Melbourne (w/ Tam Vantage and Pure Moods)
Jan 10th – The Metro, Adelaide (w/ Wireheads and Men With Chips)
Jan 16 – The Haunt, Brisbane (w/ Bent + W.D. Fordy & Shrapnel + Karl’s Dog + Falco)
Jan 22nd – The Union, Sydney (w/ The Cathys + Avoid Island)
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Mope City’s Halfway House 7″ is out now through Tenth Court.

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LISTEN: Flower Drums – ‘Bad Websites’

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Flower Drums

It’s been a big year for Perth’s Flower Drums. The four-piece made their breakthrough at Laneway Festival in February thanks to Triple J Unearthed, and have since released a string of impressive singles. While their latest single ‘Don’t Wait’ looks set to propel the band off into a Flume-ian trajectory, ‘Bad Websites’, their previous single is also an intriguing listen.

‘Bad Websites’ opens with the kind of hiccupy rhythm you’d expect to hear sputtering from a bastardised Casio. However the track quickly changes course – dropping some lush synth pads that fall on just the right side of chill-out soundtrack cheese. Leigh Craft’s cooing vocals and gentle guitar ramblings blend subtly into the chorus, which is a near-perfect synthesis of delicate falsetto, silky-smooth synths and funky guitar licks.

With their debut EP 28 Mansions due for release early next year, it’s looking like 2015 could mark the start of even bigger things for Flower Drums.

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LISTEN: Cull – Nasty Drought

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It’s here – the first taste from Sydney shoegazing wunderlords Cull’s debut album. They’ve been floating into our earholes with streamlined Deeerhunter-via-interdimension-travel-through-the-cosmos since early 2013, when their track ‘Good People Disappear’ first surfaced on the WTH waves.  Since then, they’ve dropped their gorgeous Ba Noi EP, and a fantastically ethereal cover of Pavement’s ‘Shady Lane’.

But not simply content with ruling our hearts with mere singles, Cull have decided upon an album release for early 2015, simply titled Aloft. The name rings surely with their sound, simple pop music that’s held mightily high upon swirling masses of pedal effects and distortion.

‘Nasty Drought’ is the first taste of the album, and it indicates the record will be a colourful and engaging one indeed. Sticky vocals ensue, before unfurling into the kind of unfurling shimmer that we all <3 Cull for.

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INTRODUCING: Dictaphone Blues

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dictatophone blues

Dictaphone Blues is the bedroom project turned full band project of Edward Castellow, Auckland’s favourite southern adoptee. A new release is a reason to get excited, as Ed has managed to put out some of the most consistently righteous fuzzed-out guitar pop you’d be likely to find this side of your cool uncle’s record collection. Two albums on, Dictaphone Blues’ next album Mufti Day looks like it’ll go bigger and more ambitious than its predecessors.

Following on from lead single ‘Her Heart Breaks Like a Wave‘, heralding the release of Mufti Day is ‘365’, a catchy duet featuring guest vocals from Emily Edrosa (who also recently released an excellent EP). Under the guise of an upbeat summer jam the track escalates rapidly from themes of obsession to imaginary intrusion before a final meltdown.

Mufti Day is out on the 5th of December. The band will embark on national tour of New Zealand next month.

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