Frontman David Le’aupepe has signalled through previous singles that the band’s forthcoming album will be a sonic right turn, but this marks the biggest shift away from the past so far, with a danceable beat anchoring Le’aupepe’s lyrics, which give voice to his father’s early life and the deeds he was forced to commit. By the middle of the song, they will be groovin’ to a sultry saxophone part not entirely divorced from the sound of Kenny G, which slides over a backing track reminiscent of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On. Gang of Youths – Tend the Gardenĭevotees of Gang of Youths’ heart-filled epic Go Farther In Lightness will notice the drum machine first, then the heavy use of synths. Barkaa – King Brownįor fans of: Busta Rhymes, Nicki Minaj, L-Fresh the Lion.įor more: Her new EP Blak Matriarchy is out now. She never does write that list maybe it’s something for her to look forward to.įor more: Barnett’s third album Things Take Time, Take Time is out now. Barnett sits and awaits a letter, the only thing seemingly keeping her afloat. She watches the world burn and bemoans how “we can’t have nice things”, noting how our best efforts have fallen woefully short. Instead, Barnett bears witness to the dying world and pens a catalogue quite devoid of emotion. The song title implores someone, possibly herself, to write a list of things to look forward to, but such a list is absent here. It’s not surprising Courtney Barnett’s observationalist lyricism took a turn inwards during the recent pandemic, and like most self-talk, it can appear as both destructive and instructive. Courtney Barnett – Write a List of Things to Look Forward toįor fans of: Dick Diver, Kurt Vile, Parquet Courts.
Despite all the gleeful stomping on this track, there is a dark edge: the minor-y harmonies and the wailing vocals help round out what could have been mere the Who pastiche in lesser-skilled hands.įor more: Reverse Light Years contains 17 great tracks and is out now. Frontman Ashley Naylor is one of this country’s most underrated songwriters, with an incredibly high strike rate and an aversion to leaning on his laurels and going for the easy hook. Cinnamon Edge opens disc two on Reverse Light Years, hanging off the type of riff the Stones haven’t been able to write since the 70s, settling into a vaguely Eastern chorus melody and splashing the odd Ringo tom fill to really rattle the wireless. Hayley Mary – Bulletįor fans of: Deborah Conway, DMA’s, the Sundays.įor fans of: the Who, You Am I, the Beatles.įor a band who wear their classic rock’n’roll hearts on their paisley sleeves, it comes as a surprise that until now Melbourne’s Even had never released a double album, a must-have for any retro-leaning discography. The relatively unchanging backing track allows Baker’s voice to be the real star: harmonising, gliding into beautiful falsetto and growling in turn, while bouncing deftly from one earworm melody to another as the dancefloor thump keeps time.įor more: Caiti Baker is touring nationally with Jessica Mauboy in April. Caiti Baker – Spiceįor fans of: Ariana Grande, James Blake, Kitty Pryde.Ĭaiti Baker has traversed country, folk, gospel and hip-hop in her storied career, but it’s the Darwin singer’s recent infatuation with slinky 90s-leaning R&B that sees her find her groove, with glitchy futuristic production slipping in perfectly with melodies that could belong on an En Vogue record. The relative anonymity of this project will probably see it overlooked, but this song deserves to sit with Shark Fin Blues at the very top of Liddiard’s enviable canon.įor more: Springtime’s self-titled debut is out now.
White’s military drumming marches along as Liddiard leads the troops towards slaughter, “another empire in the grave”. Across nine vital minutes, Liddiard leads this unhinged trio through a work of simmering fury, chronicling the shameful tale of Australian special forces who slaughtered civilians in Afghanistan, as always exploring the various nuances and viewpoints without letting anyone off the hook.
Here, he teamed up with Jim White, the band’s actual drummer, as well as multi-instrumentalist Chris Abrahams, to unleash another work of beauty and rage. Gareth Liddiard has made no secret of his devotion to Aussie instrumentalists Dirty Three: shades of their rambunctious clambering cacophonies show up in almost everything he creates. The three heads of Springtime: (from top) Jim White, Chris Abrahams and Gareth Liddiard.