July 5 - Noteworthy New Releases
Our favourite tunes of the week.
Alright Psycho – ‘A Song About’
Our fingers ache from hitting repeat on this single. ‘A Song About’ is Alright Psycho’s second release for the year, and if you need a track to show someone how thriving Adelaide’s scene is right now, this is it.
Compact and catchy, this two-minute-thirty tune has nostalgia running through it. It’s a sound that throws it back to the ’90s when dancing on a sticky pub floor, Bacardi in hand, was all the rage – totally refreshing and so damn fun. Pop ‘A Song About’ on at your next house party and grab your favourite dancing partner – it’s time to let loose.
Sounds like: The first taste of a bubbly beverage at the airport.
By Hannah Louise
Tonix – ‘I Was Asleep’
Adelaide winters can be dark and dreary, but the same can’t be said about the latest release from genre-jumpers TONIX. Aiming to produce the festival sound on wax, the trio has crafted a dynamic electro-dance anthem with new single, ‘I Was Asleep’.
The high-energy tune is built around snappy synths, driving percussion and vocalist Sammi Keough’s emotive vocals. But it’s the saxophone that does it for us. TONIX understands how to incorporate the woodwind instrument without their songs sounding like a cheesy ’80s throwaway.
Reflecting on the naivety that comes with young love, ‘I Was Asleep’ is a euphoric floor filler with substance from the rising stars.
Sounds like: Late-night goodness.
By Tobias Handke
Freegolf – ‘Wake Up’
Freegolf have arrived on the doorstep of Adelaide’s music scene with a brash confidence. ‘Wake Up’ takes an abundance of ’90s alt-rock touchpoints and packages them into a tight two-and-a-half minutes that demonstrate an understanding of how to whittle your influences into something striking and original. Sharp-eared listeners will note the echoes of West Thebarton or These New South Whales in the interplay between rhythm and lead guitar.
The latter half of the track is imbued with the same anthemic spirit as the Australian rock songs that form the backbone of triple j’s Hottest 100 since its inception. If you’re sleeping on Freegolf, we’d advise you to ‘Wake Up’.
Sounds like: Pub bathroom graffiti.
By Jack Paech
MACËY – ‘BURN IT DOWN’
MACËY aren’t here to follow the music rulebook. ‘Burn It Down’ begins with a hammering synth as gang vocals demand “Get the fuck up!”. A delightfully disordered affair, the track calls upon the early days of Four Year Strong and it follows this trajectory until halftime. That’s when a Limp Bizkit effect kicks in.
Baffled yet? Hold on to your drinks – this party is about to get wild.
An interlude of drum ‘n’ bass beats adds an Enter Shikari-esque intensity – a genre-defying move that turns the temperature up on this track. But wait, there’s more. This sonic adventure closes with a remarkable nu-metalcore breakdown that is extraterrestrial. Bravo.
Sounds like: A collaboration between Fred Durst and Pierre Bouvier with Joe Hahn producing, sponsored by Smirnoff.
By Will Oakeshott
EBONY A MILLION – ‘MOLASSES’
Meet Ebony A Million: The ambitious next chapter (and new moniker) of Adelaide songstress Ebony Emili. Our first taste of this fresh era arrived with her latest single ‘molasses’ – a track penned about that bittersweet feeling of infatuation with someone who might not be all they appear. Just shy of three-minutes, this song captures a push-pull of uncertainty thanks to its off-kilter rhythms, smooth flow and undeniable pop sheen.
Infectious and energetic, it’s hard not to return to ‘molasses’ after each listen. And with Ebony A Million delivering tracks as intricate as they are rewarding, you can bet this won’t be the last time you’re grooving to one of her tunes.
Sounds like: Diving into the deep end of a sweet musical pool.
By Tyler Jenke
EFFIE ISOBEL – ‘PEACH HEART’
Do you notice you’re intoxicated with a need to tell all your friends when you’ve got a big, thumping crush? It’s this giddy, butterflies-in-stomach infatuation (and ensuing confessionals) that rising star effie isobel cuts to the core of on new single ‘Peach Heart’.
Opening with a sound that feels like watching a memory through a Super 8 camera, effie’s vocals dance over a lo-fi beat as they recall every electric thought about that person. Muffled conversations between friends punctuate line breaks before
the sub-three-minute track breaks into a lush, band-backed sound. We can’t stop our cheeks from blushing. This single is positivity fizzing with energy, talent and emotion. What a treat.
Sounds like: Exhilarated gasps and a flushed face.
By Zara Richards
