March 06 - Noteworthy New Releases
Our favourite releases of the week.
Teenage Joans –‘Bandits’
Teenage Joans’ newest single, ‘Bandits’, brings us back to the 2000’s way of yearning. The track opens with an acoustic strum that gives off country pop vibes and slowly fades into their signature grungy feel. The chorus line “I keep coming back” is a catchy grab that’s all too easy to get stuck in your head. The crisp guitar throughout the song flows so well together, with the drums keeping up the high energy of it all. And you can also never go wrong with a classic line about Bonnie & Clyde and getaway cars. The outro with both Cahli and Tahlia singing and echoing each other really ties the song all together and leaves it on a high note that makes you want to replay the song over and over again.
Sounds like: An early 2000’s rom-com time-lapse.
By Tiana Gibbins
Praise Mangena – ‘Maze’
Multidisciplinary artist Praise Mangena’s repertoire of talents is too large to include in this review. However, her debut single, ‘Maze’, makes a strong argument for music to top that list. Driven by a deep downtempo groove, the track echoes the best of soulful 90s trip-hop from artists like Morcheeba and Sade. Mangena’s poetry background shines in her spoken-word delivery and lyricism that can only be described as sensual. With sultry imagery and seductive undertones, ‘Maze’ drips with passion. Mention must be given to Dusty Lee Stephensen for his impeccable production. The track’s omnipresent bass riff is perfectly adorned by bluesy guitar and percussion; there isn’t a drop out of place in his arrangement. Performing at WOMADelaide in March, it’s hard to imagine a better platform for Mangena to showcase her tantalising sound.
Sounds like: Someone whispering in your ear on the dance floor.
By Finn McCole
Pennies – ‘Texas Tea’
In a frenzied bid to reach the same dizzying heights as your parents’ favourite punk bands, Pennies build their new song, ‘Texas Tea’, around a mischievously catchy hook, which they embed into a bedrock of jagged guitars and razor-sharp drums. It’s a synergistic affair, with every element funnelling its way through the narrowest point in your speakers in service of sending a single message: electricity. The kind you feel in your fingertips, your veins, in your highest highs and your lowest lows; the nexus of everything worth doing. This is a song that doesn’t overthink. As a result, it comes barrelling out of the gates fullyformed, ready to go interstellar.
Sounds like: Tony Hawk Underground soundtrack material.
By Jack Paech
Destinezia – ‘Crooked Teeth’
Destinezia’s newest track, ‘crooked teeth.’, is bustling and busy, composed to make listeners feel nostalgic and free. “And I’m stuck lying through my crooked teeth,” brings a sense of self-awareness to the song, as the bright chords uplift listeners to this shoulder-swaying tune. While the lyrics seem to juxtapose the lively backing track, the story told by Destinezia progresses, as the protagonist hopes “one day I will be happy with my mess,” turning self-awareness into self-acceptance. The song is particularly successful in highlighting how a change of mindset is incredibly powerful in altering your life. “You need to slow down, it’s hard to breathe,” is wonderfully accompanied by a crescendo of percussion, ending in a very Backseat Lovers fashion, demonstrating growth and change throughout the song.
Sounds like: Stepping out of the shade into the sun.
By Ella Cortazzo
Loader Lane – ‘Sun Burner’
Just when you thought that summer was coming to an end, Loader Lane have given us a final burst of sun with their debut single ‘Sun Burner’. One of Adelaide’s newest sensations, this four-piece have quickly climbed their way up in the ranks, presenting themselves in a serious way. Blending known Australian sounds such as Ocean Alley, South Summit and Bootleg Rascal, it seems as if Loader Lane are looking to follow that success. As ‘Sun Burner’ progresses, there’s a building feeling of a big ending on the horizon, and once it arrives, it’s worth the wait. With smooth backing harmonies and an airy guitar line allowing frontman Liam D’Mello to cut through with striking vocals, the song reaches its climax, leaving you with the only option to start it all again.
Sounds like: When the sun hits your room during golden hour.
By Asher Hammat
Emerauld – ‘What I Want’
We’re waiting for the world to discover Emerauld, while they’re waiting for life to start happening. Emerauld’s ‘What I Want’ is a power track packed with feminine rage, self-loathing and a sense of unfiltered primal want. Opening with a dragging guitar riff that reverberates a thick feeling of longing, and swooping into a sharp pinch harmonic with delay, it’s John Mayer’s ‘Heartbreak Warfare’ that pulls front of mind. But this guitar lick is where the comparison ends, trading Mayer’s bluesy, breathy voice for Emerauld’s controlled, sharp, powerful femme vocals. “Gonna light my room on fire / and fuck my best friend,” Emerauld roars, with a gritty, bitey confession; the explicit outburst unseen from the artist before. We’ve seen this artist raging, but this emotionally dripped track feels deeply rooted, unbelievably raw, and so damn exciting.
Sounds like: The straw that broke the camel’s back.
By Millah Hansberry
