August 15 - Noteworthy New Releases
Our favourite releases of the week.
Purée – ‘Inspired To Do Nothing’
One only needs to look back to the grunge explosion of the early ‘90s to revisit a time in which the slacker aesthetic was glorified, with indie rock from then on being influenced by the look, the sound, and the ideals that followed. As Adelaide quartet Purée celebrate their fifth anniversary by releasing ‘Inspired To Do Nothing,’ the slick piece of catharsis undeniably finds sonic influence in the unifying sounds of late ‘00s indie rock, with thematic inspiration taken from the decade prior. Having described the track as one focusing on the bittersweet sense of comfort in your own lack of momentum, the four-piece have managed to distil that very notion into a digestible piece of sharp rock. It’s just a shame Myspace is dead, because this could easily take the mantle of your newest profile song.
Sounds like: A walk down indie memory lane.
By Tyler Jenke
George Alice – ‘SOS’
Throwing back a sharp shot of vodka while lacing up your Doc Martens to pregame a club night out is the feeling that courses through the veins of George Alice’s new single ‘SOS’. A grounding, punchy beat drives the track throughout, imitating the sensation of a pounding hangover induced migraine. Coupled with a pulsing bass, shimmery synths and the sweet release of an acoustic guitar chorus breakdown, it is the perfect soundtrack to that post-break-up ‘fuck it’ moment. ‘SOS’ is realistic, intimate, catchy, sprinkled in body glitter and a must-have on everyone’s pump-up playlist. Marking a new era for George Alice, ‘SOS’ blends the new-wave messy-girl pop we’ve been seeing from the likes of Addison Rae, Charli XCX and Tate McRae into an honest, introspective party anthem that is so uniquely and undeniably her own.
Sounds like: Scrubbing three-day-old mascara stains off your face
By Millah Hansberry
Nocturnal Animals – ‘Can You Make Me Feel Alright’
“With every resurgence or generational turning, fashion and music becomes reiterated.” – Princess Nokia
Adelaide’s Nocturnal Animals are not breaking the musical mould in regards to their self-confessed “skeleton boys dance punk”. However, what they are charismatically crafting is a resurgence of the elite soundscapes of the noughties – namely, the emotional alt-rock genre. Their latest single is a tremendous throwback to that era, but with a cinematic reiteration that animates their theatrics.
Greeley Estates, Finch and The Black Maria are motivations musically, although a classical string orchestration escalates the duo from punkto-provocative superbly. Imagine Tim Burton casting a grandiloquent band to perform in his gothic masterpiece; Nocturnal Animals are that outstanding revival.
Sounds like: Fightstar rewriting the Corpse Bride soundtrack.
By Will Oakeshott
LOLA – ‘What Line?’
Energetic four-piece LOLA have firmly established themselves as rising stars of the local scene. Inspired by their punk rock heroes (think Green Day, NOFX, The Clash), LOLA have been compiling a mosh-inducing set of riff-tastic songs incorporating nostalgia, pub rock and mateship. In the lead-up to the release of their third EP, PRAWN STAR, the band have dropped fist-pumping anthem ‘What Line?’ For anyone who grew up on a diet of ‘90s alternative music, skate parks and Coopers, ‘What Line?’ will take you back to the good old days while reminding you just how good guitar rock can be. Turn this one up to eleven and soak it in.
Sounds like: The youth of a generation.
By Tobias Handke
JesseMelancholy – ‘Sanctuary’
JesseMelancholy encapsulates the emptiness of a burnt-out relationship and the struggles that come with falling out of love; following the journey of two people who aren’t meant to be. ‘sanctuary’ has a nostalgic 2000s electro-emo feel that will take you back to the MySpace era. You’ll find yourself tapping along to the upbeat tempo but when you listen in, it’s heartbreaking. It has chuggy guitars, carefully layered synths and honest lyrics. The intro is ominous – flicking through different genres until it hits in hard with the drums followed by the synth and that’s when you know the emo banger is here! You’ll find yourself humming along to this song in your head an hour after listening and it will keep you coming back for more.
Sounds like: Transporting back in time 20 years to when you had a side fringe.
By Jannah Fahiz
Violet Harlot – ‘Miracles’
Violet Harlot’s ‘Miracles’ starts off very stripped back and heartfelt. It’s simple, whimsical and enchanting; painting a story of fantasy and adventure. Then it builds; adding instruments until there’s a full band feel and they speed it up to turn into a rock ballad. The bridge of the song has a guitar solo that sounds like someone shredding on a rock high up on an empty foreign planet. The song explores the band’s curiosity of what else could be and the longing for an ideal life far away. It sounds like if Franz Ferdinand met face to face with a fire-breathing monster in an epic fantasy movie and Jack Black showed up to help save the day. This is probably the song they would sing before entering into battle.
Sounds like: Your neighbourhood rock band jumped in a spaceship to explore another planet.
By Jannah Fahiz
