January 17 - Noteworthy New Releases
Our favourite releases of the week.
Ethanol Blend– ‘Run (Lies)’
Ethanol Blend continue to evolve beyond their surf rock roots, proving they’re more than a one-trick pony. ‘Run (Lies)’ quickly gets to the point, and by the time the chorus rolls around again, it’s damn near impossible not to start singing along.
An ode to those nagging inner voices and the ongoing struggle to let go of them, ‘Run (Lies)’ sees Ethanol Blend radiating effortless cool and the kind of good times you’ll want to soak in. Recorded at Forest Range Studios by SA Music Award-winning producer Lucinda Machin, ‘Run (Lies)’ is the first single from the band’s upcoming album Can’t Help But Wonder. With this tasty preview, we’re starving for more!
Sounds like: A beach day and post-swim snag fry-up.
By Hannah Louise
War Room – ‘I Found’
A song of two distinct halves, War Room’s ‘I Found’ is the band sticking its tongue out at the conventions of contemporary songwriting. It moves from a claustrophobic punk romp to an expansive folk crescendo without any attempt at a smooth transition. But even as the track heel turns so drastically from one genre to another, it naturally retains an atmosphere of deep unease and discomfort. The violin and the vocals, which at first signify a shift into some sort of calm, eventually bend and warp into confronting shapes. Then we’re back to an impossible knot of dissonant guitar chords, realising that we never left the darkness behind – it was blending into our shadow the whole time.
Sounds like: The opposite of itself.
By Jack Paech
East AV3 – ‘Lying With Me’
You never quite know what to expect from hip hop trio EAST AV3. The outift have managed to craft their own musical lane that’s hard to define but always enjoyable. Take their latest ‘Lying With Me’ – a sparkling summer anthem you can imagine booming out of the speakers in a packed beach club somewhere in Europe.
MCs Kane Trop3z and SENSEI drop slinky, carefree raps over Nic Flare’s bouncy, club-friendly beat, which is built around infectious keys and subtle electronic flashes. This is one of those songs you can’t help but nod along with. It also showcases the crossover appeal EAST AV3 possesses. More of this please fellas.
Sounds like: Summer in Ibiza.
By Tobias Handke
Trick Shot – ‘Devil Is In the Detail’
The origins of the proverb ‘The devil is in the details’ is attributed to German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Essentially, the idiom denotes that small particulars are often overlooked and can create issues in the future.
What local trio Trick Shot do with their latest single named after this expression is make their listeners aware of this predicament, using their refreshing take on the classic rock formula to deliver their message. In its stirring simplicity, it accomplishes all of this and more. Sometimes, the pains of life are fixed with a catchy chorus and soothing spirit. Soak it up.
Sounds like: The immaculate solution when the ZZ Top vinyl can’t be found.
By Will Oakeshott
Dropsink – ‘Animal’
Kicking down the door to 2025 with their debut single ‘ANIMAL’, DROPSINK are a potent reminder that punk music is at its purest in Adelaide. The band deliver motivation to move through the world better in impactful jabs to the jaw, the spiky vocals, frenetic guitar noise and pummeling drums acting as the fist of the messenger. The result? A track that burns white hot with resilience.
DROPSINK’s formative diet of DZ Deathrays and Violent Soho course through the single, but ‘ANIMAL’ is so much more than the influence of those lofty luminaries. It’s a clear-as-day reflection of Adelaide’s DIY punk scene. You can already picture the mops of hair attached to sweaty bodies banging about the band’s next mosh. Make sure you pay attention to DROPSINK.
Sounds like: Dropping Mentos into a Coke can.
By Zara Richards
Swan Reach – ‘Triple Angel’
Swan Reach’s latest single, ‘triple angel’ is lowercase in title and style. Erin McKenzie’s bedroom pop is hushed. Earth-shattering epiphanies are delivered with an apologetic whisper as if McKenzie is trying to downplay these life-changing moments, even as they awaken a primal panic within her. This muted quality is even more heartrending by elph’s – AKA Maxwell Elphick of Swapmeet fame – harmonies, which have a shyness about them but make ‘triple angel’ feel authentic and fragile. Because of this vocal interplay, the single scans like a dialogue between two fibreglass angels, harmonising a lullaby as they hold each other just above the rising tide.
Sounds like: Rain, remembering, regret.
By Jack Paech
