February 27 - Noteworthy New Releases
Our favourite releases of the week.
Sofia Menguita –‘If Anyone Asks’
Sofia Menguita distils infatuation in a tight three minutes with ‘If Anyone Asks,’ securing her rightful place as Adelaide’s easy-listening indiepop darling. Sonically sleepy but emotionally vibrant, the track is hazy and dream-like, evoking the image of a girl in her pastel-hued bedroom, gazing up at a ceiling plastered in band posters while she fantasises about her latest flame. Menguita’s whisper-soft vocals are coy and sweet, aching with the bruise of a crush, before strengthening as she leans into the wholeness of what she feels. The synths underscoring the melody create a summery warmth, and the steady guitarwork carries the song along, imbuing it with a starry-eyed quality. The clean production allows Menguita’s voice to take centre stage – and she is dreamy but she is focused.
Sounds like: Driving down a dusty summer road.
By Emily Wilson
MAJEELA – ‘JALNA’
Majeela’s ‘Jalna’ is a song made of oceans. Oceans of rolling sitar, sure, but also oceans of longing, oceans of complicated personal history; monumental, white-crested waves crashing on the beach between the spiritual and the commonplace. Its three-chord motif and the supportive swing of its rhythm section encompasses all of this. The Hindi-inspired psych instrumental holds all these complex human dichotomies together, and does so with a natural and gentle sway. Such a breezy confidence makes it feel like it’s constantly expanding, becoming as vast as the unshakeable optimism it sets out to inspire.
Sounds like: An existential change of wind.
By Jack Paech
THE FLYING SQUAD – ‘HEART ATTACKS’
‘Heart Attacks’ is the lead single from Adelaide’s Americana-inspired five-piece The Flying Squad’s upcoming EP, Now Violence. The twangy opening guitar lick, followed by the rumbling, foot-tapping rhythm, sounds like you’ve stepped onto a runaway train in a spaghetti western. At first, ‘Heart Attacks’ sounds like a mix of rockabilly and country, but frontman Tris Beaumont adds this pure rock ‘n’ roll energy – and a hint of punk – to the song. He sings through the story of an exhausted outlaw who’s sick of fighting too many battles, doing too many drugs and is ready to relax. It’s the kind of soundtrack that would score gunslingers having a shootout in a saloon, but the lyrics conjure visions of a more modern scenario – a coffee drinking, joint-smoking anti-hero.
Sounds like: If Ennio Morricone had started a punk band.
By Thomas Jackson
HIDDEN MIRAGE – ‘WHY WORRY?’
Sometimes we just need to worry less and have more fun. That’s what songwriter Riley Nicholas wants us to get from his single ‘Why Worry?’ The track comes off Hidden Mirage’s debut album Age of Disinformation, and is surely going to be stuck in your earholes for days. The refrain, “why worry about today / you could be dead tomorrow,” embraces that notion of anxiety we all feel from the modern world. It also reminds me of some advice Homer gave Bart on The Simpsons. But I digress – the pop punk aesthetic is on full display. The influence from early 2000s indie rock is prevalent without sounding worn out or overdone. Definitely a track for the hot days to come this year.
Sounds like: A backyard BBQ food fight.
By Brad Pine
EVA RUNDLE – ‘OVER IT’
Picture a moment, where after an exhausting relationship you finally call it quits, cry for a little while, and then emerge from your bed with the sudden realisation; you’re actually okay. And not only okay, but feeling stronger and better than you ever were before. This feeling is bottled, fizzy and shaken up to the point of explosion in Eva Rundle’s latest track ‘Over It’. The bouncy, synth driven banger is an ode to selfempowerment. Rundle’s voice drips like sweet honey across the buzzy, shimmery track, singing “I’m so fucking over it, and now I know why,” in the anthemic chorus. Instead of charging this statement with resentment, Rundle’s confession feels free, leaving listeners with a sense of joyous release and closure.
Sounds like: Ava Max’s Aussie cousin.
By Millah Hansberry
EVEN HANNAH – ‘BLEEDING BLINDS’
Soaring into the local scene, Even Hannah’s debut track ‘Bleeding Blinds’, merges genres of reggae, indie and surf rock. Catching you in full groove right off of the bat, they’ve been able to reimagine sounds much like Mako Road and Ocean Alley. Imagine you’re on a road trip to your favourite summer holiday destination. This is the song you’d have on; windows down, volume maxed and everyone singing at the top of their lungs. Even Hannah has found a way to create a sound that’s familiar to the Australian scene, while adding new features, including a bass solo that feeds in at the 2:30 minute mark. With gigs lining up and hopefully more music, it seems that this is a band to keep an eye out for.
Sounds like: That first breeze when you roll the windows down.
By Asher Hammat
