Another week, another chance to dive into the depths of New Music Friday
It’s New Music Friday, and as always, there’s plenty of fresh tunes coming through to keep your playlists feeling fresh.
This week, we’re hearing artists digging into personal stories, cultural connections, and those small moments that stick with you.
These new releases show just how varied and interesting the Aussie scene is right now. Here’s what’s spinning.
KRYSTAL RIVVERS
Eora/Sydney outfit KRYSTAL RIVVERS serve up a brooding alt-rock moment with Prisoner, produced by Jack Moffitt (The Preatures) and mixed by Reyne House (Dope Lemon).
Frontman Earl Weir shares:“It’s about wanting what you don’t need – and needing what you can’t quite hold onto.” Polly Cooper’s ethereal chorus lifts the track from moody late-night city vibes to a luminous tension between lust and introspection.
the stamps
Fremantle indie-pop/folk trio the stamps release their debut album In All The Ways I Am. Full of tender, poetic songs about growing up, leaving home, and creative struggles, the record features rich vocal harmonies and standout tracks like ‘Free My Mind’ — a raw look at writer’s block and breaking through creative barriers.
Fresh from national tours and gearing up for BIGSOUND showcases, the stamps are ones to watch.
ZPLUTO
Western Sydney alt-hip-hop artist ZPLUTO floats melodic bars over a hypnotic beat in his latest single OCD. It’s raw, honest, and effortless energy in a track that captures him fully in his zone.
ZPLUTO reflects:“I didn’t really sit down, and mind map out the song when I was making it. It just sounded cool, and at the time, I was working hard to get my bag up. It’s honest. Melodic. Undeniably me. This is ZPLUTO in his zone.”
Chloe Styler
Ahead of BIGSOUND 2025, Aussie pop artist Chloe Styler moves beyond her country roots with Push & Pull, a shimmering, upbeat pop track rich in emotional complexity.
She lays bare the whiplash of toxic relationships: “I wrote this in the aftermath of one of those situationships that truly messes with your head… This song was me being brutally honest about the emotional whiplash and saying, ‘Yeah, this sucks. And it’s not love, it’s just toxic.’” Her warm vocals and sparkling guitar cut through the push and pull with heart and honesty.
Georgia Mulligan
Sydney singer-songwriter Georgia Mulligan unveils Split, the third single from her forthcoming album Unheaven. The song is “part confessional and part ridiculous poem,” with a gently captivating groove built by her bandmates.
Georgia explains the creative process: “We broke it down and built it back up, over and over again, so the making of the recorded version became like the processes and cycles that sparked the song itself.”
Clovr
Meanjin/Brisbane producer Clovr returns with complicated, a vibrant Euro-inspired summer anthem co-created with Sam Atlast.
With ethereal vocals and punchy basslines, it’s an emotionally charged dance groove: “It’s a fun Euro summer track, for people to let their hair down and enjoy the small or big moments… Aiming for that staple anthem that will always remind them of a good time shared with lifelong friends.”
Hannah McKittrick
Naarm/Melbourne artist Hannah McKittrick drops Crowd scene, a slow-core ambient anthem that meditates on belonging and unity in the power of a crowd. Inspired by Tom Robbins’ novel Still Life With Woodpecker, Hannah shares:“I have felt that crowds can offer an antidote to the fear and hyper-individualisation… and provide a sense of whole-ness.”
The track builds over almost seven minutes, inviting you to lose yourself in collective presence.
The Empty Threats
Kaurna land/Adelaide band The Empty Threats announce signing with Anti-Dismal for their album happy birthday (Sept 12), sharing the new single bus stop. It’s a bracing duet capturing restlessness and disconnection, penned during a desert seclusion: “The song is an ode to the sleepless nights where one’s emotions blur between the lines of sanity and insanity,” says vocalist Stu Patterson.
People Mover
Jangle-pop trio People Mover release Cane Trash, the fuzzy title track of their debut album. Siblings Lu and Dan channel memories of their Bundaberg hometown, evoking smoky sugarcane burn-offs and small-town nostalgia.
Lu reflects: “‘Cane Trash’ gives into memories of where you came from and how you used to feel… That memory is an analogy for the album – things are fragile, special and fleeting.”
