Another week, another stack of new music worth making room for.
This week’s Radar moves from lo-fi indie pop and alt-country to psych-heavy rock, garage-pop and a few very good things sitting somewhere in between.
Stenn Francis-Deare – ‘There’s A Lot To Give’
The second taste of Stenn Francis-Deare’s debut album finds the Aotearoa-born, Melbourne-based songwriter comfortably between alt-country and indie rock. Warm, unfussy and quietly affecting.
Nature in the City – ‘Summer Is Coming’
Love the song, love the band name. Nature in the City bring a soulful folk-rock warmth to ‘Summer Is Coming’, built around vulnerability, melody and the kind of optimism we are very much here for.
Naked Mannequin – ‘Simply Brave’
Melbourne alt-rock with a decent splash of ’60s garage-pop. That’s pretty much it, and honestly, it works.
Mic City Sons – ‘Leaving You’
Love the way this one creeps in. Grungy, dark and touched by new wave, ‘Leaving You’ balances fuzzed-out guitars with enough emotional weight to stick around after it ends.
CANNABYSS – ‘Dune’
A hefty drop of heavy rock with a pinch of psych and a whole lot going on underneath. ‘Dune’ knows when to hit hard and, importantly, when to leave a bit of space.
Adele Rae – ‘Scar’
A sweet little indie-folk-pop gem from Bundjalung Country-raised songwriter Adele Rae. Lo-fi in all the right ways, with enough roughness around the edges to keep it personal.
Stormy-Lou – ‘Older’
Kaurna Yarta five-piece Stormy-Lou throw post-punk, pop-punk and emo into the same room and let them sort it out. ‘Older’ has the riffs, dual vocals and scrappy energy to make the whole thing land.
7stxrm – ‘She’s All Mine’
There’s a lot to love here, poetic indie pop, lo-fi enough to keep the edges intact. If Jens Lekman and Michael Jackson had a cousin in common, it might sound something like this.
Elli Damaskos – ‘Brain Dead’
Proof that sometimes it really is in the small things. Adelaide singer-songwriter Elli Damaskos keeps this one intimate and understated, with acoustic indie-pop, and unfiltered vocals.
Charli Rose – ‘In The Grief’
Following ‘Shots Fired’, Charli Rose keeps the run going with another very solid piece of pop. She clearly knows her way around a hook — and when to lean into it.
SirEvil – ‘Electric Fire’
Lifted from the album Niche, ‘Electric Fire’ is a solid drop of DIY hard indie rock. No unnecessary fuss, just a band doing what it does best.
No PROMISES – ‘Siren’
There’s a classic mood running through this little gem. No PROMISES lean into harmony-rich alt-country and ‘70s West Coast warmth without making it feel like a museum piece.
The Arcade Lights – ‘Upside Down’
Lifted from The Path Less Travelled, this is indie rock with a little punk shoved under the bonnet. High-octane, slightly unruly and all the better for it.
G_Tano – ‘Budha’s Dance’
Lifted from Read The Room, ‘Budha’s Dance’ pulls funk, acid jazz, Mediterranean grooves and Hendrix-y psych into one gloriously busy mix. G_Tano clearly aren’t interested in sitting still.
Soul Seeds – ‘Enigmatic’
Straight-up Australian rock built around friendship, lived experience and big-hearted songwriting. ‘Enigmatic’ keeps things earnest without losing the simple joy of getting together and making some noise.
New Indie Music: Happy’s Mixtape, updated every week. Emerging indie, rock and alt artists picked by Happy Mag. Chuck it a follow if you wanna seem cool to your friends.
