Moktar – Silk

A local among Sydney’s music scene, Moktar’s debut single combines the gritty sounds of underground techno with traditional Arabic instrumentation, paying homage to his Egyptian Australian identity. With it, he’s breaking the repetitiveness of club tradition, with a floor-filler that’s as transcendently beautiful, as it is humid and sweaty.

9.3

MOKTAR

SILK

Jorja Smith – All of This (Jorja Smith x Guilty Beatz)

After blowing the world away with her first body of work since 2019, Be Right Back, Jorja Smith takes centre stage once again with All of This – a house track made for lounge singers across the globe. Produced by Grammy-nominated producer & DJ Guilty Beatz, All of This draws inspiration from Guilty’s love of Amapiano, all while retaining Smith’s pop-intoxicating essence.

8.7

JORJA SMITH

ALL OF THIS (JORJA SMITH X GUILTY BEATZ)

The Vaccines – Alone Star

2021 seems to be one hell of a year for The Vaccines  – and no, that isn’t a COVID pun. Their latest release, Alone Star is invigorating and transformative  – following a year of understanding who they are as artists. With a neo-twilight tinge, Alone Star seems to be an ode to loneliness, neon lighting, and that sinking feeling of knowing that the night is coming to an end.

7.3

THE VACCINES

ALONE STAR

Spaciousness 2 – Various Artists

During difficult times, it can be a chore to remain within one’s own mind. Spaciousness 2 is the not so abrupt awakening into a different idea of consciousness, and its soothing soundscapes wash through you in ways that are almost spiritual. A combination of multiple artists including Lauren Doss and Ariel Kalma – there’s something for everyone in this deeply introspective album

9.2

VARIOUS ARTISTS

SPACIOUSNESS 2

Don’t Kiss Ur Friends – MAY-A

MAY-A may be one of the most interesting enigma’s in Aussie music, a bonafide popstar with a left-field twist. Her latest LP, Don’t Kiss Ur Friends, lives up to its namesake as a body of work that’s as much a feel-good-ish pop record, as it is a dissection of innately queer experience – kissing friends is a risky move in queer circles, and MAY-A brings these once-hidden intricacies under a sonically beautiful microscope.

7.8

MAY-A

DON’T KISS UR FRIENDS