Another week, another chance to dive into the depths of New Music Friday
Welcome to another round of New Music Friday, where the best of the Southern Hemisphere—and a few well-earned global detours—take centre stage.
From Auckland jangle-pop and Naarm punk to Western Sydney rap and bossa reboots, this week’s playlist is stacked with artists tearing up genre lines and getting real about love, loss, and late-night spirals.
Whether it’s The Beths getting existential with 12-strings or Daisy Pring showing wisdom beyond her years, these are the sounds worth turning up loud. Antipodean by birth, global by impact. Let’s dig into some new music.
The Beths – “Metal”
New label, same existential dread. “Metal” marks The Beths’ first drop since Expert In A Dying Field, and it’s all jangle, guts, and gleaming 12-strings. Liz Stokes goes full introspective, reflecting on touring burnout and health battles, while the band keeps things punchy and propulsive. A shimmering study in vulnerability—equal parts fragile and ferocious.
Jamaica Moana – “KEEP IT REAL” ft. Prinnie Stevens
Trading fire for feels, Jamaica Moana steps into softer territory on “KEEP IT REAL,” a raw R&B elegy for her late father. Prinnie Stevens lends velvet vocals, while producer Milan Ring keeps the edges smooth. Honest, haunting and heartbreakingly human—it’s a grief anthem wrapped in soul.
VASSY – Bossacoustics
From EDM queen to Bossa Nova dream, VASSY dials it all the way down on Bossacoustics. Reworking dancefloor bangers into smoky acoustic serenades, this album is less strobe light, more slow burn. The result? A lush, Latin-tinged love letter to her roots, made for sunsets not sweat-soaked raves.
AViVA – “Heaven & Hell”
AViVA doesn’t mince words—or melodies—on “Heaven & Hell.” It’s a searing takedown of music industry sellouts, laced with grinding guitars and no-bullshit vocals. Loud, defiant and deeply cathartic, it’s the soundtrack to kicking down doors you were never meant to walk through.
Ziggy Alberts – “Feeling Blue”
Don’t let the breezy strums fool you—Ziggy Alberts’ “Feeling Blue” is a breakup song for the self. Written mid-wanderlust in Europe, it’s existential doubt dressed in sunshine, classic Ziggy. Stripped-back, heartfelt, and humming with hope.
L-FRESH The LION – “RED LIGHTS” ft. Nardean
No gatekeepers, no gods—just truth. L-FRESH and Nardean serve up lyrical clarity on “RED LIGHTS,” a soul-charged single fuelled by purpose. Quiet power pulses beneath the bars, making this less a banger and more a spiritual reckoning. Move when you’re ready. No permission needed.
GRXCE – “spit it out”
Sydney outfit GRXCE are done fixing people who don’t want help. “spit it out” is an indie-rock scorcher with enough bite to bruise, echoing heartbreak and hard-won clarity. Gritty, hooky, and made to scream in a sweaty crowd—catch them live or regret it forever.
St. South – “getting bad again”
Olivia Gavranich (aka St. South) makes anxiety sound soft on “getting bad again,” a lo-fi lullaby for anyone spiralling in slow motion. Gentle production, aching lyrics, and enough emotional punch to keep tissues close. Sad bangers never sounded so soothing.
Zion Garcia – “FIGHTBACK”
Bass-heavy and battle-ready, Zion Garcia’s “FIGHTBACK” is Western Sydney defiance in sonic form. From N.E.R.D nods to DIY grit, it’s a sonic Molotov cocktail built on memory and intent. He’s not here to entertain—he’s here to outlast.
Hard Rubbish – “Distort It”
Written in regional solitude, “Distort It” is scrappy, stoned, and full of heart. Hard Rubbish channel Pavement, The Drones and Aussie malaise into a track that buzzes and aches in equal measure. Perfect for your 3am existential stroll.
Alex Watts – “SFYL”
From loss to swagger, Alex Watts turns grief into groove on “SFYL (Sorry For Your Loss).” With buttery R&B vibes and a killer backing band (Surprise Chef, anyone?), it’s a kiss-off that slinks and stings. For lovers of soul with bite.
Royel Otis – “Moody”
The slacker kings are back. “Moody” finds Royel Otis hitting that sweet spot between late-night longing and laid-back grooves. Written with hitmaker Amy Allen and slicked up by Blake Slatkin, it’s all road trip wistfulness and cigarette-laced cool.
GOODFRND – “FEEL GOOD”
Maximum chaos, zero chill. GOODFRND’s “FEEL GOOD” is a high-octane headrush built for bad decisions and louder speakers. Think The Dare meets Gorillaz with a TikTok brain. It’s brat-pop for the overstimulated generation—and it bangs.
Solomon Crook – “Too Strung”
Solomon Crook delivers heartbreak in cinematic slow motion on “Too Strung.” All trembling percussion and brooding vocals, it’s indie-folk with soul and weight. One for the rainy bus rides and emotional reckonings.
Daisy Pring – Treading Water (EP)
Fifteen years old and already a heartbreak scholar. Daisy Pring’s Treading Water is all raw nerves and soft rage, shaped by big-league producers but fuelled by lived teenage chaos. A debut that lands like a diary flung open mid-breakdown.
Tonite – “Breathe”
Geelong artist Tonite delivers a poetic punch with “Breathe,” fusing hip hop, short film, and soul-baring bars into one rich project. With production by Anthony Liddell and Wild Gloriosa’s haunting vocals, it’s genre-defying and deeply personal. Hip hop for the head and the heart.
Swordes – “Boyfriend La La La”
Swordes is unhinged, unstoppable, and rewriting the rules. “Boyfriend La La La” is a glitchy, campy takedown of pop tropes, where drum machines and operatics swirl into chaos. It’s weird. It’s wild. And it works.
Two Tonne Machete – “HOME”
Feminist punk with a bruised heart. “HOME” is Two Tonne Machete’s howl into the void—a furious, grief-riddled anthem about diaspora and displacement. With blistering riffs and gut-punch vocals, this is punk that makes you feel, then act.
Pulphonics – Sonic Umami, Vol. 2 (Album)
Forget genre. Pulphonics are here to weird your playlist. Sonic Umami, Vol. 2 is a brain-melting buffet of electro-rock freakouts and ambient detours. Strange, smart, and built for those who like their music as unpredictable as it is unhinged.
Updated weekly Happys Mixtape has the absolute best new music that this week has to offer from Australia and around the world!
