The best new music landing this Friday, from here and across the ditch.
Friday has rolled around again, which means another stack of new music has landed all at once.
From here and our mates across the Tasman, this week brings new records from The Lazy Eyes, Queenie and Miss Kaninna, alongside fresh singles from ONEFOUR, Balu Brigada, PARK RD and plenty more.
Here’s what we’re playing.
ONEFOUR – ‘HIM’
ONEFOUR are back and sounding as assured as ever on ‘HIM’. J Emz, Celly and Spenny trade lines over a pitched-up vocal sample that gives the track just enough light against all that menace.
It arrives ahead of the Western Sydney crew’s regional Australian tour kicking off in September.
PARK RD feat. Molly Millington – ‘Fatal’
PARK RD have settled into Sydney nicely, and ‘Fatal’ finds them linking up with Molly Millington for a song about going out for all the wrong reasons, namely, hoping one particular person might be there.
It also comes with news of their second album, Boyhood, landing November 6.
Vv Pete & UTILITY – ‘Back Into It’
Vv Pete and UTILITY are, quite literally, back into it. Their latest comes with another suitably excellent visual, this time built around a car they spotted parked on the street, left a note on, and somehow convinced the owner to hand over.
Sometimes making a music video really can be that simple.
Miss Kaninna – BLACKPRINT
Miss Kaninna’s debut mixtape BLACKPRINT hits hard. Across six tracks, she moves through hip-hop, punk, rock, funk, R&B and club music without sanding down any of the anger behind it.
‘STOLEN WAGES’, produced with Lucy Blomkamp, is the centrepiece: direct, heavy and carrying something important with it.
Sidney Phillips – ‘Packed Up’
Sidney Phillips has never sounded particularly interested in fitting neatly into Australian rap, and sixth album C**T makes a pretty good case for staying that way.
Focus track ‘Packed Up’ sits inside a record of sad robot production, sharp hooks and brutally personal writing about addiction, friendship and family.
The Lazy Eyes – Cheesy Love Songs
The Lazy Eyes have stripped things right back on album two. Cheesy Love Songs swaps some of the dense layering of SongBook for something simpler, warmer and, occasionally, properly lovely.
‘I Just Don’t Know You Yet’ is a highlight, while the band’s psychedelic instincts are still lurking around the edges.
Balu Brigada – ‘BedHead’
Following last year’s Portal, Balu Brigada are straight back into it with ‘BedHead’.
The Auckland-born brothers call it a song about “trading sleep for a dream”, which pretty much covers it: relationships, home life and rest all taking a hit when you decide to give everything to making music.
Robert Baxter – ‘NAMELESS’
There’s something freeing about landing somewhere nobody knows you, and Robert Baxter runs with that feeling on ‘NAMELESS’.
Written during a trip to London, the track trades hometown gossip for anonymity, desire and a little escape. It also introduces Baxter’s forthcoming PARTYANIMAL EP, due September 18.
Worm Girlz – ‘Broken Tooth’
Worm Girlz go somewhere darker on ‘Broken Tooth’. Written around the strange experience of returning home and finding memories sitting on every corner, the Brisbane band let Lauren and Jade trade verses over brooding alt-rock.
Their new EP In Loving Memory Of… follows in October, less than a year after their debut album.
The Magician – ‘Dark Emporia’
Western Sydney’s The Magician continue making the kind of guitar music that sounds best when things get a little messy.
‘Dark Emporia’ pulls from garage rock, grunge and hardcore punk, carrying the raw energy that has made their live shows such fun. Sydney’s heavier underground remains in very decent shape.
Queenie – Pleasance
Queenie refuses to stay in the country box on second album Pleasance. The Naarm-based artist stretches into alt-pop and soft rock without losing any of the personality that made New Moult land.
Focus track ‘Deepest Richest Blue’ is a particularly strong moment, with Queenie’s voice doing plenty of the heavy lifting.
Winter McQuinn & Acacia Pip – ‘Exactly The Same’
Winter McQuinn and Acacia Pip make Melbourne winter sound surprisingly inviting on ‘Exactly The Same’.
Jangling guitars, acoustic warmth and gently stacked harmonies give it a Courtney Barnett-meets-Elliott Smith ease, while the shimmering outro is particularly nice.
Their second EP, Disassociating On The Travelator, arrives October 16.
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