From filthy Wollongong funk to moody New Zealand indie – we have plenty of new music for you to get around.
Monday has arrived grey, damp and generally asking a little too much of us, so naturally we’ve gone looking for music to fix it.
Today’s New Music Radar runs from Melbourne lounge-soul and sultry dream-pop through filthy Wollongong funk, jangly New Zealand indie and a rap EP that has very efficiently taken care of the Monday blues.
Get into it.
Matthieu – ‘Summers Call’
Melbourne artist Matthieu Rabot lands somewhere between lounge synths and silky R&B on debut single ‘Summers Call’, and we love this one big time. Written, produced, mixed and mastered entirely by Rabot, it’s exactly the sort of thing to let manage your Monday mood, particularly when it’s raining outside.
Hot Pursuit – ‘Truck Lovin’’
Solid sax, and then some. Wollongong’s Hot Pursuit throw steamy sax lines over filthy funk with the slightly unhinged energy of Flight of the Conchords meeting Bluejuice, funny, tight and very aware of exactly how ridiculous things should get.
Morgan La Fae – ‘Cigarettes and Coffee’
Another sultry one for Monday, hell, any day really. Morgan La Fae builds ‘Cigarettes and Coffee’ inside a dreamy pop world of drama, sadness and atmosphere, with enough theatricality around the edges to make the whole thing feel bigger than the track itself.
Sad Boxer – ‘hey cicero!’
Whangārei, New Zealand outfit Sad Boxer come through with some excellent jangly indie-pop on ‘hey cicero!’. Bright, scrappy and instantly likeable, love this.
Roy Darby And The Dial Ups – ‘You’ve Only Got Yourself To Blame’
A very solid slice of alt-pop that hits the ground running, with equal parts pop, rock and roll in the mix. There’s even a little Billy Joel-ish songwriting charm floating around in there somewhere. Get into it.
STARHEAD – ‘Stars in Our Scars’
Moody, moody, moody. New Zealand project STARHEAD gives us shimmering indie music somewhere between Mazzy Star and Magic Dirt, pairing Julia’s pop instinct with distorted guitars and a properly sultry atmosphere.
Not My Lane – ‘Breakfast at Midnight’
Early days for Melbourne duo Not My Lane, but ‘Breakfast at Midnight’ is a lovely start. Lila Smith and Luca Ischia bring youthful indie folk-pop energy, some very cute melodic instincts and enough personality here to make us want to hear where they take it next.
Bottara – ‘A Bit Longer’
Bottara’s ‘A Bit Longer’ sits nicely in that space between something made for the dancefloor and something you put on when you’re very much alone with your thoughts. Hypnotic production, strong pop instincts and a little late-night melancholy, a good combination.
Sophia Nakomis – ‘Eccentric’
The title checks out. Kentucky artist Sophia Nakomis brings strong jangly pop-writing instincts to ‘Eccentric’, keeping things bright, and juts the right amount of slightly off-centre.
Felicia Berrier – ‘Deal With It’
Felicia Berrier makes music from her basement about the life she’s been given, and there’s something refreshingly direct about ‘Deal With It’. Personal songwriting without a heap of unnecessary decoration around it.
Ms.Icon – Spit It Out! EP
Needed this on a Monday. Monday blues: gone. DMV-raised rapper Ms.Icon only officially stepped onto the scene this year, but Spit It Out! already shows an artist having fun with genre, image and bars, and clearly not particularly interested in blending in.
NOPILOT – ‘The Line’
Christchurch band NOPILOT keep their very good 2026 run moving with ‘The Line’, a catchy collision of indie-pop and alt-rock. Big hooks, plenty of energy and the feeling of a band figuring out exactly what they do best in real time.
St Chavez – ‘Real Feels’
Cute indie-pop with serious piano chops. ‘Real Feels’ has a little Ben Folds in its DNA, particularly in the way the piano drives the song without turning it into a capital-P Piano Song. Very easy to like.
Lewis Parke – ‘Clockwork’
Another one out of Christchurch, Lewis Parke’s ‘Clockwork’ is stylish alt-indie-pop built on spacious guitars, sharp rhythm work and soft-but-commanding vocals. There’s something nicely considered about it, and with an album on the way, this feels like one to watch.
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.
