The start of a new year brings with it not only a calendar full of fresh Aussie music, and 2024 is primed to be one for the books.
The first month of 2024 was brimming with stellar Aussie tunes, but February looks to outdo even that, with at least three local musicians we already can’t get enough of.
From the hard hitting hyperpop of Melbourne artist daine to the confessional songwriting of Phoebe Go, there’s no shortage of homegrown Aussie fire set to ignite throughout the year.
Below, we’re sorting through the three Australian artists we’re digging right now, thanks to their recent releases and the promise of upcoming tours. Read on for your new playlist inclusions.
daine
“We’re studying ket-anomics,” daine coos on the opening lyrics of their new single SHADES ON.
It’s the kind of brazen songwriting we’ve come to love from the hyperpop star, with a single that matches the quasi-field of study they mention.
Trippy and hypnotic, the Kreayshawn-assisted SHADES ON brims with hilarious lyrics and propulsive, electro bounce beats, purpose-built for when you’re “really ‘bout to K-hole.”
It adds to an already stellar catalogue from daine (this writer really digs boythots), who is set to support Bring Me The Horizon on their headline tour across Australia this April.
Elsewhere, they have supported the likes of 100 Gecs and Charli XCX, a starry list of names that tells you daine is on the cusp of their breakout moment. Listen to SHADES ON below, and head here to find their tour dates.
Phoebe Go
“I didn’t plan on writing this song,” Phoebe Go said of her new single, “but I think it was time.”
That urgency pulses all throughout 7 Up, a playful and confessional indie pop cut that speaks on the rush and recklessness that comes with letting go.
Adorned in sunny guitars and the lightness of Phoebe Go’s vocals, the single packs a bittersweet punch, with candid lyrics and an upbeat melody befitting of an afternoon bike ride.
Produced by Simon Lam, 7 Go continues Phoebe Go’s track record of playful and effortless ditties that cut to the core, following on from October’s Something You Were Trying.
Thankfully there’s more in store, since Phoebe Go teased a debut album set for release sometime this year. In the meantime, listen to the Melbourne singer’s latest single below.
HighSchool
Boasting a ‘ones to watch’ status might generate high expectations, but for goth-pop duo HighSchool, all that pressure has only propelled them to new heights.
On latest single August 19, the Melbourne-born act deliver alt-rock revelry with the finesse of a band ten years’ their senior. Shoegaze flairs and hazy vocals form the basis for a slow-rock heater, sparse and commanding in equal measure.
The single was produced by Finn Billingham, and precedes a forthcoming EP that’s already in the works. That will be the follow up to HighSchool’s 2021 six-track debut Forever at Last.
To top it all off, the duo have slated two Australian headline shows coming soon, taking to The Lansdowne in Sydney on February 29 and Melbourne’s The Night Cat on March 2.
Find ticketing details here, and listen to HighSchool’s new single August 19 below.
