Hi Fi Way Mix Tape Volume 7

We love a good mix tape at Hi Fi Way, have a look to see who made Volume Seven:

Bring Me The Horizon continue the carefully executed next phase of their highly successful EP series with the launch of a new single entitled, DiE4u, which is part of the second phase of the POST HUMAN EP campaign.

The new single, which is out now Via RCA / Sony Music Australia is another perfectly crafted Future Emo masterpiece by the Sheffield five-piece and comes with a video, shot in Kiev and directed by frontman Oli Sykes. It was recorded remotely during the pandemic with Oli stuck in Brazil and Jordan in the UK.

Oli adds “DiE4u is a song about toxic obsessions, vices and things you can’t kick. I think a lot of people went through very similar struggles while in lockdown, coming face to face with yourself and seeing who you really are and what’s important. The song is a triumphant and emotional one for me because it was a time of realisation to kick the things that were no good, and to take the choice in bettering myself. It also connects to a deeper theme about us as a society, and how we need to look at the way we treat ourselves, each other as well as the world.”

Following on from releasing his new single Ceilings, Running Touch shares the next video instalment of his Post Modern Collective Sessions.

While the first session focused on percussion and the second bass and electric guitar, for the third instalment, the multi-hyphenate songwriter, producer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist is joined by Set Mo, Graace and Motez for an incredible recreation of Ceilings on piano.

Running Touch says, “Getting to collaborate and recreate my songs in the PMC sessions has become a highlight for me. Every release feels so much more connected and alive. Bringing together friends and inspirations into the project has given everything a new life. Especially now not being able to travel, it gives me some sense of a bigger picture.”

Summer Thieves return with their new single, Saturday Night, following on from the first single, Potions. Saturday Night leans into the indie-rock aspect of their sound; the track is built around a bassline that sticks with you after listening, alongside The Strokes-style guitars interplaying the vocals.

Co-written with Joel Shadbolt & Brad Kora (L.A.B), Saturday Night showcases the mature sound of Summer Thieves’ upcoming second album Paradise Down The Road, set for release on November 12, 2021, via LOOP. The track has been tested live in arenas across NZ and is an instantly memorable ode to the weekend, staying true to the band’s indie-rock roots.

Summer Thieves are known for getting the party started! They have gone from playing Dunedin house parties to some of NZ’s biggest stages and are fast becoming one of Aotearoa’s bands to watch.

Summer Thieves expanding catalogue has seen their following rapidly grow at home over the past few years. 2020 saw the band return with an extended five-piece line-up and the release of their anticipated follow-up EP, Bandaids & Lipsticks. The EP saw them expanding their indie sound, incorporating a polished-pop feel while embracing their party-starting roots.

Dooms Children has released the wistful new track Heavy Year and launched pre-orders for their upcoming, self-titled debut album, out October 20 on Dine Alone Records/Cooking Vinyl Australia. Dooms Children is the new psych-rock solo project from venerated post-hardcore artist Wade MacNeil (Alexisonfire, Gallows).

Dooms Children finds MacNeil on a different artistic path both in style and content with an honest and sincere offering that shines light on recent life experiences and revelations. “This is the most personal music I have ever released,” says MacNeil. “Dooms Children is about falling out of love, about addiction and lying awake at night wondering if you’ve made all the wrong choices.”

Heavy Year is a thoughtful and reflective song addressing grief and regret following a harrowing period. The melodic track features MacNeil’s lyrical guitar playing and passionate vocals, both of which convey the weight of his message. MacNeil says of the track, “This song is about not running away from suffering. It’s about feeling it, living it, and moving past it.”

Shrouded in shadows and doused in incriminating emo-punk grit, Adelaide’s favourite theatrical pop-punk outfit Wolf & Chain are uncovering new single An Unfortunate Tale of Two Lovers and an Insatiable Taste for Poison (out now) ahead of highly-anticipated EP Amor Mortal, out on October 29.

Exploring the pitfalls of love using teeth-sinking rock-opera narratives and an insatiable desire for danger and darkness, Wolf & Chain are bringing horror back to fairy tales. Their recent vampiric single Taste of Blood and new track Poison provide a tantalising taste of what is to come with the storybook collection of tracks lining their upcoming EP.

Desperate and disconcerting, An Unfortunate Tale of Two Lovers and an Insatiable Taste for Poison disarms with turbulent drums and violent guitars as frontman Jack Cumes’ luring vocals pitch and prowl. Moving with high-octane punk-fused chaos, Poison is not for the fainthearted, containing an obsessive sonic force that isn’t opposed to crossing certain lines.

Deviating briefly from explosive progressions, we move into an ominous bridge that features Spanish-inspired guitar chords and Cumes’ pleading vocals. Finally, we reach the last crashing chorus, raining down in an energetic punk shower of sparks and debris, signalling that it’s time to walk together into the sunset, which turns out to be a fireball of destruction left in the band’s wake.

Exuding with Wolf & Chain’s compelling emo-goth influences and inspired by the Grimm fairy tales, Poison is a cautionary tale about the horrors of blindly following love down a dark and consuming path. Cumes’ explains further:

“Poison is about blindness to love, how it can manipulate you, consume you and delude you. In the context of the fairy tale world, it’s about this character who follows their lover down a dark and destructive path to becoming this ‘Bonnie & Clyde-esque’ junky couple, robbing hospitals for their fix. It overlays this darker shade on a fantastical ideal of love and escape.”

Following their return at the end of May (with their first music since 2018’s UK Top 40 album, The Great Depression) in the form of IDGAF and follow up, I Lie To Me, earlier this month, As It Is have released two brand new singles – ILY, HOW ARE YOU? and IDC, I CAN’T TAKE IT.

The double single release is a ‘call and response’ pairing, with the band having written songs back to back, with each delivering opposite perspectives. One is “I care a lot & and the other is ‘I couldn’t care less.” The take away being – wake up and put all your energy into the people, places and things that matter to you; as a friendly reminder that that’s what’s important.”

On the songs, the band share, “ILY, HOW ARE YOU? is a ‘check in’ anthem. It’s for everybody waking up and going through your day telling everybody you’re great, when you’re not. It’s still okay not to be okay. Check in on your friends.” While, “IDC, I CAN’T TAKE IT is a ‘fuck you’ party anthem. It’s for everybody going out of their way and caring the most but not getting the same in return. Some people won’t appreciate your presence until they feel the weight of your absence and that’s okay. Don’t let anyone take your peace. Let go, move on, and put yourself out of your own misery. It’s liberating.”

Gold Coast-based party starters Bootleg Rascal have just announced their new forthcoming album titled Sloppy Seconds (due October 29) and a taste of the record via Sharks (Remix en Español) – produced entirely by the band themselves.

Sloppy Seconds will include two recently released new singles All About You (ft. Saint Lane) and Therapy (ft. Citizen Kay and MAXINE). The remainder of the record will be rounded off with eight tracks reimagined from their discography of two albums Asleep in the Machine and Anónimo, and two EP’s Psychotica and Collaborations of Very Isolated Delinquents “19.

The revamped songs will see acoustic renditions, electronic remixes, and heavy reggae and dub treatments. Offering a glimpse of what’s to come, taster track Sharks (Remix en Español) adopts deft flamenco guitar, groove-laden reggaeton beats and front man Carlos Lara leaning into his Spanish mother tongue on the chorus.

“When the world stopped, I started to really think about projects I’ve always wanted to do but never had enough time for. One thing on the bucket list was to have made a record which embraced the whole ‘something old, new, borrowed’ concept,” explains guitarist Jimmy Young.

“Sublime was a big part of why I first started playing music in the first place and I still regularly reference them as part of the Bootleg creative process. Their album ‘Second-Hand Smoke’ was a huge inspiration in bringing this idea to life. The record was released not long after front man Bradley Nowell’s death and follows a similar concept where it shines a light on remixed and recycled tracks. It really gives another perspective and take on some of their classics, and as a fan that’s something I really enjoy. Here’s hoping our fans feel the same” he continues.

Ed Sheeran has released his new single Shivers alongside the official video. Shivers is the second official single to be released from Ed Sheeran’s highly-anticipated new album ‘=’, set for release on 29 October through Asylum/Atlantic. Produced by Sheeran, Steve Mac and FRED, the hook-laden track, and its accompanying video, both harness the euphoria of what it feels like to fall love, with the electric Dave Meyers-directed visual unfolding over several high-energy, metaphorical frames.

Announced last month, ‘=’ – the fourth instalment in Sheeran’s symbol album series – is Ed’s most accomplished work yet; the evolution of an artist who continues to tread new ground. A body of tracks that were made over a four-year period following his seminal ‘÷’ (Divide) album era, thematically, ‘=’ finds Ed taking stock of his life and the people in it as he explores the varying degrees of love (The Joker And The Queen, First Times, 2step), loss (Visiting Hours), resilience (Can’t Stop The Rain) and fatherhood (Sandman, Leave Your Life), while also processing his reality and career (Tides). Sonically, ‘=’ encapsulates Ed’s versatile musical palette, spanning signature, guitar-led tracks and world-class balladry to weightier, euphoric production moments, as first showcased on this summer’s emphatic comeback track, Bad Habits.

In 2019, the Swedish power metal heroes MAJESTICA released their debut album Above The Sky and quickly followed it up with their Christmas musical album, A Christmas Carol, in late 2020. Both albums were a huge success in the metal community, but when the time finally came to present their music to live audiences, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and made all touring impossible. But not only the tours were cancelled. Two years in a row now, metal fans all over the world had to go without the summer festivals, that are like the beating hearts of metal itself, not to mention a main source of income for all the amazing people, who help to make the events possible in the first place.

In these times more than ever the metal community must stand together and MAJESTICA have released a music video for their new single Metal United – a true metal hymn and a statement of solidarity for fans and crewmembers alike.

The band comment: “All the people that work at the festivals and with touring bands have had a rough year, just like all of us. But a lot of these people that work so hard to make it possible for us musicians to perform on stage have had problems finding new jobs, and without these hard-working people, we can’t make our dreams come true.

And since we love to play at festivals and to go to festivals, we have been missing out on one important thing that means so much to us. So the least we can do to honour these fine working people is to write a song as a tribute to them. A cheerful, uplifting song with Irish influences about the hope that everything will be back to normal, and a melodic, up-tempo heavy metal song with an important message.’’

Sixx:A.M. have unveiled their new single The First 21 from their upcoming compilation album Sixx:A.M. HITS via Better Noise Music.

The album is a retrospective celebration of the iconic band’s biggest hits and fan-favourite songs, that will also include five unheard tracks and mixes, marking the band’s first official album with new material since 2016. As the new companion track founding member Nikki Sixx’s new memoir of the same name, The First 21 looks back nostalgically at the moments where we discovered music, ourselves and our dreams.

An official lyric video for the song features unseen footage following Frank Feranna’s journey to becoming Nikki Sixx.

Multi-platinum-selling singer/songwriter Calum Scott premieres his triumphant new single Rise – a timely and exhilarating anthem of resilience.

Produced by Gabe Simon and Jon Maguire, Rise offers exactly the kind of reassurance needed in difficult times. As the song unfolds in a joyful and majestic sound – pounding drums, glorious harmonies, urgent piano work – Calum delivers a spirited vocal performance that perfectly captures the uplifting message at the heart of ‘Rise’.

“‘Rise’ celebrates overcoming, defeating the odds, and prevailing despite the obstacles or the knock-backs you face along the way,” says Calum. “We’ve all faced it during our lifetimes: feeling demotivated or uninspired, feeling like life is out to get you, that it’s easier to stay on the ground when life throws its punches. I wanted to write a song that would empower people to chase down their dreams and to try to embrace life, no matter what they are going through or what their circumstances. We all have the opportunity to do it our way, to put our best foot forward and to rise.”

Finding common cause in Link Wray’s electric catalogue, ARIA Award-winners Tex Perkins and Matt Walker began working on a collection of swampy blues and formed the Fat Rubber Band.

Full of that rural twang and fuzz, new single Place In The Sun serves as the soundtrack to the great Australian dream. Beneath the swampy country blues, Tex delivers the honest, hard-working mantra that lead him to where he is today. The track premiered on Double J’s Mornings with Zan Rowe.

“It’s where you feel you belong, where you fall back to and what you’ll defend. It could be your place of refuge, your fortress of solitude or your temple of doom.” – Tex Perkins

Anthemic dance-pop sensation Agnes releases her latest single, Here Comes The Night. The single is the third to be taken from her upcoming LP, Magic Still Exists which is slated for release on the 22nd of October via Universal Music. The singer-songwriter is known for her chart-topping international hit, Release Me which topped Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Songs, reached the Top Ten in charts worldwide and sold over 900,000 copies in the UK alone. Agnes gained further recognition when she featured in Avicii’s posthumously released Tough Love single together with Vargas & Lagola, which received an official remix from Tiësto. Also on the upcoming album are her latest singles, 24 Hours and Fingers Crossed which reached #1 on the Swedish APC for 9 weeks and Top 15 on Danish APC 5.

Feel that shiver travel down your spine as Agnes encapsulates the uniting movement of dance music in the 80’s in her latest single, Here Comes The Night. Unafraid to be both bold and sensual, the singer creates a lover’s retreat in her latest music. The night calls, and with it all the bad decisions and reckless abandon that comes with a new declaration of love.

Speaking of the song, Agnes tells us: “My latest single, ‘Here Comes The Night’ is a homage to all of us out there who are longing to just let go. It is a declaration to the dreamers, the night, the mist, the spirituality. Those that dare to fall in love – with the moment, the people around them and themselves. Hopefully, it will guide the listener into a moment of something they can call freedom.”

Known to many as one of Australia’s breakout talents in recent years, Sydney based artist Kwame has continued to impress time and time again, with his thoughtful, forward thinking take on modern hip hop. With a multitude of accolades under his belt, including a j award for Unearthed artist of 2018 and FBi Smac Award for Best Song, Kwame has built on an ever-growing wealth of industry fanfare with support from the likes of Zane Lowe, and A$AP Ferg, who first thrust the young musician into the literal spotlight.

Now Kwame returns with H I G H E R – his first solo release of the year, whilst promising an abundance of new music to follow throughout the remainder of 2021. From the outset, it is clear that H I G H E R stands apart from Kwame’s impressive repertoire, not just sonically, but as the title so aptly suggests, as a higher form and more considered take on his artistry to date.

The refined self-produced soundscape is a gleaming interpretation of neo-soul, hip hop, and electronica whilst layered with psychedelic elements that are designed to imitate the roller coaster of emotions and euphoria when one embarks on a new intimate relationship. It is through this that Kwame, with openness, describes the addictive and drug-like feel of intimacy that he encounters, alongside stimulating elation, gratification and wholeness.

Speaking on the ideation of the record, Kwame further shares “‘H I G H E R’ is a song that speaks on the euphoric nature of intimacy one in embarks on with their significant other, this was actually one of the first songs where after producing the instrumental, I just grabbed the mic and punched in the verses and chorus after every 8 bars or so. This was new and fun to me as I’m more used to sitting down and taking the time to write, whereas, this process here allowed me to just say whatever was on my mind at the time.”

Australia’s heavy fusion rockers Twelve Foot Ninja are riding the virtual wave of two #1 singles on Sirius XM’s Liquid Metal and a Top 20 single on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock indicator chart with their previous single Start The Fire.

They’ve put their fans on notice that their new album VENGEANCE is out October 15th along with a high fantasy novel The Wyvern And The Wolf that has been several years in the making, and in the past few months they’ve released a graphic novel, a game, two batshit crazy videos and announced their first live shows since a string of sell out shows all the way back in 2019.

Now the band releases their third single Over and Out with guest vocals by the enigmatic Tatiana Shmayluk, frontwoman of Ukranian metal band Jinjer.

Lead singer Kin Etik explains, “the song is an ode to the complicated relationship we have with our own mortality and how death can seem like the arms of a lover beckoning us to an early demise. The French first coined the phrase l’appel du vide which is the feeling of wondering what it would be like to jump in front of a truck or to jump off a cliff. It translates into English as the ‘call of the void’. The phenomenon is actually a positive affirmation that by not answering the call you unequivocally choose life.”

About the choice of Tatiana Shmayluk to feature on the track Kin says, “we wanted someone who could represent the lyric ‘the devil in my blood’ – both the darkness and the light. Tatiana embodies what we needed for this track perfectly so asking her to feature on it was a no brainer. Her band Jinjer and Twelve Foot Ninja have played together a number of times and we instantly connected the first time we met in the Ukraine capital Kyiv. We’ve since come to respect Tatiana as a musician and as a human so we’re stoked she’s agreed to jump on this track.”

Tatiana says, “when the TFN guys asked me to feature on one of their new tracks, I immediately said yes without even hearing it! The song and video were a lot of fun and very different from anything I’ve done with JINJER … it’s a great pleasure to be an honorary member of the Twelve Foot Ninja clan now!”

Melbourne punk rock band Bodyjar drop a video for their latest single Get Out Of My Head. For nearly 30 years now, Bodyjar have built their local & international following with relentless touring demonstrating their blistering high energy live shows, that have made them one of the most respected punk rock bands in the world.

Latest single Get Out Of My Head sees Bodyjar return to the up- tempo catchy punk rock the band are renowned for. Calling on all their experience over the years, the new single is a true return to form from one of Australia’s finest.

Produced by Bodyjar and Sam Johnson (Northlane, Luca Brasi, Camp Cope, The Bennies), mixed by Steve Evetts (New Found Glory, Architects), the track is the first piece of new music from the band since their 2019 single Big Shot.

“This song is written out of frustration in what we see in the papers and how it usually serves someone’s agenda rather than being based in fact, getting sick of hearing stupid opinions and learning to block out a lot of what I was reading online. To the point of actually being able to block out certain parts of some social media even when they are right In front of me. It’s a talent” singer / guitarist Cam Baines

South African born, Germany raised, and Toronto based pop/rap artist WizTheMc releases his latest single and surefire breakup anthem, Break out now via 10K Projects / Homemade Projects / Virgin Music Australia.

Diving into the next era of Wiz’s musical journey, this song represents a time where he began to move beyond his cultivated rap chops and tap into his aptitude for melodies alongside producer Jeff Hazin. Opening with the buzzing singer crooning over an acoustic riff, the song flourishes with the synth laced beat underscoring Wiz’s trademark easy going flow.

Wiz describes the track, “With ‘Break’ I explore the layers of a heartbreak I went through. The song is about the phase post-relationship, how the perception of the previous lover changes over time, how you can see them in a different light as the feeling of heartbreak changes and transforms, even as you see another person.”

A series of inspired encounters between creative forces from various worlds of sound and vision has resulted in Hunter’s Moon, the infectious first new track from GHOST since 2019’s Seven Inches Of Satanic Panic, and its phantasmagoric video directed by Amanda Demme.

The genesis of Hunter’s Moon can be traced back to GHOST’s November 16, 2018 show at the Forum in Los Angeles. Ryan Turek, Vice President of Feature Film Development at Blumhouse Productions (Get Out, Insidious, The Purge, Us, Whiplash) would attend the sold-out show, striking up an instant rapport with GHOST’s Tobias Forge – one that developed quickly and deeply via meetings, podcast appearances, and ultimately a visit with co-writer and director David Gordon Green on the North Carolina set of the upcoming Halloween Kills.

Three years nearly to the day since that first fateful exchange, GHOST’s Hunter’s Moon has materialised on DSPs, will play as the Halloween Kills end credits roll, and will be released January 21, 2022 as a collectible 7-inch single by Loma Vista Recordings.

Tori Amos will release her highly anticipated new album Ocean to Ocean on October 29, 2021 via Decca Records. The emotional collection is a universal story of going to rock bottom and renewing yourself all over again. As communities around the world suffered the loss of life, live music, travel, and much at all to observe, Tori had a difficult time during the pandemic. Lead album track Speaking With Trees honestly addresses the pain felt by artists in a period in which there was no hope in sight for live music. Amos’ pent-up energy is tangible in its perpetual-motion piano framed by Matt Chamberlain’s turbulent Drums and Percussion. “I’ve been hiding your ashes under the tree house don’t be surprised I cannot let you go”.

Ocean to Ocean is an album of kinship and love, of emotional and geographical dislocation. It explores environmental concerns, the restraints of the pandemic for those on the cusp of adulthood, empowerment, loss & healing delivered with Tori’s trademark urgency and passion. For a record written within limited surroundings, two things are remarkable – its rich stylistic variation, from tango to wide-screen romance, and the big-heartedness of songs, which run almost like a series of love letters to family both present and absent.

“We have all had moments that can knock us down,” she says. “This record sits with you where you are, especially if you are in a place of loss. I am fascinated when someone has gone through a tragedy, and how they work through their grief. That is where the gold is. When somebody is actually at that place, thinking “I’m done”, how do you reach that person? Sometimes it’s not about a pill, or a double shot of tequila. It’s about sitting in the muck together. I’m going to meet you in the muck.”

Melbourne based Yorke, has collaborated with Arkansas (USA) duo joan to rework her current single Window Shopping, giving the playful alt-pop single a fresh new take.

The new version sees Yorke and alt-pop joan (Alan Thomas and Steven Ruthford) perform the disco-tinged single as a duet accompanied by an official video directed by Kyle Caulfield and produced by Yorke. Filmed during the current lockdown in Yorke’s tiny Melbourne apartment, the video took months to make and is the first video Yorke has produced.

Yorke says, “Making this music video during a lockdown was probably one of the most exhausting yet rewarding experience I’ve had yet in my career. I still can’t believe we actually achieved what we did. With many obstacles (such as click and collect (never again), a 5km radius, a 9pm curfew, the Bunnings website “hitting a snag” and trying to get giant masonite boards, props and wood up my tiny apartment stairs) in our way, Kyle took everything in his stride and together, we built/designed a set that I’m really proud of. We built this whole set by hand, and it practically killed us in the process (for real – I nearly got taken out by a masonite board) so I hope you love it as much as we do. Seeing the VFX come to light was insane – George, his team and Kyle did such an amazing job at that. Shout out to the Joan crew too for all their work, it wasn’t an easy shoot! “

Sam Fender has shared his latest single Spit Of You, an incredibly moving and personal track written for his father. Premiering on The Zane Lowe Show, the single is the final taste of what to expect from his forthcoming second album Seventeen Going Under out next week, October 8 via Dew Process / UMA.

Spit Of You is a heart-crushing reflection on Sam’s relationship with his father and how age can change the dynamic of the relationship and how you perceive each other. You don’t need to have experienced the same sort of relationship with a parent or family member to enjoy the fact that it’s the one of the most moving songs written about the relationship between a father and son.

Sam says of the track, “This is one of my favourite songs on the new record, it’s a song about boys and their dads. It’s based around my own relationship with my old man, and how we both struggle as blokes to communicate the way we feel to each other without it becoming a stand-off. It’s about how the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as I get further into my twenties I see so much of myself in him, especially when it comes to being stubborn. The second half of the song talks about seeing him with my grandma when she passed away, and how I saw him as a son, and how that moment reminded me to make the most of my time with him. If anything, it is a declaration of love for him.”

Rock & Roll icon and two-time Grammy winner Tom Morello has released the third single off his highly anticipated album The Atlas Underground Fire. The single, Let’s Get The Party Started featuring Bring Me The Horizon.

“Bring Me The Horizon is really the current standard bearer of hard rock/metal today, and thank God for them for that. I had a couple of huge riffs and we just started mashing it up with Zakk Cervini, who has worked with them before. This song was written on three continents — Oli was in Brazil, Jordan was in England and then I was here in L.A. It was a real United Nations of metal coming together to produce this song, which really feels to me like it captures the angst and the frustration of the pandemic boiling over into an all-time mosh pit. This song also has one of my favourite guitar solos that I’ve played in quite a while, as I was really digging deep to make a solo as devastating as the track,” said Morello.

One of the shimmering highlights of her upcoming album Things Take Time, Take Time, Courtney Barnett’s new single Write A List of Things to Look Forward To is gorgeous and poignant; a joyful and melodic love letter to friends and friendship.

Write A List of Things to Look Forward To takes its name from the technique one of Barnett’s friends advocated for her to get her out of a depressive funk, and paints a bittersweet picture of small wins and the circle of life. “Nobody knows why we keep trying”, she sings, “And so on it goes, I’m looking forward to the next letter that I’m gonna get from you”. It strikes the exact chord between wistfulness and acceptance and points to a deeper level of complexity in Barnett’s songwriting. “I found a deeper communication with people in my life – deeper conversations”, Barnett notes of this new phase. “And a new level of gratitude for friendships that had been there for so long that I had maybe taken for granted”.

The latest track also arrives with a wholesome and heart-warming video by Christina Xing, featuring Barnett as the sender and recipient of a series of gifts and letters.

Ross Jennings vocalist and co-songwriter for internationally renown progressive metallers, Haken will release his debut solo album. A Shadow Of My Future Self on November 19 via Graphite Records. In contrast to his prog metal day job, Ross has a major soft spot for American AOR, mainstream 90’s arena rock and indie pop. All of which have influenced the direction of A Shadow Of My Future Self.

Ross is on a musical journey his fans have not heard him explore professionally before. Writing very personal songs in what can only be described as a love letter to those soft spot genres that were the foundation to Ross’s musical inspiration. A Shadow Of My Future Self starts on the fringe of a country road navigates indie pop anthemic rock power ballads and culminates in some epic prog.

The title track of The Wolfe Brothers new album, Kids On Cassette, was always going to be a special single release. Embodying the soul of the album and taking the listener back to the retro heart of where the brothers first started their musical journey, the Tasmanian duo have created a trip through time with the video clip of the single. Watching the clip, filmed on-location on The Wolfe Brothers’ Berry Farm in Southern Tasmania, viewers will have flashbacks to their own childhoods, it invokes memories of lazy days exploring and innocent fun.

For Nick and Tom Wolfe, the clip was a real exploration of their own childhood. “Kids On Cassette is all about that amazing feeling of being a kid, when everything seemed bigger and it felt like the summer holidays lasted forever,” says Nick. “Tom and I are so grateful to have grown-up where we did as country kids, and in this video, we tried to capture a day in our childhood. Exploring, learning, getting into strife, and of course, playing music with our mates.”

The video featured two young actors from Tasmania – who themselves are actual brothers – playing younger versions of Nick and Tom. The clip was filmed where The Wolfe Brothers would ‘knock around’ as kids. “To watch the brothers play us was amazing,” says Nick. “I think their personalities really reflected ours, I could see a lot of similarities between us – a couple of country kids who make their own home movies and recordings and write songs and jam. Really, we could not have found a more matched pair! To watch the kids all jamming in the old fruit pickers hut where we used to 20-years ago was actually uncanny. It was like stepping into a time machine. Seeing the kids jamming out at a band practice really brings a smile to my face. I remember being in that very room, rocking out with our mates, all just totally high of the joy of music, long before any thoughts of business or careers ever entered our heads.”

Aussie indie-rock quartet PLANET unveil another guitar driven delight with new single and visual Ship Won’t Change. Laced with shimmering acoustic strums, buzzing lead lines and a swinging beat – all tied together by Matty Took’s inimitable voice – Ship Won’t Change sets out as a summer indie rock ballad, eventually building to a euphoric, orchestral crescendo.

Produced and mixed by the band and Adrian Bushby (Muse, Foo Fighters), Ship Won’t Change is written as a letter to a relationship that deep down feels doomed, it’s a shining example of the band’s signature alt-pop sound, while also striving to be something much larger than the sum of its parts.

Filmed in Sydney’s Inner Western suburbs, a former working class and industrial area, now home to some of the country’s most exciting artists, the accompanying video suits it brilliantly. Dappled in golden hour sunlight and summer evening hues, the clip acts as a simple yet effective mirror to the vibrant feel of the song and the band’s ability to craft effortlessly gazey, dream-pop anthems.

Lead vocalist and frontman Matty Took explains “‘Ship Won’t Change’ was a late comer to the mix (of album songs) – the song itself came together pretty easily as it’s a classic folk tune at heart. I sent the demo over to Tommy and he came back straight away with that vibey guitar that comes in the second verse. He added some cool synth and string sounds which were eventually tracked for real by Pete Whitfield in Manchester. During the mixing process, we wanted to add in harmonies – Lily & Grace from CLEWS came to mind straight away. They came round and nailed the whole song in like 30 mins… such great musicians. The lyrics are about being in a relationship but always feeling like it could fuck up at any time, so much that it makes you feel whack. The ‘ship’, being the relationship and trying to keep it from changing.”

After shaking the world in its foundation with the announcement of their 13th manifesto, Existence Is Futile, that will see the light of the day on October 22, CRADLE OF FILTH gather again to bring their next sacrifice to the devilish forces of Dark Metal: The band reveals the second single of their new album to come – Necromantic Fantasies.

Directed by Vicente Cordero, this video was shot back-to-back with his previous work for the band, the horribly apocalyptic ‘Crawling King Chaos’, though both are remarkably contrasting.

Dani Filth had this to say of the latest video to enter the Cradle catalogue:
“This is a very different video from its predecessor, sporting more of a narrative amid leaning back toward a dark Victorian gothic vibe, showcasing the second of many unique tracks on this, our 13th album.
It’s very cinematic, much like Crawling King Chaos, but walking a much more ‘dark faerytale’ path. The director Vicente has done such an amazing job bringing the storyline together with the band and the incredible sets. It looks gorgeous. And the song is pretty good too!”

After making their live debut with a handful of sold-out shows in Melbourne earlier this year, Springtime announce their self-titled debut Springtime out November 5th, 2021 via TFS Records and Joyful Noise Recordings.

Kicking off with lead single Will To Power alongside a Matt McGuigan-directed clip.

“The human race as a whole just can’t seem to do nothing. They have to do more, more, more. Why can’t they just lounge about like lizards or kangaroos? What’s wrong with that? Look at rocks, they exist. Job done, game over. No need to do or be anything more. And why does the universe exist? For something so fundamentally elegant and simple it sure is overcooked. You want simplicity and elegance? How about just not existing at all. Why the need to be anything? it’s so needless. Will To Power is just a disco jam about all that,” said Gareth.

Earlier this year, Marrickville trio Mazy returned with the promise of an abundance of music to solidify their presence in Sydney’s music scene. Recently releasing the mesmerising single and W.A.M Bleakley directed video for You Got Me, the trio stay true to their word, announcing the next instalment of the Mazy saga with the release of their new single Flowers on Sweat It Out. The trio once again embrace the neo-psychedelic, brit-rock soundscape they’ve become known for, whilst introducing brass elements to create a sun drenched soul warmer. Showing off their musical prowess with a magical breakdown filled with divine guitar riffs and synth arpeggios, the track then speeds up to finish in a flurry of colourful harmonies and energetic instrumentation.

Tackling the song writing process from a whole new angle, and paying homage to some of their favourite musicians, the trio share, “This track was definitely a fun one to work on. We wanted to dive into a 60’s sound palette that we all love and see where it took us. A lot of the time we’ll write songs completely on an acoustic before thinking about production so tackling this one using the experience as the inspiration was a nice change. Brian Wilson is a massive influence for us and we definitely took a nod to him with the harmonies in the chorus. We wanted the sonic vibe to really paint the lyric and create a colourful, mercurial world that was unpredictable and.. yeah, psychedelic. We love playing this track live and the faster tempo and high energy is a welcome change from some of our slower songs.”

Sunshine Coast-based artist Tay Oskee has shared his new single Blood Rush, teaming up with Tia Gostelow to create the perfect duo for this laid-back, sparkly indie-folk track, out via Believe & just in time to soundtrack your Summer roadtrip.

Blood Rush was co-written at APRA AMCOS’ SongHubs with Tom Eggert and Josh King, making it the first collaborative effort for Tay. The joint song writing process allowed Tay to approach the new single differently, pushing him to be open to other ideas and embracing more of a pop approach. Regardless of the external input, he still made sure the heart of the track was still fundamentally a Tay Oskee song.

Following SongHubs, Tay returned home to the Sunshine Coast with the bones of what he knew was a special song, “So the song already really had something, but in the demo version I was belting the chorus and we had electronic drums, it was a vibe but not quite me. I set up a makeshift studio in my Aunties shack in Kin Kin. That’s where I tracked real drums and re-recorded parts to give it a more laid-back indie-folk feel. That’s when I really felt that a ‘Young Folks’ duet kinda thing would work so well.”

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