Mix Tape Volume 16
We love a good mix tape at Hi Fi Way, have a look to see who made Volume Sixteen:
Absence makes the heart grow fonder! Hard to believe it has been eight years but My Chemical Romance are back with a new song The Foundations Of Decay. It is an epic six minutes of vintage My Chemical Romance.
UK chart-toppers DON BROCO have released their brand-new single Fingernails via Sharptone Records. The incendiary new track takes aim at the violent nature of the world with gargantuan riffs, punchy beatdowns and a huge anthemic chorus. It’s accompanied by the kind of epic animated sci-fi / dinosaur / disaster-movie style video that DON BROCO excel at!
With the release of Fingernails, DON BROCO have also announced a huge arena tour for March 2023 with support from Papa Roach and Dance Gavin Dance. Regarding the tour DON BROCO frontman Rob Damiani says, “Beyond pumped to announce the Amazing Things arena tour featuring a line up only the sweetest dreams are made of. There’s no two ways about it, we wouldn’t be the band we are today if it wasn’t for the legends that are Papa Roach so as you can imagine we’re super excited to have the guys out with us as well as our ridiculously talented friends Dance Gavin Dance. See you next year!”
All Comes Crashing is the first offering from Metric’s upcoming eighth studio album, Formentera, set to release on July 8th. “Not everyone has a conventional life with conventional relationships,” says front woman Emily Haines. “‘All Comes Crashing’” is a love song that goes beyond romantic love, it’s an expression of solidarity with whoever it is you would want to have beside you in the event of catastrophe. It might be your best friend, it might be your blood brother or your dog. The song is dedicated to those you consider your family, whatever that looks like for you.”
The words This Is What Happened flash across the screen in the video and have come to serve as the band’s motto as they reckon with the events of the last few years – a band at its peak of creative power attempting to decipher the turbulent world around us, with Haines positioned like a lightning rod in the midst of it, emerging with a fresh new album that sounds like essential Metric.
Black Label Society shares the official music video for their single, You Made Me Want to Live from their latest album, Doom Crew Inc., out now via Spinefarm.
“Black Label Society’s New Video for ‘YOU MADE ME WANT TO LIVE’ is so good it gave me Temporary Relief from my Excruciating Jock Itch,” said frontman, Zakk Wylde.
The Pinheads have shared their uber mellow, guitar laced brand new single Rain Down, the second offering from their third studio album The Mirror out July 8 via Farmer & The Owl/ BMG.
The forthcoming album was recorded and mixed by The Pinheads’ very own Jez Player, at The Pinshed Sound Laboratory in Stanwell Park NSW in 2020, and mastered by Joe Carra (King Gizzard, Amyl & The Sniffers, Courtney Barnett, Pond), at Crystal Mastering.
Explaining the inspiration behind the single, the band says “Rain Down was written around the time of the
2019/ 20 bush fires. Walking out of the studio and instantly overcome with the dryness and heat of the evening air the air was heavy with the smell of burning lands and homes. It is devastating seeing what we
needed during that time (rain), is completely consuming us now.”
Gold Coast’s sunshine band Pure Milk return with their charming new single Dreams On A Platter. Known for their indie twang and fun-loving attitude, the track sprouts into a warm and fuzzy signature
Pure Milk tune, worth all the magic beans.
Musically, Pure Milk are a concoction of wit, lo-fi guitars, and emotion. Staying true to their wholesome yet punky demeanour, Dreams On A Platter is a pool of edgy soundscapes and poignant lyricism. A nod to lead singer Lewis’ hometown of the Gold Coast, the coming-of-age track unpacks his move to the city and the opportunities at his doorstep.
Lewis reflects on what the song means to him, “Dreams is full of self-justification, proving to yourself that you know who you are, and who you want to be. In many ways it’s the most arrogant song I’ve ever written, but also the most vulnerable.”
At 0:00 ‘Cancelled’s heart-rate monitor starts ticking. The song is a rigid dynamo. A creative embellishment on their previous releases, with a refined attention to detail. The crude elements of Press Club are on the catwalk as lead singer Natalie Foster demands “who said I can’t do this better? Who says I can’t live forever!”
Cancelled is the first of Press Club’s new self-produced works to see light of day, and despite its title, bears no reference to show cancellations, nor cancel culture. The song’s lyrical content is actually an honest stocktake of one’s former self, in crystallite retrospect. In the engine room Frank Lees (drums) and Iain MacRae (bass) lurch Cancelled forward like two indefatigable pistons. The deft guitar work of Greg Rietwyk, at times hostile, becomes the perfect melodious compliment for Foster at the most opportune moments.
The new single, as first played on triple j, is delivered with the perfect visual accompaniment shot by longtime collaborator, friend and video director Nick Manuell the video clip for Cancelled captures the fierce grit of the track.
Twin ARIA-nominated duo, Cosmo’s Midnight return with their latest single and video, Bang My Line featuring Tkay Maidza, out now via Sony Music (Australia), RCA Records (USA) & Black Butter Records (UK).
A silken and smooth slice of West-Coast funk, Bang My Line will transplant you directly to the hazy glitz of a palm-tree lined LA. A slapping bass line calls for a subtle head nod, as a falsetto of ooh’s serenade the chorus. Tkay Maidza’s unmistakable flow coolly enters to effortlessly match the energy drummed up by the twins, atop a pastiche of live instrumentation and an organic peachy beat. Accompanying video, directed by Harry Scott, sees Cosmo’s Midnight grooving beachside. Walkie talkie in hand, Cosmo waits for a call from his crush. Tkay Maidza next appears as a stylistic vision, lime green eyeshadow matching a technicolour array of effects as she seamlessly delivers her verses.
Cosmo’s Midnight say of the track, “We started writing ‘Bang My Line’ back in 2020, and finished it last year with Winston Surfshirt in his poolside studio/house that feels like it was transplanted straight out of LA. In between playing darts, swimming and a few drinks we came up with this sunny, cruisey west coast-inspired jam. It’s about waiting for your crush to ‘Bang Your Line’ because you’re too spooked to make the first move. It’s so fitting that Tkay was keen to hop on this track as it feels like the stars were totally aligned with her moving to LA and her LYWW mixtapes stylistically blending perfectly with us.”
Gearing up for yet another landmark season, Post Malone returns with a brand new single entitled Cooped Up featuring Roddy Ricch.
It heralds the arrival of his fourth full-length offering and the summer’s most-anticipated record, Twelve Carat Toothache, on June 3, 2022. It stands out as his first full-length in three years since Hollywood’s Bleeding crashed the BillboardTop 200 at #1.
To kick off the album campaign, Post will also perform onSaturday Night Live this coming Saturday, May 14th, the artists first appearance on the celebrated show. Cooped Up notably marks the second collaboration between Post and Roddy. In 2019, Roddy appeared on the remix of Post’s anthem wow..
Late last year, Post tested the waters with the explosive One Right Now with The Weeknd. It vaulted into the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and drummed up over 1 billion streams in a few months’ time.
Acclaimed Mongolian rock band The HU have released a new single called This Is Mongol ahead of their second official studio album set for release later this year via Better Noise Music.
With This Is Mongol, as with all of their music, The HU connects the world to Mongolian culture and its unique core values of natural preservation and spiritual connection with the earth. These core values are on full display in the new, epic official video for This is Mongol. The deeply meaningful lyrics uplift the Mongol people, as the band wishes for prosperity and peace among all.
In celebration of their new single and upcoming album, The HU also released an official music video directed by John Connor Hammond. The visual is set in the Mojave Desert and showcases the band energetically performing their inspiring new single This Is Mongol.
Thrilled to be sharing more of their Mongolian roots, producer Dashka said, “Creating this song meant so much to me. We are announcing our arrival through music and specifically through this song. In these uncertain times, I hope we are bringing positivity, empowerment and strength to fight for better days.”
Speaking about the video, singer and tumur hhuur player Jaya said, “We shot in the Mojave Desert, Nevada and the environment reminded us of Gobi Desert in Mongolia. We enjoyed shooting the video, which happened during our tour and gave us a little break to reminisce about home. The song perfectly matched the environment we made the video in. It was one of the best memories we created as a band and it was special because our producer Dashka was with us to oversee the whole process.”
Meg Mac continues her remarkable 2022 with a stellar new offering, Only Love. A gorgeously crafted alt-pop release from an artist who has built a passionate fan base on the back of her heart-aching honesty and inimitable voice, the track once again showcases Mac at her radiant best.
Singing “would I do it again / oh yes I’d do it again / at the end of the day / it’ll hurt just the same”, the stoical candour in the lyrics reveals an artist adeptly summing up the human condition. Meg says of the song “It feels like my calling, my purpose, my happiness but it’s driving me crazy and the root of all my troubles. How can it be the source of my best and worst moments?”
The release is paired with a stunning video directed by Australian filmmaker, photographer, and visual artist Tim Georgeson. A journey through the landscape and a struggle for identity, the video features Meg’s pursuit of a mystic figure symbolising everything that is just out of reach, everything that you desire, everything that you are not. An artist who has had his work exhibited across the world, Georgeson has created the perfect visual accompaniment to the enthralling Only Love.
Rapidly rising Australian punk rock stars TEEN JESUS AND THE JEAN TEASERS are thrilled to release their debut EP Pretty Good For A Girl Band via Domestic La La. To celebrate they’ve dropped a video for Girl Sports, their blistering new single which was written in honour of the male dentist who said that bassist Jaida Stephenson should stick to “girl sports” after knocking her teeth out skating.
Featuring nods to three classic teen films, the Girl Sports video is everything you’d come to expect from the four-piece; in your face and won’t back down, but they’ll still have some fun along the way. On the video, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers say, “We had so much fun filming the Girl Sports video. While the song encapsulates a lot of frustration and anger, we wanted to create a visual element that brought a more light-hearted feel to a song that touches on some pretty frustrating experiences a lot of women and non-males would relate to. We wanted to create a fun take on the idea of ‘girl sports’ by drawing inspiration from sport scenes in Clueless, St Trinian’s and Twilight (we hope we did the iconic pitching moment justice). We wanted the video to be fun as possible because everything we wanted to say, we had already screamed in Girl Sports. The video is basically a big middle finger, you can’t touch us moment, to all the men that had and continue to look down on us.”
Strange Desires is the second single lifted from the upcoming L.A. Cobra album titled Superstition, and is now available on all digital platforms via Crusader Records.
The song, which features Slade Sleaze – L.A. Cobra’s guitarist – on vocals in the verses, encourages the sharing of the “often” secretive desires and fantasies that are kept secret from a lover. It includes a unique yet catchy chorus that takes inspiration from bands like Queen and ABBA, but with the rough edge of these South African sleaze rockers.
Strange Desires is the follow up to L.A. Cobra’s recent single She’s My Prison, and their new album Superstition is set for release later in 2022.
The Offspring have released the video for their new single, Behind Your Walls. The eerily beautiful animated short depicts a couple trying to navigate a desolate post-apocalyptic landscape riddled with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Director and animator Jeb Hardwick worked closely with lead singer and songwriter Dexter Holland to create a visual accompaniment to the song’s lyrics.
“The song evoked a sense of a couple trying to connect through emotional barriers that had been building over time,” explains Hardwick. “I wanted to take that prompt and turn it into a dark fairytale, a sort of dystopian take on the classical storytelling structure of writers like the Brothers Grimm. I wanted the video to have an ambiguous dreamlike aesthetic to it, so I was keen to take away some of the sharpness and crispness usually associated with CGI and give a sense of it being somewhere between a moving painting and a 1920s German Expressionist film.”
Guitarist Noodles offers further insight. “Behind Your Walls is about trying to reach somebody who is feeling isolated, alone, or depressed. How do you reach out and get through the emotional chasm that exists? Sometimes it feels impossible to grab a hold of that person and pull them back to ‘safety,’ emotionally and mentally. The song is about that struggle.”
Released last month, Hurtless became an instant fan favourite, quickly amassing 20 million plus streams and jumping onto global playlists. Dean Lewis has performed the track to millions on primetime television around the world, including The X Factor Finale in Denmark. On the verge of kicking off his extensive US and European tour next week, Lewis drops the acoustic version with intimate new performance video to accompany.
The heartbreak of the wounded, unfiltered lyrics cut even deeper in the acoustic setting. With the production turned way down, Lewis’s soaring vocals are laid bare, coming off a touch more despairing with nothing but his keyboard for comfort or company.
“Hurtless has immediately become one of those special, connecting moments in the live shows. If there’s one thing my career so far has shown me, it’s that the more painfully honest about my own life I am in my songs – the more they seem to resonate”.
The mood is reinforced with an intimate, low-fi video that was filmed in London in Lewis’s cosy, softly lit living room – as he sings the song to you personally.
“We had such a cinematic concept for the original version of the song”, says Lewis, who made only a fleeting appearance in that video; “So the acoustic video was about going back to where and how the song began – just me feeling really sad in a small room by myself, with a keyboard”.
The Smile have released their brand-new, stop-motion animated video for Thin Thing, taken from the band’s upcoming debut album A Light For Attracting Attention, which is out now digitally and 17 June physically, via XL Recordings / Remote Control.
The video was directed by Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña and took the pair six months to make. Speaking about the video, they say:
“Hearing the song for the first time, we imagined a frenetic fluid that carries machines, pieces of human bodies and carnivorous plants. When presenting the idea to the band, Thom told us about a dream that made him write the song. We believe the video is the conjunction of these two things.”
Produced by Nigel Godrich, A Light For Attracting Attention features strings by the London Contemporary Orchestra and a full brass section of contemporary UK jazz players including Byron Wallen, Theon and Nathaniel Cross, Chelsea Carmichael, Robert Stillman and Jason Yarde.
Ed Sheeran enlists Budjerah for an all-new remix of 2step, which is out now on Asylum/Atlantic (listen HERE) and has been joined by an official visualiser.
Ed is teaming-up with an array of artists from across the globe for special remix versions of his latest single 2step, tapping into his love of collaboration. Budjerah commented: “I was so shocked to have won my first ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist at last Year ARIAs, and it meant so much to me that Ed Sheeran was the one who read my name out. To now be featuring on the Australian remix of Ed’s track 2Step and have it released globally as I’m just starting my first overseas tour, it’s really exciting!!”
Extreme metal titans KREATOR are proud to unveil Midnight Sun, the third single from their forthcoming fifteenth studio album, Hate Über Alles, which will be released on June 10th, 2022. The eagerly anticipated full-length is a strong album-of-the-year contender as well as a global statement against hate & the division of society. Before its release next month, KREATOR give you another treat in the form of the most unusual song ‘Hate Über Alles’ has to offer. Midnight Sun manages to couple heavy guitar shredding and captivating groove metal with a melodramatic, larger-than-life chorus including female backing vocals, impressively showcasing KREATOR’s continued evolution of the genre they helped create.
Mille Petrozza comments:
“Midnight Sun is something a little new for us, our first time collaborating with a female artist. When I was writing the song, I could hear this Oracle type voice over the pre-chorus and chorus and I immediately reached out to my talented friend, Sofia Portanet who is an emerging artist, here in Germany. Sofia added exactly what I was looking for and gives the song a really dark, ethereal vibe.
The video is the second production we shot with Tom Schlagkamp and his team. The concept was drawn up from the song’s lyrics which I envisaged to take place during a ritual sacrifice. Director, Tom came back with an idea loosely based on Ari Aster’s ‘Midsommar’ which has powerful visuals, perfect for a killer metal music video!”
Fresh off the back of her sold out national Boss Lady Tour, one of the country’s most celebrated and loved R&B-pop entertainers, Jessica Mauboy is back in the driver’s seat with new single and video for Automatic. Launched off the back of Jess’s TV performance of previous single Glow last night on The Voice, where she has been bringing her wealth of experience into her role as a coach for 2022.
Produced by George Reid (AlunaGeorge) and written with Cosmos Midnight and Sophie Curtis (aston), Automatic is a tasteful pop anthem that leans into Jess’s RnB and soul influences. Speaking to the track, Jess notes “Automatic is about having faith in your own sense of direction and firmly taking the driver’s seat in all aspects of your life. Believe in your intuition and don’t be afraid to give yourself permission to explore that – the little voice in your head is usually always right. It was a serious blast to hit the studio with George Reid (AlunaGeorge) & co-writers Cosmos Midnight and Sophie Curtis (Aston) to make this song.”
Automatic comes alongside an incredible new visual, directed by Bill Bleakley and features Jess in a completely new light. The boss lady energy has been brought to the forefront with this clip. Growing up riding quadbikes on her Aunties property in Darwin, it seemed only fitting to incorporate bikes to help bring this song to life visually.
“Automatic is such a fun and energetic song, I knew I wanted to go big with this video and to allow fans to see me in a way they had never seen me before” says Jess on the video. “Growing up in the open bush lands of Darwin, driving Dad’s ute and riding quad bikes with my friends and family, I couldn’t resist hitting the dirt to bring that boss lady energy to the track.”
Waterparks have entered their highly-anticipated new era with its lead single FUNERAL GREY, their debut release on Fueled By Ramen. The vibrant pop-punk track is out now alongside the official video, directed by Awsten Knight himself and Erik Rojas (24kGoldn, Rich Brian, Chase Atlantic, etc.), featuring Awsten’s signature new hair color that saturates the song’s visuals.
Its infectious guitar riff and Awsten’s bright, energetic vocals, culminate in a perfect pop-punk summer anthem. The track’s playful and clever lyricism chronicle the pursuit of a girl at a party he deems his “next mistake”, complete with cleverly-crafted imagery and an iconic Kim Possible reference. FUNERAL GREY has been heavily teased on socials over the last month and reached the #1 Trending Topic on Twitter in the US.
Northern Beaches rockers Edgecliff are back today in toe-tappin’, riff-smashin’ fashion with a brand new single I’ll Be Gone. Laced with classic rock flavours and plenty of warm swagger, I’ll Be Gone embraces the group’s evolving hard edge aesthetics, while also perfectly setting the scene for what’s in store at the band’s impending show at Avalon RSL on Saturday June 11.
I’ll Be Gone marks an energetic jewel in the Edgecliff story so far, offering a modern amalgamation of the group’s classic and more recent rock and roll heroes, with its vocal melody inspired by Powderfinger, drum and basslines inspired by Foo Fighters, and some sparkling guitars and keys a là Wolfmother throughout the catchy track. Loaded with fresh licks and affable steeze, I’ll Be Gone kicks off with a fiery riff before bursting into some technicolour rock and roll; from splashy drum fills to bright organs and vocals with just the right amount of rasp, I’ll Be Gone also lyrically captures some of life’s more fiery moments, as frontman Will Howell explains, “The lyrics are about an argument. Whether it is internal or with another person, it is up to the listener to interpret their meaning. Basically, the battle of right and wrong. With the music, we just wanted a fierce, snappy song, and it all came together after many songwriting sessions and a contribution from us all.”
Dune Rats are no strangers to writing songs about their love for substance. New single Melted Into Two is their first song of substance about love!
The third single from the bands forthcoming album Real Rare Whale, Melted Into Two was the first song the band wrote for the new album and was written with their good mate Shane Parsons from DZ Deathrays during a writing session on Stradbroke Island in Queensland.
“This song is the closest thing to a love song we’ve written,” the Dunies confessed. “It grew from meeting a young couple at a bar who talked about a time when they were on acid and believed if they tried hard enough, they could melt into each other, creating one person. We reckon you can meet people throughout life, whether it be romantic or not, that you become so close too and in tune with, that you become one.”
Last week Long Island, NY hardcore heavyweights Stray From The Path announced their new album, Euthanasia, due out September 9th via UNFD, Euthanasia alongside new single, III.
The band discussed the new song saying: “We’ve always used our songs as an outlet to speak against oppression. It’s been close to 10 years, and now our third installment of the Badge & A Bullet series entitled ‘III’ has the same target. Policing in the United States has always been rooted in racism, hate & violence. Public funding for police departments has skyrocketed since the 1980s. The US now spends more than twice as much on police as it does social welfare programs. Many major cities spend over a third of their budgets on police. Despite the hundreds of billions of federal, state & local money poured into police departments & the corrections industry every year, there is little oversight. The outcomes have been fucking horseshit.
Over 1,000 people are killed every year by the police but despite comprising only 13% of the population, nearly half of all people killed by police are Black. Less than 1% of police officers who kill someone on the job are prosecuted. To be perfectly clear: there is no crime in this country where the punishment is execution on the spot extrajudicially by a cop. The idea of justice in this country is a fucking joke. The only protecting and serving the police do in this country is protecting the wealthy, the powerful & capitalist interests while subjugating the marginalized & the working class.”
The latest single Forget You out now from Melbourne rockers Slowly Slowly brings an unforgettably upbeat moment in time as the group fuse pop-ready melodics with sharp introspection.
A speedy follow up from the band’s recent stripped-back alternate version of their track Nothing On, Forget You brings back the bounce alongside nimble hooks, bright tones and percolating beats. An instant indie rock tour de force with plenty of endearing pop sensibilities, Forget You blossoms from the foundations laid by the band’s most recent tracks, exerting the addictive charm of the original Nothing On and the reflective jaunt of Blueprint while injecting a fresh new sonic sheen and tackling personal reinvention.
Expertly weaving some pensive subject matter with the irresistible surrounding instrumentals, Slowly Slowly ooze with agility and maturity on Forget You, with vocalist Ben Stewart’s candied eloquence shrewdly balancing light and shade, as he elaborates: “This song feels obvious in its intention, but what you may not assume is that it is actually aimed completely inwards – it’s about forgetting past versions of myself, not someone else. As we all often are, I am constantly navigating my tornado of neurosis. This song touches on the notion of ‘okay starting again frommmmmmmm….now’ – how we convince ourselves it’s a new day, but when you zoom out it’s the same cycle every time. I retain hope, but often, unfortunately, am quick to write all attempts off as futile.”
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