Mix Tape 33
Plenty of awesome new selections in Mix Tape 33, give it a spin…
2023 Breakthrough Artist Of The Year ARIA Award Winners Teenage Dads return with their brand new single Weaponz, and the exciting announcement of their biggest ever Australian & New Zealand headline tour. Hitting the ground running in 2024, Teenage Dads have been teasing the new single over their national run of shows with Laneway Festival and Tasmania’s Party In The Paddock over the last few weeks.
Taking a slight sonic detour for their first release of 2024, on their new single Weaponz the breakthrough act deliver a punchy, Strokes-esque, alt-rock anthem that perfectly captures the high-energy chaos expected at any of their live shows. Teenage Dads explain “it can take a lot of strength to get what you want and sometimes you need to take a bullet (or weild a bazooka) to see your vision come to life.” To mark the occasion, Teenage Dads have also released the official video clip for Weaponz, live now.
2023 saw the huge success of WA artist Katy Steele’s sophomore album Big Star which received wide-spread support from Double J, including Artist in Residence, Feature Album and landing in the Best 20 Albums of 2023, plus was nominated for Soundmerch Australian Music Prize 2023.
Now she is back with brand-new track Broken, which has been sitting in the vault for several years waiting to make its long-awaited debut. The latest hit is a preview of what to expect from her upcoming EP set to be released in June.
Broken, originally penned during her time in New York, has been brought to life with help of producer GRAMMY and mixer Tony Buchen (Smashing Pumpkins, Montaigne, Troye Sivan, G-Flip)
Katy Steele reflects on the track’s evolution – “Broken unintentionally has always reminded me of Carly Simon’s classic ‘You’re So Vain’. The lyrics are straight up, a little like myself. It was inspired by some of my personal experiences of heartbreak during my years in New York. Like all my songs though, there tends to be more than one pivotal subject within the song, so I will leave it up to my listener’s own interpretations.”
First Nations songwriter and producer Sycco (pron. ‘psycho’), today shares her new energetic track I’d Love to Tell You, produced by Styalz Fuego (Troye Sivan, MUNA, Khalid) and co-written with Grace Shaw of Mallrat, out now via Future Classic. She’ll also be heading over to the US for her SXSW debut next month and hitting Los Angeles for a special headline show at Genghis Cohen.
Sycco (aka Sasha McLeod) – who has collaborated and/or performed with Flume, Chrome Sparks, Tame Impala, Glass Animals and more in various shapes and forms – continues her solo success with this next iteration of her signature crisp, vocal-forward mix of electronic, alt-pop, and spacey elements of psych. I’d Love to Tell You is an upbeat and fun track; the buzzing bass electrifies the entire sonic space in the same way the excitement of having a crush sends sparks all the way through your fingertips.
Speaking of I’d Love to Tell You, Sycco says, “I wrote ‘I’d Love To Tell’ You at Styalz Fuego’s studio in Naarm with Mallrat. Grace and I have such a great relationship in the studio; we make up dances, we write crass iterations for every verse, we giggle and make something special at the end of the day. Styalz is also a king so it was a really good energy that day, everything just flowed really smooth and quickly.
The song is about having a crush, when I have a crush – I crush. Unfortunately, this person was getting in a relationship, so I missed out on that lol. But I’m really happy with the song and I think it will last longer than that crush did.”
Khruangbin have shared the song May Ninth from their forthcoming new album A LA SALA. The wistful, mid-tempo track exudes the band’s signature warmth thanks to its American roots-inspired guitar lines and airy vocals — if you listen closely, you can actually hear birds singing in the background. It’s another example of how Khruangbin utilizes environmental sounds both natural and man-made as textures, and how A LA SALA achieves such interconnected set-and-setting-ness.
A LA SALA, Khruangbin’s first LP in four years, is out 5 April on Dead Oceans in partnership with Night Time Stories Ltd. The band previously shared A Love International, a song illustrating the reflective, celebratory nature of A LA SALA with its heartfelt vocal flutterings underneath propulsive guitar and bass interplay.
Critically acclaimed Australian singer-songwriter Sahara Beck has released a surprise tour single, Special, co-written by Jay Bovino, who also produced, mixed, and recorded the emotionally charged track. A fitting follow-up to her 2023 album All Attention On Your Emotions, the track delves into the universal theme of self-discovery, conveying Sahara’s inner turmoil as she questions the promises made during childhood about being able to achieve anything if one works hard enough.
In a heartfelt reflection on the song’s inspiration, Sahara shares, “I’ve been working hard since I was 14 just to throw every cent back into my music career. When I wrote this song, I felt like all I had to show for it is how much time I’d wasted chasing this dream that I was now realising would probably never happen.” She continues, “I thought maybe if no one ever told me I was special as a child, perhaps I would have been content with anything instead of having such big impossible goals I was always reaching for”.
The Veronicas have further teased their highly anticipated new album Gothic Summer by unveiling the newest single Here To Dance. Set over a funk-disco rhythmic bass and shimmery strings, ‘Here To Dance’ is a reminder to fans to dance like no one’s watching.
Speaking of the track, Jessica Origliasso of The Veronicas says: “This song is about disengaging from drama, whether online or personal, and remaining unbothered. I don’t care who’s watching, I’m just here to dance’ is a metaphor and a directive to go where the love is.”
The duo first previewed Gothic Summer with the release of Perfect and Detox, in 2023. Perfect is a fierce, melody driven anthem standing up against unrealistic social pressures, while Detox is a ska-pop-punk fusion exploring the chaos and hypnosis of toxic relationships. With Here To Dance, The Veronicas unveil an entirely new, dance-heavy anthem, a style that they are widely known for. Here To Dance lives in a place somewhere between Lady Gaga and Dua Lipa. This song is sure to be on high rotation in clubs worldwide.
The Decemberists have returned with the new single Burial Ground, marking their first new music in 6 years. With jangly guitars and swelling horns, the track is an instant singalong classic. It’s pop simplicity at its best, with lead-singer Colin Meloy’s reliably clever lyrics propelling it forward and featuring The Shins’ James Mercer on backing vocals. “‘Burial Ground’ is in that time-honored pop song tradition, a paean to hanging out in graveyards,” says Meloy. “The melody hook came to me in a dream and I hummed it into my phone on waking. Most dream-songs are bad; this was the exception.”
Grammy-nominated band Sum 41 has shared their newest single Waiting On A Twist Of Fate, out now via Rise Records, from their upcoming final album Heaven :x: Hell.
The second single from the double album’s pop-punk Heaven side, Waiting On A Twist Of Fate harkens back to the earliest days of the band’s pop punk roots. The track opens the album the only way long-time fans would expect Sum 41 to open an album – a flurry of guitar riffs, drum fills, and vocals powerful enough to raise the dead.
Love Fame Tragedy, the acclaimed solo project from Matthew “Murph” Murphy, guitarist and lead singer of alt-pop chart-toppers The Wombats, release their new single It’s Ok To Be Shallow. The track is taken from their forthcoming second album, Life Is A Killer, out 29th March via Bright Antenna Records.
It’s Ok To Be Shallow finds Murph in a typically self-reflective mood, teetering on the edge of a breakdown, yet embracing the volatility of life and love, all wrapped up in characteristically infectious melodies and an earworm of a chorus.
Speaking on the track, Murph says: “‘It’s Ok To Be Shallow’ is simply about letting go, giving into life and all allowing its complexities to wash over you.”
As one of Australia’s most relentlessly original artists, Olympia has gained a steadfast reputation as a visceral live performer and a commanding singer and guitarist of rare taste and imagination.
Her unique combination of catchy hooks, striking visuals and tongue-in-cheek lyrics have forged a magnetic connection with her fans, and her new self-help inspired single Try Be Good promises more of that, on a deeply personal and painstakingly irreverent level.
Through personal reflection, paired with punchy pop and a healthy dose of humour, Try Be Good leads us through a series of notes-to-self that scroll through anxiety, acceptance and resolution in a spiral of Beck’s Odeley-esque chaos seeking order. Its chorus drills into your head like the last thought standing: an instinct to strive to overcome obstacles through simple, unadorned, absurd and ineffable pleasures.
Reflecting on the idea behind the song, Olympia muses “When I started working on the EP, I had only just suddenly lost my father, who I was incredibly close with. He loved me making music. He read every interview, poured over social media comments (he didn’t agree with the bad ones, of course), and would ecstatically read reviews over the phone – almost as if someone were discussing his performance. Quite simply, he was my stage and it was a huge loss. When crawling back to music after his loss, and the isolation and pause of COVID, I came across Matthew Dickman’s poem, ‘Trouble’. After the loss of his brother to suicide, using wit and his dark sense of tenderness, Dickman lists famous suicides, and finishes the poem with “In the morning I get out of bed, I brush my teeth, I wash my face, I get dressed in the clothes I like best. I want to be good to myself.” And I remember thinking – ‘Yeah, I want to be good to myself’. And there began the song: a tongue-in-cheek list of the things we do to get through something. We lean on self-help, we shop, we exercise, make lists. You do what you have to do to get through it.”
Bona fide hit-makers GROUPLOVE have today released their new song, Chances, an uplifting riff-heavy indie-pop mantra celebrating the beauty and possibility of getting out of your comfort zone and taking chances.
The Californian alternative-rock band are known for their raw but incandescent sound, untamed spontaneity and unabashedly playful spirit, which they’ve embodied since their 2011 debut album Never Trust a Happy Song. Chances brings more of this joy, hope and fun to the world in three mins of pure surf-rock bliss.
On the inspiration behind Chances, GROUPLOVE’s vocalist and keyboard player Hannah Hooper says “I’m reclusive, I get in my head a lot and I write a lot of lists. I’m painfully aware that all the magic in my life happens when I’m not like this. When I take chances – big ones, small ones, scary ones – whatever they may be, that’s when I grow.”
A new chapter in the history of one of the most influential bands around is firmly underway. After igniting anticipation for the March 22nd release of their new album Glasgow Eyes with the singles jamcod and Chemical Animal, The Jesus and Mary Chain now unveil their latest track Girl 71 via Fuzz Club.
Playing melodic, hook-laden power-pop with a gritty garage-rock edge, Girl 71 comes from the most instantly alluring extreme of The Jesus and Mary Chain’s sonic spectrum. A song of redemption from self-loathing through others, Girl 71 also delivers another enticing touch by contrasting Jim Reid’s distinctive drawling lead vocal with sweet backing harmonies courtesy of Rachel Conte. As with the rest of the Glasgow Eyes album, Girl 71 was produced by brothers Jim and WIlliam Reid at Mogwai’s Castle of Doom studio.
aleksiah is a talented singer/songwriter based in Adelaide, Australia. Through her debut single Fern, she managed to generate attention from the listeners, critics as well as media like Triple J or Vogue in her home country. The 24-year-old crooner returned this year with a brand new song called 24. Albeit having an uptempo melody and shimmering pop atmosphere, she has taken what was originally a dark and pessimistic track and transformed it into a playful dig at her old self, serving as a hopeful reminder that things do get better.
RRHOF-inductee and guitar legend Ace Frehley releases a new video for Cherry Medicine, featured on his new album, 10,000 Volts.
His highly-anticipated album will be released tomorrow. Produced and co-written by Ace and Steve Brown, the uncontainable energy on the 11-tracks showcases some of Ace’s best works since his ’78 solo album.
On Cherry Medicine, a mean palm-muted chug underlines his pensive vocals where he confesses, “I knew I had to change my ways for sure to keep you by my side.” The track showcases another side of Frehley with its saccharine and sweet, soaring hook as he promises, “I love you, cherry medicine. You heal my every need and some.” He seals the sentiment with another powerhouse solo.
Australian alt-rock artist Tyne-James Organ drops his first new music of 2024 with the release of All On Me.
All On Me was road-tested at his sold-out National Headline tour last August, recently teased across his social media and will receive its first play on triple j drive.
Following on from single Blue, released late 2023, All On Me continues the solid foundation of what’s to come from Tyne’s forthcoming new album. Recorded in the Byron Bay hinterlands, with producer Chris Collins (Gretta Ray, Budjerah, Royel Otis), All On Me portrays Tyne’s mother’s perspective as she navigates through a tragic moment. The pulsating saxophone symbolises tears, while the captivating melody carries a beautiful yet emotionally heavy undertone.
Says Tyne of his captivating new single, “This song is all about my mum, as if she is singing every single word. Everything is all on my mum. Everything. She picks every piece up. She does it all.
The sax solo was inevitable for this one. I’ve always dreamed of having a saxophone on one of my songs but for this one the saxophone represents my mother crying. Whilst the melody being played is quite beautiful there is an underlying weight of emotion carrying it through”
Accompanying the single is the official video, filmed in Sydney and Directed/Produced by Jarid Dean, he elaborates “…we explore the emotional path of grief while also embracing the complex beauty of life’s ups and downs. Amongst the weathered walls, scattered confetti, and balloons, we artistically share Tyne’s story with each scene, symbolising his father, who was once the spirited centre of celebrations. It was a privilege to collaborate with Tyne and help share his deeply personal journey.”
As anticipation builds for Peach PRC’s East Coast headline tour; the singer, songwriter and pop trailblazer unveils her brand new single, Secret.
The upbeat Secret is produced by Space Primates (Katy Perry, David Guetta) and co-written by Peach PRC, Space Primates and Grammy-award nominated Bonnie McKee (Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson) who also penned Forever Drunk with the rising pop artist.
Right out of the gate, Secret co-mingles sticky bubblegum pop hooks with a bright dancefloor-ready beat. Simultaneously, the cheeky and clever lyrics belie a much deeper story for Peach PRC. She opens up about a forbidden, yet torrid romance. During the chorus, she exhales, “I know you wanna keep it, your secret. And I would never speak it, your secret. You only wanna kiss me in your car. You only wanna love me in the dark. Keep it forever.”
Charli XCX releases Von dutch – the first single taken from her highly anticipated forthcoming new album BRAT.
Produced by EASYFUN, Von dutch is a brash and synth heavy return from the avant-pop superstar and an exciting indication of her new era. The accompanying video, directed by Torso, was shot at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport and features Schwarzkopf as the official hair partner.
Charli’s impending sixth studio album BRAT is the eagerly awaited follow up to 2022’s CRASH, which reached number 1 on the ARIA official album chart in Australia, and promises to be an exhilarating club record built around high art references and social commentary: a new era both musically and visually.
Frank Turner releases Girl From The Record Shop, the latest track following No Thank You For The Music and Do One to be taken from his tenth album Undefeated, out May 3rd via Xtra Mile Recordings. The breakneck Girl From the Record Shop is a brilliant Frankenstein’s mashup of messrs. Bragg and Costello. Two towering influences, for sure, but Turner wrestles them into something wholly his own. Speaking on the track, Frank explains, “Girl From The Record Shop is a little power-pop flight of fancy, a teenage dream of romance for my inner music nerd, complete with an admission of my inevitable adolescent failure. Short sharp and to the point.”
“Now I’m surprised to report that as I enter my forties, I’ve returned to being an angry man,” he sings on the recent track No Thank You For The Music.
Frank says,“There are no clichés about the difficult 10th album, so in some ways, that’s a liberating statement. But at the same time, I have a duty to justify writing and releasing a 10th album. That’s a lot of records for anybody. Also, I’m 42. Which is not a sexy, rock’n’roll age. But all through my career, I’ve been interested in writers like Loudon Wainwright III or The Hold Steady, people who write about adulthood, essentially.”
Flight Facilities share on the new single: Trouble, in many ways, is a return to our origins in taste, influence and collaboration. Working with Owl Eyes and Bag Raiders’ Jack Glass, to reference some turn-of-the century dance-pop was such a natural fit. We’ve always had a special nostalgia for the 2000s, so any excuse to inject its sound into today is one we’ll take.”
Owl Eyes added: “This silly little song is an ode to the chaotic energy of those early touring years with my lifelong friends Jimmy and Hugo. It’s also an anthem for anyone with a fun party alter ego. I like to think mine, aka Bailey, actually took over and wrote this song.”
The second single, No Good, from Elly-May Barnes forthcoming debut album which brings together an A-Team of family, loved ones and huge musical influences – who just happen to be the crème de la crème of the Australian and New Zealand music industry.
With a lifelong love of writing and performing music, her debut solo album, No Good has been taking shape behind the scenes for many years, writing with friends like Davey Lane (You Am I), Shane Nicholson and the enviable list of collaborators.
Elly said, “No Good has a real place in my heart. It’s fun to belt out and it was one of the first songs I tried to write years ago with one of my favourite people in the world, the sweetest man in rock n roll Davey Lane. The song is a short and not so sweet number about a super toxic person who has messed someone around and I believe the song makes it pretty clear in no uncertain terms that the relationship will not be continuing under any circumstances. Everyone knows that someone who is just no good. But it’s super fun and upbeat! It’s gotta be upbeat it’s all about finding and knowing your worth and standing up for yourself which can be a journey, but a journey worth celebrating!”
Davey Lane added, “What I have always wanted is to get better at what I love, playing instruments, singing, writing and producing. I’ve known Elly-May for more than 18 years and the tunes are really a mark of the woman she is”. He continues, “She’s a woman of strength, courage and humility. With an unparalleled sense of humour to match. These songs stand completely independent from (yet proudly alongside) those of her not inconsiderable family legacy.”
Living Colour vocalist Corey Glover has teamed up with guitarist Mike Orlando (Adrenaline Mob) to form Sonic Universe. Bassist Booker King and drummer Taykwuan Jackson complete the line up.
The band has signed a worldwide deal with earMUSIC for their debut album It Is What It Is scheduled for release on May 10.
The 10-song album was produced, engineered, and mixed by Mike Orlando at Sonic Stomp Studios.
The debut video from the album I Am is out now. The video was directed by Tom Flynn (whose credits include videos for Lamb of God and Buckcherry) and shot in Toms River, NJ.
Multi-platinum alt-rock trio Wallows makes a bold return to music with Your Apartment, available now HERE. Sonically frenetic and lyrically introspective, the track is the band’s first new release since their 2022 Sophomore album Tell Me That It’s Over.
Co-written by Wallows and Nate Mercereau (Andre 3000, Shawn Mendes) and produced by previous Wallows collaborator John Congleton (St. Vincent, Sharon Van Etten), the highly anticipated single is accompanied by an official music video directed by Nina Ljeti.
Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist and ARIA Award-winning musician Elana Stone is back with her latest introspective bop – People Come And People Go is out now via ABC Music. The track was recorded in Dulwich Hill (Sydney) at Josh Pyke’s studio,with Josh co-producing and engineering and Elana’s long time collaborator, co-producer, bandmate and friend Luke Moseley (aka Butternut Sweetheart) on the bass, guitar, drums and backing vocals.
The latest single was birthed during a period where her band All Our Exes Live In Texas was on hiatus after 6 years of relentless touring both locally and internationally; what felt like the peak in her career was also married with a feeling of total burn-out.With a forced hiatus due to the world shutting down, Elana grappled with the loss of job with no partner, no savings and no work experience outside of being a musician.
Elana reflects on the song, “’I have always struggled with the fact that people can come and go from your life without warning -no matter how much love and time you have invested in them. There is no guarantee they will stick around-the only thing anyone can guarantee is that things will change.When I listen to this song I can hear that I am ready to move into the next stage of life. Overwhelmingly the song is joyous and hopeful but it was written at a time of complete personal upheaval and confusion about my identity, my relationships and my place in the world.”
2023 was a standout year for global superstar Laufey with her album Bewitched catapulting through the charts, debuting at #2 on Spotify’s Global, sitting at#1 on the ARIA Jazz & Blues Album Charts for 25 consecutive weeks, as well as #23 on the Billboard200,#1on Billboard’s Independent Albums Chart, and #1on Current Traditional Jazz Albums Chart.
It also marked the biggest debut for a jazz album in Spotify history, with the album’s hit single From The Start officially RIAA-certified Gold. The GRAMMY®-winning Icelandic-Chinese artist, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist has announced brand-new music with forthcoming release of Bewitched: The Goddess Edition, out FridayApril 26 via AWAL.
The expanded edition features four brand-new original songs that Laufey wrote in the wake of finishing her 2023 critically celebrated album Bewitched. Laufey has revealed lead single Goddess out now.
Of the new single, Laufey notes, “Goddess is my most honest song yet. I wrote it alone at my piano after feeling like someone had fallen in love with the version of me they’d seen on stage,just to find that I wasn’t what they projected once I was off stage. They deemed me to no longer be a shiny thing when the glamor wore off, reduced to skin and bone.”
Garage rock four-piece Girl and Girl announce that their debut full length album, Call A Doctor will be released on Friday 24 May via Virgin Music Australia (AU/NZ) and Sub Pop (rest of world), and is available now for pre-order. To celebrate, the band release lead single and accompanying video Hello, serving as a darkly delicious taste of what’s to come.
Girl and Girl will showcase at SXSW in Austin next month, before heading home to perform headline dates throughout April, hitting venues across the East Coast for the Hello Australia Tour. They will then return to the US to support Royel Otis on a mammoth 20-date run.
Hello practically bursts through the speakers, amplified by masterful drums and the no-bullshit lyrics and unique tone of singer/songwriter Kai James. The track tells the story of a young man who requires daily consults with health professionals to rationalise his self-destructive thoughts and routines.
“It’s about romanticising your own misery. Letting those deep, dark, dirty thoughts take over. Understanding that even if you could pull yourself out, you wouldn’t because the constant stress and worry is far too familiar and comfortable.” says James.
Youth Group frontman, Toby Martin and renowned Vietnamese-Australian musician and singer Đăng Lan, share their new single, God’s Will. The song is based on a dream Lan had about having a son – a dream that turned out to be true – and is a cosmic investigation into deep maternal love set to the backdrop of a pulsating psych-groove, laden with cascading flourishes from the đàn tranh or Vietnamese zither. It is the latest single taken from the duo’s upcoming album Song Khúc Lượn Bay (Two Sounds Gliding), which is out via ABC Music. The pair have also announced three tour dates to co-incide with the album’s release, playing in Sydney, Wollongong and Melbourne in March. Tickets are on sale now.
Lan and Toby met while working on the Songs From Northam Avenue music project in Bankstown, western Sydney, in 2015. During a residency with Urban Theatre Projects they began experimenting with songwriting and combining their musical styles. They wrote a series of songs about journeys to and from Australia, about family, and about belonging. They also re-arranged traditional Vietnamese folk songs as folk-pysch-rock songs. They sang these songs in a mixture of Vietnamese and English. The resulting album ‘Song Khúc Lượn Bay (Two Sounds Gliding) represents a meeting place between two people and two musical traditions.
Lan and Toby have performed together at Casula Powerhouse for Sydney Festival, Bankstown Arts Centre and for the lunar new year at the Phước Huệ Buddhist temple in western Sydney. They are often joined by rockin’ rhythm section Bree van Reyk (drums) and Matthew Steffen (bass), who also played on the album, which was produced by Bob Scott.
The first single Qua Cầu Gió Bay (The Wind on the Bridge) is a well-known traditional song of Vietnam. It has the universal themes of secret romantic dalliances and lying to your parents. In this version the duo raise the distortion levels to find some darker overtones, as Lan wails on the đàn bầu!
After making an immediate impact in 2023 with debut release Sweeping Up My Shadow, Heartbeatz – the brainchild of Melbourne-based writer and British India bassist William Drummond – returns with a lyrical odyssey in new single Heavyweight.
Heavyweight paints a colourful picture of pub work in Melbourne, watching the same night playing out by the same friendship groups over and over. Through joy, anger and tears, Drummond eloquently puts the listener in the driver’s seat of the chaos, capturing the essence and occasional beauty of hospo life.
“This is my ode to hospitality. To the unbreakable friendships made, nights that seem to drag on forever and others that disappear in the blink of an eye,” explains Drummond. “To the feelings of stagnation and yearning, to hot blooded heartbreak. To all the people who fight vehemently for us even when we are bringing them down.”
Sydney based singer-songwriter vonn is unveiling her highly anticipated debut single Myself. As a long time collaborator of Ziggy Ramo, this track marks the launch of vonn’s solo career. You may have previously heard vonn’s standout vocals gracing two tracks from Ziggy’s critically acclaimed 2023 album Sugar Coated Lies including Never, which she also co-wrote and Breathe.
On Myself, vonn’s soulful vocals are paired with a shimmering keys and a catchy beat to drive her affirmation home. Originally written when she just 19 and feeling stuck at a crossroads, vonn revisited this track years later with a newfound confidence in the realisation that nobody has it all figured out.
Written collaboratively with Ziggy, vonn reveals that Myself “flowed out in one night”. ”That shows how comfortable I am with him. We’d been doing a little bit of performing together at that point so writing together was a natural progression from there – it felt really good!”
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