Good Friday: The feature series that shines a light on our favourite new releases from around Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia. Make sure you check out all the artists that featured this week up the top of our weekly playlist, which also includes some other jams we've been getting down to during the week.
1. ‘Mexico’ - The Sea Gypsies [words by Charlie Dally-Watkins]
The Sea Gypsies bring a hypnotic wash of verby guitars, heartfelt lyrics, and laid-back vibes on their new single ‘Mexico’.
The song about a wild trip to Mexico which left frontman Luke Martin with Dengue Fever is perfect for the incoming Australian summer.
“Some people say that a holiday changes an individual. After experiencing Mexico, Luke would agree,” say The Sea Gypsies.
Through the combination of reggae, indie-rock, and humour, ‘Mexico’ is a track that will be stuck in your head before you know it.
Following on from their debut album Movements, the five-piece are known for their electric live presence and charmingly emotive songwriting.
The impressive new funk-laden groove is joined with summer tour dates for 2020. So, make sure you check out the spellbinding gypsies of the sea.
2. ‘Something Simple’ - Kitten Heel [words by Charlie Dally-Watkins]
The new synth, guitar-heavy music from Kitten Heel is equal parts floor-filler and heartbreaker.
‘Something Simple’ explores a hypnotic focus point within a long-term relationship. The song finds itself adamant of the wonderful simplicity that bypasses the difficulties of long relationships.
The five-piece explain: “Keeping relationships beautiful and consistent is challenging and at those torturous depths, when affection starts to wander, so too does the curious eye. Being committed to your partner is challenging, there’s no ifs or buts about it.”
Kitten Heel members are quite simply driven by a motivation to make the best music they possibly can. As big indie-dance fans themselves, they are able to use that authentic spirit during the production process of their music.
“We feel that’s part of why it’s come together so well, because we had one mission – to make music that returned the emotions we had in way we haven’t heard them,” say Kitten Heel.
Listen to the purveyors of swagger and masters of synth today.
3. ‘Chika’ – Intriguant [words by Max Melit]
Ever-evolving Singapore-based producer/DJ Intriguant has released a texture-rich single, ‘Chika’.
The man behind it all, Louis Quek, has injected the song full of complex beats and satisfyingly well-produced loops.
He explains: “I wanted to go back to where I started. The underground club scene has always been family to me. I grew up from there and expanded into other areas.”
The track shows off a very layered, almost industrial rhythm, with haunting pads and soothing synths filling out the background.
‘Chika’ is an unquestionably powerful song. The focus on club beats keeps it moving, but Intriguant’s seasoned hand in blending atmospheric and tactile sounds never makes the listening experience linear. You can hear the influence of artists like Yosi Horikawa, Long Arm, and Nujabes in this ability to blend rhythm with atmosphere, and melody with complex layering.
Keep a close eye on the dates of one of Singapore’s best underground acts, as Australian gigs aren’t out of the question. Listen to Intriguant’s ‘Chika’ now.
4. ‘Entangled’ – JPL ft. Alexa Harley [words by Nick Wasiliev]
JPL is back with ‘Entangled’, bringing his electronic and indie-pop rots back for the masses!
Having first turned heads in 2018 with his hit ‘Speak Up’, this new tune might be his most subtle and nuanced yet. Bringing on the talented Alexa Harley to duet with him, JPL delivers a low-key smooth track about love and its complications.
Opening with reverbing, colourful glockenspiel, a smooth electronic kick drum introduces itself on the chorus, with a subtle bass filling up the soundscape to compliment the crackling production. JPL and Harley duet beautifully here about being entangled, delivering mesmerising harmonies.
Harley then takes over for the verses, singing about wanting to run away from negative feelings and hide, just to keep this happy, blissful, loving vibe going. She calls out to her significant other to help her escape, though the hollow production implies this might not be a healthy choice to run from these problems.
JPL has given the track enough lyrical bite and nuance to make the listener to want to come back for a deeper understanding. ‘Entangled’ is a compelling meditation on love, and one has us excited for the forthcoming EP.
5. ‘Catch Your Breath’ – Vlossom [words by Charlie Dally-Watkins]
Vlossom, the newly birthed collaboration between Australian musicians Nick Littlemore and Alister Wright, have released an absolute banger in ‘Catch Your Breath’.
The track is almost multi-sensory… possessed of its own distinct texture, temperature, colour, and perfume. By unfolding in hypnotic rhythms and ethereal vocal work, the song speaks to a metaphorical loss of composure. This also creates a wondrous soundscape both beautifully futuristic and profoundly elemental
Littlemore clarifies: “It’s that feeling of seeing a thing of absolute beauty, whether it’s a girl or guy or plant or animal, and being brought into a heightened reality.
“For the most part our everyday lives are fairly menial, so those moments when we do lose our breath are really something to dwell on.”
In each new piece that Vlossom create, the energy manifests as a benevolent effervescence, one that ultimately leaves the listener with a renewed sense of wonder.
“If we can impart anything to people, I hope it’s that feeling of losing yourself in a moment, stepping outside of yourself in the best imaginable way,” says Littlemore.
We can’t wait to hear what they have in store for their debut EP, set to release in 2020.