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. ‘Hickeys’ - Saint Lane
Gold Coast-based rapper Saint Lane has kicked off the decade with a smooth, groovy and sensual tune, ‘Hickeys.’ After hitting it big with several singles in 2019, the groove rock-inspired style Lane brings to his tracks continues with this latest serving. With an upcoming solo tour and supporting tour with Bootleg Rascal, the rapper is sure kicking off this decade in style.
‘Hickeys’ is certainly pleasant on the ears, with colourful guitar and an easygoing swagger in the percussion, however lyrically there is a lot more going on than first impressions might seem.
“Hickeys is about moving in circles,” explains Lane. “Working the same job, going to the same bars and seeing the same people every weekend. Getting caught in the loop and wanting to break free. Seeing some people around you break that loop and seeing some people stay in it.”
It’s gorgeous, it’s multi-faceted, and it’s fun. Get on it!
2. ‘Slinky Begonia’ - The Bambuesae Rhythm Section
From glorious Fremantle, six-piece groove-rock band The Bambuesae Rhythm Section are ripped straight out of The Cat Empire playbook. This band are all about the groove, blues and unashamble funk, and that has carried through on their debut song ‘Slinky Begonia.’
They are also set to tour throughout their home state in late January and early February, coincidentally also supporting Bootleg Rascal. However, if ‘Slinky Begonia’ is anything to go by, they’ll soon be headlining their own shows! This is a tune to get you dancing hard, with fantastic trumpets, synths and the fantastic eponymous rhythm section making the proceedings feel like it has been pulled straight from the Eighties, but with a ska edge to it.
Keep an ear out especially for the fun trumpet and guitar solo, it’s a riot!
3. ‘EZ’ - Jamie Lane
Experimental electronic artist Jamie Lane has returned in style, coming off the back of a great 2019 to deliver his most danceable hit so far, ‘EZ.’
Pulling from the sounds of electro-house, Lane delivers a song heavy in groove, warm bass and tight percussion. However, while the track seems simplistic, it nails the sound so well that it becomes utterly hypnotic for the listener.
Lane explains: “The lyrics are about the anxiety of being unable to establish a true connection with someone you have feelings for due to a sense of detachment in the moment. The heavier lyrical content is intentionally juxtaposed with an upbeat and ‘in the moment’ dance style, with a heavy emphasis on the aesthetics of timbre and percussion to convey a sense of atmosphere.”
4. ‘Better Than Me’ - Bel
Melbourne-based artist Bel is back for the first time in two years, and has delivered a monster track with ‘Better Than Me.’
Bel is an artist that strives for real and authentic sounds and feelings, with no veil to hide imperfections. Instead, Bel celebrates them, unashamed and unwilling to compromise in her approach. The result is a track that feels gargantuan, both in it’s emotions and explosive production. Opening with a beautiful, but quiet soundscape, as Bel becomes more emotional heavy organs introduce themselves into an explosive, heavy chorus that feels like it’s being performing in a stadium. It’s a volcanic, unsettling tune, and feels undeniably real.
Be sure to keep your eye on what this pop artist has in store. This latest offering is heavy as hell and unbelievably compelling. Highly recommended!
5. ‘Bass Jumpin’ - Arno Faraji
“I make beats and sometimes rap to them.”
Arno Faraji describes himself as such, and honestly, the dude sells himself short. His new hit ‘Bass Jumpin’ is something quick-witted and impossible-to-hold-down. A track that feels like someone ten years his senior should be delivering, this Perth-based, Zimbabwe-born rapper from the Soundcloud scene delivers some hot fire across this track. The production is all fundamentals, pulling from a variety of places, especially the rap scene of the American West Coast. However, Faraji makes it completely his own. This is a rapper hungry to take on the world, and win.
“Bass Jumpin' is about battling your demons (whatever they are) even when things seem crazy and making opportunities instead of waiting for them!” explains Faraji.
Not going to lie, maturity like that is more than welcome here. We cannot wait to see what this artist does next.
