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. ‘Wet Bikini’ - The Double Happiness
Surf-pop indie outfit The Double Happiness dropped a fascinating single to kick off the decade. A unique four-piece comprised of two couples from Brisvegas, what is even more surprising is their music!
‘Wet Bikini’ begins with brooding drums, and reverb-heavy, glorious guitar. Pulling from sounds directly inspired from the likes of surf rock prodigies Beach Boys, this track comes with a more psychedelic edge, and is a brooding, glorious track filled with so much atmosphere.
This is a highly recommended track that doesn’t outstay it’s welcome, with a hypnotic groove that will stick with you for a while. This track is like a surprisingly spooky day at the beach, and is a hell of a lot of fun!
2. ‘José Mourinho’ - Fourth Place
Melbourne based hip-hop duo Fourth Place are back with a brand new track, ‘José Mourinho.’ These guys are doing some really interesting things with hip-hop, building up songs from really simple musical elements to deliver hip-hop gems with outstanding flow.
Their latest cut is a bombastic affair. Launching with a really synth line, the duo build the track up and up, adding kick drums and synth bass to hit it home hard on the chorus. Even more interesting is their lyrics covering their ambition in the music industry. When your sights are set this high, you kind of have to make a song about it.
While multiple EPs, singles and shows under their belt in 2019, this year will look to be a belter for this outfit.
3. ‘Crystallised’ - Autumn’s Passage
An indie-pop outfit from South Australia, Autumn’s Passage have hit the ground running in 2020, with a record already out this month. One of their heavier pop elements is the guitar-heavy track, ‘Crystallised.’
Kicking on with heavy bass and warm guitar, the track builds and builds from intimate indie pop into an almost orchestral gem, like it is being performed in a massive stadium.
This is perfectly formed, tightly constructed, and melodically rich pop. A really great song if you love and value songs with groove, atmosphere and that showcase intense vulnerability. Check out this track, and their album; it’s a gem!
4. ‘Serenity Now’ - Dip Road Dogs
Eclectic rock outfit Dip Road Dogs are back with their second single, and this song is a track with attitude and a glorious soundscape ripped straight from the Tame Impala and The Flaming Lips playbook.
‘Serenity Now’ is a stonker, with gloriously distorted guitar and a building drum that makes you feel like you are driving down a dusty, foreboding highway. The addition of gorgeous piano chords fills out the space and hits you with some fantastic old-school rock vibes. It’s a cross between a country-tinged rock gem and the new psychedelic sound coming out of Australia right now.
This band is highly recommended, with their first track ‘Labour Day’ also being released to great acclaim. You should be watching these guys in 2020.
5. ‘The Iundation into Our Room’ - A Country Practise
Last, we have a bizarre, synth heavy, quirky piece of electrofolk-pop from Brisbane outfit, A Country Practise. Similarly psychedelic, this outfit’s latest track is an aloof, surreal musical experience.
Another slow-burning experience, synths pulse through the song on top of beautifully plucked guitar and mandolin, with very aloof, yet slightly dark lyrics. It’s a very surreal piece of music that plays almost like a folk song, but it’s blending of genres works so well.
These guys look to have master a sound that is thoroughly unique, and we highly recommend you keep an eye on them going forward.
