Local Artists:

Arpier: Down (Single) (Indie)
- Arpier are relaxed indie-poppers (a-la Mac Demarco) but also fans of King Krule and that really comes across in the moody, jazzy, bluesy guitar figures that litter Down and fuel its melancholy romance. It’s amazing how little it takes to make stock standard guitar pop into something that turns your head from across the room. (Chris Cobcroft)

Big Bad Echo: Battered Fish (Single) (Indie)
- Local post-punks draw on that desert rock drudge with their first taste of new music since 2015’s It Takes A Big Dog To Weigh A Tonne. It’s not as heavy as, say, Kyuss but its long drone and searing guitars certainly create a mirage of the Joshua Tree within Brisbane’s miasma of rock. (Nick Rodwell)

Chord Memory Band: Third Eye EP (Beats of No Nation)
- Dom Bird (Mitzi) and Michael Medlycott (Vulture Street Tape Gang) have fused superpowers to create an exotic EP under the alias, Chord Memory Band. The Brisbane lads have crafted the perfect companion for those Sundays by the pool, layered with plenty of tropical beats with a hint of modern disco. The release features 'Marco', the duo's first lovechild, which is sure to keep you bopping until the sun sets. (Luke Doig)

Confidence Man: Bubblegum (Single) (Amplifire)
- This confected piece of simple pleasure sounds like the Dust Brothers reworking Tom Tom Club. Good pop is a sugar rush without the come down. Good pop is Confidence Man’s Bubblegum. (Nick Rodwell)

DiskoDisco: Inspector Clive (Single) (GD FRNDS)
- I'm sure there's about to be way too much synthwave out there, but right now I'm enjoying just about all of it. DiskoDisco from the Goldie apparently nearly missed the craze 'coz he was in prison for trying to rob a pizza place or something?? I'm glad he didn't because the big, saw-wave bass makes his stuff sound more exciting than most. (Chris Cobcroft)

Doozy Daze: Trish And The Fish Bones (Single) (Indie)
- A quintessentially 'Zed' sounding band. Girl fronted grunge and punk that's rough as guts and every now and then dips into ... doo wop? This triple a-side is a lot more guts than glitz, but I sense quite a bit of potential in here. (Chris Cobcroft)

Fragile Animals: Signals (Single) (Evergreen)
- A great debut single for Sunshine Coast indie-rock band, Fragile Animals. Rolling vocals and a punchy beat create the perfect platform for this trio to round out the summer days. (Carlia Fuller)

Jackson Reid Brigss And THe Heaters: When Are You Going To Give Up So I Can Give Up On Myself (Indie)
- Crushingly heavy and fast post-punk. Fans of The Peep Tempel or Batpiss will find tons to like on this balls to the wall record. The band themselves quote a variety of influences, from the proto-punk of MC5 and The Stooges, to the punk of The Saints and the post-punk of The Wire and The Fall. Good research makes short, sharp brutal music better. (Chris Cobcroft)

Jim's Panache: Call It What You Want (Single) (Indie)
- With pawed piano and brassy fluctuations Jim’s Panache is a little bit of Brisbane magic. Such a mesmerising simplicity that creates quite a dense atmosphere but it builds into an almost transcendental release. A refreshing addition to modern psych. (Nick Rodwell)

Professor Paul: Flo (Single) (Indie)
- This starts out pretty unassumingly. Slow, cheap-ass beats. Prof Paul's nasally voice might not initially grab you to hard, either. Flo builds into a loping funk and Paul busts out a double-time rap that really puts his money where his mouth is. His laid-back, contemplative lyricism is just way more interesting than most Aussie rappers too. One to watch. (Chris Cobcroft)

Simi Lacroix: Runnin (Single) (Indie)
- Brisbane’s emotive superpower returns with an incredible single. Outside of its grandiose commitment to ‘80’s kitsch (which is airtight, btw), the actual song is crafted meticulously. If you want to know how to write a good song, look no further than Simi Lacroix. (Nick Rodwell)

Spirit Bunny: Amen Skew (Single) (Indie)
- Growling synths and industrial, quasi-dance beats almost obliterate Kat Thomas’ sweet vocals. Stylish echoes of Fiery Furnaces or Stereolab at their loudest or Deerhoof … at any point in their discography. Stuff that you don’t hear much of these days and it’s bloody nice that someone’s doing it and doing it well. (Chris Cobcroft)

Tall Pines: Munchausen (Indie)
- Brisbane trio Tall Pines are a '90's inspired band that fuse elements of grunge, punk, and shoegaze. On new EP Munchausen they juxtapose mellifluous vocal melodies with harsh, fuzzed-out guitars converging in an excellent EP. With Munchausen, Tall Pines declare their ability to produce rocking tunes to sing-along to and make that time honoured practice seem new and special again. (Jon Cloumassis)

White Palms: Another Time (Indie)
- White Palms’ Matt Cook shares history with some Brisbane’s most slept on electronica aficionados - See Tom Roche & Ben Thompson. White Palms latest offering since 2016’s unmistakable Disappearer, is an extensive outing full of everything from trad house to abstract ambience. Well worth your time. (Nick Rodwell)

Australian Artists:

BIG WORDS: Souljam (Single) (Indie)
- Souljam is only the second release from Melbourne based BIG WORDS, but even so, they are confident with who they are as musicians. Finding strength in soul and R&B while also maintaining their own unique sound and lyricisim, BIG WORDS will soon enough be making big waves. (Rylee Griffin)

Desecrator: To The Gallows (Single) (Dinner For Wolves)
- Classic thrash from one of Australia's finest purveyors of it. 'nuff said. (Chris Cobcroft)

feedtime: Any Good Thing (Single) (In The Red)
- NEW feedtime! These Sydney post-punks who made an impact in the ‘80’s are gearing up to release a new album. The first new material since the ‘90s. With a perished rubber band bassline and the swampy growls this single is an exciting prospect for Australia’s underground. (Nick Rodwell)

Green Buzzard: Space Man Rodeo (I OH YOU / Mushroom)
- Separating themselves from the countless throngs of psych-rock outfits that are emerging from the Australian music trenches, Green Buzzard embrace this iconic ‘70's sound whilst tying in brilliant flecks of ‘90's Britpop hooks and vocals. Following along the same path as their single, Do You Ever Glow? the album provides an extremely solid, chorus driven, catchy and energetic listening hour. It's almost as if the boys from DMA's and Pond came together and decided to make a very talented, little super human and called it Green Buzzard. (Marli Blanche)

Jarrow: Cody (Single) (Barely Dressed / Remote Control)
-One half of a split single with Brisbane’s Good Boy, Victoria’s Jarrow continues with his crappy power pop. Finding a tasty balance between considered songcraft and irreverent noise, Cody is certifiably catchy (certificate supplied by me). (Nick Rodwell)

Kelly Dance: Infinite Possibilities (Single) (Broken Stone Records / Remote Control)
- With hints of PJ Harvey, this single from Aussie abroad, Kelly Dance is understated with it’s gently chugging guitars but enveloping in it’s warmth and sense of wonder. (Nick Rodwell)

Le Pie: White Walls & Promises (Single) (Indie)
- The Sydney-based gothic country-rocking chanteuse winds up to a new EP with songs that are grounded in hard-eyed realism and swathed in echoes. Easy to compare this to the work of Chelsea Wolfe, PJ Harvey or Esben & The Witch and just as easy to enjoy it as much as I enjoy any of them. (Chris Cobcroft)

Mackridge Mountain: Right Or Wrong (Single) (Indie)
- Classic, haunting soft-rock with just a dusting of roots and country from Sydney's Mackridge Mountain. A deeply individual voice, somewhere between Dylan and Neil Young? A pretty plaintive cry against life's crushing weight. How can something so full of doubt and uncertainty tap into something that feels so right? (Chris Cobcroft)

The Model School: Around The World (Single) (Indie)
- If Lou Reed and Thurston Moore stared into each other's eyes and sang a song, it would be this song. Instead this is Sydney band The Model School, making a boppy, teenage synth-pop love song, slowed down to old man speed and, somehow, it's the more wonderful for it. (Chris Cobcroft)

Moody Beach: Vanilla (Single) (Personal Best)
- Dripping in a sultry nonchalance, Sydney’s Moody Beach alt-rock seeths with low-key contempt. It’s drive and effortless sense of cool recall Sonic Youth’s Goo and it’s really quite bewitching. (Nick Rodwell)

Saskwatch: December Nights (Single) (Northside)
- Melbourne’s Saskwatch have really upped the surreal with new single December Nights. Vibin’ like they’re ridin’ on the magical mystery tour there’s flutes and fuzz for all in this technicolor gem. (Nick Rodwell)

Shiver Canyon: The New World (Single) (Yodelay Records)
- Roni Shewan’s tidy experimentalism as Shiver Canyon always provides fine examples of refined eclectica. Here on The New World, the Melbournian concocts a dreamy mix of folktronica. It’s really rather seductive, encouraging dissociative states. Get lost in it. (Nick Rodwell)

Siamese: Computer Patient (Single) (Indie)
- These Adelaide grunge rockers bring a huge guitar sound - so very welcome. Lead singer (Tom?) has a voice that's just about as nasal as Placebo's Brian Molko, which might be an acquired taste for some, but somehow it fits the music just right. (Chris Cobcroft)

Thrupence: Conversations (Feat. Edward Vanzet) (Single) (Future Classic)
- The world isn't exactly short of moody, downtempo producers, so it's always nice to hear somebody doing some variations on the theme. Melbourne producer Thrupence has been banging out mixtapes that deliver ample evidence of that: from chiptune tinged dance to soul fused with classic boom bap, hip hop beats. This single with the guest vocal courtesy of his IRL brother is something else again. Almost a piano-bar crooner but fused to a slow and steady hip hop beat, the contemplative feels and sonorous baritone remind me a bit of John Grant's recent, highly distinctive work. Well, I like John Grant a lot and this I like a whole lot. (Chris Cobcroft)

Overseas Artists:

alt-J: 3WW (Single) (Infectious / Liberator)
- Leeds band, alt-J, return with the first massive single off their forthcoming album RELAXER. 3WW flows like a tapestry of folktronica, taking the listener on an epic journey across country. By the end of the song you'll want to take the alt-J ride once again, enjoy. (Luke Doig)

The Beths: Warm Blood (Indie)
- The '90's alt-pop of The Beths would be pretty tunefully pleasant in any circumstance, but what really sets it apart is the gift that Liz Stokes and her bandmates have for singing in close harmony. It's really strange how you can hear the connection to somebody like Courtney Barnett (it's matter-of-fact, relatable, almost sung-spoken) and yet this also sounds quite a bit like the Beach Boys (?!). You will find yourself grinning. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Brian Jonestown Massacre: Don't Get Lost (Bomp!)
- The latest from the US veteran psych weirdos is a bit of Joy Division and a little of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, created in Quentin tarantino's universe...which is also in outer space. (Charlotte Macmaster)

Diet Cig: Barf Day (Single) (Father/Daughter / Red Eye)
- It must be some divine decree that duos have to be louder than any other number of people in a band. New York’s Diet Cig emphasise this on their latest single by putting down layer on layer in an epic canon of sweetness and roaring sound. Alex Luciano’s cutesy voice almost makes this sound like Sugarcubes back in the day. There can’t be a thing wrong with that. (Chris Cobcroft)

Electric Guest: Plural (Because / Dew Process / Universal)
- Electric Guest are incredibly hard to pigeonhole into a single genre and their sophomore album Plural further cements this. A collection of eight tracks that vary through funked-up ‘80's pop, hints of reggae and soulful R'n'B with ever-present, effortless falsetto vocals. Listen to this if you are longing for a sonically engaging and incredibly fresh pop album, oh and if you feel like dancing because I promise you'll want to. (Marli Blanche)

Father John Misty: Pure Comedy (Single) (Sub Pop / Inertia)
- Father John Misty's penchant for irony and existentialism is well known, but on his newest track Pure Comedy, he really goes to town. The six minute piano-driven ballad documents our trying political times with the expertise and mastership he is acclaimed for. Building to a jazzy, big band peak, this reflective and poignant single is a perfect representation of what Misty has to offer, and promises another spectacularly successful album. (Rylee Griffin)

Flo Morrissey & Matthew E. White: Grease (Single) (Glassnote / Liberator / Mushroom)
- This is a welcome surprise from the coupling of Matthew E. White’s southern soul and Morrisey’s lush folk rock. Grease is an embrace of changing up your shitck: the borderline disco and electronic stank work really well with the nonchalant ‘50’s attack. (Nick Rodwell)

Julie Byrne: Follow My Voice (Single) (Ba Da Bing)
- Want to taste the sublime? Find a still place and immerse yourself in Julie Byrne’s rejuvenating breeze. Folk’s capacity for empathy and compassion rarely sounds this enriched as Byrne exhibits almost Cohen-level songwriting. My words are usueless, just listen. (Nick Rodwell)

Lea Porcelain: Bones (Single) (Indie)
- Snarlng and buzzing, this is post-punk that swims in a seething cauldron of reverb and industrial guitars. The German duo are quite surprising though: the lifeless, apathetic vocals build up and up till it sounds like Bono joined the band and is soaring amongst the rising waves of Vangelis-style synths. Equal parts delicious pop and fearsome menace: it’s like bitter and sweet, never quite meeting in the middle. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Mountain Goats: Andrew Eldritch Is Moving Back To Leeds (Single) (Merge / Remote Control)
- Given John Darnielle's powerful talent for nostalgic balladry it's kind of a wonder he didn't become an acclaimed novelist much earlier than he actually did. Unsurprisingly that gift is on display here again, imagining one of his childhood heroes (Andrew Eldritch of Sisters Of Mercy) moving back to his home town. 'Goth' is apparently thematic connecting tissue of the new Mountain Goats album, even though -as Darnielle notes- the bouncy pop of this single sounds like nothing so much as an old McCartney number. Whatever, just give me more Mountain Goats, please. (Chris Cobcroft)

The New Pornographers: This Is The World Of The Theatre (Single) (Concord Records / Dine Alone)
- Surely one of the world’s most consistently successful super-groups, the reason for it is The New Pornographers enviable gift for beautiful left-field pop anthems like this one. Neko Case’s perenially powerful voice over the top of (what I imagine is mostly) AC Newman’s timeless pop songwriting. Puts a lump in my throat every time I hear it. (Chris Cobcroft)

Peter Silberman: Impermanence (Pod / Inertia)
- Three years ago, Peter Silberman had to face one of the most challenging anomalies in his -or any musician’s- life; what does a musician do when they wake up to find that their hearing is permanently impaired and that the sound of their own voice is bringing them psychological and physical pain? Former member of The Antlers, Silberman faced this head on and spent the next years moving from Brooklyn to a secluded, quiet cabin and rediscovering how to play and create music on the verge of complete silence. The result is a beautifully delicate six track exploration of his complete adjustment and a new state of utter "impermanence". Each tracking is incredibly sparse with airy, soft nylon guitar tinkerings and close-to-whispering vocal ballads which evoke some deep emotions indeed. (Marli Blanche)

Pixies: Bel Esprit (Single) (Pixiesmusic / [PIAS] / Mushroom)
- Legendary alt-punk band Pixies have released new single Bel Esprit off their 2016 album Head Carrier. Although nearly thirty years have passed since their debut release, Pixies are still doing what they do best: offering a catchy, foot-stomping, three-minute belter! On Bel Esprit, new bassist Paz Lenchantin sings deftly with Black Francis, creating a classic Pixies tune song that any fan would approve. (Jon Cloumassis)

Sofi Tukker: Greed (Single) (HeavyRoc / Sony)
- New York duo, Sofi Tukker have released a politically charged dance anthem addressing the turbulence in the wake of the recent American presidential election. Juxtaposing pointed lyrics with a childhood chant buried in innocence, they have created an addictive and highly-charged song with a chilling message. (Carlia Fuller)

Visible Cloaks: Reassemblage (RVNG INTL)
- Portland electronic outfit Visible Cloaks are pretty uncompromisingly conceptual in their music. Reassemblage is an experiment employing various methods to synthetically recreate sounds from another cultural experience, with all the successes, failures and weird new cultural artefacts that pile up along the way. If you just plunk it on and press play though, you’ll get something that floats amiably between traditional Japanese music, ambient, new-age, vaporwave and idm. I guess this feels like the most self-aware version of a lot of the extreme DIY synth music that has been pouring out of the avant-garde lately...which at the very least is a welcome concession, considering how po-faced serious so much of it can be. (Chris Cobcroft)