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Articles by Will Backler
Australian Music Is Bloody Great: Caiti Baker
Where do you hear great new Australian music these days? Community radio is one crucial outlet and Amrap – the Australian Music Radio Airplay Project - offers Australian musicians a pathway to airplay from the hundreds of community stations to a weekly listenership of nearly 6,000,000 people. Go to amrap.org.au to get your music to thousands of presenters using the site each month to find new Australian music. If you haven’t got your music on Amrap, what are you waiting for?
The 10 Best Tunes of the Week | 2024 Week 22
Image: Left - Nick Cave; Right - Magdalena Bay With so much new music coming out each and every day, it can be hard to listen to everything, but we'll be damned if we don't try.
The 10 Best Music Videos of the Week | 2024 Week 22
Image: Still from Body Meat's 'North Side' video Music videos are artistic extensions of the songs themselves, with many visual accompaniments becoming just as, if not more iconic than the songs they were created for.
Zombeaches & The Belair Lip Bombs Interview Each Other
Image: Top - The Belair Lip Bombs; Bottom - Zombeaches Following some awesome singles, including title track A Taste of Oxygen that we premiered the awesome music video for, Naarm post-punks Zombeaches have unveiled their second full-length album. A dark and introspective collection of eleven tracks, A Taste of Oxygen touches on themes isolation, connection and hope, set to some pretty epic sounds.
Track x Track: CLYPSO - 'LIGHTS OUT' EP
Image credit: Michelle Pitiris/@sheisaphrodite We’ve been huge fans of CLYPSO here at Pilerats for a minute now, first getting to know her back in 2017. Fast forward seven years and CLYPSO has been busy in the lab developing her skills as a producer, musician and vocalist, releasing her debut EP Cameo in 2019, followed by a steady stream of singles ever since.
She's Bossy! Kelis announced as BIGSOUND 2024 Keynote Speaker
Image credit: Supplied It’s been a quarter of a century since Kelis released her debut album Kaleidoscope (completely produced by legendary production duo The Neptunes). Since then, she’s gone from strength to strength and released some beyond iconic cuts including Milkshake, Trick Me, Millionaire (feat. Andre 3000), Bossy (feat. Too Short) and more.
Listen: King Stingray - 'Best Bits'
Image credit: Maclay Heriot The unstoppable King Stingray are back and better than ever on new single and music video combo, Best Bits. A mellow cut of uplifting indie rock, Best Bits showcases King Stingray’s instantly recognisable sound and skills at crafting ear worms that stay stuck in your head all day after a single listen. Meanwhile, the fun and nostalgic music video depicts a fictitious 80s Australian variety TV show also called Best Bits.
Listen: Pond - 'So Lo'
Image credit: Michael Tartaglia With their new album Stung! and national tour just a few weeks away, today Pond have blessed us with the latest taste of the record, the funky art-rock sounds of So Lo. Sounding a bit like if late 80s/ early 90s era Prince jumped in a time machine to visit Bowie during his Berlin trilogy, So Lo pairs a fat, funky bassline with disco-style guitar stabs and a headnod-inducing backbeat, while frontman Nick Allbrook’s distinctive vocals sing about keeping...
Keli Holiday is the Jesterman
We caught up with Aussie musical chameleon and all around legend, Adam Hyde of Peking Duk, to chat his genre-blurring new solo EP Image credit: XingerXanger It’s been two years since Adam Hyde stepped out from Peking Duk and introduced us to Keli Holiday with his debut solo album, KELI.
Track x Track: Girl and Girl - ‘Call A Doctor’
Image credit: Zac Bayly It’s been an absolutely whirlwind couple of years for Brisbane four-piece Girl and Girl. Releasing their independent EP Divorce back in September 2022 to critical acclaim, the band would undergo a lineup change before signing to legendary label Sub Pop for the rest of the world distribution, and Virgin Music Australia domestically.
The Top 5 Films of the 2024 Revelation Perth International Film Festival
Image credit: Still from 'Hundreds of Beavers' Returning with its 27th edition this year from July 3 - 14 is the iconic Revelation Perth International Film Festival, set to take over a range of theatres and venues around the Perth CBD with over 30 feature films and documentaries and as well as over 80 short films and other special events.
The 10 Best Tunes of the Week | 2024 Week 21
Check out the 10 best tunes from the week that was including new sounds from Clairo, Dean Blunt, Nice Biscuit, RJD2, Vince Staples, Ziggy Ramo and more! Image: Left - Clairo; Right - Ziggy Ramo With so much new music coming out each and every day, it can be hard to listen to everything, but we'll be damned if we don't try.
Premiere: Ferny Fairway - 'State of Mine'
Image credit: Supplied With a seven date NSW & QLD tour kicking off in just over a week, what better way for Fery Fairway to get set for a string of shows than to drop a blistering new upper tempo cut of alt-rock, with State of Mine premiering on Pilerats a day ahead of release alongside its car themed music video.
Album Premiere & Track x Track: Malibu Spacey - 'Good In Small Doses'
Image credit: Tom Wilkinson After forming back in 2017 and following a couple of lineup shuffles, Melbourne’s delightfully named Malibu Spacey have readied their debut album, Good In Small Doses - out May 24 but premiering on Pilerats today! A gorgeous combination of alt-folk, garage-rock with psychedelic overtones and plenty of pop sensibilities, Good In Small Doses sees the band channel the legends of the Laurel Canyon scene (the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield et al.), combined with the more...
Premiere: Fripps & Fripps - 'Boredom'
Image credit: Supplied A few months on from previous single Blackhole, Fripps & Fripps are gearing up for the release of their debut full-length BIG MASSIVE (out May 24) with the record’s lead single, Boredom, that we’re stoked to be premiering on Pilerats today.
Video Premiere: Burr Oak - 'Rainclouds'
Image credit: Supplied The brainchild of songwriter Savanna Dickhut (Varsity, Jackie Hayes) and drummer and co-songwriter Tony Mest (Jackie Hayes, Rat Tally, Girl K), Burr Oak craft some intimate, engaging and catchy indie rock sounds, with the latest taste from the band, Rainclouds, and its music video premiering on Pilerats today! Opening with tasty guitar strums and Savanna’s instantly engaging vocals, Rainclouds adds some hip hop style drums to the mix alongside some clever vocal...
Video Premiere: My Chérie - 'Darkness & Gold'
Image credit: Clementines Gallery After releasing the single runrunrun last year, My Chérie has already doubled her 2023 output this year with February’s Don’t Compare Yourself and her new tender sonic exploration of the intricacies of human existence, Darkness & Gold - the music video for which is premiering on Pilerats today! An addictive combination of hip hop and alt-pop, Darkness & Gold features a boom bap inspired beat alongside some tasteful guitar licks and atmospheric synths with My...
The 10 Best Music Videos of the Week | 2024 Week 20
Image: Still from Tindersticks' 'New World' video Music videos are artistic extensions of the songs themselves, with many visual accompaniments becoming just as, if not more iconic than the songs they were created for. As usual, some of our favourite songs of the week also had some of our favourite videos, with this week's list including 3%, Allday, Baauer, Beth Gibbons, Chanel Loren, Loma, Louis Cole, NxWorries, Tindersticks and Young Jesus! 3% - Coming Home ft.
Digging In: Hana Vu - 'Care'
Image credit: Supplied Being born in the year 2000, it makes a lot of sense that at this point in Hana Vu’s life and musical career, her new album Romanticism would deal with the subject of youth, exploring just what it means for youth to ‘end’.
DZ Deathrays & Mannequin Death Squad Interview Each Other
Image: Top - DZ Deathrays; Bottom - Mannequin Death Squad. Announcing their new album with an absolute bang recently was Naarm/Melbourne-based rock/punk duo Mannequin Death Squad, announcing their sophomore full-length alongside blistering new single Safe and Warm, featuring none other than longtime faves, DZ Deathrays.
Listen: Porches - 'Joker'
Image credit: Jason Al-Taan After returning last month with the fuzzy, grungy and downright addictive sounds of Rag, today New York’s Aaron Maine has announced his sixth studio album as Porches, Shirt, alongside a fresh single of country-influenced indie sounds and a touching music video for Joker.
Get To Know Gloam, The Perth Quartet Pushing the Boundaries of Shoegaze
Image credit: James Kilian After releasing their self-titled four-track EP at the end of 2022, Boorloo-based Gloam have clearly been hard at work in the studio as heard on their freshly released single, Hinder. Taking their sound in a bigger, heavier and more atmospheric direction, Hinder owes as much to The Smashing Pumpkins as it does to My Bloody Valentine, with some metal influences thrown in for good measure.
Premiere: Brandon Poletti - ‘Move Away’
Image credit: Jaime Dacheff Brandon Poletti had quite the 2023. The West Aussie country artist took out best country group at the WAM Awards as Brandon Poletti & The Eagleton Brothers, while receiving 5 nominations for the WAM Song of the Year Awards and 8 noms at the WA Country Music Awards.
Track x Track: Gregor - 'Satanic Lullabies' LP
Naarm/Melbourne-based pop eccentric takes us through his deepest and darkest record to date, track by track Image credit: Danny Cohen Isn’t the word ‘alternative’, when applied to the subject of music genres, somewhat redundant or paradoxical now, given that many of the once ‘alternative’ genres, from fuzzed out grungy indie rock through to slickly produced jump up drum and bass, have now all but permeated every major pop record over the last few decades?
Biting into Porij
Image credit: Jesse Glazzard As we head into the Aussie winter, for many people porridge is back on the menu. However, for some, we’ve been enjoying a full helping of Porij for the last few weeks now ever since the British indie-dance four-piece (comprised of vocalist and keyboardist Scout Moore (Eggy), bassist James Middleton, guitarist Jacob Maguire and drummer Nathan Carroll) released their eagerly awaited debut album, Teething.
Track x Track: Lazy Ghost - 'SARAH-TONIN' EP
Image credit: Supplied While getting to know the music of Lazy Ghost, it doesn’t take long to get the sense that the four-piece are having a hell of a lot of fun while crafting their vibrant and uplifting take on surf-tinged indie rock sounds, with the name of their new EP sealing the deal.
Australian Music Is Bloody Great: Emma Donovan
Where do you hear great new Australian music these days? Community radio is one crucial outlet and Amrap – the Australian Music Radio Airplay Project - offers Australian musicians a pathway to airplay from the hundreds of community stations to a weekly listenership of nearly 6,000,000 people. Go to amrap.org.au to get your music to thousands of presenters using the site each month to find new Australian music. If you haven’t got your music on Amrap, what are you waiting for?
Track x Track: Sakr - 'Structures' EP
Image credit: Supplied After years of honing his skills in the studio, both through his own music and contributing to releases from the likes of The Veronicas, Alt-J, and G Flip, as well as collaborations with acclaimed songwriters such as Sarah Aarons (Zedd, Dua Lipa), Carly Rae Jepsen, Alex Hope (Troye Sivan), and Justin Tranter (Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber), Sakr’s debut EP Structures is finally here.
The 10 Best Tunes of the Week | 2024 Week 19
Image: Left - Milan Ring; Right - Ben Hauke With so much new music coming out each and every day, it can be hard to listen to everything, but we'll be damned if we don't try.
The 10 Best Music Videos of the Week | 2024 Week 19
Image credit: Still from Falling In Reverse's 'Ronald' video Music videos are artistic extensions of the songs themselves, with many visual accompaniments becoming just as, if not more iconic than the songs they were created for. As usual, some of our favourite songs of the week also had some of our favourite videos, with this week's list including beabadoobee, Elizabeth M. Drummond, Falling In Reverse, GUM & Ambrose Kenny-Smith, Hinds, John Cale, KOKOKO!.
Premiere: The Maggie Pills - 'Gold'
Image credit: Supplied Just under a year on from the release of their debut album Hope Is A Risk, The Maggie Pills are back and rocking harder than ever, as heard on blistering new single Gold, which alongside its slick, black & white music video is premiering on Pilerats today a day ahead of release.
The Little Lord Street Band Interviews Each Other About New Album 'Time and Place'
Image credit: Bridget Turner There’s a time and a place for everything, or so the saying goes… well, for long time fave local Americana alt-country rockers The Little Lord Street Band the time is now to release their sophomore album and the place is all around W.A. with the band gearing up for a run of regional shows.
Premiere: Isla Noon - 'Her'
Image credit: Supplied We’ve been big fans of New Zealand’s Isla Noon for a little while now, premiering her single Body last year, so we’re stoked to hear she’s back and better than ever with new single and music video Her, premiering on Pilerats today a day ahead of release.
Listen: GUM & Ambrose Kenny-Smith - 'Ill Times'
Image credit: Jamie Terry After dropping a double single a year ago, the dream team of Jay Watson AKA GUM (Pond, Tame Impala) and Ambrose Kenny-Smith (King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, The Murlocs) are back - this time with a solitary single in hand but, very excitingly, have also announced a full album, set to be the first release on King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s New Label, p(doom) records.
Track x Track: Angus1 - 'Open For Business'
Image credit: Seiya Taguchi It’s been quite the journey for musical chameleon Guy Tarento AKA Angus1 to get to the release of his new, debut EP, Open For Business. Having released a steady stream of singles since his debut release Linda in 2019, Angus1’s previous tunes have been released on some heavy hitting labels, including Future Classic and Kitsuné while getting the attention of ears both in Australia and abroad.
Listen: KUČKA - 'Wasting Time (til the end of the world)'
Image credit: Dillon Howl Following on from the release of a string of awesome singles including One More Night feat. Flume and Cry Cry Cry, the news we’ve (and by we, I mean KUČKA fans, which, if you’re reading this, you very well may be too, and, if you’re not already, will be after this) all been waiting for has finally been announced, with KUČKA declaring her second album, Can You Hear Me Dreaming? is set for a July 12 release.
Premiere: Indigo Blaze - 'CRITICAL HIT'
Image credit: Supplied Three hundred-odd years ago, famed Irish author Jonathan Swift coined the phrase ‘everything old is new again’, however when it comes to West Aussie quintet Indigo Blaze, everything old… is nu again. Fresh off their recent collab with fellow local rockers Late 90s, the Blaze are back and heavier than ever on new single, CRITICAL HIT.
GAUCI & Darcy Baylis Chat New Releases Ahead of Mixtape Launch
Image: Top - Darcy Baylis; Bottom - GAUCI What’s more interesting than interviewing one artist about their latest release? Why, interviewing multiple artists at the same time, which is just what we have on our hands here with Naarm producer & songwriter Darcy Baylis and Eora genre multi-hyphenates, GAUCI. An eight track collection of contemporary emo at its finest, packing everything from autotuned vocals and ambient.
Track x Track: Tom Brown - ‘My Holland Street Heart’ LP
Image credit: Robin Bottrell It’s always an absolute delight to get sent some new music from a local artist you’re not familiar with and the music is not just good, it’s bloody great… which was the case for Tom Brown’s (real name: Tom Fawkner) debut single earlier this year, Carolyn - a downright charming and tender cut of fuzzy DIY indie pop, which made our Best Music Videos upon release.
Premiere: Jake Elijah - 'Hemmy'
Image credit: Matty Smith After releasing his debut album Little Errands back in 2021, 25-year-old all around creative Jake Elijah is back bigger and more experimental than ever on new single and video combo Hemmy, out May 7 but premiering on Pilerats today.
Australian Music Is Bloody Great: Stellar Moon
Where do you hear great new Australian music these days? Community radio is one crucial outlet and Amrap – the Australian Music Radio Airplay Project - offers Australian musicians a pathway to airplay from the hundreds of community stations to a weekly listenership of nearly 6,000,000 people. Go to amrap.org.au to get your music to thousands of presenters using the site each month to find new Australian music. If you haven’t got your music on Amrap, what are you waiting for?
The 10 Best Music Videos of the Week | 2024 Week 18
Soak up the best new sights and sounds of the week including music videos from Flight Facilities, illuminati hotties, Jon Hopkins, Kaiit, Polish Club, The Southern River Band and more! Image credit: Still from La Luz's 'I'll Go With You' video Music videos are artistic extensions of the songs themselves, with many visual accompaniments becoming just as, if not more iconic than the songs they were created for.
Track x Track: Tori Forsyth - 'All We Have Is Who We Are'
Fresh from winning the Best Country Award at the 2024 QMusic Awards, Tori takes us through her triumphant third album, track by track Image credit: Eliza Mullins All We Have Is Who We Are.
Track x Track: Jess Locke - 'Real Life'
Image credit: Ian Laidlaw Feeling confused with the direction society is heading as one ages is an inevitability, with each successive generation thinking things are worse than the one previous… but when it comes to 2024, where is the lie?! Someone channelling these feelings of confusion as she tries to make sense of an ever more unreal feeling world is Naarm indie-rock-pop-alt-folk singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jess Locke, on her melancholic-yet-catchy new album, Real Life.
Listen: Fat Dog - 'Running'
Image credit: Pooneh Ghana It’s hard to believe it’s only been eight months since intense, genre-bending quintet Fat Dog released their debut single, King of the Slugs, followed by All The Same at the very start of 2024. Now the indefinable, truly singular group have announced their eagerly awaited debut album, WOOF, alongside wild new single and video Running.
Listen: Great Gable - 'Think Again Motherf*cker'
Image credit: Charlie Hardy The rain and clouds may finally be here, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be summer in your headphones all year round, as demonstrated by Great Gable's upper tempo new indie rock jaunt, Think Again Motherf*cker. Opening with energetic drums that set the scene, warbly guitars and an urgent bass line soon enter the mix before lead singer Alex Whiteman’s vocals hit, reflecting on how oftentimes we need to think about a situation again.
Track x Track: Willo - 'Watching A Memory [Mixtape]'
Image credit: Jordan Kirk It’s been nearly two years since Willo dropped her breakthrough EP Can Do This, a four track record that saw her pop up on the radars of electronic music fans across the country - and the rest of the world.
Listen: Jon Hopkins - 'RITUAL (evocation)'
Image credit: Still from 'RITUAL (evocation)' music video Just when you think he’s gone as deep as is possible, Jon Hopkins has done it again. With his last album of meditative, beatless compositions Music For Psychedelic Therapy out in late 2021, today Hopkins has announced his seventh studio album, RITUAL, alongside the album’s title track and video for RITUAL (evocation).
Video Premiere: Cannon - 'Comet's Coming'
Image credit: Supplied Ah, time. A constant variable that definitely does not feel constant the older you get, with each passing year stacking up and making each subsequent trip round the sun feel shorter and shorter. What does this have to do with alt-rock trio Cannon?
Listen: TSHA - 'Sweet Devotion (feat. Caroline Byrne)'
Image credit: Nicole Ngai As talented in the studio as she is taking us on journeys behind the decks, TSHA follows-up her sultry & collaborative 2023 single Somebody (alongside Ellie Goulding and Gregory Porter) with a fresh cut of driving, four to the floor, piano-stab featuring house sounds, this time teaming up with vocalist Caroline Byrne for Sweet Devotion.
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