Heaps Good festival will take over Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl on New Year’s Eve before heading to Adelaide Showground one week later. The 2023/24 lineup includes the likes of Flume, The Avalanches, Foals, SBTRKT, Declan McKenna, Basement Jaxx, MAY-A and Holly Humberstone.

Heaps Good was set to launch in Brisbane in 2024 as well but “supply chain and event equipment issues” prevented it from going ahead. There is, however, a two-day mini-festival happening at Fortitude Music Hall with many Heaps Good acts on board, including Foals, The Avalanches, MAY-A and more.

Ahead of the three-date festival stint, MAY-A offers ten tips for navigating life on the road.

MAY-A’s 10 essential tips for touring

No expectations

MAY-A: Never, ever go in with an expectation of what the tour will be. You can absolutely never predict what it going to happen.

A sandwich press can go a long way

MAY-A: You’re better off buying a bag of groceries and sitting in the back of a van with a plastic fork, cutting open an avocado and spreading it on some bread than trying to track down edible food in the middle of nowhere. Also, a sandwich press can go a long way. You can cook scrambled eggs on that thing. Get an AeroPress and make your own coffee.

Pack smart

MAY-A: Pack essentials, but pack light. Carrying a 50kg suitcase up and down stairs gets old real quick.

Bring bungee cords

MAY-A: Bring bungee cords. You never know when your van door is going to fail and you’ll have to strap the door to the side mirror for the end of a tour.

Bring clothes for all seasons

MAY-A: Pack for all kinds of weather. Prepare for anything – bikini and a snow jacket.

Party wisely

MAY-A: Pick designated party nights. If you are getting plastered every night you’ll burn out real quick. It’s still a job.

Wash your clothes

MAY-A: If there isn’t a laundry, you do have a sink… and probably a hairdryer. That’s all I’m saying.

Take vitamins

MAY-A: Vitamins are your best friend. They deserve the space in your suitcase.

Thank your crew

MAY-A: Thank your crew, even if you’ve only worked with them for one night. Thank them.

Get some sleep

MAY-A: Sleeeeeeep!!! And if you are going to eat anywhere, check the yelp reviews or ask a local.

Heaps Good 2023/2024

Sunday, 31st December – Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne VIC

Saturday, 6th January – Adelaide Showground, Adelaide SA

• Flume
• Foals
• The Avalanches
• SBTRKT (Mel only)
• Basement Jaxx (Mel only)
• Declan McKenna (Adl only)
• Griff
• Holly Humberstone
• MAY-A
• Sycco
• Logan

Tickets via the Heaps Good website

Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane QLD

Tuesday, 2nd January

• Foals
• Declan McKenna
• Griff
• Sycco
• FELONY

Wednesday, 3rd January

• The Avalanches
• SBTRKT
• Holly Humberstone
• MAY-A
• Logan

Tickets via Secret Sounds

Further Reading

Spotify Wrapped 2023: Australia’s Most Streamed Artists, Songs, Albums & Podcasts of the Year

Foals, SBTRKT, The Avalanches + More to Perform at Heaps Good Make-Up Events in Brisbane

Here Are the Set Times for Heaps Good 2023/24 in Melbourne and Adelaide

The post MAY-A’s Heaps Good Guide to Touring – “You Can Never Predict What’s Going to Happen” appeared first on Music Feeds.

Sløtface – the project of Norwegian musician Haley Shea – linked up with Sydney/Eora garage pop outfit The Buoys on the recent single ‘Fight Back Time’. The two acts bonded over an appreciation of Maggie Rogers’ 2022 LP, Surrender, and the deft pop songwriting of HAIM, which shines through in the song’s taut rhythms and earworm of a chorus.

Sløtface had already demoed the song with producers Michael Champion and Paul Whalley before making an online friend in The Buoys’ vocalist and guitarist Zoe Catterall. The collaboration developed from there, with Catterall and the rest of The Buoys sharing ideas with Shea over Zoom.

Lyrically, ‘Fight Back Time’ is concerned with self-destructive behaviour and a general aversion to sleep. “Midnights keep coming / I can outrun them / I’ll try to fight back time,” goes the chorus. It’s a tendency that Sløtface and The Buoys would prefer to overcome. And to this end, Shea tells Music Feeds about the merits of taking a breath, celebrating your wins, and getting a good night’s sleep.

Sløtface & The Buoys – ‘Fight Back Time’

Try to make time to celebrate the wins and enjoy the good stuff

Sløtface: I can get so wrapped up in whatever the next thing I’m doing is or rushing onto the next task as soon as I’ve completed something. But these past years I’ve been trying to remember to get excited about the good stuff when it happens, and take the time to celebrate the wins, big and small. Our bass player Marie is a great inspiration here – she can always find something to celebrate.

Just go to bed

Sløtface: A big part of ‘Fight Back Time’ is me reminding myself to do just this. I can absolutely bedtime revenge procrastinate, which usually means staying up late watching endless episodes of whatever I’m hooked on to feel like I can claw back some free time. But I’m almost always better off just going to bed and getting some extra sleep.

The hard thing will feel easier in the morning – you don’t have to deal with everything right now

Sløtface: I can get so overwhelmed thinking of all the things that need to be done or that I’m stressed about that I forget to break things down into smaller tasks. I get easily overwhelmed at the end of a long day. Sometimes it works best for me to just call it, and deal with things with fresh eyes. I’m usually way less stressed and overwhelmed if I can get a good night’s sleep.

Scary hour – where you commit to working on everything you don’t want to do for 60 minutes – has been a game changer for me in terms of breaking big things into smaller chunks.

You’ll know when it’s worth it to stay up

Sløtface: ‘Fight Back Time’ is also about the other side of the coin. Sometimes it’s worth it to stay out too late, have one drink too many, make memories you’ll have forever with your friends and loved ones and eat the unhealthy thing. Everything in moderation is so cliche, but I truly believe it is key. If you pay attention, you’ll know which nights are worth being hung over and tired after, and which nights sleep should be more important.

Ask for help, or ask to vent

Sløtface: Sometimes advice is helpful. My manager, bandmates or partner can be instrumental in helping me solve problems I’m stressing about. But sometimes having people try to solve my problems when I just want to complain a bit pisses me off. So, I’ve started trying to tell people which one I want, and I try to ask the people around me which they prefer: advice or vent. It leads to a lot less confusion and fighting when communicating. Sometimes I even set a timer for five or 10 minutes to vent, and when the timer rings, I try to stop.

It’s OK to do nothing sometimes

Sløtface: I don’t really struggle with doing nothing but sometimes I do still feel bad about it. It’s OK to do nothing sometimes and I try to remind myself of this, especially in stressful periods. Usually, I am more creative, more patient and more well-rested if I make time to do nothing for a day. So, even though it doesn’t feel productive, it is in the long run.

Further Reading

Track By Track: Haley Shea of Sløtface Takes Us Through Her New EP ‘AWAKE/ASLEEP’

Listen to ‘I Want You’, The Buoys’ New Song “For Anyone That’s Been in a Situationship”

Amyl and the Sniffers: “We Might Never Play Again Until We’re at the John Farnham Point”

The post Sløtface Unpacks the Themes of ‘Fight Back Time’, Her Collaboration with The Buoys appeared first on Music Feeds.

Sunday Honey released the single ‘Silver Lining’ at the end of August 2023. It’s the latest in a series of singles from the Mornington Peninsula group, dating back to their debut effort, ‘Old Mate Bill’, in June 2022. Across the five singles, the quartet of Elliott Willis, Fox DeRoche, Max Hilli and Callum Johnson channel influence from contemporary guitar bands like Peach Pit and Ocean Alley.

DeRoche wrote the bulk of ‘Silver Lining’ while travelling through Europe. In a statement, the band explained that the song depicts “a story about a woman losing herself in the grips of society and going down the path of substance abuse.” It’s one of several Sunday Honey songs to focus on mental health and substance abuse.

Sunday Honey – ‘Silver Lining’

In conjunction with the release of ‘Silver Lining’, Sunday Honey share five bits of essential music industry advice with Music Feeds.

Be resilient

Sunday Honey: Take everyone’s opinions with a grain of salt. This is something that a lot of industry professionals say.

Be true to yourself

SH: Don’t make music for others. In the past, we’ve had people tell us to take different directions with a song but we’ve always trusted ourselves to make the right decisions and keep the direction that we want.

Do what you love

SH: Make sure that you’re passionate about what you’re doing. We always make sure to do things that we enjoy and don’t push ourselves to do things that we don’t.

Change your strings before a gig

SH: Always change your strings before a gig. Many of us have had strings snap before or whilst playing a gig. Although you can play with a string less, it’s important to have all six of them.

Don’t get smashed before playing live

SH: Don’t drink too much before going on stage. I think this one explains itself.

Listen to ‘Silver Lining’ by Sunday Honey here

Further Reading

R. F. Coleman on Being a Dickhead, Hanging Out with Neo-Nazis and Falling in Love

Foley: How to Prepare for Visiting a Country for the First Time

Death By Denim on How to DIY an EP Release in Five Steps

The post Mornington Alt-Rock Band Sunday Honey Share Their Essential Music Industry Lessons appeared first on Music Feeds.

Proud Mak Mak Marranunggu man Jacob Nichaloff performs under the name J-MILLA. The Darwin-born hip hop artist started writing rhymes at age 11 and has been working on J-MILLA for the last six years. His latest single is the writerly and orchestral ‘On My Soul’.

J-MILLA is one of the many artists showcasing at BIGSOUND 2023 in Meanjin/Brisbane. He’ll be at The Brightside Outdoors on Wednesday, 6th September and Wonderland Brisbane on Thursday, 7th September. Ahead of the event, the rapper spoke to Music Feeds about his travel essentials.

J-MILLA – ‘On My Soul’

J-MILLA’s BIGSOUND Travel Essentials

Headphones

J-MILLA: Headphones are a must whenever I’m traveling as the music never stops.

Hat

J: Usually I’m too lazy to get a haircut so I need a hat to hide my scrubby hair.

Sneakers

J: Always need a fresh pair of sneakers in my suitcase because I burn through them on stage.

Laptop

J: Always take my laptop as it holds everything music related and if there any technical difficulties I can rely on it for emergency backup.

Towel

J: A towel is crucial when I’m performing because I sweat my hole out.

J-MILLA at BIGOUND 2023

• Wednesday, 6th September – The Brightside Outdoors, Brisbane QLD
• Thursday, 7th September – Wonderland, Brisbane QLD

More details here

Further Reading

The Artists to See at BIGSOUND 2023

BIGSOUND Announces Artist Showcase Lineup for 2023

Hip Hop Artist J-MILLA Joins Archie Roach For Survival Day Kitchen Table Yarn

The post What’s in J-MILLA’s BIGSOUND Suitcase appeared first on Music Feeds.

Aotearoa pop outfit Foley are visiting Australia for the first time in September and October for a string of shows at BIGSOUND 2023 and SXSW Sydney. Auckland-based songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Ash Wallace and Gabriel Everett released their debut album, Crowd Pleaser, in August, showcasing their commitment to innovative pop production on songs such as ‘Smooth It Over’, ‘Nothing’ and ‘Killing Me Babe’.

Foley will play two official BIGSOUND showcases, at Blute’s Bar on Wednesday, 6th September and at The Wickham on Thursday, 7th September, before travelling south for the inaugural SXSW Sydney. In anticipation of the trip, Wallace and Everett share some travel tips with Music Feeds.

Foley – ‘Smooth It Over’

Foley’s Travel Hacks

Foley: We are off to beautiful Australia to play our first shows in Brisbane and Sydney, which is super exciting for us Kiwis. Can’t wait to see what the Aussie crowds are like and eat heaps and heaps of banana bread, ’cause you guys nail banana bread in Oz for some reason?

1. Find good food

Foley: When we’re going to a new country, the first thing I search for is the foods. I’ll be deep in Instagram, screenshotting and scribbling where the must-try dishes are in my notes app. We’re extra fond of late-night eats after a show. The fewer seats in the restaurant the better – bonus points if it’s just a cart on the street.

2. Tune in, turn on, drop out on the plane

Foley: I love having time away from being connected. It’s always so peaceful on a flight. Critical prep is to download two to three albums that you’ve been meaning to listen to. For this trip it’ll be the latest The Japanese House record, Bad Girls by Donna Summer and Bunny by Beach Fossils. I really value listening to albums in their entirety on planes when you have the time to soak it in. Feels like a treat.

3. Pack the way you feel

Gabriel Everett: I’m a big believer in rolling your clothes, ultra-minimalist style. I travel pretty light but it’s honestly kind of redundant when you’ve got the whole band’s equipment, guitars and a touring rig to worry about too. On a normal trip, it’s killer.

Ash Wallace: I travel heavy and large, so my travel prep includes cramming every single thing I own into a huge suitcase and then crossing my fingers at the airport that it isn’t overweight.

4. Be prepared to nap

Foley: You gotta prep that nap-at-any-moment kit when you’re touring, and I think the same kit is crucial for any travel you do. I bring an eye mask and earplugs, and a hoodie that I can wear backwards to put the hood over my face. It’s guaranteed to put you to sleep and give you some much-needed rest before you take on a new place.

5. Travel with your pals

Foley: One of our favourite things about visiting another country is bringing the whole band with us, because we get to share the new experiences together. We have two amazing players who join us and everyone is always excited about different sights and experiences.

When we were in Austin for SXSW, our drummer Elijah, who’s a big jazz cat, was just in awe of the vinyl available there. Likewise, our bass player Holly was shopping up a storm in the thrift stores. At the end of the day, travelling with your pals is the best of the best. It’s a privilege we get to do it so often.

Foley at BIGSOUND 2023

• Wednesday, 6th September – Blute’s Bar, Brisbane QLD
• Thursday, 7th September – The Wickham, Brisbane QLD

Also appearing at SXSW Sydney, from Wednesday, 18th – Saturday, 21st October

Further Reading

Pop Music’s Best Duos, According to Kiwi Duo Foley

SXSW Sydney Invites Public Along to Music Festival, Announces More Artists

BIGSOUND Announces Artist Showcase Lineup for 2023

The post Foley: How to Prepare for Visiting a Country for the First Time appeared first on Music Feeds.

Perth indie-pop band Death by Denim put a lot of work into their new EP, My House is a Club. The five-song collection arrives one year after Moonbow, the quartet’s second album, and includes the singles ‘Draped in Vapour’, ‘Magic Daisy’ and ‘My House is a Club’; the latter named for the party house shared by lead vocalist Nik Iliadis and lead guitarist Palle Mazzulla.

The EP was a DIY construction from beginning to end, with the band members taking responsibility for pre-production, cover artwork, music videos and the social media rollout. Here, Iliadis, Mazzulla, bass player George Gunson and drummer Hamish Macarthur tell us about the work that went into My House is a Club and the benefits of operating in such an independent manner.

Death by Denim – ‘Magic Daisy’

1. Pre-Production

Death By Denim: We decided to take a little extra time in figuring out exactly what the songs needed before recording the EP at Debaser Studios. George and Palle both have a fair bit of experience working on music production software like Pro Tools and Ableton. This comes in handy in the pre-production stages of new music – before the band has even attempted to play a tune together in a room, we have a reasonably polished demo for everyone to get a vibe.

We set up a makeshift rehearsal room at Palle’s house to really nut out the songs. We hit record on a Zoom Handy and recorded each song multiple times with different sections, trying to refine it with each rehearsal. From there, we recorded songs section-by-section into software and put each instrument under the microscope.

We did this knowing that what we thought we knew about a new song could be turned on its head once we entered Debaser. So, the more prepared, the better.

Listen to the ‘My House is a Club’ demo recording

2. Artwork for the Singles

Death By Denim: George – our bass and synth player – has done some of our graphics in the past using Photoshop, but this time he took it upon himself to create all the artwork for the EP. We’ve always struggled to find a consistent vibe when it comes to artwork, so that was our main goal for the project. And by producing the artwork ourselves, we could start having that conversation at the early stages of recording the music.

Over the last couple of years, George’s design skills have developed to the point where he is our preferred source of artwork and promo material. It’s not just a simple JPEG for a single either. There are all these different mediums for single artwork to go through (Spotify Canvas, Facebook artwork, Instagram story, Instagram square crop, etc.) and it helps to have a vision from the outset.

We gravitate towards real pictures for artwork. So, we tend to start with a photo shoot and see how George can adapt it on Photoshop with layers and titles. But he’ll also produce something whacky from scratch.

3. Music Videos

Death By Denim: We have dabbled in the past with making DIY music videos. Our first one was for ‘Tattoo’ a handful of years ago. It didn’t turn out the way we intended, but it showed us that if we got together with a couple of DSLRs and camcorders, filmed a bunch of scenes and chucked it all into Adobe Premiere, we would get a result.

We haven’t strayed too far from this mentality, but once again George has really taken the reins on video production and editing. Our stock of cameras and other film equipment has also grown. All three of our videos were filmed and edited by George with the rest of us helping out with lighting, smoke machines, secondary cameras and other bits and pieces.

For ‘Magic Daisy’, we got the main shots in this little forest near Mundaring about an hour out of Perth. “This is what bands do,” we’d say as we found ourselves dancing around some large tree after dark filming the chorus to a song. We also completely covered a room at Palle’s house in green screen material and shot of bunch of live scenes.

Stylistically, George has managed to bring consistency to each video with effects and lens flare, while also giving each video its own unique flavour. This is great when one video is shot in a forest and another in a rented photography studio – the difference in location doesn’t necessarily lead to a vastly different vibe in the final product.

4. Creating a Character

Death By Denim: There are so many liberties you can take when you’re doing it yourself. Often before a gig, photoshoot or video, we are discussing our respective kits and whether we want to match. Usually everyone just does their own thing. For the My House is a Club artwork, we wanted it to be a bit more out there.

A friend of ours bought these green masks that became a regular joke whenever our crew had a gathering. We decided last minute that Nik would wear one for the EP art as well as the video for ‘My House is a Club’ to capture some of this insanity. There was definitely a lot of inspo derived from Jim Carrey’s The Mask.

The song itself was inspired by Nik and Palle’s share house, which had hosted one too many parties over the summer, but we wanted the visuals to be more related to our own brand of weirdness. We liked the idea of a character who would find himself descending into party madness whenever he put on the mask, which is not too far off the reality.

5. Social Media

Death By Denim: We have tried to be on the front foot when it comes to social media. When a single is on the horizon, we think about all the content we’re going to roll out months before the release date so we can build a bit of hype and engagement with our listeners. No idea is off limits and we encourage everyone to come forward with fresh ways of reaching the fans.

For ‘Magic Daisy’, we invented a game called “Whose chorus is it anyway?” where we asked several bands to sing the chorus of the song based purely on the lyrics, without having heard the original. We were stoked with the entries and it was a very entertaining couple of weeks on Instagram.

It can be a bit of a pain to organise everything strategically, but it’s par for the course these days for bands to have an abundance of social media promo clips leading up to a release. The more, the better, and our beautiful management team are always helping us stick to a schedule for our posts.

At the end of the day, it really comes down to us to show our authentic character and personality on each platform.

Death by Denim – ‘505’ (Arctic Monkeys cover)

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Death By Denim My House is a Club Tour 2023

w/Majak Door (except Perth)

• Friday, 5th May – Howler, Melbourne VIC
• Saturday, 6th May – Waywards, Sydney NSW
• Sunday, 7th May – La La La’s, Wollongong NSW
• Friday, 12th May – The Brightside, Brisbane QLD
• Saturday, 13th May – Solbar, Sunshine Coast QLD
• Friday, 16th June – The Rechabite, Perth WA

Tickets on sale now

Further Reading

King Blue’s Top Five Favourite Perth Acts

Five Signs of Growth on Sly Withers’ New Album ‘Overgrown’

R. F. Coleman on Being a Dickhead, Hanging Out with Neo-Nazis and Falling in Love

The post Death By Denim on How to DIY an EP Release in Five Steps appeared first on Music Feeds.

I Couldn’t Trust is the debut EP from Melbourne/Naarm-based pop experimentalist R. F. Coleman. Amid elements of Madchester and art pop, Coleman spends the EP channelling a lifetime of misadventure into five compellingly bent compositions.

Coleman – who’s previously devoted his time to writing grisly investigative journalism and publishing fiction – worked on the EP with producer, Josh Moriarty (Telenova, Miami Horror). The record came together quickly, with Coleman encouraged to pursue music after his kids told him he was “their favourite rockstar.”

R. F. Coleman – ‘Crazy For You’

In conjunction with the EP’s release, R. F. Coleman tells Music Feeds about his experiences drinking “house white” in a Bangkok bar, trailing far-right extremists around Australia and summoning the know-how of a chess Grandmaster in his hour of need.

Five Things R. F. Coleman Has Done That You Should Not

Putting a Hit Out on Yourself

R. F. Coleman: I was in Bangkok, writing a piece on the coup. One evening I went solo to what can only be described as a “cocaine bar.” The “house white” didn’t come in a glass; it came on a heated plate. I noticed a couple were having issues with their bill. It came to about $50 USD, so I paid for them; remember, I’d had a few house whites.

The man asked me if I wanted to come back to his place to keep partying. Jumping on the back of a motorbike with an extremely high stranger I met in a cocaine bar sounded like a plan. Back at his high-rise apartment there was – what a shock – more gear. We tucked in, then got stuck into serious D&Ming. I probably told him about my childhood dog and how he died. He started giving it all that about his uncle being some Thai hitter. I secretly pressed record on my dictaphone. That’s right, I carried a dictaphone.

He told me he could get anyone killed for $50. All he needed was a photo and an address. I asked him for his number, sent him a picture of myself and the address of the small apartment block I was staying in, except the number of the unit next door, which I knew to be vacant.

“This is you,” he said. I said something to the effect of, “Yes, and this makes us even for the $50.” The rest of that story I don’t want my kids reading in 10 years if the internet is still around, but he held up his end, I know what a heart rate of 230 BPM feels like, and no one got hurt. That’s the main thing.

Hanging Out with Neo-Nazis

Coleman: For the best part of seven years, my friend “J” and I followed far right extremists around Australia, from Toowoomba to Ballarat. We wanted to make a documentary, independent of any news outlet, in a naïve attempt to get a “genuine” understanding of how and why an increasing number of mainly young men in Australia became radicalised.

We drank a slab Woodstocks in Phillip Galea’s house as he showed off his synchronised seven-screen set-up for watching porn. He’s now serving 12 years on domestic terrorism charges.

We filmed 100+ hours of intimate interviews, reckless stunts, rallies, parties, and private events. On multiple occasions we were threatened. I had kids, and “J” was expecting, and the risk was becoming too great. Plus, listening to the justifications, rhetoric and hate for hours on end takes its toll. A pin has been put in the documentary.

R. F. Coleman – ‘I Couldn’t Trust’

Being a Dickhead

Coleman: Took me 34 years of putting myself in danger, ruining relationships and friendships, and living with regret, trauma and shame before getting sober. Being inebriated was what compounded my outer dickhead.

I don’t know if you’re a dickhead, or why you’re a dickhead, but if you are – on the piss, when you’re stressed, or for reasons you haven’t quite put your finger on yet – then sort it out. The last two years I’ve had more fun in life. I can still be a prick, but it’s no longer my resting state. I’m proud of that.

Putting $2000 on One Game of Chess

Coleman: I was young, living in a shithole share house in West Melbourne and owed the local bar about a grand. The owner was/is an asshole – self-proclaimed. He’s also a formidable chess player. I wasn’t. But I was dumb, perpetually drunk and didn’t have the funds to pay what I owed. So, I asked if we could settle it over a game of chess. He countered with the offer of “double or nothing.”

I am not a Grandmaster, but one must have passed through me that evening. I won. Word was kept, the debt was settled. I still pop my head in occasionally.

Falling in Love

Coleman: Got ya there. Falling in love is the best. Give it a go if you haven’t. Just don’t eat a $1 footlong hot dog in Vegas the night before you’re meant to elope. You will shit the bed. But, with rest, an IV or a few a dozen litres of Gatorade, you’ll make it down the aisle. Perhaps looking a bit ashen, but you’ll be in love. Smiling, laughing, committing to a life with someone who didn’t bat an eye or threaten a chuck as they scraped your faeces from a mattress only 72 hours earlier. That’s love.

I Couldn’t Trust, the debut EP from R. F. Coleman, is out now.

Further Reading

Telenova: “There Isn’t Any Pressure – It’s Still a Gas”

The Return of Essendon Airport: “We Probably Sound a Bit Retro These Days”

“Weird Al” Yankovic Review – Just Deserts for Daring to Be Stupid

The post R. F. Coleman on Being a Dickhead, Hanging Out with Neo-Nazis and Falling in Love appeared first on Music Feeds.

Betty Taylor released their latest single, ‘Glitter’, in late February. It followed a couple of support shows with Norwegian pop artist girl in red, who was in Australia for the Laneway festival. ‘Glitter’ is the melodic indie-pop quartet’s second single to date, with their debut, ‘Stallin”, landing in late 2022.

“I don’t need saving / I’m better off on my own,” announces Betty Taylor’s lead vocalist Sophie Patrick on ‘Glitter’. Patrick proceeds to describe a lousy ex-partner’s promises of commitment as “glitter and bullshit.” In line with the track’s lyrical assertions, here, Patrick offers five tips to help you get over a shitty ex.

Betty Taylor – ‘Glitter’

1. Ask your friends to list all the things they didn’t like about this person

Sophie Patrick: If they are good friends, they’ll tell you they were never good enough for you anyway and you can do better. Which you totally can.

2. Write incredibly specific songs about how terrible they are and then post them to your Instagram story and keep checking your views to make sure they’ve seen it

Sophie: Yes I did this. Yes it made me feel better. Baby steps – no one gets over an ex without a little bit of petty revenge.

3. Unfollow them

Sophie: It’s time. You don’t need to know what they are doing. Out of sight out of mind. Eventually you will forget about their existence. 

4. All those places you wanted them to take you? Holidays? Dinners? Go do it anyway

Sophie: You don’t need them. You can do whatever you want, whenever you want, and you can do it solo. 

5. Don’t date

Sophie: No need to get over a shifty ex if they never existed in the first place. Tried and tested, 100% success rate.

Betty Taylor ‘Glitter’ Tour 2023

• Friday, 12th May – Felons Brewing Co, Brisbane QLD*
• Friday, 19th May – Yah Yah’s, Melbourne VIC
• Saturday, 27th May – Vic on the Park, Sydney NSW*
• Sunday, 28th May – North Gong Hotel, Wollongong NSW*

*Free entry.Tickets for the Yah Yah’s show are available now via Eventbrite

Further Reading

Sunshine Coast Foursome Betty Taylor Release New Single and Announce Debut Headline Tour

MUNA: “The Concerts are a Breeze Because we Feel Carried by the Fans”

The Best of Pop at BIGSOUND 2022

The post Indie Pop Outfit Betty Taylor on How to Get Over a Shitty Ex appeared first on Music Feeds.

Last week, Melbourne/Naarm duo Cry Club released their second single of 2022, the glam pop anthem ‘Somehow (You Still Get to Me)’. In the wake of its release, the duo of Heather Riley (they/them) and Jono Tooke (he/him) speak to Music Feeds about the various challenges independent musicians face in cultivating financially viable careers.

“I honestly don’t think musicians will survive without support from each other at every level,” says Riley. “Money has always been a major uhurdle for artists starting off, and it’s only gotten harder post-Covid to stay in the green.”

Cry Club – ‘Somehow (You Still Get to Me)’

Riley cites the rising costs of flights and accommodation, as well as everyday essentials, as a major setback for many independent musicians. “We need to lean on each other more than ever,” they say. Riley, a recent convert to roller skating, has been inspired by the solidarity on display in the roller skating community.

“I’ve had people at the skate park show me how to fix my gear, help me learn new tricks, and take me to cool spots I wouldn’t have found on my own,” they say. “I think musicians could learn a lot from such a fiercely supportive community – sharing knowledge and skills with each other to help keep our costs down and giving opportunities to other artists to help them get a leg up in the industry.”

Tooke draws attention to the damaging expectation that musicians constantly expand their audiences and boost their output. “You should always be selling more tickets, getting more streams, having more people work with you,” he says. But this doesn’t really translate to the current environment. “Covid has essentially randomised the direction of everyone’s careers, making informed decisions almost impossible.”

As a result, some artists have seen significant growth, while others have seen a decline in audience engagement.

In response, Tooke suggests that musicians do “a top and tail reassessment of their career on where they are standing right now.”

He continues, “All previous informants doesn’t matter anymore and holding onto how things used to be will apply an amount of pressure on you that is absolutely unsustainable.”

Cry Club – ‘People Like Me’

Riley underlines the benefits of strong community ties in navigating the changed conditions. “If we can give a little more of our time to each other, it lifts that burden and can push back the burnout a little longer,” they say. “I think looking into unconventional venues for unique shows will help keep audiences engaged as well, and having that support from other artists means we can take those risks without the fear that it’ll send us broke if it doesn’t work out.”

Tooke says it’s important to pay attention to the positives, too. “You may have upskilled significantly during lockdowns,” he says. “You may have developed a stronger relationship with the audience you have, you may have written a tonne of music you are super proud of.

“All of these things are worth celebrating and any ‘backwards steps’ in other aspects of your career don’t cancel these things out, regardless of what any industry pressure suggests to you.”

Further Reading

Rachel Maria Cox: My Favourite LGBTQIA+ Pop Songs

Cry Club Celebrate Pride Month With ‘People Like Me’ Music Video

Chela Releases New Single ‘Cool 2B Queer’, Shares Statement Calling For a Musicians’ Minimum Wage

The post Cry Club on How to Navigate the Music Industry Post-Covid appeared first on Music Feeds.

Sly Withers‘ Overgrown is Music Feeds’ Album of the Week. The album is out now via Dew Process/UMA.

Perth rock band Sly Withers have released their third album, Overgrown. The successor to 2021’s Gardens was produced by Dave “Parko” Parkin (Spacey Jane) and features band members Jono Mata, Sam Blitvich, Joel Neubecker and Shea Moriarty’s most grown-up songwriting to date. Here, Sly Withers break down the ways in which the new album exhibits growth.

Sly Withers: Overgrown

1. A new writing process

Sly Withers: Coming into demoing and writing Overgrown, we realised that we needed to refine the writing process a little bit to make everything work as optimally as possible for everyone in the band individually. Long story short, we decided that before any song would enter the jam room, Jono and Sam would demo it, working on it together a fair bit in the process.

We went shopping and bought some mics, monitors and an Ikea desk and spent the summer writing and demoing as often as possible in a spare room at Jono’s place. Then, after everyone had a chance to listen to and familiarise themselves with the demos, we took those songs to the boys in the jam room and would integrate the full unit’s ideas into the tracks. It worked really well and we think it’s probably going to be the standard for us moving forward.

2. Production process

Sly Withers: Overgrown is the first record we’ve made where we’ve been able to set aside a chunk of time, go into the studio over a long period and break apart the songs to better refine them. Out of necessity – budgets, timelines – we’d never been able to do this before, and it was a real treat to go into Blackbird with producer Dave Parkin and make something very considered and deliberate.

One of the most common questions Parko would ask us and himself was, “What does the record need?” It was so cool to allow ourselves the time to be able to consider that, rather than just refining the individual songs in the jam room for a couple of months by ourselves before going in and recording them as they were.

3. Prettier aspirations

Sly Withers: Parko helped us really push our sound forward on this record, incorporating prettier sounding elements and creating what we feel is a super lush sounding record. Acoustic guitars played a big role here – most of the album has acoustic chords layered underneath it, which gives the record an element that’s both beautiful and percussive.

A reference point for the percussive part of this vibe was the Green Day album Warning. There’s so much cool acoustic guitar on that record, truly an underrated outing from that band. There’s also a bit of synth and piano peppered throughout Overgrown but the most exciting new addition to us was the strings.

4. The strings

Sly Withers: To make this album a bit prettier, we decided we wanted to go full violin mode. So, we asked our pal Clancy Davidson – who we toured with a lot through her work in Noah Dillon’s band around the time of Overgrown‘s writing and recording – to come in and help us lay down some strings on a few tracks (‘Sundays’, ‘Don’t Wanna Leave’ and ‘Tongue’).

The day we did strings was one of the funnest of the whole process and we are so stoked with the amazing work that Clancy did. There was a lot of fun to be had helping arrange these parts as none of us had ever written string parts before at all.

5. The most tracks we’ve ever released at once

Sly Withers: Overgrown has 14 tracks and runs for over 46 minutes. We never intended for that to be the final product, but when it came time to pick what would make it onto the album, we felt like every song had a place and contributed to the record in some way.

Previously, we’d always been cautious of exceeding 42 minutes due to some vinyl related stuff, but we decided, “Nah, fuck it,” and asked our label nicely if we could put out all 14 tracks. They were like, “Sure, why not,” so we were like, “Cool, thanks, we’ll do that then.” And then they were like, “Cool, looking forward to it,” and then we were like, “Us too!”

It feels like we’ve achieved a real diverse sounding record thanks to not cutting anything. Every song has a reason for being on there and we’re really proud of what we’ve achieved with it.

Sly Withers – ‘Radio’

Sly Withers’ new album Overgrown is out now via Dew Process / UMA.

Further Reading

Alvvays ‘Blue Rev’ Review – One of 2022’s Essential Guitar Albums

Jesswar: ‘LIFE’S SHORT, LIVE BIG’ Review – Club Loud, Notebook Personal

Peaches Announces ‘The Teaches of Peaches’ 2023 Australian Anniversary Tour

The post Five Signs of Growth on Sly Withers’ New Album ‘Overgrown’ appeared first on Music Feeds.

With his new single, ‘FUCK IT UP!’, Chris Lanzon wanted to create an ode to giving it your all. “I’ve written a lot of songs about my self-doubt and hesitation, but this is the opposite of that,” Lanzon said.

‘FUCK IT UP!’ is the Sydney artist’s second single of 2022, following his collaboration with Eluera, ‘June’. In conjunction with the song’s release, Lanzon offers advice on letting go of bad habits, forming good ones, and giving it your all.

Chris Lanzon – ‘FUCK IT UP!’

Build a routine

Chris Lanzon: I think this is a key to kicking bad habits, just getting into the swing of things. I find it helps to schedule out my days, especially when I’m in a bit of a rut. It helps to build in time for work and also intentional time for leisure. I always feel way better if I make time for an outdoor walk or two. Give yourself space to work and also space to just be, so you can recharge and be at your best when you need to be.

Do a little each day

CL: It can often feel like there’s so much to do, especially when you have goals you want to reach or projects you want to finish. I think it helps to break things down and aim to do a little each day rather than trying to do everything at once. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.

Never compromise your vision for anyone

CL: Everyone always says, “Believe in yourself,” and I think it’s so important that beyond believing, you truly know that what you’re doing is worth doing. If you stand behind everything you do, no one can get in your way. It’s easier said than done, but there’s so much power in having full confidence that your vision is going to work out because you’re doing it for the right reasons.

You might not know exactly how or when, but you know it will work, eventually. Set and forget. Trust the process. I wrote ‘FUCK IT UP!’ as an embodiment of this sentiment.

Feed your inspiration

CL: When I’m in a bit of a slump or feeling particularly uninspired and apathetic, it’s great to consume new things and expand my palette. This could be diving into a new artist’s discography or watching a film that I’ve never seen, visiting an art gallery on my own, starting to read a new book or listening to podcasts and interviews from other creatives to find new perspectives and ideas.

I think the most underrated thing of all for inspiration is remembering to live. Try new things and have new experiences. Inspiration is something that needs to be fed. You can’t just expect new ideas to come on their own. Be ready to receive the ideas by banking up experiences and perspectives.

Get out of your own way

CL: You’re always going to be your own worst enemy. Everything you do, you’ll be the one judging it the harshest. I think it’s important to try and let go of that as much as possible. Don’t judge your ideas until they’re finished. Let them be what they want to be. Separate your ego from the process, and just do what feels right in the moment.

This will allow you to grow and defy your own limitations. And if you’re still unhappy with something at the end of it, that’s okay. You don’t need to show it to anyone, but at least you saw it through. Do something crazy.

• Chris Lanzon’s ‘FUCK IT UP!’ is out now.

Further Reading

Chris Lanzon Surrenders To Hope In ‘Diamonds On The Water’ Video

Eluera: “I Finally Have a Clear Image of What I Want to Put Out Into the World”

IRFXXN: How Coming From a Muslim, Fijian-Indian Household Influences My Music

The post Chris Lanzon on Letting Go of Bad Habits and Giving It Your All appeared first on Music Feeds.

For his debut single, last month’s ‘Latest Song’, Sydney artist IRFXXN worked with producer BeatswithSheph to create a dancehall-influenced R&B pop number. For IRFXXN (pronounced Irfaan), ‘Latest Song’ represents creative liberation.

“Be raw, be vocal, be honest,” he says of the motivation behind the track. “Everything from the lyrics to the drums was [about] doing as you wish and being free to express.”

IRFXXN – ‘Latest Song’

Here IRFXXN, who grew up Muslim in a Fijian-Indian household, reflects on how his upbringing has influenced his creativity and his desire to carve out a career in music.

Expectations

Expectation is placed in a completely different frame. It’s about academics and certificates and less about personal growth and fulfilment through finding what you love and finding a way to do it for good.

Support

Not everyone is supportive of you. It’s fine because they can only believe as far as they’ve seen and you learn to understand that. Now you know you have to become the first person that can show them that it really can be done and they can implement it themselves or pass it on to someone else.

Respect and honour

The upbringing I’ve been given has been a critical part in shaping me and my mindset about myself and how to treat others in any aspect of life. Consistently being brought up told that respect and honour in what you choose to do will always lead you on your best path.

Religious music

My love for music started as a child in my household due to hearing my brother recite calls for religious prayers. I’d try to mimic the tone of his voice and vocal acrobatics. So I’m super grateful about that.

Making music a career

It was quite hard to transition my music from a hobby to a career since religion and music don’t align, adding to the conflict. But social media helped me in realising that it was a good choice, lessening the fears.

Charity

Charity is massive in my household and religion, so I hope to one day use my reach and voice to actively donate.

• IRFXXN’s debut single, ‘Latest Song’, is out now.

Further Reading

PREMIERE: Sheph.ART & Barry Saleh Combine For ‘Action’

Luke Sital-Singh: “I’m Always Wondering What It All Means to Be Human”

ESHAAN: “I Used to See Myself in the Future A Lot”

The post IRFXXN: How Coming From a Muslim, Fijian-Indian Household Influences My Music appeared first on Music Feeds.

AYLA has been a regular touring artist since beginning her career in the mid-2010s. Along the way, the self-described sad girl pop artist from the Sunshine Coast has toured in support of Kim Churchill and Kate Miller-Heidke, appeared at Festival of the Sun and Woodford Folk Festival, and launched her own event, the Spring in the Vale music festival in rural Queensland.

AYLA’s latest single, ‘Bitterness’, came out at the end of August 2022. To mark the release of ‘Bitterness’, which was co-produced by Ball Park Music’s Sam Cromack, AYLA reflects on the highs and lows of life on the road.

AYLA Shares Her Most Memorable Tour Stories

Airbnb From Hell

My band and I were on tour and had a show in Melbourne at The Penny Black. We had accommodation booked, so hopped in the Uber to get settled. The Uber drove and drove and headed pretty far out of town into a quieter, industrial-looking area and pulled up in front of a building that looked like it was out of Breaking Bad.

We walked in and there was literally a used condom on the path, rubbish floating in the pool, a lady knocking on the door, and a puddle on one of the beds in the room. I was talking to my Mum on the phone when I saw some guys making a drug deal and was like, “Hmm, maybe we should not stay here…” Unfortunately there was nowhere else that we could book, so we played the show and slept the night at the Melbourne Airport.

Touring with Kim Churchill

Touring with Kim Churchill was one of my favourite musical experiences. We did shows all around Australia, including one in Hobart and one in Launceston. We drove between the two and it was some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen.

We were in a van with Kim, sound, lighting, tech, tour manager, support, support manager and me – and I was the only girl. There was a long stretch of open fields where the boys had no trouble popping out for a wee, but I was busting.

Playing Woodford Folk Festival 2016

Woodford Folk Festival 2016 was one of the best shows I’ve ever played. There was a great audience who were so engaged and so many beautiful people came up to me after the shows to talk and show their appreciation. I also met heaps of “little Aylas” who wanted to come and say hi.

I was so very thankful that we could play those shows, because I had lost my voice the week before and was so worried I wouldn’t be able to sing. I played the set and then went straight home to rest and then came back the next day and the band and I got through it and had one of our best experiences playing live.

Touring with Kate Miller-Heidke

Kate Miller-Heidke’s partner Keir Nuttall was in the crowd at Woodford and after watching the show, he recommended me as the support for Kate’s national tour. So, when I was 20, I got to tour with one of my favourite artists, who I would listen to on repeat all through high school senior years.

We were playing some shows in regional Melbourne and sitting in the green room of a show at a small church in a small town. Kate was eight months pregnant, and as we sat in the fluorescent-lit room at about 6pm eating and drinking the fruit, veg and soda water that was on the rider, Kate Miller-Heidke said to me, “Ayla, this is the least rock and roll tour you’ll ever go on.”

2019 Regional Tour

In 2019, I played a regional tour around the single ‘Small Talk’. This was a self-booked tour where I played intimate solo shows and my mum came along to keep me company. We hired a rental car and drove about three and a half hours out of Melbourne to a town in Victoria called Birchip, where a beautiful family put us up and organised a show at a breathtaking old church down the road. While we were there, we drove over to the next town and visited a salt lake that was the most beautiful pastel pink.

My Mum lives in Agnes Water, another regional town, and I also played a show there on that tour. It was an impromptu setup on the Marina at the most beautiful place to watch the sun setting over the water. I couldn’t believe that about 300 people showed up to this tiny Marina in a small town to watch the show.

The people of Agnes Water have been so supportive, and this show actually prompted me to begin running my own show in Agnes Water, where I’ve been running Spring in the Vale Music Festival on my parents’ property since 2019.

AYLA – ‘Go Slow’

Further Reading

Five Things Caravãna Sun Can’t Live Without When On Tour

Love Letter To A Record: AYLA On James Blunt’s ‘Back To Bedlam’

Watch Ayla & Montaigne Cover A Hunters & Collectors Classic For ‘Like A Version’

The post AYLA: The Highs and Lows of Life on the Road appeared first on Music Feeds.

KESMAR is working towards his debut album. The record was recorded over the last few years, and follows the EPs Up to You (2019) and Forever Holiday (2021). The latter release included the single ‘Johatsu’, KESMAR’s most popular release to date, which features guest vocals from French pop singer Flore Benguigui.

The New South Welsh songwriter’s latest single, ‘Out of Luck’, is the first taste of the upcoming record. “This tune is basically a covid tune,” said KESMAR’s Nathan Hawes. “It’s about waking up late, feeling like you’re going in circles.” Like many of KESMAR’s previous releases, ‘Out of Luck’ is stamped with Hawes’ affection for vintage studio sounds and ’70s singer-songwriter pop. Here, KESMAR gives us a rundown of his favourite studio toys.

Kesmar – ‘Out of Luck’

1979 TEAC M15 24 Channel Console 

The console is the heart of the studio. It’s the front end of all the recording – everything goes through the preamps on the console before going to tape or my DAW. It just sounds like the ’70s, slow, fat sound transformers. Since making this new record, I have moved onto a small 16 channel Yamaha M1516, but for the time I had the TEAC, it really just did its job.

Fender Rhodes Mark I

This is a recent addition to the studio. Funnily enough, I have two at my house at the moment; one is on loan from a buddy. After a week of having his on loan, I knew I needed to buy one. I found one cheap a week later and it is now a staple of the studio. It was modified by Dyno-My-Piano in 1979, giving it more versatile EQ. It can pull some serious tone.

1976 Ludwig Super Classic Drum Kit 

Another one I can’t live without. Really just an amazing kit, sounds seriously killer. Most of my instruments are from around 1970-1982. It’s just a time period I’m really drawn to, so whenever something good or whacky comes up from the ’70s, I’ll buy it and try it. This kit will never be sold, it’s so dear to my heart.

Roland Juno-60

Between the Juno-60 and the original Minimoog, you can cover a lot of synthesiser ground. I like things to be simple and easy to use, probably why I love the Juno so much. It was my first synth, I bought it a few years back because I love the sound, but also I just loved how simple it was. But don’t be fooled, it is ridiculously versatile.

Tascam 48-OB 8-Track Tape Machine 

Tape is a big part of my recording process. It’s just the sound that I’m after, especially the Tascam 48 – that thing just sounds like “tape.” I’ve since moved onto an Otari MX70 16 track, but I did most of the new album with that 8 track. I would fill up as much as I could on the Tascam, then dump it into Logic for overdubs etc. Then I would mix down to tape again. I always try to hit tape at least twice.

KESMAR – ‘Johatsu’ (Feat. Flore Benguigui)

Further Reading

Andy Bull: 10 Things I’ve Been Doing Since My Last Album

Top Five Hangover Foods According to Fly Boy Jack

Brad Pitt To Reopen Recording Studio Used By Pink Floyd, AC/DC, The Cure

The post KESMAR: My Favourite Bits of Music Equipment and Studio Gear appeared first on Music Feeds.

Melbourne musician Elle Murphy released the single ‘Beautiful Sensitive Boy’ in February 2022. To supplement the song’s depiction of emotional manipulation and half-truths, Murphy provided Music Feeds with a breakdown of five relationship red flags, including lying and the owning/wearing of boat shoes.

Murphy returns this month with the single ‘Breathing Space’, another breezy pop number rooted in relationship dissatisfaction. To coincide with the song’s release, Murphy has supplied Music Feeds with her top five “icks” in a partner; the sort of things that’ll have you yearning for breathing space.

Elle Murphy – ‘Breathing Space’

Elle Murphy’s Top 5 Icks in a Partner

1. Not recognising your needs are just that, needs. 

When they treat you like you just enjoy whining and want to make things difficult for others.

2. Holding onto things instead of communicating.

They hold onto things rather than communicate, only to bring them up later to hold against you.

3. When he’s rude to people.

It’s not cute if he’s mean to others, i.e., waiter, mothers, etc. Just be nice.

4. Lack of ambition.

I can’t have the energy to motivate two people.

5. They don’t make time for you.

This just shouldn’t be a problem; they should want to spend time with you. I mean, none of these really should be problems. Get out if you resonate with any of these things. Or don’t, you do you.

‘Breathing Space’ is out now through Teamwrk Records. For more insight, follow Murphy on Instagram and TikTok.

Further Reading

‘Beautiful Sensitive Boy’ Singer Elle Murphy Shares Five Relationship Red Flags

Top Five Hangover Foods According to Fly Boy Jack

WATCH: st.James Names Her Five Favourite Inspiring Females

The post Elle Murphy Shares Her Top Five “Icks” in a Partner appeared first on Music Feeds.