TALENT ON TAP // NEW MUSIC AUGUST
BROUGHT TO YOU BY BURLEIGH BREWING CO.
Words by Samantha Morris
Some banging albums and EPs to sink your teeth into this month with a bunch of Gold Coast Music Awards finalists in the mix alongside absolute new-comers.
In this month’s Talent On Tap roundup, Love Banana debut a low-fi, fuzzy taste of what to expect on their upcoming album, Jim Ottaway releases a single as well as two albums, and Super Fun Down Under show us exactly why they’re building such a strong fan base in Japan with ‘Destiny’. Industry stalwarts Mason Rack Band and HaydenGoSeek share new music and Kirsty Abrahams celebrates longevity and love in romantic ballad ‘Our Moment’.
If riffs are your thing, check out prchr. and Loose Goose, or if you’re after more of a soulful or psychedelic disco vibe, wrap your ears around Selve or Sunny Luwe. And if ethereal, ambient electronica is your jam, then Jim Ottaway has two albums of absolute gold for your listening pleasure.
Like we say every month, there really is something for everyone in this month’s Talent On Tap column, brought to you by Burleigh Brewing, with 14 singles and 5 EPs and albums to keep you moving and a-grooving. Let’s get into it…
Chiffon Magnifique shares Anxietika
It’s always a good day when Jed, AKA Chiffon Magnifique, unleashes new music. Fresh from being announced as a finalist for Video of the Year for the Gold Coast Music Awards for the video of his outstanding cover of Amy Shark’s ‘Adore’, new track ‘Anxietika’ follows in the footsteps of Jed’s previous work: dark, but full of groove. It’s the last single off Chiffon Magnifique’s debut album of the same name – a fusion of darkwave, post-punk, gothic-rock exploring the complexities of anxiety and fear. Lending her pipes to the song, adding depth and intensity, is June Gray – frontwoman of Brisbane post-punk outfit Sacred Hearts. Together the two artists deliver an emotive and hauntingly beautiful piece of work.
Jim Ottaway continues prolific release journey
Not one, not two, but three reviews to consider for Jim Ottaway this month. First cab off the rank is an electronic cover of Jerry Lordan’s ‘Wonderful Land’. First made famous by The Shadows in 1962 and later interpreted by Mike Oldfield in 1980, Ottaway’s take is a modern twist: no strats, all synths.
Next we have not one, but two albums released this month. ‘A Promise of Eternity’ is a melodic electronic album including both up-tempo and slower pieces; the 12 tracks focusing on different aspects of this fleeting world and the world beyond. ‘First Light: 20th anniversary edition’ celebrates 20 years since Jim released his first record with improvised tracks; free-form and raw. Jim has revisited his original midi files and audio recordings but retained the original feel and intent of the album: melodic, relaxing, instantaneous, raw, warts and all.
Based in Springbrook, Jim is a multi international award-winning artist and recently named a finalist for Release of the Year for the 2024 Gold Coast Music Awards for his 2023 album ‘Infinite Universes’.
Both albums and the single are available for streaming on Spotify.
Here I Am: Charlie & the Velvet Sky
Northern Rivers / Gold Coast three-piece Charlie & the Velvet Sky have released a new single ‘Here I Am’. With soaring vocals and reverb-soaked guitar as well as off-beat rhythms, frontman Charlie Seymour-Grant has gathered some of the Gold Coast’s best session musicians to create a beautiful piece of alt-psych-rock with a decent dose of soul that builds slowly and culminates in a sublime, guitar-driven finale.
Mason Rack seeks permission to dance
The Mason Rack Band is back with a new single ‘Permission to Dance’. What starts with a funky bassline, moves quickly into an explosion of blues-rock in Mason’s signature style. This track will no doubt be a festival fave – the chorus inviting the listener to get on their feet and join Mason’s “mission to dance”.
HaydenGoSeek is home
‘No Place Like Home’ is a hauntingly beautiful ballad from Hayden Andrews (AKA HaydenGoSeek), demonstrating his versatility as a songwriter and musician. It seems there’s not a single genre Hayden can’t nail. We already know he’s had a stint as a heavy metal frontman, absolutely killed it with Cheap Fakes, coordinated the Good Band for Those Who Rock and now, with new project HaydenGoSeek, is releasing an eclectic mix of songs that all have one thing in common: exceptional songwriting! ‘No Place Like Home’ is a true story of missing home and the beauty of sleeping in your own bed.
Love Banana want you to Get In
Low-fi, fuzzy and fun: Love Banana’s debut track ‘Get In’ comes in at just 1:30 but totally does its job. Short, sharp and super-shambolic, ‘Get In’ is garage-pop at its finest, a taste of what’s to come in the five-piece’s forthcoming self-titled EP due for release. They say “the lyrics are whatever you want them to mean. The line ‘move to the city, hit rock bottom’ reminded us of the time a friend said ‘you don’t have to be living somewhere cool to be doing something cool,’ but in reality it’s not about anything at all.”
The Days of Beginning – new EP
Previously releasing music under his own name, Brett Voss has released an EP under new project The Days of Being. The four-track release is beautifully-produced with each track building on the previous to tell a story about new beginnings, coming to terms with change and making sense of life. Rock is at the core of these four songs with solid guitar, great songwriting and big vocals.
TCAT’s Undone gets a Nightcore rework
TCAT’s back with a new summer banger, full of upbeat tropical vibes. It’s a new take on his biggest song to date: ‘Undone’ which features okafuwa. okafuwa brings unique vocals to this sped-up version of the track, with a fast rhythmic beat, which sees the artist collaborate with Nightcore. The track has already amassed 40k streams and more than 3000 saves and playlist adds in less than a month. It’s worth listening to the original after hearing this nightcore version. Both can be found on TCAT’s streaming profiles.
Super Fun Down Under
Living up to their name, Gold Coast’s Super Fun Down Under have released a super fun track in ‘Destiny’. Super Fun Down Under sees Gold Coast producer Guy Cooper collaborate with fiancé Loustar (Banks of the Beautiful) and friend Jake Morton to create songs that are a little bit electro, a little bit punk and a whole lot of chaotic energy. Announcing the single alongside a tour of Japan, where the band is building a devoted audience, the track includes a chorus in Japanese ‘Anata wa boku no unmei no hitoda (あなたは僕の運命の人だ)’ which translates to ‘You are my destiny’. If like me, you like the aggressively sweet punk vocals with driving drums and bass synths, keep your ears peeled because Super Fun Down Under have a new single due to be delivered every month for the next year. An impressive feat given how busy Guy and Jake are recording other people’s music at Serotonin Studios.
Ronan collaborates with Lizzie Hosking for drunk cigarettes
Brisbane x Gold Coast artist Ronan Maclean slows things down a bit with new track ‘drunk cigarettes’, a heartfelt album featuring Adelaide artist Lizzie Hosking. The single features retro synth sounds with an 80s-inspired bassline creating a colourful soundscape which the artists say is reminiscent of Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’. Lizzie’s voice is the perfect accompaniment to Ronan’s moody songwriting. Ronan produces and records all of his own music – including this track and Lizzie Hosking is fresh from her first festival appearance, performing at Womadelaide this year.
Tomorrow’s Forecast deliver ‘pathetic’ release
With exceptional songwriting and beautiful vocals, Tomorrow’s Forecast’s new track ‘Pathetic’ captures the raw essence of overwhelming emotions following a breakup. Powerful lead guitars and driving drums complement authentic and heartfelt lyrics, reflected in deliberate vocal choices. The track culminates in a crescendo of chanting voices: a powerful eruption of emotion. This band is quintessentially Gold Coast – working with local artists and producers to bring their music and single cover art to life – they’re proud of their GC roots and their ability to highlight the talent within the local scene. I’m really excited about what the future holds for Tomorrow’s Forecast – one of the most exciting acts in the city right now.
Selve unleash Flaming Star
Those psychedelic-pop gods, Selve are back with a shimmering new disco number, with fun guitar riffs and Loki’s signature vocals. ‘Flaming Star’ is a genuine ear worm, designed to bring out the best (and possibly worst) dance moves. Accompanying visuals directed by filmmaker Alethea Beetson do their job, ensuring people know this song is meant to give off big energy and big feelings. See you on the dancefloor!
Our Moment for Kirsty Abrahams
Originally written for her grandparent’s wedding anniversary and not intended for release, ‘Our Moment’ sees an introspective Kirsty Abrahams deliver a hopelessly romantic ballad for the ages. It’s a personal ode to her grandparent’s love, which grew to mean something to other young lovers who heard it performed live earlier this year. ‘Our Moment’ showcases Kirsty’s angelic voice, with her soaring vocals and beautiful lyricism front and centre. “I drew inspiration from a poem my grandma had written and from their love story,” Kirsty says about its roots. “I never imagined anyone else would feel that emotion.”
Loose Goose drops debut EP
Burleigh four-piece Loose Goose have dropped an EP full of sunshine – in the form of big, splashy surf tunes. On ‘Not a Big Fan’, the four scrawny lads (their words not mine), say they are “cranking the dial up another notch to give fans a series of tracks that’ll get their goose looser than your grandma’s knitted sweater,” and look, I reckon they deliver that in spades. It’s fun, it’s Gold Coast and it’s loose, but then also as tight as it needs to be to deliver sweet surf guitars, strong songwriting and lyrics about taking your first steps in the adult world that all come together perfectly in this five-track release that sets the band up for a strong year ahead.
No rainbows for TAYLAH
Soulful songstress TAYLAH has a new track due for release on 16 August. ‘No Rainbows’ is a breakup anthem about returning to yourself and accepting that sometimes things are truly over. With pained lyrics, live guitars and drums, it’s a song that takes the listener on a journey through all the emotions of a relationship ending and the end of dreams that follow. TAYLAH delivers a rousing performance in this track, with a tinge of country, a hint of pop and a whole lotta soul shining strong.
Sunny Luwe lets her animal instinct run wild
Produced by multi-ARIA winner Konstantin Kersting, ‘Animal Instinct’ is the newest offering from Gold Coast artist Sunny Luwe, coming soon. With up-beat vibes underpinning Sunny’s signature soulful and powerful voice, the track makes you want to get up and dance – to let your inner animal run wild. Sunny’s been busy in the past year with this track following on the heels of her much-anticipated debut album ‘Flowers in the Sky’.
TALENT ON TAP PLAYLIST: STREAM IT NOW!
The Gold Coast Music Network’s Talent On Tap is brought to you by Burleigh Brewing.
ARE YOU A GOLD COAST ARTIST WITH NEW MUSIC ON THE HORIZON?
We want to hear it! If you’ve released new music or have something due for release next month, shoot us the details for the chance to be considered for the next ‘Talent On Tap’ column. Email our new music guru Sam Morris on newmusic@gcmusicnetwork.com.au with a link to the song (Spotify preferred), an artist press shot and a few words/media release about the track or album being released.