Melbourne alt-country/Americana songwriter Mitch Dean released his debut solo album Holding Back The Levee last Friday. “I wanted to make something that sounded like all the albums I love to listen to. From Neil Young through to The Jayhawks.” Evocative storytelling, rich musicality and the heartfelt conveyance of human emotion. Those are some of the hallmarks … Continue reading
Melbourne group Team Love are set to release their debut album in 2020 and ‘Running‘ is the first taste of the new record. The quartet have added a bass guitarist and drummer to their line-up on their most recent recordings and that’s fleshed out their sound and allowed them to draw more country and folk … Continue reading
A few years ago we posted a track by Melbourne singer-songwriter Eddie Nuardo that really caught our ear with its lilting country sound. Now he’s back under the name Sunset Stranger, with this great track, ’60 Mile Yonder’, from his forthcoming new album. Over a soft freight train shuffle, the guitars and fiddle lead the … Continue reading
For a decade now, Dan Brodie has been a master at skirting around the edges of a number of musical genres. He’s taken from rock, blues, alt-country and rockabilly, combining them all into his own decidedly Australian take on rock ’n’ roll. It’s the sound of cold beer and back porches in the summertime, sweaty … Continue reading
Australian Riley Catherall recently released this new single, ‘Pray That I Won’t Be Long’. The balance of songwriting and production on this track is what drew us in. It flows and gets grittier when necessary – courtesy of some great electric guitar playing, but it also knows the power of a tight structure and melodies … Continue reading
A swampy shimmer underlies acoustic guitar and the wonderful voice of Ben Mitchell as he sings of ignoring the things you can’t control in life and giving into the flow and destiny of existence. It’s a simple song musically – and I mean that in the best possible way. The elements are all there, reduced … Continue reading
Lost Ragas This Is Not A Dream Independent ★★★★½ On their their third album, Melbourne band Lost Ragas take their brand of psychedelic country music further out into the cosmos, though its title and various thematic references suggest the territory they’re exploring is our internal subconscious and its relationship with the realities of the modern … Continue reading
Sean McMahon You Will Know When You’re There Blind Date Records Melbournian Sean McMahon’s new album is a beguiling affair. It occupies a gently rolling middle ground where songs never explode into wild extremes. Instead, they nestle into a warm and gently rocking vibe. McMahon’s sound is bucolic and forlorn singer/songwriter alt-country, with a dash … Continue reading
An old-timey voice that blends and warm concoction of folk and country music on this single ‘Any Soul’, from her recently released debut self-titled album. Teresa Duffy-Richards hails originally from the Salt bush plains of Deniliquin NSW, Australia and is now based in Melbourne’s inner north where she’s been refining her classic, atmospheric sound. A dash … Continue reading
This track caught our ear with its noir verses and power pop on codeine chorus. It’s lush and swooning in the way it glides and soars at different times. Rich Webb hails from Melbourne and Stoner’ comes from his album Le Rayon Vert which you can check out on Spotify and purchase via his website. … Continue reading
Australian country music can stay true to its American roots and also sound like a product of its antipodean environment. While the big names chase the sales figures and follow well-worn formats there others that carve out a sweet niche of inner city honky tonk and heartworn laneways. James Ellis’ imagination was captured on a … Continue reading
It’s always great to hear new music from Tracy McNeil. She never fails to dial into a nostalgic feeling – whether it’s one of blooming love, fading romance, the innocence of youth or the optimism of future possibilities. ‘Stars’ does some of that and more, sounding like Fleetwood Mac and The War On Drugs in … Continue reading
It was huge weekend in NSW with the launch of the Take Me To Town: An Australian Alternative Country Compilation launched in Newcastle, Sydney and Cronulla over three consecutive nights. It was a real thrill to see plenty of people turn out across the weekend to support and celebrate the release of what we feel … Continue reading
BRASH OPTIMISM & SONGWRITING PROPHECY Striding the early morning Los Angeles pavement and scared about returning to his life in Melbourne, the musician had revelation. Maybe he could just disappear? Dissolve into the weird and wild world of LA. That thought was quickly tempered by reality but it did result in a song about just … Continue reading
Georgia State Line from Melbourne, VIC have today released their brand new single ‘Dry My Tears’. Fronted by Bendigo-born songstress Georgia Delves, the group blend vintage and contemporary sounds to create songs that feel warmed and lived-in, with Delves writing to incite an ageless feeling and capture the bittersweet balancing act between growing up and staying … Continue reading
