Welcome to November, which in recent years has been regarded as Australian Music Month... in some circles at least. Let’s dive into future local classics.
Melbourne-based songstress Hunter Kaine comes from a very musical family. Her mother was a professional singer and her father was a guitar teacher who once turned down the chance to join Little River Band. Kaine herself has fronted soul band The Committed and also country band Deep Creek Road.
Kaine's latest solo venture is a highly polished jam of a tune called ‘Little Bit Crazy’ which has gathered quite a lot of favourable press of late. It comes courtesy of her long-running working relationship with Nashville-based Aussie ex-pat, Phil Barton (who has been a hitmaker for stars like Morgan Evans, Lee Brice and The Wolfe Brothers) and produced at SongStore Studios nestled in the Dandenong Ranges outside Melbourne, this is a great showcase for Kaine’s crystal clear vocals.
Formed in Canberra a little over three years ago, the hilariously named Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers comprise of four immensely talented women with brilliant songwriting chops and lots to say. I first heard them when they released their single, ‘Desk Chair’, in 2020 and I thought the band had a bright future.
Fast forward to 2023 and they have just dropped their debut album entitled I Love You. Comprising a number of their recent single releases with a heap of great new tunes, this is a debut that makes its presence felt and leaves you humming its tuneful melodies for the next week.
Perth-born, Melbourne-based musician Wesley Fuller is a man who has clearly been steeped in the history of rock and roll for quite some time now. First making waves in 2016 as a member of indie band Hurricane Fighter Plane, Fuller was then discovered online by legendary A&R man James Endeacott, who has worked with The Strokes among others.
Endeacott then signed Fuller to his Sony UK-affiliated label, 1965 Records, and away he went to the UK for a few years of touring and recording. His latest track, ‘The House Of Love’, was written about his favourite pub and feels both new and yet strangely comfortable and familiar all at once. Fuller crafts some multi-layered vocal harmonies that just have to be heard to be believed!
Indie rock journeyman Ashley Naylor returns with an album under his own name for a change, entitled Soundtracks Volume 2 — the second in a series of totally instrumental guitar albums.
Naylor has always been a busy man. Formerly a guitarist in Paul Kelly’s band, a member of the Rockwiz Orchestra and also of '90s indie heroes Rail, he is currently in the USA touring with legendary Australian alternative rock band The Church, while keeping his band of almost 30 years, Even, on the go. Naylor also has a new band called the Ronson Hangup, formed with ex-members of Melbourne underground legends of the early 21st Century, The Anyones.
This new solo release is full of melodic and atmospheric pieces that often stretch out to over eight minutes, but never a second is wasted. The first single from the album is ‘Spaceship’ and it is as grand and spacious as the title would imply. Naylor is forming a (yet another) new band called Spaceship to play this album live. Look out for them on a stage near you shortly.
Melbourne-based nine-piece soul band The Bamboos know how to craft a sound that is all kinds of special. A new album is now available on CD and streaming, with a vinyl release due in January. And if this single is anything to go by, it’s going to be a cracker.
With a mechanical drum machine groove, some smooth synth washing and a processed funk bass sound that sounds like Thundercat jamming with Hot Chocolate, ‘Safe From Harm’ just charms my eardrums and warms my soul. The vocal from Reginald AK is the smooth and buttery finish that caps off yet another banger from one of Australia’s best bands.
LISTEN TO THIS WEEKS SPECIALLY CURATED PLAYLIST BELOW:
David Kowalski is a writer, musician, educator, sound engineer and podcaster. His podcasts 'The Sound and the Fury Podcast' and 'Audio Cumulus' can be heard exclusively here. You can follow David on Twitter @sound_fury_pod.
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