FUTURE FOCUS 091: NEW AUSSIE RELEASES OF THE WEEK NOV 11-17
Our favourite Aussie music releases, handpicked by Futuremag Music Editor-In-Chief, Brooke Gibbs.
Top 10 Releases
Little Green - Thank You For That
This track blends Little Green’s quirky lyrics with a new poppy sound. Thank You For That draws inspiration from childhood memories and blends heartfelt lyricism with a pop edge, offering a raw glimpse into her healing journey. This release was co-written in LA with Little Green, Randy Belculfine (Tones & I) and Savannah Sanabia, and co-produced by Little Green and Randy Belculfine.
Reflecting on the song, Little Green shares, “It’s a song about the person who loved me the most, but also hurt me the most. It allowed me to explore the generational trauma and anxiety that I carried for years, and ultimately, to begin the healing process.”
This is the first song from Little Green’s forthcoming album, set for release in 2025.
Heidi Barker - The First Rain (Debut EP)
At just 16 years old, this Darwin-based singer-songwriter has captivated audiences with her debut EP. This exciting new collection of songs reflects Heidi’s personal experiences and growth over the past two years, offering a unique blend of contemporary folk with mature, honest lyrics.
Heidi describes her EP as a “more poetic version of my diary from the last two years.” Each song is rooted in her own experiences, capturing the essence of life; both the challenges and the triumphs. “I want listeners to relate to these stories, to feel the emotions I experienced, she explains. “High school is such a unique part of your life, and I was determined to capture these memories in a way that feels honest and raw.”
Stay tuned for Futuremag Music’s interview and EP review with Heidi.
Salty - The Other Side (Debut EP)
This Sydney pop artist has seriously been turning heads since her return in July with See U In 3, which saw Salty step until the commencement of her new era. The highly anticipated apex of that journey is her debut EP, The Other Side.
To Salty, this first ever collection of her songs is a musical evocation of a stage of life. “The Other Side is a musical diary of the last five years of my life. It captures the essence of feeling things for the first time. Falling in love, dealing with feelings of anxiety, my hatred for drunk men at bars, wanting to move out of home and the ever-changing types of people coming in and out of my life. I describe it as finding myself on the other side of my twenties.”
Stay tuned for Futuremag Music’s interview with Salty.
Holie Col - Two Step Plan
Welcome back, Hollie. This is the first new release since her Julia Stevens EP.
Teasing new music, Hollie shares, “I’m so so excited for this era of music and I hope you love it as much as I do.”
Stay tuned for Futuremag Music’s interview with Hollie.
Flecther Kent - I’ll Be (Debut Single)
With introspective lyrics and captivating melodies, this 23-year-old indie songwriter has unveiled his powerful and self-affirming debut single.
The track’s tender beginning swells into a thrilling, stadium-worthy crescendo, bursting with raw intensity and lyrical urgency that will leave listeners breathless.
The single was produced and mixed by Grammy & ARIA-Award winning Eric J who has worked with artists like Angus and Julia Stone, Teskey Brothers, Chet Faker, and The Rubens.
Fletcher reflects on the single, “I’ll Be seemed to just fall out… I didn’t even think it was a song at first: more of a poem, a personal manifesto. I feel there’s more of me in this song than maybe anything I’ve ever written. It’s about my life - all of it. Passion, purpose, family, love, grief, connection. It’s a look towards the future, a pledge to become the person I want to be, my intentions on how I want to live this life and exist in the world.”
Foley - Heartstrings
These Sydney-based pop icons have released an exhilarting new love song. A layered track overflowing with warm and buoyant vocals, not to mention a tonne of bubbly, 80s-inspired synths, the new single bears an upbeat soundscape, and creates an uplifting mood beyond worthy of the title of “love song”. Lyrically, the single finds a balance between sweet and cheeky, flawlessly mimicking the myriad of exciting feelings that tend to come with new love.
TOWNS - sentimental slowdown (debut album)
For a band that first connected over a shared love of nostalgia and pop-punk riffs, this album is both a time capsule of their experiences together and an anthem to growing up on their own terms.
Reflecting on the journey that led to sentimental slowdown, the band shares “We met on our first day of uni, dreaming of achieving just a fraction of the incredible things we've been fortunate enough to do. This album feels like a chapter in the story of everything we've experienced together.”
The focus track, can’t blame yr dad, is sung from the perspective of watching yourself through a lens, as if your own friend, captures the complex emotions that come with self-awareness and growth.
Velvet Bloom - Best In You
Written as a track to uplift her spirits, Best In You explores seeing the best in your loved ones even in their worst moments; a pearl within an oyster or a diamond in the rough.
"When you know people well enough (yourself included) you are exposed to their best and worst qualities. Best In You is about showing compassion to the ones you love when they mess up forgivingly," says Velvet Bloom. As Maddy Herbert steps into the producer role for the new project and is joined by collaborator and band member Alex Marko on engineering and mixing duties, a highlight of the single is the horn arrangements from composer and saxophonist Brennan Hamilton-Smith, accentuated by stacked vocal arrangements.
Emma Yue - Masochistic
Her stop-in-your-tracks new release Masochistic builds from hauntingly vulnerable vocals to a sonic wave of melody and warmth, her grief turning to acceptance at the break. Voicing stark admissions, "I didn't know memories could wield knives,” Emma proclaims her own complicity in allowing a relationship to break down, despite fighting for its survival. Produced by James Seymour (Elizabeth M Drummond, Liam Wright), Masochistic bears the consequences of sticking around when she should have left.
Sunder - Looking Glass
This track from the Sydney band was inspired by personal reflections and familial ties. Looking Glass is a heartfelt exploration penned by band member Laila (vocalist), delving into family memories and the enduring emotional resonance they hold. The song weaves a narrative that navigates the complexities of longing and connection, inviting listeners to embark on a journey of introspection and empathy.
Other Aussie music releases from this week:
William Singe - 25
Beddy Rays - Stay The Same
The Cat Empire - Doing Fine
Whistle & Trick - Space Fish (album)
Chet Faker - Built on Glass (Anniversary Expanded Edition)
The Audreys - Secondhand Books
Darcie Haven - In It Alone
ARCHIE - So Far Away From Me
Ruby Gill - Some Kind of Control
Evie Irie - Laila
JVLY - LOCUM