NEWS

Blackbird Green writes like someone who has been paying attention for a very long time. The Melbourne project, led by singer-songwriter Simon Ferwerda, has moved through line-ups and long stretches of quiet since 2013, but the through line has always been the same, songs that arrive when they are ready, not when they are demanded. Some of the tracks on the new album Spans were written twenty years ago and quietly put in the bank, waiting for the right moment to be pulled back

Bella Habib doesn’t pick a lane, she picks all of them at once. The 22 year old Sydney alt-pop artist writes from the exact spot where confidence and insecurity, glamour and mess, power and vulnerability sit on top of each other and refuse to separate. Her debut single “Royal Blue” is a study in that push and pull. The colour itself is the mood, expensive and regal on the surface, riptide and treasure underneath, and the song lives in the space between wanting something that

Faisal Ryan doesn't write like someone chasing a scene, he writes like someone who has already lived through a few. The Brisbane songwriter and producer treats a song the way a builder treats a house, one line laying the foundation for the next, an hour later the whole thing standing up on its own. There's a quiet confidence to that method. He hears the finished song in his head before the ink dries, and the production instincts he's sharpened over years now sit alongside the

Some artists chase the room. roar taylor would rather earn it. The Chicago writer builds songs the way a poet builds a case, word by word, line by line, until the meaning arrives on its own terms. There is no shouting for attention here, no trend to ride. What you get instead is a lyricist who treats language as the whole point, someone who names Stevie Wonder, Lupe, André 3000 and Black Thought not as flexes but as a lineage he is trying to write his way into. His upcoming E

Blending the melodic craftsmanship of classic songwriting with the dreamlike atmosphere of vintage video games, late-night television and fading childhood recollections, Warpspeed exists somewhere between reality and imagination. It's music that feels strangely familiar, as though you've wandered into a place you've never visited but somehow recognise. Rather than chasing modern trends or empty nostalgia, the project is driven by timeless melodies and the emotional pull of mo

Across an ever-growing catalogue of music, BURL3Y and IVY have quietly blurred the line between autobiography and storytelling, transforming everyday Australian life into an interconnected world filled with familiar faces, shared memories and recurring characters. What begins as hip-hop soon expands into something much larger, where each release feels less like a standalone single and more like another chapter in an unfolding story. At the heart of the project is an unwaverin

Most heavy bands write about destruction. High Horse Cavalry write about what comes after it. Their music is dense, uncompromising and drenched in the atmosphere of a world slowly collapsing under its own weight, yet beneath the crushing riffs and towering walls of sound lies something unexpectedly human. Rather than glorifying darkness, the band uses it as a path through it, transforming anxiety, isolation and emotional chaos into music that ultimately points toward clarity,

Some songwriters chase the next trend. Tim Lane has spent years chasing something far less fleeting: honesty. Drawing from the quiet landscapes of Tasmania, decades of performing, and a deep appreciation for the power of everyday stories, Lane has carved out a songwriting style that feels distinctly Australian without ever leaning on nostalgia. His music doesn't shout to be heard. Instead, it invites listeners to slow down, reflect, and find pieces of themselves within its ca

There are few genres that have endured quite like emo and pop-punk. Long after the eyeliner faded and the fringes grew out, the songs remained, continuing to soundtrack heartbreak, self-discovery and the moments in life that words alone struggle to explain. For DJ Queen Dani, those records were never simply nostalgic favourites. They became the foundation for building a community where authenticity, vulnerability and connection are celebrated just as loudly as the music itsel

For many musicians, the stage is where their identity is forged. For Crimson Road, that identity has been built somewhere quieter. Over the past two decades, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Trevor has transformed personal setbacks, heartbreak and relentless creativity into a body of work that exists entirely on its own terms. Unconcerned with trends or commercial expectations, Crimson Road has become a deeply personal outlet where powerful riffs meet messages of hope, re

Some records chase perfection. With Pulp is interested in what perfection removes. Brooklyn-based band Honey VHS built their latest EP around the moments modern production is often designed to erase: the movement between musicians, the unpredictability of a live performance, the rough edge of a vocal and the small imperfections that prove real people were in the room. Recorded largely through live full-band takes, With Pulp embraces texture over polish and connection over pre

Some collaborations sound like two artists meeting in the middle. Flip That Groove and Jazz Minero sound like two worlds colliding at full speed. Recorded between Melbourne and Spain, It’s So Hot, Hace Calor is impossible to pin down. Industrial punk crashes into hip-hop rhythms, theremin wails cut through distorted basslines, and spaghetti western guitars drift across a landscape that feels as suffocating as the title suggests. But beneath the experimentation lies something

Some songwriters write from memory. Others write from imagination. call me su seems to exist somewhere between the two, creating songs that feel less like autobiography and more like strange, beautifully human fables. Populated by dreamers, outcasts, flawed leaders and forgotten souls, her music unfolds like short stories, where the Australian landscape becomes as important as the people wandering through it. Her latest single, Mad King, began with a haunting image of politic

Some artists write songs to entertain. Duxie Franklin writes them to endure. Her latest single, After the Storm, is a powerful reflection on chronic pain, mental health and the quiet resilience required to keep moving through life’s darkest moments. Wrapped in sweeping ’80s-inspired production and striking Australian Gothic visuals, the song balances theatrical beauty with emotional honesty, never allowing one to overshadow the other. Every frame of the accompanying music vid

Pop music has always been brilliant at disguising emotional devastation behind irresistible melodies. Scarlet understands that better than most. Her debut single, teen movies, is filled with glossy hooks, shimmering synth-pop and the kind of chorus that feels instantly familiar. But beneath its bright exterior sits a remarkably honest exploration of infatuation, heartbreak and the messy process of growing up. Rather than romanticising young love, Scarlet examines the stories

Some songs are about getting somewhere. Highway 31 is about everything that happens along the way. For Michigan songwriter Todd Stephen, the open road isn’t simply a backdrop for another country song. It’s a place where memories are made, families reconnect, and the ordinary moments of life become the ones worth remembering. Drawing from decades of performing, songwriting and his career as a paramedic, Stephen writes with the understanding that happiness rarely arrives throug

Electronic music often asks you to lose yourself. Rupert Leonard asks you to find yourself somewhere inside the noise. On the surface, onetwentyfive is an atmospheric, club-driven electronic track, pulsing with momentum and restless energy. But beneath its textured production lies something far more personal. Inspired by Rupert’s experience with psychosis, the song explores perception, delusion and the unsettling feeling that the world is speaking in codes. It’s a record that

Some artists write songs about places. Alex Moran writes songs that seem to carry places inside them. As Quiet as a Mouse, Moran has spent years moving between countries, cities and identities, from London to Leamington Spa, Edinburgh to Brisbane. That journey has left its fingerprints all over his music. His songs are filled with memories, near-misses, old relationships, fleeting moments and the strange emotional pull of places that continue to feel like home long after you’

Protest songs have always occupied a strange place in music. At their best, they challenge power, question accepted truths and force uncomfortable conversations. At their worst, they can become slogans disguised as art. Rich Webb & The Liars avoid that trap entirely. On their latest single, Peace With Bombs (No No No), the Melbourne outfit delivers something far more compelling: a protest song rooted not in ideology, but in humanity. Led by songwriter Rich Webb and backed by

In an era where attention spans are shrinking and authenticity often feels in short supply, I.D. is creating music that slows things down and asks listeners to lean in. A rapper, poet and storyteller from Melbourne, his work sits at the intersection of soul, memory and lived experience, drawing inspiration from hip-hop’s golden era while carrying the warmth and humanity of artists like The Roots, J. Cole and Leon Bridges. But I.D.’s story begins long before his own. As a firs