Every week, Rolling Stone AU/NZ rounds up our favourite Australian music releases from the past seven days.
Catch up on previous coverage on BIG WETT, Jermango Dreaming, Peking Duk, Gut Health, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, and Oliver Cronin, and check out fresh highlights from BARKAA, PEPTALK, Jerome Blazé, Devaura, Stocker, and James Ellis below.
BARKAA – BIG TIDDA
BARKAA caps off a stellar month with her eagerly-awaited EP, BIG TIDDA. Hot off her Artist of the Year win at the 2024 NIMAs, the rapper and artist will be touring the country from September to November.
“BIG TIDDA is a celebration of blak joy, the importance of blak love and just feeling yourself,” BARKAA shares.
“I showcased my culture with Blak Matriarchy, but with BIG TIDDA, I am taking you for a walk through the streets where I grew up – the Housing Commission estates of Southwest Sydney. The message behind the record is to have fun.”
PEPTALK, Montaigne, “Your World”
“I want to do my best to be who I am / While you were on a quest to not give a damn,” Phoebe Sinclair of PEPTALK declares on “Your World.” This playful alt-pop track, featuring ARIA winner Montaigne, channels the frustration of dealing with someone who just doesn’t listen. “F*ck if I don’t fit in,” she asserts, making her point loud and clear.
Jerome Blazé – “Emerge (For Sarah)”
Sydney artist Jerome Blazé drops “Emerge (For Sarah),” the final single from his album Living Room. This soothing ambient track was originally crafted to comfort his partner when she was ill.
“Years later I rediscovered the track and it just felt like it captured a real moment in time,” says Blazé.
Devaura – “Kamikaze”
Fresh Aussie hip-hop from Sydney’s Devaura, who delivers a fiery blend of heavy production and raps with a flow reminiscent of Nicki Minaj.
Stocker – “Into Me”
Brisbane artist Stocker drops her latest experimental pop single “Into Me,” a track for your “psycho exes.” Following her debut Lip Locked EP, Stocker will perform at BIGSOUND in Brisbane this week.
Stocker says, “Were you crazy or were you DRIVEN crazy? ‘Into Me’ should be relieving for the psycho exes. As far as I’m concerned, if a man tells you all his exes went off the rails, there’s a common denominator there… and it’s not you, babe.”
James Ellis – “Lonely, Sad and Blue”
Country artist James Ellis taps into his honky tonk roots with this new single, which, despite it’s melancholy title, is a real toe-tapper. It’s the second taste of his upcoming album, The Party Might Be Over.
Donatachi – Ascension
Wrapping up our roundup is Donatachi’s new Ascension EP, a whirlwind of elastic hyper-pop and hard-hitting dance beats from the Sydney producer.
