Stay up to date with all the Australian music releases from last week with Rolling Stone AU/NZ’s weekly roundup.
Check out the best new music from Aussie acts released last week below!
Bumpy – “Feel Good”
Soul artist and proud Noongar woman Bumpy’s new single “Feel Good” is a breath of fresh air, exploring outward connection and embracing what’s around her. It’s the latest single off her long-awaited debut album Kanana, which translated from Noongar means “lands where the sunsets.”
Alison Wonderland – “PSYCHO”
The fourth single from Alison Wonderland’s upcoming album Ghost World, out October 3rd, “PSYCHO” features vocals from Erick the Architect. Describing the song, she says: “This is a huge collaboration with some of my favourite people in the industry. This song is insane. I can’t believe the label let me make it a single. Trap over everything.”
Tame Impala – “Loser”
Tame Impala’s latest funk-laden psych-pop single “Loser” is most notable for its accompanying music video. Directed by Sam Kristofski, the clip stars Stranger Things actor Joe Keery, otherwise known as musician Djo.
Just one day after dropping the single, Kevin Parker’s band announced their new album, Deadbeat, out October 17th.
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Hatchie – “Lose It Again”
The first taste of Hatchie’s upcoming album Liquorice comes in the single “Lose It Again”, which marks a confident new direction for her. Co-written with Jeremy McLennan, the track is paired with a lovingly lo-fi ’90s-inspired music video directed by longtime collaborator and partner Joe Agius.
“This album feels like the culmination of everything I’ve wanted to do with this project since I first started it,” Hatchie says. “I focused on the finer details of the trajectory of love found and lost, inspired by my favourite tragic romance films. I’ve never felt more aligned with an album and can’t wait to share the experience with everyone.”
The Living End – “Misery”
“Misery” is the fourth single off The Living End’s highly anticipated album out September 26th, their first in eight years, I Only Trust Rock n Roll.
Frontman Chris Cheney describes “Misery” as a turning point. “’Misery’ is like a big sigh of relief. It’s about kicking bad habits, shedding negativity and toxic people. That realisation and uplifting feeling of turning your life around and choosing a positive path to walk,” he says.
“I’ve made my fair share of questionable decisions which have derailed me but like most people, I’m still making mistakes and learning everyday. That’s life. The bit that becomes clearer as you get older is that life is just too damn short to spend it being miserable.”
Baker Boy – “THICK SKIN”
“THICK SKIN”, another taste of Baker Boy’s upcoming album, emerged from his response to the 2023 Indigenous Voice Referendum and the racism it exposed within Australian society. The single features a powerhouse Blak choir comprising Thelma Plum, Emma Donovan, Kee’ahn, and Jada Weazel, creating an anthem of survival and solidarity.
“It wasn’t anger at the result as much, I think it was the way mob became a topic of conversation and mottos like ‘if you don’t know vote no’ encouraging ignorance,” he explains. “It highlighted the everyday experience of being Yolŋu, being Indigenous in this country, and that hit me hard.”
G Flip – Dream Ride
Inspired by an “’80s Butch Springsteen fantasy”, G Flip’s third studio album Dream Ride embodies so much musicality — larger-than-life theatrics, bright colours, epic solos, huge drum tones, and a sonic landscape that feels like a movie.
To celebrate the release, G Flip also dropped a music video for “Bed on Fire”. The track sees them tackle “the angst I grew up feeling going to Catholic school, having my first experience with a woman, and being like, ‘I’m bloody high off this love I’m having for someone that I shouldn’t.'”
John Butler – PRISM
PRISM is Butler’s tenth studio album, and the third instalment in his ongoing “Four Season” rollout, which began with a meditation album (Running River) and an instrumental release (Still Searching). It blends personal storytelling with a groove-driven sound that features guitars, layered percussion, and expansive choruses.
It was created in collaboration with producer James Ireland (POND, San Cisco), with the pair sharing both instrumental and production duties on the project.
Lotte Gallagher – “Showdown”
Off her second EP, Blasé Vengeance, out October 24th, Lotte Gallagher’s “Showdown” is a slow-burning anthem steeped in heartbreak. The sweet single, co-written with New Zealand songwriter and producer Harry Charles, highlights a softer side to the indie star.
“It’s not a happy song…its feeling like you have nothing else to give, but still feeling so unsure and responsible for them – everything feels so bad it almost doesn’t feel real,” she says.
The Belair Lip Bombs – “Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair)”
Following lead single, “Hey You”, The Belair Lip Bombs’ “Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair)” is a grooving mid-tempo rocker which urges the listener to say whatever they need to say with their full chest.
The four-piece — Maisie Everett, Mike Bradvica, Jimmy Droughton, and Daniel “Dev” Devlin — pull you in immediately with their self-coined “yearn-core” combination of quick-footed rhythms, warm and fuzzy guitar melodies, and Everett’s cathartic vocals.
Cut Copy – Moments
Cut Copy’s new album, their first in five years, sees the Melbourne-born group return with their synth-heavy sound forged during the early noughties. Having previously released singles “Solid”, “Still See Love”, and “When This Is Over”, Moments also features a collaboration with American folk singer-songwriter Kate Bollinger on “Belong to You”.
South Summit – “TOP OF THE HILL”
South Summit’s latest single has exploded across airwaves and playlists, earnings plays from triple j, Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon. The music video for “TOP OF THE HILL” has also been released, directed by Brendan Cecich, which sees the five-piece hurling themselves down the steep slopes of the Kalamunda Hills, in their own chaotic take on the famous cheese roll race.
Vance Joy – “Divine Feelings”
Vance Joy has stepped back into the spotlight with “Divine Feelings”, the opening half of a double A-side, “Divine Feelings”/”Fascination in the Dark”, dropping this October. It’s a beautiful track about first crossing paths with someone truly monumental, an ode to the head rush of a life-changing connection. It’s a theme that carries particular weight for the Melbourne-born songwriter, who in 2019 met his now-wife while wandering Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter.
An homage to a modern-day, Aussie Bonnie and Clyde, the song’s accompanying music video, directed by Bill ‘W.A.M’ Bleakley, follows actors Erana James and Tom Wilson through outback Australia.
J Emz – “Leader Freestyle”
J Emz, the force behind rap group ONEFOUR, has made his solo debut with “Leader Freestyle”, a gritty, unfiltered release that carves out a bold new lane for the artist. It’s been built around a bittersweet sample from UK electronica band Sub Motion Orchestra, and is both a lyrical vent and a declaration of intent.
Fanny Lumsden – “Look at Me Now”
Ten years have passed since Fanny Lumsden debuted with her ARIA Award-nominated album Small Town Big Shot, and it’s a journey chronicled in the lyrics of her latest single, “Look at Me Now”. Recorded on the road in the midst of her Europe tour with her live band The Prawn Stars, Lumsden says the song is a love letter to her younger self.
The Vasco Era – “Away”
“Away” is The Vasco Era finding a way to stay curious, to break new ground, and to keep listeners guessing. The third single from their forthcoming LP I Don’t Mind, out September 19th, it’s a clear departure for the band, blending arpeggiated synths, processed beats, and yearning falsetto vocals.
The Raymond Scott-Walker directed music video transports the viewer into the song’s sonic realm – a hypnotic, analogue-processed, VHS style visualiser that conjures a familiar longing.
Chris Lanzon – “Yo-Yo (It All Comes Back to You)”
Chris Lanzon’s latest was co-written with Jim Alxnder and Oliver Beard during a jam session and recorded live the same day. That spontaneity is felt in the performance: it’s playful on the surface yet anchored by a gritty drum loop and bass line. Chris describes it as “Paul Simon meets Mk.gee,” a marriage of warm indie folk sensibilities with modern alternative textures.
The single marks the beginning of a new chapter for Lanzon, with his debut album You’re Missing the Best Part due for release on November 28th.
2charm – “boyfriend”
New club/pop act 2charm have debuted their single “boyfriend”, a slick, hyperpop-laced tease of heart-pumping beats, guitar synths, and pitched out vocal hooks that are inescapably danceable. Produced by Ninajirachi, the track is flirty from every angle, with an addictive playfulness.
The Kid LAROI – “A COLD PLAY”
The Kid LAROI’s latest single finds him at his most emotionally vulnerable yet, delivering heartfelt lyrics over another earworm hook. It immediately stirred speculation that it was inspired by his rumoured split with fellow pop star Tate McRae, with its clearly raw and heartfelt lyrics.
