Every week, Rolling Stone AU/NZ brings you the best new sounds from Australian artists.
Catch up on our past coverage of Spacey Jane, Calum Hood, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Hilltop Hoods.
Here’s what else you might have missed last week:
Charlie Collins – “Transactional Deal”
“Transactional Deal” is the first new music we’ve heard from Charlie Collins since her much-loved 2022 album Undone. Recorded at Auckland’s Roundhead Studios with Neil Finn and Steve Schram, the track also had Tom Iansek (Big Scary, #1 Dads) on mixing duties. It’s a beautiful, gently propulsive song – full of the same honesty that made fans fall for her 2019 breakout Snowpine.
“I’m not one to shy away from confrontation when it comes to stuff like this,” Collins says. “I want to encourage women in particular to be bold and talk about the uncomfortable, we can also be real and raw with this and say it how it is.”
She’ll celebrate the release with a one-off show in Sydney on Friday, May 9th at Paddington Uniting Church. Tickets are on sale now.
Meres – “Quiet Australians”
“Quiet Australians” is the second single from the Tasmania quartet’s upcoming debut album Worried Sick. It’s got all the grit, heart, and existential dread they’re known for.
Frontwoman Mary Shannon explains:“’Quiet Australians’ is part satire, part emotional survival strategy. It’s about caring too much and not enough at the same time — and overthinking both. Also, everything is your fault, baby – so enjoy the ride you’ve been strapped to against your will, ‘cause it ain’t stoppin’!”
Chillinit – “Puff Puff Pass”
Chillinit’s just dropped a surprise track and video called “Puff Puff Pass”- no promo, no big lead-up, just something for his chillers and day one fans.
“No promo, just a surprise drop for my chillers and day ones,” he says. “The clip takes a walk through the many eras of my life, dialling in on the bars with a smooth beat and that ’90s sound.”
Creature Fear – “My Girl’s a Dream But She Only Loves Jesus”
Creature Fear kick off 2025 with a title you won’t forget. “My Girl’s a Dream But She Only Loves Jesus” is quirky and existential and sees the Naarm crew stick to their retro-pop-meets-garage-rock guns. It arrives with news of a single launch show at Melbourne’s The Gem on May 10.
Robert Baxter – STARGIRL
Robert Baxter has dropped their STARGIRL EP – described as “feminine, gay, emotional, danceable, sexy and playful.” In other words, a full-on pop fantasy.
“I still mix in elements from other genres, RnB, jersey beat, jungle etc – but overall I’m making POP music,” says Baxter. “There is this sort of prejudice around pop music in the music industry, it stems from misogyny. I think STARGIRL is my true self, and it’s not just for me.”
ONEFOUR – “Family”
Aussie drill titans ONEFOUR have dropped the latest single from their long-awaited debut album. Built on an old-school, horn-heavy beat, the Mount Druitt crew use the track to shift focus – from past controversies to the tight-knit brotherhood forged through struggle and survival.
“It’s for those who want more,” they say. “The ones who wake up and know they’re destined for greatness, no matter what obstacles they face. It’s a message of hope, a letter to the pain and a welcome to a better future that has no boundaries.”
Za Noon – “Furnace”
Za Noon is the solo project of Melbourne’s Jess Zanoni, frontwoman of alt-rock band Arbes. Her new single “Furnace” follows the dreamy alt-pop of “Beg”, but leans further into alt-rock. It’s a sharp, layered track that shows off her range and versatility.
Sonic Reducer – “NEEDLES”
Canberra punk outfit Sonic Reducer have announced their new EP SQUEEZE, set to land in June. Leading the charge is “NEEDLES” – a rugged love letter to the music that raised them.
“SQUEEZE is a collection of songs that attempt to convey the intangible and specific feelings we and other young people feel,” the band says. “The songs are vulnerable, but never self-serious; they are self-conscious, but never pity-seeking.”
As for “NEEDLES”? It’s their ode to influence: “How it’s possible to see the line that runs through all music that has shaped lives — no matter how different the Sex Pistols and The Beatles may seem”.
bella amor – “white rabbit”
Gold Coast singer-songwriter bella amor is back with her sweet, loved-up single “white rabbit”, produced by Alice Ivy.
“‘white rabbit’ is about loving someone more than life and not knowing how else to say that other than through a song,” amor says. “I wrote white rabbit after hanging out with my partner and I was just in a world of good overwhelm and love, so I wrote my feelings out. I recorded it with Alice Ivy and we both had an absolute blast turning up”
