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There’s a strong sense on this EP of adulthood being peeled back, almost like you’re trying to get back to something lighter or more instinctive. How intentional was that in the writing?
I truly believe that a song quietly draws on our subconscious as it is being written, the melody, the rhythm, and the words alike. Without realizing it, I imprinted a carbon copy of the state of my soul onto these very latest songs. And when I listen to them again, it seems they call for a return to the naive and magnificent enthusiasm I felt as a teenager. So no, it wasn’t intentional, but what a great surprise!
Do you feel like this record is exposing things you might have kept buried earlier in life, or is it more like you’ve stepped into a completely new chapter and left that framing behind?
Events, people, and places have shaped who I am. It took me time to navigate life’s challenges, to learn to express my feelings, and to sort through them, so that I could finally do justice to these people and places in my writing, and thus pay tribute to them through this record. I owed them this music. I must admit that I also owed it to myself.
That idea of bottling a very specific moment in 1989, those couple of hours, how do you even begin to translate something that precise and fleeting into sound without it becoming abstract?
Music has that power: the power to evoke a scent, a memory, an indelible emotion, without trying to replicate it. In the middle of the summer of 1989, at just 15 years old, I deliberately slipped away from my parents’ watchful eyes and left the hotel to stride proudly up 7th Avenue, my Sony Sports Walkman on my ears. I was from a tiny town in southwestern France; imagine what a huge shock it was! The world was mine for two hours. You never forget a moment like that. And like a junkie, I’ve spent my whole life looking for a way to relive it. It was definitely worth a song. I dedicate “Manhattan 89” to that fearless kid we all used to be, the one we should never let be silenced within ourselves.
“Terry” has its own emotional weight, especially knowing you sent it to Terry Reid while he was still alive and unwell. When he responded, what stayed with you most, and did it change what the song meant to you after that?
Terry Reid was a genius, a tremendous artist, and a wonderful man. He was a giant, and yet instead of intimidating you, he gave you wings. In fact, he was the first to give me wings. I was lucky enough to work with him, to get to know him and his loved ones well, until we became friends. We even had plans to work on his new album together.
I wrote and recorded this song, “Terry,” before he became seriously ill last year, and I sent it to him a month before he passed away. It was absolutely essential that he heard it, that he knew, through the music, that I loved him and that I was grateful to him. He was very moved by it, just as I still am right now as I am answering your question.
“Terry” has become a bridge between us, the kind of bridge we hope will last forever. Music can do that, too.
There’s also this quiet thread of your grandmother running through the record, not overt, but always there. Did that presence shift how you approached tone or instrumentation at all, even subconsciously?
As for the track “So Long,” the image of my grandmother immediately came to mind as soon as I played the first few chords on the piano. She passed away a long time ago now. But I can still feel her presence. Especially in moments of uncertainty, when the coin could land either way. She still helps me, just as she always did.
During the last years of her life, I wasn’t there for her as I should have been. Today, I am finally engraving my love for her.
And then you’re in the Hotel Chelsea, recording piano in a space that already carries so much history. Do you feel like the room dictated anything in the performance, or were you trying to shut that out completely?
It happened one day in the summer of 2024 in New York (much like a certain summer of ’89). My girlfriend and I had decided to visit the Hotel Chelsea, where so many legends and artists of all kinds had lived for decades. The hotel was still under renovation, but we were able to go inside.
You might think I’m crazy, but I immediately sensed something unusual; I could almost hear whispers coming down the monumental staircase. At the end of the hallway stood an old upright piano. I sat down at it, mechanically, naturally. The hallways were empty. Well, empty, not really.
I really felt a peaceful presence right over my shoulder, guiding my hands across the keyboard. So I started playing, improvising some chords and a melody, while my girlfriend was filming the scene. The piano you hear on the track “Hotel Chelsea” is the very same piano recorded inside the Hotel Chelsea that day, perhaps with a little help from some friendly ghosts…
You’ve moved between some pretty different worlds sonically and geographically, Iceland, Nashville, Paris, New York. At what point do those places stop being “influences” and start becoming part of the actual writing process?
Ever since I was a child, I’ve always felt the need to set out on adventures. I grew up surrounded by nature, with the ocean on one side and the forest on the other, between two endless horizons. The need to discover what lay at the far end of each has always driven me.
And then music became my vehicle, almost my excuse, to go further and bring back a personal and unique souvenir: an album, a song, a lesson learned, a story.
The shift between recording in Paris with Antoine Delecroix and then finishing in New York with Fred Kevorkian, did that distance help clarify the emotional tone of the record, or complicate it?
It felt very natural and rewarding. This record needed to go through that journey to refine itself. Antoine and I created the sound, and Fred took it to the next level. We always come back from an epic trip better than before, and so does the music.
Your last EP, the first chapter of La Vie, set a very specific emotional frame. Where does this second part sit in relation to it, is it answering it, breaking away from it, or something else entirely?
Since it’s sung in English this time, “La Vie Side B” is more like a postcard you send to yourself from a faraway land. It is both hopeful and nostalgic. When you receive it, it makes you feel good. And later, when you read it again, it feels the same.
And on a simpler note, what’s it like knowing people are connecting so deeply to something you’ve deliberately kept so quiet and restrained?
It’s magical. It’s rare and fragile. It’s what AI tries to replicate every day, with no real chance of ever truly succeeding. We live, we suffer, we pick ourselves up, we write to feel better, and if it’s sincere, if it’s human, if it’s the fruit of our own labor, and if the stars align, then maybe the music manages to touch someone else.
It happens to me sometimes, and it fills me with joy and gratitude every single time.
Tracklisting
Manhattan 89 (4:35)
Terry (3:35)
So Long (2:32)
Hotel Chelsea (2:05)
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Photo by Masahiro Handa
Legendary musician, producer, and composer Haruomi Hosono signs to Ghostly International and announces a new album, Yours Sincerely due Sept 11th. Hosono’s work has shaped pop, indie, and electronic music and beyond globally for over five decades, predicting entire lanes of music before they existed. Frieze has proclaimed him as “probably the most significant artist in the history of Japanese popular music.” Now at the age of 78, Hosono is entering his next chapter with his 23rd studio album. PRE-ORDER HERE
Ever-pushing his inventive songcraft, Hosono shares, “I am now 78 years old, but from here on, I feel a growing curiosity toward the unknown music that my new self will create, while also embracing the music of my former self—as if I now carry two musical worlds within me.”
Yours Sincerely was shaped over two years. Hosono shares, “It started with a simple question: how do you express the Japanese ideas of omoiyari (思い遣り), jihi (慈悲), or boseiai (母性愛) in English? I searched, but no word felt quite right. Each came close, yet carried a slightly different nuance. Perhaps the nearest was ‘compassion.’ It is often translated as ‘omoiyari’ in Japanese, but its original meaning is ‘to suffer together.’ It tends to carry a sense of sympathy or pity—something that feels distinct from the Japanese sense of omoiyari. In Japanese, omoiyari also includes the feeling of ‘rejoicing together.’ In that sense, it may even seem like the opposite. The perspective, the emotional angle—subtly but fundamentally different. For that reason, I chose not to use ‘compassion.’ Instead, I turned to a more familiar word often used to close a letter: ‘Sincerely.’”
Across arrangements spanning tender, exploratory folk and bubbling avant-pop, Hosono contemplates a maternal force that envelops the Earth, “humanity’s understanding of the unconditional love possessed by those who give us life,” he says. Songs tap into a collective current, the “deeply buried instincts—maternal compassion and mercy, things we rarely engage with in our daily lives.
Shaped by mid-century American music, Hosono‘s work now reverberates back through a new generation of Western artists—a remarkable circular exchange. Hosono has been cited by an acclaimed list of contemporary artists, including Mac DeMarco, Cameron Winter, Ginger Root, Vampire Weekend, and Harry Styles. Harry Styles named his chart-topping 2022 album Harry’s House directly after HOSONO HOUSE (1973), Mac DeMarco has called him his “hero,” and Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig sampled his work on the Grammy-winning Father of the Bride.
A founding member of Happy End and Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), Hosono helped establish Japanese-language rock in the 1970s and pioneered electronic music with YMO—whose 1979 album Solid State Survivor topped the Japanese Album Chart, sold over two million copies, and became foundational to synth-pop, techno, and hip-hop.
Hosono is also announcing The Yours Sincerely Tour in North America this September, headlining Radio City Music Hall in NY and the Greek Theatre in LA as his first US shows in seven years. Toro y Moi will support both performances. Artist presale begins on Tuesday, May 26th, at 10am local time. To gain access, pre-order from ghostly.com. General on sale begins on Friday, May 29th, at 10am local time on livenation.com.
HARUOMI HOSONO
Yours Sincerely
out Sep 11 via Ghostly International
PRE-SAVE/PRE-ORDER HERE
TRACKLIST
Note of Mothership
Sincerely
Ayurveda
M for Mandala
Rojiura
Happy Holiday
To a Wild Rose
Humming “Dream of Love”
Figlio Perduto
Anemo Wheel
US TOUR DATES
* = with Toro y Moi
Sep 16 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall*
Sep 20 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre*
Stay connected with Haruomi Hosono:
23 Profile | Instagram | X | YouTube
Photo: Josh Sabini
Swapmeet unveil new single and video ‘2 C U’. Hot off a sold out Sydney headline and triple j playlist addition, the group continue garnering anticipation for their debut album Mount Zero, set to arrive on JULY 17 via Winspear. LISTEN + WATCH ‘2 C U’ HERE + PRE-SAVE LP HERE + PRE-ORDER VINLY HERE.
A reflection of their forthcoming album’s themes of first loves, first heartbreaks, first embarrassments, first disasters, Swapmeet’s ‘2 C U’ harnesses the blistering mania of infatuation. They explain, “2 C U captures the excitement of wanting to see someone, the mindless things you think or do in anticipation, and how the nerves that follow cannot be controlled.” With infectious see-saw instrumentation and vocals fronted by Maxwell Elphick and Venus O’Broin, they acutely straddle impulse and desperation with the group’s mischievous nature.
WATCH: ‘2 C U’ (Official Video)
Mingling airy sweetness with jagged surrealism, Mount Zero transmutes so many of the regrets and uncertainties of young adulthood into a burgeoning, newfound confidence. Bottling the tooth-gritting intensity of feeling yourself change at the cellular level under reality’s unyielding pressures, it’s a tribute to all the lives that can never be lived, all the paths that will never be followed – and an ode to the one that lies just ahead, too.
Swapmeet set the year ablaze with their Winspear label signing and have not let up since. triple j playlisted single ‘I Know!’ would dominate across radio with over 100 spins in its debut week and the recent ‘Sand’ continues heaving across DPS’s. Marking the announcement of their debut album, the song claimed covers on Spotify’s Today’s Indie Rock and Indie Arrivals with over forty editorial playlist additions across platforms on release.
With each step Swapmeet’s legion of fans continue to snowball, shaping the imminent Mount Zero for one of the most anticipated releases of the year. Affirmed already by NME, Northern Transmissions, Stereogum, BrooklynVegan, Consequence, Dork, DIY, Paste, The Line Of Best Fit, So Young, BBC Radio 6, Apple Music, triple j, fbi.radio, 2SER, SiriusXMU to Rolling Stone, who shared, “These four friends from Australia were one of the buzziest international acts at this year’s SXSW, and they’re about to release an excellent debut album.”
SWAPMEET
Mount Zero LP
JULY 17 via Winspear
PRE-SAVE HERE + PRE-ORDER VINYL HERE
‘2 C U‘ is out now, buy/stream it here.
TRACKLIST
I Know!
Mount Zero
Bonny
Halfway
2 C U
Seeds
Sand
Personal (Don’t Take It)
My Heart Breaks II
TOUR DATES
Thu 11 Jun – Phoenix Central Park – Eora / Sydney
Sat 20 Jun – Against The Grain Festival – Magadjin / Brisbane
Tickets available at swapmeetband.com
Stay connected with Swapmeet:
23 Profile | Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Bandcamp | triple j Unearthed
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The Hills Are Alive Group present… |
OCEAN SOUNDS 2027 |
Saturday 9th January 2027 |
PHILLIP ISLAND, VICTORIA |
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MISSY HIGGINS THE LIVING END PETE MURRAY AND MORE ARE COMING TO PHILLIP ISLAND FOR OCEAN SOUNDS FESTIVAL ON SATURDAY JANUARY 9, 2027! |
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PRESALE TICKETS – ONSALE TUESDAY 9TH JUNE 8:30AM |
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GENERAL TICKETS – ONSALE WEDNESDAY 10TH JUNE 8:30AM |
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Soak up the sounds of summer and join us for picnic rugs, smiling friends, stunny local wines, gourmet food and some of Australia’s most amazing live music! |
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PRE-SALE TICKETS ONSALE GENERAL TICKETS ONSALE |
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SIGN UP FOR PRESALE AND WIN A HELICOPTER FLIGHT AND DELUXE ACCOMMODATION IN PHILLIP ISLAND |
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Register, share and earn points for your chance to WIN the ultimate Ocean Sounds Festival Weekend Festival Experience including: |
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Helicopter Flight for 2 people over Phillip Island 2 Festival Tickets to Ocean Sounds 2027 1 night of Accommodation at Silverwater Resort Gourmet Graze Farm to Plate Platter for 2 people Transport To and From the Festival |
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Hurry, registrations close at 5pm on June 8th. All entries receive Presale Access to tickets for Ocean Sounds Festival 2027. |
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A LOOK INTO OUR 2027 LINEUP… 🏆 Won a total of 17 ARIA Awards and 67 ARIA nominations 🎶 Over 1 BILLION streams between them 💯 And have been featured on triple j Hottest 100 a total of 38 times
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Following overwhelming demand during presale, Frontier Touring is thrilled to announce second shows have been added in both Melbourne and Sydney for multiple Academy Award® and GRAMMY®-winning composer Hans Zimmer, who returns to Australia this October with his visionary new arena production, Hans Zimmer Live – The Next Level.
In Melbourne, a second and final show has been added at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday 25 October, following the previously announced concert on Saturday 24 October.
Meanwhile, Sydney fans will now have two opportunities to experience his spectacular production, with a second show added at Qudos Bank Arena on Thursday 29 October, following Zimmer’s already announced performance on Wednesday 28 October.
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Performing alongside his powerhouse 19-piece live band and featuring the acclaimed vocals of Australian musician Lisa Gerrard among a world-class ensemble, Hans Zimmer Live – The Next Level has already captivated audiences across Europe, completing a run of 50 sold-out shows in 17 countries and performing to more than 600,000 fans.
From Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Dark Knight, Interstellar, Mission: Impossible, F1, The Lion King, Black Hawk Down, The Last Samurai and Dune, Zimmer’s extraordinary body of work has shaped some of cinema’s most iconic moments. Hans Zimmer’s extraordinary compositions have scored more than 500 projects across all mediums, which combined have grossed more than $28 billion at the worldwide box office. Zimmer has been honored with two Academy Awards®, three Golden Globes®, five Grammys®, an American Music Award, seven Emmy ® nominations and a Tony® nomination.
With demand already proving extraordinary, fans are encouraged to secure tickets early. Don’t miss Hans Zimmer Live – The Next Level this October.
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About Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer has scored more than 500 projects across all mediums, which combined grossed over $30 billion at the worldwide box office. He has been honored with two Academy Awards®, three Golden Globes®, five Grammys®, an American Music Award, seven Emmy ® nominations and a Tony® nomination.
Zimmer’s career highlights include Dune: Part One, Dune: Part Two, Interstellar, Top Gun: Maverick, No Time to Die, Gladiator, The Thin Red Line, As Good as It Gets, Rain Man, The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, Thelma & Louise, The Last Samurai, 12 Years a Slave, Blade Runner 2049 (co-scored with Benjamin Wallfisch) and Dunkirk. He also scored David Attenborough’s Prehistoric Planet, the final season of HBO MAX’s hit series Euphoria, and Joseph Kosinski’s F1, the highest-grossing sports film of all time, which earned him a Golden Globe® nomination. Upcoming, Zimmer will score the third part in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune franchise, releasing December 18.
His concert film Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert was released in cinemas worldwide in 2025. It features live performances of Zimmer’s most revered compositions, as well as conversations with his closest collaborators, including Billie Eilish, Sir Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve, Finneas, Jerry Bruckheimer, Johnny Marr, Pharrell Williams, Tanya Lapointe, Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya.
Beyond his award-winning compositions, Zimmer is a remarkably successful touring artist. He recently concluded his first North American and European Hans Zimmer Live tours. He has also performed in the Middle East, including two consecutive nights at Dubai’s renowned Coca-Cola Arena, as well as at Formula 1’s Singapore Grand Prix.
HANS ZIMMER LIVE – THE NEXT LEVEL
AUSTRALIA
OCTOBER 2026
Presented by Frontier Touring, Semmel Concerts and RCI Global
TICKETS ON SALE
Begins: Wednesday 3 June, 2pm (local time)
ALL SHOWS LICENSED ALL AGES
Monday 12 October
RAC Arena | Perth, WA
ticketek.com.au
Thursday 15 October
AEC Arena | Adelaide, SA
ticketek.com.au
Tuesday 20 October
Brisbane Entertainment Centre | Brisbane, QLD
ticketek.com.au
Saturday 24 October
Rod Laver Arena | Melbourne, VIC
ticketek.com.au
Sunday 25 October
NEW SHOW!
Rod Laver Arena | Melbourne, VIC
ticketek.com.au
Wednesday 28 October
Qudos Bank Arena | Sydney, NSW
ticketek.com.au
Thursday 29 October
NEW SHOW!
Qudos Bank Arena | Sydney, NSW
ticketek.com.au
Patrons are advised to purchase tickets only through authorised ticket sellers.
We cannot guarantee any ticket purchase made through any means other than the official ticketing agents listed on the Frontier website.
Julia Jacklin, trials
King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard
Confirmed for Artist in Conversations at BIGSOUND
NEW WAVE OF INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY GUESTS INCLUDE
BONNAROO, MOM+POP, PARTISAN RECORDS, PITCHFORK AND SOHO HOUSE
International guests confirmed for BIGSOUND 2026 – Partisan Records, Pitchfork, Bonnaroo, Soho House, MOM+POP (US), ROAM Artists (UK), Reeperbahn (GER), DMT Law Firm (US), Carpark Records (US), The Great Escape (UK), True Panther (US) and SXSW (US)
Artists In Conversations confirmed – Stu Mackenzie and Lucas Harwood (King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard), Julia Jacklin, and trials
Early Bird Tickets On Sale Now, Delegate Tickets from $699 – visit bigsound.org.au to take advantage, early bird offer ends Monday, 30 June 2026
Magandjin (Brisbane), Queensland – BIGSOUND is excited to announce esteemed international industry guests, as well as its first wave of Artist In Conversation for their 25th anniversary edition this September 1-4, 2026.
This year, BIGSOUND is focused on delivering more opportunities for delegates to connect directly with the global market, with an expanded focus on facilitated networking, conversations and meetings throughout the week. With more networking events than ever before, this year’s BIGSOUND aims to nurture meaningful connections, with the return of our roundtables, conversation corners, curated meetings, and bigger-better mixers. BIGSOUND is excited to bring an expertly curated and diverse program of networking events, panels and discussions to connect Australian artists and industry with international delegates; ranging from festivals, labels, sync, media, agents and more.
Bringing over a decade of experience from a massive career as part of one of Australia’s most prolific rock groups, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, delegates will have the chance to hear from Stu Mackenzie and Lucas Harwood as they reflect on their career. Taking the BIGSOUND stage in 2013, this Melbourne band caught the attention of punters and music industry alike, building momentum before catapulting into a career filled with a ton of music, massive wins and everything in between. With over 25 albums to their name, this globally known collective has remained steadfast in their creative vision and approach to art, leading them into the overseas market and becoming one of the most important bands of their generation.
Acclaimed songwriter and musician, Julia Jacklin also joins the BIGSOUND Artist in Conversation lineup; the multi ARIA Award nominee whose catalogue of striking alt-pop and indie music has won her a global audience made her first appearance at BIGSOUND in 2016 – just ahead of the release of her seminal debut album Don’t Let The Kids Win. Jacklin has become one of Australia’s finest songwriters and performers, known as a master of emotional storytelling – most recently evidenced on her ARIA-nominated album PRE PLEASURE. Jacklin has proven time and again her enduring talent, and has taken it to the world. In 2026, Jacklin returns to international stages, having signed her first-ever global record deal with 4AD, marking an exciting new chapter for the artist.
Award-winning Ngarrindjeri hip hop producer, composer and innovator, trials has been a driving force behind some of Australia’s most important projects. With funkoars, one of Australian hip hop’s most respected groups, and then with A.B. ORIGINAL, his powerful project with Yorta Yorta artist Briggs, trials is one of the country’s most important creatives. In 2026, trials has stepped out into the solo spotlight, releasing his long-awaited debut album hendle to widespread acclaim.
Included in today’s international guest announcement:
- Partisan Records – Chris Fraser (Head of A&R): joined Partisan in May 2025, working closely with label founder Tim Putnam in overseeing the current and future roster, helping to bring their creative vision to life. With offices in New York, London and Los Angeles, Partisan has signed Geese/Cameron Winter as well as Blondshell, and works with artists including IDLES, Cigarettes After Sex, PJ Harvey, Ezra Collective and Laura Marling; as well as launching the career of Fontaines D.C.
- Pitchfork – Nina Corcoran (Associate Staff Writer): Chicago-based, joined the staff team in 2021 after contributing to the website since 2015. She’s also written for Rolling Stone, Wired, NPR and Stereogum, and was previously the music editor of alt-weekly newspaper, DigBoston.
- Bonnaroo – Bryan Benson (Music Exec, Talent Buyer): Bryan Benson is a live music executive and talent buyer helping book and curate lineups for major festivals including Bonnaroo, Boston Calling, Railbird and High Water. Benson is also the Lead Buyer for Live Nation in Nashville, where he oversees bookings for venues across the city, including Bridgestone Arena, Ryman Auditorium, FirstBank Amphitheatre, Ascend Amphitheatre, and Live Nation’s new iconic room, The Truth.
- Mom+Pop Music – Thaddeus Rudd (Co-Owner): Thaddeus Rudd co-owns New York-based independent Mom+Pop Music alongside Michael Goldstone. With a roster spanning Magdalena Bay, Porter Robinson, Courtney Barnett, MGMT and Underscores, and a back catalogue including Flume and Tash Sultana to name a few, Mom+Pop is an independent label force to be reckoned with.
- Soho House London – Jessica Moss (Music Programming): Jessica Moss leads music programming at Soho House London, with over 100 events a month across the UK and Europe, working with a huge range of artists and genres from Skepta and the Wu-Tang Clan, to Honey Dijon, KAYTRANADA and Nubya Garcia.
Also included on today’s announcement, are representatives from some of the world’s most recognisable music festivals such as Director of SXSW Music, Dev Sherlock; Marie Robinson from The Great Escape; artist booker for MOJO in the Netherlands, Puck Stoelinga; Yuta Nomura, founder and organiser of CUEW Showcase & Conference in Shibuya, Tokyo, as well as the ONE MUSIC CAMP and ARIUFUJI Weekenders in Japan.
International label delegates announced for BIGSOUND today also include TBA Agency festivals agent Kyle Kernohan; BBC Radio 1 presenter and DJ Tara Kumar, and two representatives from India: Rafael Pereira from India International Music Week and Roydon Bangera from Skillbox.
“BIGSOUND has always been a place where real connections happen, and this year we’re focused on creating even more opportunities for Australian and New Zealand artists and industry to connect with each other and the global market. The program focuses on the conversations the industry is having right now — how the business is changing, how we stay ahead, and how Australian and New Zealand artists continue to grow on the global stage.” — Kristy Ellis, Interim CEO, QMusic
BIGSOUND 2026 will again feature the popular Roundtables, Conversation Corners, Artist Hub, Content House, Delegate Hub, and Goolwal Goolwal, (Yagara language for BIGSOUND) – BIGSOUND’s First Nations-led program bringing free cultural experiences by day and deadly tunes by night. Alongside these crowd favourites an expanded technology and partner showcase program will be launched in the coming months.
The full BIGSOUND program will launch in July, with early bird tickets on sale now – make sure you are subscribed and staying tuned to all official updates via the BIGSOUND website: www.bigsound.org.au/subscribe
QMusic is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts funding and advisory body.
About BIGSOUND
The biggest week in Australian music and largest music industry event in the Southern Hemisphere, BIGSOUND has been where the music industry does business for 25 years. Held annually in the sacred home and beating heart of Australia’s Live music scene – Fortitude Valley, Magandjin (Brisbane), BIGSOUND is four days and three nights of showcases, development, conversations and connections.
BIGSOUND is the place where managers find their next act, agents close touring deals, labels discover the artists that define the next generation, and where introductions made over a drink at the Artist Hub become the partnerships that shape careers. Part showcase, part conference, part pilgrimage for the Australian music industry and its global peers – BIGSOUND is a cultural moment that has helped launched and propelled the careers of artists including Flume, Tash Sultana, Tones and I, and Courtney Barnettt, and continues to attract the international music industry to Brisbane each September.
BIGSOUND 2026 | 1–4 September, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. Early bird tickets on sale now.
About QMusic
QMusic is the not-for-profit music industry peak body and development association for Queensland. The work of QMusic is critical to the success and development of Queensland’s music economy. It is the only significant and established not-for-profit organisation in Queensland dedicated to delivering sector and talent development, and recognition and capacity building initiatives including Industry Connect, the QMAs, and BIGSOUND.
For more information on BIGSOUND 2026 visit
BIGSOUND 2026 | 1 – 4 September Fortitude Valley Brisbane, QLD
INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY GUESTS – JUST ANNOUNCED
Bonnaroo (C3 Presents) – Bryan Benson (US)
CUEW / One Music Camp / Arifuji Weekenders – Yuta Nomura (JP)
India International Music Week – Rafael Pereira (IN)**
Mojo – Puck Stoelinga (NL)
Mom+Pop Music – Thaddeus Rudd (US)
Pitchfork – Nina Corcoran (US)
Partisan Records – Chris Fraser (UK)
Skillbox – Roydon Bangera (IN)
Soho House – Jessica Moss (UK)
TBA Agency – Kyle Kernohan (US)
** delivered in partnership with Sounds Australia and Consul General to Mumbai
INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY GUESTS – ALREADY ANNOUNCED
Bandcamp – Mariana Timony (US)
Carpark Records – Steph Salas (US)
DMT Law Firm – David Telfer (US)
Hellfest – Christie Medina-Gonzalez (FR)
Low Profile – Carole Ann Vetter (US)
Reeperbahn – Patrick Daniel (GER)
ROAM Artists – Lucy Atkinson (UK)
Rough Trade Retail – Nigel House (UK)
Sziget – Márk Bónal (Hungary)
SXSW – Dev Sherlock (US)
The Great Escape – Marie Robinson (UK)
True Panther – Kelley Lin (US)
TICKET PRICING
EARLY BIRD DELEGATE TICKETS ON SALE NOW
FULL DELEGATE EXPERIENCE – Full Price $899
Early Bird Offer (ends 30 June)
$699 / QMusic Subscribers & Reciprocal Members $649
Join the waitlist for festival tickets.
*Concession and youth pricing is available by request. Prices are subject to change and platform booking/processing fees
LUUDE TOUR KICKS OFF THIS WEEKEND
This is it. Luude’s Australian return lands this Saturday, and tickets are nearly gone across all cities.
SET TIMES
Here’s how the nights look:
Sat 6 June, 2026 | Eora/Sydney
7:00pm – Doors and Foura
9:00pm – Charlie Shell B2B Prizefight
11:00pm – Luude
Sat 13 June, 2026 | Boorloo/Perth
7:00pm – Doors and Charlie Shell B2B Prizefight
9:00pm – Foura
11:00pm – Luude
Fri 26 June, 2026 | Tarntanya/Adelaide
7:00pm – Doors and Charlie Shell B2B Prizefight
9:00pm – Foura
11:00pm – Luude
Fri 26 June, 2026 | Meanjin/Brisbane
7:00pm – Doors and Foura
9:00pm – Charlie Shell B2B Prizefight
11:00pm – Luude
Sat 4 July, 2026 | Naarm/Melbourne
7:00pm – Doors and Foura
9:00pm – Charlie Shell B2B Prizefight
11:00pm – Luude
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Photo: BRTHR
Critically acclaimed singer and producer Joji surprise-releases the Deluxe edition of his fourth studio album Piss In The Wind, out now via Palace Creek.The Deluxe version expands the album’s sonic world with 9 additional tracks, featuring collaborations with The Kid LAROI, Yeat, Anyma, and Corbin. For longtime fans, the Deluxe also includes two highly sought-after, previously unreleased demos: ‘DYKILY (2017 Demo Version)‘ and ‘FTC‘. LISTEN HERE.
Deluxe highlight ‘Bluffin” features The Kid LAROI, pairing the Australian singer-rapper with Joji‘s glitched-out vocals over bright, pulsing production from Sam Homaee, BNYX, and 1SRAEL. The Deluxe also packages recently released collaborations with Yeat (‘Back Home‘) and Anyma (‘Beautiful‘), further showcasing the breadth of Joji‘s sound.
Later this month, Joji kicks off his international SOLARIS TOUR with dates spanning North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Joji will take the stage at major arenas around the world, including Prudential Center, Barclays Center, Intuit Dome, The O2, and more on this Live Nation-promoted tour. The SOLARIS TOUR marks Joji‘s most ambitious production to date and features a setlist packed with his biggest hits, from ‘Glimpse of Us‘ to ‘SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK‘. The tour will also mark the first-ever live performances of songs from Piss In The Wind, bringing this next chapter to life on stage for the very first time.
The North American leg of the SOLARIS TOUR will be supported by Nate Sib and Corbin. The Europe and Australia/New Zealand legs will be supported by Tommy Richman. For tickets and the latest updates, fans can visit Joji‘s website HERE.
Released in February via Palace Creek, Piss In The Wind bridges Joji‘s sonic past and present, balancing melancholic, brooding songwriting with gritty yet atmospheric production. An expansive 21-track record with vivid creative direction, it stands as a fully realised artistic statement — one that lets the music speak for itself. The album features collaborations with Giveon, 4batz, Yeat, and Don Toliver.
Upon release, Piss In The Wind debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200, #1 on Indie Store Album Sales, and #1 on both the Current Alternative Albums and Current Pop Albums charts in the U.S. The album also reached new chart heights globally, with Top 10 debuts in Australia (#3), the UK (#6, a new peak), Germany (#4, a new peak), and the Netherlands (#9, a new peak), as well as his highest-ever chart debuts in France, Belgium, Italy, and beyond.
Piss In The Wind (Deluxe) LP is out now, buy/stream here
AU/NZ TOUR DATES
Wed 11 Nov – Brisbane Entertainment Centre – Brisbane, AU
Sat 14 Nov – Qudos Bank Arena – Sydney, AU
Tue 17 Nov – Rod Laver Arena – Melbourne, AU
Thu 19 Nov – Spark Arena – Auckland, NZ
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There’s a certain kind of nostalgia that doesn’t simply look backwards—it illuminates the present. On La Vie Side B, French indie songwriter INDOLORE invites listeners into that space, uncovering the hidden half of life where vulnerability, memory, longing and wonder quietly coexist.
Released today, June 5, La Vie Side B is a four-track collection that feels less like a continuation and more like a rediscovery. It explores the moments we often keep to ourselves: the people we still love, the places we miss, the dreams we once carried so effortlessly, and the innocence that somehow survives beneath adulthood’s layers.
“This is the B-side of our lives,” explains Indolore. “The side where we feel vulnerable, where we want so badly to dare. To dare to tell the people and places we loved that we will always love them, that we miss them terribly.”
It’s a powerful concept, one that transforms the traditional idea of a “B-side” into something deeply personal. Rather than discarded material or alternate takes, La Vie Side B represents the emotional undercurrents of existence—the memories and feelings that continue to shape us long after we’ve moved on.
At the heart of the EP sits the irresistible new single “Manhattan 89”, accompanied by a striking new video. Equal parts dream sequence and time capsule, the track channels the neon-lit romance of the late 1980s through Indolore’s distinctive lens of reflective melancholy. Weird, sexy, cinematic and unapologetically nostalgic, it has all the ingredients to become one of this summer’s most memorable slow-dance anthems.
The song is rooted in a vivid personal memory.
“I dedicate this track to my teenage self, a young French boy who, in the summer of 1989, slipped away from his parents’ watchful eye to enjoy the most exciting two hours of his life in the heart of New York City. Well done kid, you deserve it!”
That blend of autobiography and universal longing gives “Manhattan 89” its emotional resonance. It captures the feeling of standing on the threshold of possibility, when every street corner feels like the beginning of an adventure and the world seems infinitely larger than yourself.
The EP follows the moving single “Terry,” a tribute to the late Terry Reid, whom Indolore considered both a friend and an idol. Together, the songs form a collection that balances grief, gratitude, remembrance and hope with remarkable grace.
Tracklisting
Manhattan 89 (4:35)
Terry (3:35)
So Long (2:32)
Hotel Chelsea (2:05)
Known offstage as Guillaume Simon, Indolore has built an impressive global audience through understated honesty rather than grand gestures. Drawing on a luminous melancholy shaped by his Irish heritage, he creates intimate acoustic landscapes where delicate guitar and piano arrangements support his soothing vocal delivery.
With more than five million streams across Spotify and Apple Music, Indolore’s success has been quietly earned—one heartfelt song at a time. La Vie Side B continues that journey, offering listeners a chance to reconnect with forgotten parts of themselves.
Perhaps that’s the EP’s central question: what if the things we’ve been searching for all along were waiting on the other side? Not at the end of the story, but at the beginning.
Stream – La Vie Side B
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Rising electronic producer/DJ Arky Waters continues a prolific run toward his highly anticipated debut album – which is set for release on July 2nd (presave) – with the release of his most daring single to date, ‘Just’.
Following the success of club-heavy hitters like ‘Run It Up’ and ‘OMG’, Arky Waters pivots away from the formulaic to deliver a track defined by intentional disorder.
‘Just’ is a masterclass in controlled chaos. Moving away from the polished grooves of traditional tech-house and breakbeat, the track leans into a high-tension, experimental landscape. By intentionally placing snares in irregular patterns and deploying “out of time” vocal chops, Waters creates a sonic environment that feels both urgent and unpredictable. It is a stark departure that showcases his evolution from a club-focused producer to a boundary-pushing artist.
Reflecting on the creative process behind the track, Arky Waters shares:
“I wanted to make an experimental track for the album – something that felt intense and chaotic. I was just throwing snares in random places and chopping vocals up out of time. I feel like a lot of the time in electronic music you can feel tempted to make things really formulaic and groovy and I wanted to break out of that. It’s definitely a direction I’ll be running with moving forward.”
The single serves as a pivotal chapter in the lead-up to his debut full-length project. While his previous work has drawn comparisons to the industrial weight of Bicep and the intricate textures of Overmono, ‘Just’ sees Waters carving out a lane that is entirely his own, filtering UK-inspired club culture through a raw, experimental Australian lens.
‘Just’ is out now via Mammal Sounds Records:
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Credits:
Written & Produced by Arky Waters
Mixed by Doug Wright
Mastered by Suture Mastering
Artwork, Photos & Visuals by Arky Waters
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