Just over two weeks remain until GOLDEN HOUR makes its debut on Bondi Beach this February, with VIP sold out and General Admission very close to sold out.
Headlined by the iconic CROWDED HOUSE, the inaugural edition of the new live music event is rapidly approaching sell-out as anticipation builds for its first summer on the sand.
GOLDEN HOUR will welcome CROWDED HOUSE alongside the acclaimed THELMA PLUM to one of Australia’s most beloved shorelines. Designed to offer a safe, warm and welcoming environment, the event brings together community energy, comfort and world-class live music in a uniquely coastal setting.
Created as a new end-of-summer ritual for music fans, and marking the first major concert to take place on Bondi Beach in more than a decade, GOLDEN HOUR brings music to the sand. Guests are invited to settle in on the hill above the foreshore for sweeping ocean views, peak sunset moments and a shared live music experience.
With more special guests still to be announced, GOLDEN HOUR is set to be a night of affirmation and celebration, spotlighting powerful voices and engaging performances. The 2026 edition runs from 5pm to 10pm, launching an annual summer series that will return with new artists and experiences in the years ahead.
Final General Admission tickets are available now, with limited allocations remaining.
GOLDEN HOUR LIVE ON BONDI BEACH
Friday 20 February 2026
CROWDED HOUSE
THELMA PLUM
& MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED
For a band that spent years drifting in the margins, Strange Fruit’s return doesn’t feel like a comeback. It feels like arrival.
The Jakarta outfit’s new Drips EP, released via Gentle Tuesday Recordings, captures a group that has quietly dismantled its past and rebuilt something more deliberate in its place. Where Strange Fruit once leaned into guitar-led shoegaze and slow-burning melancholy, Drips moves with the confidence of a band no longer searching for direction. The sound is electronic, metropolitan, and rhythm-forward — shaped by Acid House, kosmische repetition, ambient drift, and leftfield club culture — yet it never loses its emotional core.
That shift is most clearly felt on Iridescent, the EP’s defining moment. The track pulses with machine-driven energy but remains strangely light, almost translucent, as if floating just above the dancefloor. It’s music built on repetition and restraint rather than climax, letting mood and motion do the work. Vocalist Baldi Calvianca has described the song as spiritual and healing, and that sense comes through in the way the track unfolds — less performance, more release.
Across the EP’s four originals, Strange Fruit explore different angles of this new identity. Pouvoi Moteur locks into an acid-flecked Krautrock pulse that feels designed for late nights and low ceilings. Drips carries remnants of the band’s shoegaze past, but reframed through electronics rather than guitars. Monopolar leans into a steady, chugging groove that prioritises momentum over melody, while Iridescent glows with a quiet confidence that suggests the band has stopped trying to prove anything.
The remix contributors expand that world without overpowering it. Sean Johnston pushes the material deeper into club territory, Tom Furse adds tension and texture, and Jonathan Kusuma’s Hypnodubmix of Iridescent strips the track down to its essence. His version moves slowly and deliberately, driven by bass pressure and repetition, with Calvianca’s vocals reduced to distant echoes that feel more felt than heard.
What makes Drips EP compelling isn’t just its sound, but the context around it. Strange Fruit formed in 2012, released The Dolphin Leap in 2015, then disappeared from view for nearly a decade. That absence now feels essential. Rather than returning with a nostalgic rewrite of their early work, the band has re-emerged with something entirely different — music shaped by patience, curiosity, and time spent unlearning old habits.
The EP also signals a broader creative chapter, leading toward a new mini-album due in 2026. It aligns closely with the ethos of Gentle Tuesday Recordings, a Jakarta-based label born from a weekly gathering and built on experimentation rather than expectation.
Drips doesn’t announce itself loudly. It doesn’t chase trends or lean on history. Instead, it moves with quiet purpose, capturing a band finally comfortable inhabiting the space they’ve been circling for years. For Strange Fruit, this isn’t a rebirth wrapped in spectacle — it’s a recalibration, and it sounds exactly like the future they were meant to make.
Persian-Canadian Pop/R&B artist Navan continues to carve out his place as a vital global voice with “IRAN,” a release that feels as much like a cultural statement as it does a song. Deeply emotional and unapologetically personal, “IRAN” draws directly from Navan’s roots, channeling grief, pride, and longing into a piece that honours a homeland marked by endurance. At its heart, the song is about pain, resilience, and hope—about loving a country that continues to stand despite loss, repression, and uncertainty. Rather than offering easy answers, Navan allows the weight of that reality to breathe, creating space for mourning while holding onto the possibility of renewal.
Lyrically and sonically, “IRAN” is rich with haunting imagery: Tehran’s shadows, quiet tears, and hearts that keep dreaming even when hope feels fragile. Navan walks a careful line between sorrow and resolve, balancing heartbreak with visions of freedom and rebirth. That duality is echoed in the accompanying visual, which layers projected moments of protest, endurance, and everyday beauty. It’s a deliberate choice—one that reflects Navan’s belief that suffering and strength exist side by side, and that resistance can be found not only in uprising, but in survival itself. Dedicated to those fighting, healing, dreaming, and refusing to give up, “IRAN” lands as both a lament and a promise. Its message is clear and unwavering: Iranian voices matter, Iranian lives matter, and Iran’s future matters.
The release also highlights what has become one of Navan’s defining artistic signatures—his fluid use of Farsi, French, and English to tell stories that move between cultures without flattening them. His modern pop and R&B sound is expansive, but always rooted in identity, allowing him to speak to multiple audiences at once while staying grounded in his lived experience. Over the past few years, that approach has fueled a steady rise, with sold-out shows across Toronto and Los Angeles, standout performances in New York, Washington, and Montréal, and a rapidly growing digital presence that now reaches millions of listeners and viewers each month.
Following a breakthrough run of singles in 2025, “IRAN” represents a more reflective turn in Navan’s evolving catalogue. Where earlier releases leaned into momentum and crossover appeal, this song feels intentionally weightier—less about chasing the moment and more about saying something that lasts. As he prepares to release his upcoming trilingual EP Kisses on the Moon, “IRAN” stands as a pivotal moment in his journey, underscoring his commitment to bridging East and West while elevating Persian stories on a global stage. It’s a reminder that pop music can still carry protest, memory, and meaning—and that sometimes the most powerful statement is simply refusing to look away.
Australian actor Jordie Tomas is officially entering the music arena. Writing and producing his own material, Jordie arrives as a fully formed pop artist with infectious energy, undeniable stage presence and a catalogue of music he’s been quietly perfecting behind the scenes.
Jordie’s first offering for the year, Catching Feelings is an uplifting pop track blending 70s warmth with modern gloss to explore the tension and heartbreak of a queer connection where emotions arrive too late. Cinematic, sultry, and deeply relatable, the single is the second release from his upcoming debut EP, due in 2026 via Community Music.
“Catching Feelings lives in that alternate world where everything you’re thinking gets said out loud. Growing up queer, I’ve experienced connections where curiosity didn’t always come with care — and this song captures the tension, the vulnerability, and the inevitable fallout when feelings go deeper than they were meant to. I kept the production warm and intimate so the story could breathe, before the chorus opens into this overwhelming, dreamlike release — that fleeting moment where everything feels okay.” Said, Jordie Tomas.
Jordie has also recently released a defiant pop anthem I Hope You’re Watching (listen Here) which was entirely self-produced, taking influence from the sparse and metallic bite of Prince and the luscious vocal production of Ariana Grande. It rejects the performance of pain for someone else’s pleasure and highlights the disillusionment of relationships that require you to be low for them to be high.
Music has been embedded in Jordie’s DNA from the very beginning. At just four years old, he received a small keyboard complete with microphone and drum machine for Christmas — along with a blow-up bouncy house “stage” that quickly became his first performance arena. By nine, he was writing songs. At fourteen, he downloaded music production software and began teaching himself to produce from his bedroom. Within a few years, that bedroom had become a creative hub, with friends recording early demos — an experience that cemented his belief that music is at its most powerful when it’s shared.
Before immersing himself into the global pop arena, Jordie built an impressive acting résumé. He starred in the BAFTA and International Emmy Award-winning television series Nowhere Boys, where he played a lead role and recorded original music for the show — giving audiences an early glimpse of his musical instincts and versatility as a performer. His track from the series is streaming now.
Now, Jordie Tomas is ready to claim his space as one of Australia’s most exciting new pop voices — an artist who understands storytelling, performance and production from the inside out. With a growing fanbase, sold-out shows and new music on the way, the next chapter is already unfolding. Jordie Tomas is an artist to watch in 2026!
Discontent deals with what you’ve described as apathy in the face of annihilation. Was there a specific moment — personal or global — that pushed those feelings from background noise into something you needed to write about?
It can’t be narrowed down to a specific moment. It’s been more of a case of growing pressure over time – we are constantly bombarded with bad news 24/7 through technology and social media, and that invites a sense of apathy or feeling overwhelmed. We tried to capture this montage of awful things in the verses of the song as quick snapshots of impending disaster. It’s been the gradual realisation amongst us that inaction guarantees that nothing changes for the better that compelled us to write this song.
The track doesn’t just sit in despair; it challenges the idea of standing by and watching everything burn. Did writing Discontent change how you personally engage with the world, or did it simply put language to something you were already feeling?
There was definitely something in the air because we all felt the same way about everything spiralling in the world around us. Most, if not all of All Regards’ previous material had been written from an internal perspective about what we were personally feeling emotionally, physically and mentally. Discontent has been our chance to flip the script and instead look externally at the world that surrounds us.
There’s a tension in the song between feeling overwhelmed and feeling responsible. How did you approach that balance without the message tipping into hopelessness or sounding preachy?
It was a delicate balance to try and hit. There are already so many songs that throw out clichés about ‘taking the power back’ and ‘strength in numbers’. That didn’t really feel like something we could pull off in a genuine way, so it’s not the path we took. Instead, discontent speaks to the person as an individual, where we sometimes feel powerless about the way the world is, and focuses specifically on inaction and its consequences. True to the ethos of the band, it’s our lived experience and one we felt people could relate to.
The responses we’ve received from people who resonate with the song and its lyrics have been amazing.
In terms of not feeling hopeless, the track really benefits from some hyper-energetic pop-punk behind the lyrics.
The video shows everyday people responding in very different ways to the same end-of-the-world scenario. How intentional was that parallel with real life, and did you see yourselves reflected in any of those characters?
We’d love to take credit for the concept of the music video, but that totally falls to our director John Stokes (lead vocalist/guitarist for Drastic Park, co-owner of Shotpro). We sent him the song and he was so fast coming up with ideas and concepts for the video, and he, along with director of photography David Truasheim (co-owner of Shotpro), immediately got what discontent is all about.
The main concept of the video was people going about their day-to-day lives with a sense of not really caring or comprehending that the world is falling apart around them. It’s very intentional in how it mirrors our reality of constantly seeing people’s lives changed forever, yet moving on with the day-to-day as if nothing is really happening.
Unfortunately, we’ve definitely seen ourselves and society in general reflected in those characters – blinkers on, focused only on what’s right in front of us.
Sonically, Discontent feels sharper and more urgent than earlier releases. Was that shift instinctive, or did it naturally follow as the themes became heavier?
We’re always trying to push ourselves musically and push the boundaries of what an All Regards song can sound like. When we wrote discontent, the music took shape before the lyrics did. In standard All Regards fashion, the inspiration came from the guitar riff in the intro of the song, which is now scattered throughout the rest of the track. Once we had a feel for the instrumental, Stefan came up with most of the lyrics inspired by the urgency of the music, and Jeremy chimed in with the lyrics for the bridge. From there, the song took on a life of its own, with the lyrics and instrumentation feeding off each other until it became what it is today.
Working with Jack Newlyn seems to have played a big role in shaping these releases. What did he push you on creatively that you might not have challenged yourselves with otherwise?
Jack pushed all of us individually to pull the absolute best performances out of us musically, vocally and lyrically. No matter how well you have your part down going into the studio, it’s always going to be deconstructed and dissected.
He does an amazing job of challenging us to think bigger and make the right decisions for the song. For example, the bridge didn’t initially have Jez’s vocal part – instead it relied on what the instruments and backing vocals were doing. Jack was adamant that it needed something more, and what we ended up with really elevated the song.
He is an absolute perfectionist and his attention to detail is second to none. In addition to his production chops, he’s also a freakish musician himself, so he really helped make sure each player’s part has its purpose in the song.
With Resist following Discontent, it feels like these tracks are designed to be experienced together rather than in isolation. Did you approach them as two sides of the same idea from the beginning?
Absolutely – resist finishes the story that discontent starts.
We’ve looked at these two songs as one cohesive project the whole time. It’s the most ambitious thing we’ve done as a band, in the way that the songs, the music videos, the artwork and everything surrounding the release are so bound to one another and the overall message.
When Stefan came up with the lyrical ideas for discontent, Jeremy was inspired to write a song looking externally at the state of the world from his own perspective.
Once the demos for both songs were completed, they went so hand-in-glove with each other that there was no way we could, in any shape or form, distance them from one another.
Your live shows have developed a reputation for intensity and connection. How do songs rooted in anxiety and frustration change once they’re played in a room full of people compared to listening alone?
When we play live, and in particular when we put on our own headline shows (see you at the Discontent // Resist launch show on Friday March 27 at The Workers Club), we want to provide an inclusive space for everyone to be themselves and have a great night.
In our experience, belting out our songs – which generally deal with heavy subjects – and having an audience sing them back to you is incredibly cathartic. Despite the heavy themes, we’re always bouncing with excitement and ecstatic to be playing the songs we’ve worked so hard on, and that’s a massive part of the show. One of the biggest differences between a live show and listening alone is the exchange of energy between you and everyone else in the room.
We’re sure when we play discontent live for the first time and hear everyone singing along, it will be a powerful moment not just for us, but for the audience too. The hope is that people walk away feeling, “maybe I’m not so alone in this world and the scary state it’s in.”
The idea of apathy as a self-fulfilling prophecy runs through Discontent. Do you still believe music can disrupt that cycle, or is its role more about holding a mirror up to what’s already happening?
We’re big believers in music and its power to create positive change. Throughout history, great songs have soundtracked and empowered entire movements. Our intention with this release is, in our own small way, to contribute – to start conversations, to help others recognise that apathy in themselves, and to inspire them to break that cycle.
We don’t have answers for anyone – we’re just as lost as everyone else – but we do believe that holding up a mirror is the first step to breaking the cycle, and that positive change can stem from there.
Looking ahead, does this apocalyptic lens feel like a phase you’re moving through, or has it permanently reshaped how you see All Regards as a band?
It’s broadened our horizons in terms of the lyrical topics we can cover as a band. For us, the most genuine music we create is whatever inspires us in the moment.
We’re not the type of band who writes about typical pop-punk or rock clichés just to chase streams. If inspiration strikes in the heat of the moment, we’ll grab the bull by the horns and let the wind take us.
These releases have obviously been inspired by what we’ve been seeing in the world around us, so hopefully, in that sense, the whole apocalypse thing is only a phase.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Victoria singer-songwriter Matt Goud, better known as Northcote, has built a reputation over the past fifteen years for songs that linger long after the last note fades. Since launching his project in 2008, Goud has toured relentlessly across North America and Europe, performing over 1,000 shows and sharing stages with acts like The Gaslight Anthem, Frank Turner, and Hot Water Music. His storytelling—resonant, heartfelt, and grounded in human connection—has earned him a devoted following that continues to grow with each release.
Now, Northcote returns with “Alternate Universe,” the lead single from his upcoming full-length album To Cherish, recorded at Vancouver’s Rain City Studios with producer Jesse Gander (Japandroids, White Lung). The track finds Goud navigating the emotional fallout of a long-term relationship, reflecting on endings, renewal, and the strange ways life can pivot when we least expect it.
Musically, “Alternate Universe” balances intimacy with expansiveness. Stephen McGillvray’s guitar work provides a textured foundation, while percussionist Mike Battle and bassist Eric Paone fill out the rhythm section without ever overshadowing Goud’s vocals. The production, guided by Gander, keeps the song dynamic yet immediate—capturing the energy of Northcote’s signature duo touring setup while layering a richness that elevates the track beyond live replication.
Lyrically, the single hits with the honesty fans have come to expect: a confessional narrative that examines grief and hope with equal measure. Goud’s voice, warm and expressive, carries both melancholy and resilience, making “Alternate Universe” feel both personal and universal. It’s a song that invites listeners to reflect on their own experiences while offering a sense of connection that has long been Northcote’s trademark.
With seven studio albums behind him, a tireless touring ethos, and more than 42,000 monthly Spotify listeners, Goud continues to solidify his place in the indie-rock landscape. “Alternate Universe” is a promising glimpse of what To Cherish has in store—a collection of songs that wrestle with life’s difficulties but ultimately celebrate its enduring beauty.
Clay Brown & the Trouble Round Town take a measured step forward with Satisfy Your Mind, a blues-leaning indie rock track that reflects on the quiet weight of living in a permanently online world. Rather than leaning into frustration or satire, the song feels calm and considered, centring on the idea of tuning out comparison and refocusing on your own path.
Musically, the track moves with patience. Moody melodies sit over a steady blues rock groove, giving the song room to unfold naturally. There’s a warmth to it — particularly as it opens into a subtle country-inflected passage — that keeps things grounded and human. Hints of Americana and indie folk drift through the arrangement, but never at the expense of the band’s own voice.
What stands out most is restraint. Satisfy Your Mind doesn’t rush to make its point. It allows space, mirroring its message of stepping back from digital noise and finding something steadier beneath it all. The result feels reflective rather than reactive, thoughtful without being heavy.
The single continues a steady rise for Clay Brown & the Trouble Round Town, following earlier releases that earned radio support and helped build momentum through live shows across Western Australia. With more material taking shape and a debut EP on the horizon, Satisfy Your Mind feels like a clear statement of intent — a band growing into their sound while staying comfortable in their own lane.
It’s not a song chasing urgency or trends. Instead, it offers a moment of pause — and sometimes, that’s exactly what lands the hardest.
It’s been a long time coming for fans and the artist alike but this coming June, RYAN OAKES will be unleashing his hyper-charged shows in Australian venues nationwide.
For the Virginia-born, Los Angeles-raised rapper, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, this trip is an opportunity to connect with some of his biggest supporters, while also debuting a stacked catalogue of material in this area of the world for the first time.
The talented multi-hyphenate has crafted a unique style of performance that matches an expert blend of hip-hop and alternative music – a signature sound that a community of music fans quickly fell for, and have become extremely loyal to. Oakes’ steadfast dedication to creating art that speaks to his individuality, bolstered by a DIY and independent approach, has garnered over 47 million streams: a figure that continues to blow up with each release.
Collaborating with a varied range of artists including MOD SUN, State Champs and Hollywood Undead, Oakes has earned a reputation for himself as being a versatile artist and one unafraid to be spurred on by the spirit of his peers – and vice versa.
In 2025, Oakes released his latest studio album, OPUS, a project that demonstrated the fiery ambition that remains threaded through the DNA of his work. It also reminds the listener that Oakes is far from done with pushing the boundaries of where he wants his music to go.
In coming to Australia, he is excited to share the new music with fans, as well as finally putting on a show his Australian community fans have long been hanging out to witness.
“Australia has been some of my biggest supporters for years now and a tour has been long overdue. We are going to make sure this is a truly special experience for everybody by including free meet and greets at every single show. At the end of my set I’m going to head to the merch booth and shake as many hands and take as many pictures as I can. This is a one time thing to show the fans how much I truly appreciate them holding me down down undah for so many years. Can’t wait to finally meet everyone and give them a show that makes up for the ten year wait!” RYAN OAKES
PRAISE
“The album is a decade in the making, seeing Oakes alternate between hip-hop, pop-punk, and seemingly everything in between. It’s resulted in a versatile collection appealing to fans across the scene’s spectrum.”
NEW NOISE MAGAZINE
“As the night progressed, the crowd’s enthusiasm grew with each successive song, leading up to a spectacular finale. Ryan Oakes had set the bar high, leaving the crowd ready for more.”
MELODIC MAGAZINE
RYAN OAKES AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES
Tickets via destroyalllines.com
Pre-sale from 11am local time Monday 9 February
General sales from 11am local time Tuesday 10 February
Friday 19 June Crowbar Brisbane
Saturday 20 June Corner Hotel Melbourne
Sunday 21 June Oxford Art Factory Sydney
Tuesday 23 June Zhivago Adelaide
Thursday 25 June Magnet House Perth
RYAN OAKES: Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | X | TikTok | YouTube
Playlunch extend Sex Ed Regional Tour due to overwhelming demand with additional QLD dates plus venue upgrade
Announce LUNCH FEST in association with Great Southern Nights
Follows triple j Hottest 100 debut with Keith (#4) and It’s Raining Men [Like A Version] (#73)
Regional Queensland, it’s time to pack your lunchboxes! Beloved Aussie bogan-funk outfit Playlunch today announce an extension to their now 30+ date Sex Ed regional tour, treating lunchers in Cairns, Townsville and Mackay to the band’s exuberant live show, plus venue upgrades for their Canberra, Wollongong, and Frankston shows due to overwhelming demand. Playlunch are also proud to announce LUNCH FEST – a minifest curated by Playlunch, DoubleU Artists, and Destroy All Lines in association with Great Southern Nights, set to take place at Sydney’s Liberty Hall on May 15.
LUNCH FEST is set to bring an incredible lineup of talent from across the country together for the school assembly of the century. Joining Playlunch will be multi-award winning innovator DEVAURA, electrifying Minang Noongar artist Ricky Neil Jr., and alt-pop rising star Shannen James, plus a local opener yet to be announced.
Earlier this week the band also announced their first tour across the ditch, playing to New Zealand fans in Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland in May. Tickets are on sale now.
The announcements follow Playlunch’s triple j Hottest 100 double-debut, where the group landed the #4 spot for their now iconic track ‘Keith’, and #73 for their Like A Version cover of The Weather Girls’ ‘It’s Raining Men’. As voted by the nation, Playlunch have cemented themselves as one of Australia’s favourite new acts, and tickets are flying for their mammoth regional run and last Australian shows for the foreseeable future.
“Touring regionally has always been such a big priority for our band since the very start, and getting around to all the people who continue to support us,” says the band. “To be able to keep the Sex Ed train rolling is so special! These will be the last Australian shows for quite a while as we are looking to see what the rest of the world has in store for us; so we hope you are able to grab a ticket and make it a night to remember. Everyone is in for an absolute treat, with a show of nonstop dancing and singing across the whole lineups!”
Multiple dates remain for Victorian fans, with the tour continuing in Frankston this Saturday, plus St Kilda, South Morang, Traralgon, and Barwon Heads shows in the coming months. In March, Playlunch are scheduled to return to Tasmania for Good Gumnuts Festival, plus a headline show in Hobart, before playing sold out shows in Queensland’s Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast in April, and Cairns, Townsville and Mackay in May. New South Wales lunchers can catch Playlunch throughout April and May in Byron Bay, Albury, Gosford, Sydney, Newcastle, Avalon Beach, Wollongong, and Archies Creek, and Canberra will be treated to a one-off show in April. Tickets are on sale now via destroyalllines.com.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Most albums invite you to follow along. Balancing Act does the opposite. Vinyl Floor seem less interested in guiding the listener than in establishing a space and letting it hold. The record doesn’t hinge on standout moments or dramatic turns — it relies on consistency, repetition, and a quiet confidence that never asks to be applauded.
What’s immediately noticeable is how little the album tries to impress. Songs arrive without urgency, often circling a single idea rather than developing it in obvious ways. Tracks like “All This and More” and “Back of My Hand” aren’t built around hooks or climaxes so much as feel and persistence. They sit comfortably in their own patterns, trusting that familiarity will do the work.
Production plays a major role in that effect. Guitars are restrained, sometimes almost understated, used to shape atmosphere rather than drive momentum. The rhythm section keeps things grounded and predictable, not out of habit, but intention. Even when tension appears — as it does on “Tell the World It Happened” — it’s controlled, never pushed to the point of release.
Lyrically, Balancing Act avoids clear declarations. The writing tends to hover around ideas of steadiness, uncertainty, and endurance without landing on firm conclusions. Songs like “Swan of Eileen Lake” and “Puppet Laureate” feel more observational than confessional, leaving space for interpretation rather than spelling out meaning. Vocals follow the same approach, warm and measured, rarely stepping forward unless absolutely necessary.
There’s an argument to be made that the album’s discipline comes at a cost. Its emotional range stays deliberately narrow, and listeners looking for sharp contrasts or immediate highlights may find the experience understated to the point of blending. But that restraint is also the album’s defining feature. Nothing feels accidental, rushed, or included for effect.
Balancing Act isn’t concerned with reinvention or relevance. It sounds like the product of long familiarity — two artists who understand their working relationship well enough to trust subtlety over statement. Vinyl Floor don’t push this record toward the listener. They let it exist on its own terms, and for those willing to meet it there, that quiet assurance carries its own weight.
Photography: Darren Chan
On his new single “My Favourite Mug,” Hooper turns his attention to something modest, familiar, and deeply human: the quiet comfort of everyday ritual. The track serves as a gentle entry point into his debut full-length album Super Duper, set for release this Spring, and introduces a songwriter whose relationship with music has been shaped from the very beginning.
Raised on a small island off Canada’s west coast, Shane Hooper grew up steeped in song. His father played in the platinum-selling band The Grapes of Wrath, while his mother was one half of beloved indie-folk duo Lava Hay. Music wasn’t just present—it was foundational. That early immersion led Hooper to the CBC Searchlight Finals while still in high school and instilled an intuitive, lifelong approach to songwriting.
“My Favourite Mug,” which Hooper describes as “an anthem for homebodies,” distills that background into something deceptively simple. On the surface, it’s a love song to an inanimate object. Beneath that, it’s a meditation on the small, grounding habits that provide steadiness amid change. The song’s charm lies in its restraint, finding emotional weight not in grand gestures but in familiarity and repetition.
Musically, the track nods to the melodic storytelling of 1960s singer-songwriters, filtered through a rough-edged ’90s sensibility. Recorded mostly live off the floor at Montreal’s Mixart Studios—a space that feels frozen in the ’60s and ’70s—the song captures the loose, unpolished chemistry of a band playing together in real time.
Now based in Montreal after stints in British Columbia and Toronto, Hooper has become embedded in the city’s indie scene, collaborating with members of Fleece, the Nora Kelly Band, and Pastel Blank. “My Favourite Mug” carries what Hooper calls “a nostalgia for a past you never lived,” while pointing forward to what’s next: an artist settling into his voice, balancing grit with tenderness, and creating music that feels lived-in, welcoming, and unmistakably like home.
Photography: Jake Harm Nam
Australian songwriter and producer Callum MacDonald, best known as a core member of R&B/soul project daste., steps into a new creative chapter this week with the launch of his solo project Monsieur Mellow. While daste. continue work on new material slated for 2026, MacDonald has taken the opportunity to explore a sound that’s been quietly forming for years.
The first taste of Monsieur Mellow arrives via ‘Paris Strut’; a groove-led, jazz-house debut that introduces the sonic world of MacDonald’s forthcoming ep, which is already completed and waiting in the wings. Drawing from funk, disco, reggae, and Caribbean influences, the track is rich in warmth and movement, built to feel lived-in, loose, and instinctive.
Written in the in the wake of touring UK/EU with daste., ‘Paris Strut’ emerged from a period of renewed inspiration on the road. “After returning home from touring Europe with my band daste., the time on the road left me deeply inspired by Caribbean, reggae, disco, and funk. For the first time I felt a clear sense of direction for music that existed outside of the band.” MacDonald explains.
At the heart of the track is a raw, emotive acappella sample from Parbleu’s ‘Pas de Saints Au Paradis’, which MacDonald chops and weaves through understated drums, soft pads, guitar, and bass, allowing each element to bounce off the next and create the feeling of a real band playing together in a room. “This project is about following instinct, world influences, and creating groove-setting music that feels raw and rough around the edges,” he says.
The title ‘Paris Strut’ captures the track’s essence perfectly: a confident, effortless swagger inspired by wandering the streets of Paris, spring in step. It’s that same feeling that sparked the sonic identity of Monsieur Mellow, an outlet for movement, mood, and musical freedom.
With ‘Paris Strut’, Callum MacDonald sets the tone for a solo project driven by feel over perfection, groove over gloss, and instinct over expectation, marking an exciting new direction for one of Australia’s most versatile songwriters/producers.
Stream:
Socials:
https://linktr.ee/monsieurmellow
Credits:
Written by Callum MacDonald & Parbleu
Produced by Callum MacDonald
Mixed by Callum MacDonald
Mastered by Paul Blakey
Artwork by Callum MacDonald
Visuals by Callum MacDonald & Lauren Whitehill
Photos by Lauren Whitehill