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TRACKLIST
My Gully
Lost Angeles
Bagga Yute
Stay connected with Skiifall:
Website | Instagram | Facebook
SUPPORT FOR ‘SMOKE IN THE AIR’
“Mesmerising new cut.”
The Music (AUS)
Melbourne-based surf-rock group Majak Door have today returned with their charismatic new single ‘Smoke In The Air’ – produced by Daniel Caswell (Dune Rats, Bad//Dreems, The Living End) and the band themselves.
Opening with suave synths and shimmering clean guitars, ‘Smoke In The Air’ fluently floats at a tranquil tempo. Steady drums and stoic bass complement the serene vocals of lead singer Frankie Vakalis, as the song swells and glides into a sparkling chorus brimming with the reverb-laden elements of superlative indie music. Spirited alternations take the track to its highpoint before sensibly alleviating for a pure finale.
Vakalis talks about the process behind ‘Smoke In The Air’:
“The single ‘Smoke in the Air’ was written during January of 2020, when Melbourne had been engulfed in smoke from the near bushfires. The upcoming album touches on many different areas; nostalgia, friendship, politics, and anything else that crosses the mind of a 20-something-year-old.”
Previous releases have been extensively supported by the likes of Spotify, triple j, triple j Unearthed, FBi Radio, SYN FM, Radio Adelaide, 4ZZZ, and 2XX FM. It also received online praise from Pilerats, Milky, The Australian Music Scene, Deafen County, Something You Said, Backseat Mafia Downunder, The Soundcheck, AAA Backstage and Like Velvet.
Majak Door’s debut self-titled album, which also features previous singles ‘Will She Leave You’ and ‘L’acqua Salata (Ain’t So Sweet)’ is due for release on Friday, September 17, and is available to pre-order now via 24Hundred.
Since their inception, the band have consistently traversed the East-Coast of Australia, packing out shows across Sydney, Wollongong, Newcastle and Melbourne, as well as supporting local contemporaries Planet, The Grogans, Seaside and Merpire.
In the coming weeks, Majak Door will reveal an accompanying music video for ‘Smoke In The Air’.
‘Smoke In The Air’ is available worldwide now
UPCOMING TOUR DATES
THU 26 AUG | THE BARWON CLUB, GEELONG VIC
FRI 27 AUG | VOLTA, BALLARAT VIC
SAT 28 AUG | WRANGLER STUDIOS, FOOTSCRAY VIC
SAT 11 SEP | BROADCAST BAR, ADELAIDE SA
FOLLOW MAJAK DOOR
Where are you currently based?
Australia!
What’s been happening recently?
Well… without sounding negative, we had a whole tour and a bunch of other things planned that all got taken away a week out from doing them because of a recent outbreak of COVID in Aus, so we’re just trying to keep writing as much as possible and do anything we can to stay busy during lockdown 2.0 haha.
Please tell us about how you first got involved with Fender Next and your experience to date:
I kid you not, we have always played fender. It’s always been our number one company we wanted to get involved with. We’ve been approached by other guitar companies and we’d decline so when we were lucky enough to have been contacted about being a part of Fender Next, it was an absolute no-brainer.
What does being involved with Fender Next mean to you?
As I said before, we’ve always been huge advocates for Fender. They are so versatile and never fucking break no matter what you do to them. The first guitar I ever bought was a Fender Telecaster Blacktop. I saved up all my money and bought it like 10 years ago and still use it to this day with only one modification. We use it for everything from recording to live shows. It’s never failed me despite it being through the absolute ringer while touring. To be a part of Fender Next just seemed like destiny if I’m being completely honest.
Please tell us about your thoughts on the Fender Artist Playbook:
I think it’s great and I wish there was something like that from actual musicians when we were younger. The tough thing about navigating the music industry is that, although there are some key things that you need to have in order, there are ALWAYS exceptions to the rule and every artist’s story is different and that’s what makes it so hard, I think. So, it’s great to have something concrete and spelled out like – ‘these are essential’.
What’s planned for the band for the rest of 2021 and going into 2022?
This year we’re focusing on releasing new music, and 2022 will be nothing but touring. Can’t wait to be back on the road.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
I find it hard these days to find stuff I really like, maybe I’m too cynical and jaded now haha. Having said that though I’ve been getting into Kid Laroi quite a bit, Phoebe Bridgers, the new Turnstile record, Teenage Joans – a young band from AUS. I’ve actually going back and listening more to the artists my dad would play for me quite a bit as well like Nirvana, Hendrixx even Janis Joplin. The classics are just where it’s at for me right now.
What do you like to do away from music?
I love art. I love creating things whether it be graphic design stuff or just fooling around in photoshop doing dumb things to keep my mind active. It’s so hard to feel inspired at the moment but I’m trying to stop that muscle from dying haha.
Favourite food and place to hangout?
My favourite food will always be chocolate I don’t care how basic that is. It was my first love. But I really love ramen, Indian food, Thai… ill find most things delicious… favourite place to hangout is a great bar with my mates BUT since we’ve been unable to tour for so long I would literally settle for a shitty greenroom in the middle of no-where at this point haha.
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WATCH: ‘Central Station’ (Official Music Video)
‘Central Station‘ is the last single lifted from MAY-A‘s debut EP, which threads together previous releases, ‘Swing Of Things‘, ‘Time I Love To Waste‘, ‘Apricots‘ and ‘Green‘, an opening statement, years in the making, from an artist who has been writing since the age of 12 but has only, over the past year, begun to share her once private creative trove with the wider world. Plaudits for MAY-A‘s generational songwriting have flowed from far and wide in due course, racking up tens of millions of streams, amassing over 250k YouTube subscribers and heralded as “glorious” by Variety, the mark of a “proper pop wiz” by triple j and “a soon-to-be-star” by GayTimes, “your favourite new artist” by Dork Magazine, amongst others.
Such a patient and astute approach has yielded a debut EP which is remarkably cohesive for such a young artist, indicative of not only the talent and wisdom that MAY-A possesses in spades/quantities beyond her years, but that she is also an artist who carries an essential and compelling story to share, with an acute, discerning vision for exactly how she wants to tell this story. From her vantage point of nineteen years, she is able to survey her adolescence, infusing the EP with a strong narrative drive that reflects both an authentic, in-the-moment maturation and a retrospective awareness of all the important moments, realisations, and experiences that led MAY-A to where she now finds herself.
In her words, Don’t Kiss Ur Friends “follows the course of a relationship, a journey of queer discovery and the growth from an adolescent to a young adult. Each song is a piece of the last four or five years of my life, the most recent track having been written last year and the earliest at 16. As the music developed, so did I. You can listen to me grow up, gain confidence and understand myself through the way I approach my relationships.” With her gift for writing about universally felt emotions coming to the fore throughout Don’t Kiss Ur Friends, MAY-A hones her ability to take these small moments in life and make them feel larger than they seem, injecting her vignettes of navigating relationships and everyday existence with an intoxicating vulnerability that invites you in and then hints at something more left unseen.
Don’t Kiss Ur Friends EP is out now, buy/stream it here.
TRACKLIST
Amiinmyhead?
Swing Of Things
Central Station
Daffodils
Time I Love To Waste
Apricots
Swing Of Things ft. Powfu
Stay connected with MAY-A:
Facebook | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok
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Prior to stepping into the spotlight as one of Australian music’s breakthrough artists of 2020 and recent national tour support for Tones And I, Farah had already established himself as an APRA-Award winning, ARIA-nominated songwriter and a much-sought-after collaborator, having worked with Tash Sultana on ‘Willow Tree‘, Baker Boy (‘Marryuna, ‘Mr La-Di-Da-Di’, ‘Meditjin’), KIAN on ‘Waiting’, Tkay Maidza‘s ‘You Sad’, plus enjoying a long-running relationship with Adrian Eagle and Dallas Woods. The range of credits speaks to his status as a stylistic polymath, fusing neo-soul, R&B, and alternative rap threads together in a manner informed by his multicultural upbringing – a limitless, free-genre approach that is all over Jerome’s solo material.
Affirming his star magnetism, his first three singles garnering back-to-back premieres on Good Nights with Bridget Hustwaithe for ‘Vibrate’ and ‘Mikey Might‘ respectively and full rotation on triple j for ”I Can’t Breathe‘ and ‘Vibrate’, alongside praise from NME Australia, Acclaim, Pilerats, Purple Sneakers, AUD$ and more. Collectively, his debut singles have amassed over a million streams worldwide to date, featuring on playlists across Spotify and Apple Music ranging from RADAR AU & NZ to Alt Rap, Breaking R&B, Fresh Finds, and more, following his inclusion in Youtube Music’s #BlackVoices for 2021.
‘Concrete Jungle Fever‘ is out now, buy/stream it here.
Stay connected with Jerome Farah:
Website | Instagram | Facebook
Title: Fight Dirty
Label: MDLBeast Records
MDLBeast Records welcomes Salvatore Ganacci with his new single “Fight Dirty,” a unique house track accompanied by a visually stunning music video. Inspired by the Japanese composer Toshiyuki Kimori‘s record “Dirty Fight,” it opens with an energetic, driving beat, while Ganacci ups the ante with a bouncy buildup and groovy vocal riffs for a bit of 80s disco influence. The music video is an Anime-infused animation and takes the viewer on a wild journey as our protagonist attempts to battle the infamous Ganacci gang and its thugs. It draws inspiration from classic films like “Cowboy Bebop” and “Fist of the North Star” and features cameo appearances from several characters from Salvatore‘s own sketches and previous music videos. “Fight Dirty” follows MDLBeast Records‘ “Toxic Romance” from Cosmicat, and earlier “Testarossa” from Butch and R3HAB‘s “Sorry I Missed Your Call (Ringtone).” Check out both the track and video for the full experience.
Swedish artist Salvatore Ganacci has always forged a lane he can uniquely call his own. He made serious waves in the electronic scene in 2019 with his cult-classic music video “Horse” on Skrillex‘s OWSLA label and has since established himself as an unmatched visual artist. Taking a unique approach of pairing his music with stunning visuals, Ganacci has had a succession of eye-catching releases with the likes of Tommy Cash and more. His release “Fight Dirty” brings him to join the exciting ranks of MDLBeast Records. and is Salvatore‘s 2nd release this month, after “Step-Grandma.” Stay tuned for more music.
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‘Suddenly’ by Kay Young
is out now via Play It Again Sam
Listen: https://kayyoung.ffm.
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Credit: Alex Wall
Premiered on Double J and Radio Kix respectively, these energetic new singles represent the two sides of the Andy Golledge coin; one a raucous rock song packed with the energy of a young Bruce Springsteen (New Stamp), the other a blue-collar gospel sing-along packed with all the foot tappin’ goodness of Golledge’s infamous live show (Baby Mumma).
Golledge says it was in fact his live show that helped shape these two songs into what you hear today:
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Proudly introducing the latest addition to the Astral People roster, Moktar! Today marks the release of the Egyptian-Australian producer’s debut release, “SILK”.
A hybrid style, Moktar effortlessly combines techno with traditional Arabic instrumentation, sampling and producing to celebrate the sounds of his background.
Moktar’s heritage has always been at the forefront of his identity. Navigating racism and abuse was an everyday reality growing up in Sydney’s Shire region, especially in the years surrounding the Cronulla riots. Regardless, Moktar’s Middle-Eastern roots have become a source of pride and inspiration expressed in his music.
Signed to Mall Grab’s label Steel City Dance Discs, Moktar will release his debut self-titled EP, an expansive and expressive exploration of techno and IDM through the lens of Arabic percussion and instrumentation.
His first single, “SILK”, is a microcosm for this sound, embracing complex and traditional rhythmic ideas while traversing emotive melodic states. With a debut Australian tour around the corner, Moktar’s music is beginning its journey and is taking everyone with it.
“My inspiration behind “SILK” has a lot to do with my struggles growing up in Australia navigating racism. I was ashamed of being Egyptian and embarrassed by my culture. I was made to believe that being Middle Eastern only came with negative connotations throughout most of my life.
“SILK” represents how I feel today – the luxury of being comfortable and the ability to move around freely, both physically and spiritually. A constant reminder that racism is only one of many obstacles to overcome in life. I wanted to be able to share my story through this single…today I am proud to be Egyptian.”
We can’t wait for you to hear Moktar’s debut single “SILK”, and stay tuned there’s plenty more in the works…
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ALBUM LAUNCHES WITH A CLASSIC COVER, REMAINDER OF TRACK LIST TO FEATURE IMPRESSIVE SLATE OF COLLABORATIONS ON ORIGINAL MATERIAL
HIGHWAY TO HELL FT. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND EDDIE VEDDER
AVAILABLE NOW
Following his critically acclaimed and groundbreaking 2018 album The Atlas Underground, Rock & Roll icon and two-time Grammy winner Tom Morello announced his latest project today, a follow-up album entitled The Atlas Underground Fire. Featuring a jaw dropping cast of collaborators including Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder, Chris Stapleton, Mike Posner, Damian Marley and more, Morello’s insane guitar playing will be on full display taking the instrument into the future and forging an alternative/rock/EDM masterpiece with all-time legends and cutting edge firebrands.
Morello – co-founder of Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave and Prophets of Rage – will release this forthcoming album The Atlas Underground Fire on October 15 by Mom + Pop Music. The record is available for pre-order now HERE. The album’s first single, available HERE, is the classic rock AC/DC rock anthem Highway to Hell featuring Morello, Bruce Springsteen and Eddie Vedder.
“Our version of Highway To Hell pays homage to AC/DC but with Bruce Springsteen and Eddie Vedder, brings this legendary song into the future. One of the greatest rock’n’roll songs of all time sung by two of the greatest rock’n’roll singers of all time. And then I drop a shredding guitar solo. Thank you and good night.” said Morello.
Tom Morello is widely known as a barrier breaking guitarist who continues to push the limits and prove the transformative power of music. Throughout his remarkable career, Morello has collaborated with everyone from Wu Tang Clan to Johnny Cash. On The Atlas Underground Fire, as he did in 2018’s The Atlas Underground, Morello took a path into new sonic territory with the project’s breadth of talented collaborators, transforming his sound. With his guitar leading the way, Morello continues to create powerful alloys of different genres.
The album, as testified by Morello, is a clear byproduct of very dark and challenging pandemic days. Recording guitars on his phone, the album was made both creatively and technically from his home studio in Los Angeles, while sharing files with collaborators around the globe. “During lockdown I had no access to an engineer so I had to record all of the guitar parts on the voice memo of my phone,” said Morello. “This seemed like an outrageous idea but it lead to a freedom in creativity in that I could not overthink any of the guitar parts and just had to trust my instincts.”
And while Morello is known as one of the world’s greatest social justice crusaders who has written songs that quickly became manifestos, he said the pandemic allowed him a freedom on this album to follow more of the emotions and anxiety of the times. “This record was a life raft in a difficult time that allowed me to find new ways of creating new global artistic connections that helped transform a time of fear and anxiety into one of musical expression and rocking jams,” said Morello. To be sure, Morello isn’t done with social justice manifestos, and many of those threads can be found within this album, but unusual times created an altogether unique album.
The Atlas Underground Fire Track Listing:
01. Harlem Hellfighter
02. Highway to Hell (featuring Bruce Springsteen and Eddie Vedder)
03. Let’s Get The Party Started (featuring Bring Me The Horizon)
04. Driving to Texas (featuring Phantogram)
05. The War Inside (featuring Chris Stapleton)
06. Hold The Line (featuring grandson)
07. Naraka (featuring Mike Posner)
08. The Achilles List (featuring Damian Marley)
09. Night Witch (featuring phem)
10. Charmed I’m Sure (featuring Protohype)
11. Save Our Souls (featuring Dennis Lyxzén of Refused)
12. On The Shore Of Eternity (featuring Sama’ Abdulhadi)
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“The holy grail of modern surf guitar albums” – Ride The Wave Magazine
“A high water mark of the late 90s surf guitar genre” – Surf Or Bust Digest
Surf-N-Burn – the bodacious debut record by the Blue Stingrays – has rocked, rattled and rolled since its original 1997 release on Epitone Records. Now twenty-four years later and long out of print, Epitone will re-release this classic surf rock album on vinyl on September 24.
Upon its original release, the members of Blue Stingrays were touted as iconic yet anonymous surf rock pioneers. Now, after decades of whispers and speculation, the identities of these mysterious musicians have been officially confirmed as guitarist Mike Campbell (Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers/Fleetwood Mac/The Dirty Knobs), bassist Ron Blair (Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers) and drummer Randall Marsh (Mudcrutch).
Like those who roamed the globe and found the perfect wave, Blue Stingrays nailed the perfect sound when their first twang rang ‘round the world on their now legendary debut. To quote the original Surf-N-Burn vinyl jacket sleeve: “The most profound expression of the human condition ever communicated through art, the passion in man’s soul expressed through surf guitar and captured on record!”
Over the past two plus decades, wave breakers and beach combers alike have demanded that the genius swell of sound that is Surf-N-Burn become available again. California’s Epitone Records are happy to oblige. A vinyl-only re-issue of Surf-N-Burn will be released on September 24 on standard black vinyl, a trans blue color in indie retail stores and blue dream splash on the band’s webstore.
Also out today is “Grits and Eggs”, a previously unreleased song from the Surf-N-Burn sessions. A rippling tide of blown out breeze, listen to it HERE.
Melbourne bop rockers BEACH PANIC! are today sharing their new single, “Twist With Me”, from upcoming EP, ‘ICE CREAM TAMBOURINE’ out Friday August 13.
BEACH PANIC! breathe new life into an era that laid foundation for early rock and rollers like Elvis Presley and The Beatles. “Twist With Me” leaves listeners with a desire to hit the town, meet up with your baby and dance the night away.
“Twist With Me was probably the easiest and quickest song we have ever written,” says the band.
“We were hanging out listening to ‘Surfin USA’ by The Beach Boys and wanted to make our own little nod to the song.
“At the time we were actively trying to make songs as simply structured as possible so we could really focus on creating a high energy surf-punk soundscape, once we wrote the hook for the chorus and made the bass follow the vocal melody we knew we were onto something absolutely bodacious.”
“Kindred” was the first to drop from forthcoming EP ‘ICE CREAM TAMBOURINE’ and explored the fear and vulnerability of falling in love, and sonically showcased exactly what BEACH PANIC! are all about. Premiering at TheMusic, who described the single as “a surfy, west coast synth tune dripping with nostalgia”, the old school Hollywood inspired music video was added to ABC’s RAGE playlist over the weekend and was praised by Hysteria Mag with a glowing: “Summer vibes have come early this year with Kindred”.
“Twist With Me” and “Kindred” are available now to stream and purchase everywhere. ‘ICE CREAM TAMBOURINE’ will be available Friday August 13.
Indie electronic stunners Golding have today announced their neoteric new single Boxing Underwater, a meandering, expressive track that ponders – will the magnetic force that drew two people together still exist when those people are sober? Co-written with beloved pop songwriter Jarryd James and featuring the breathtakingly understated vocals of Cailin Russo, Boxing Underwater is out today.
Boxing Underwater is evocative of indie-electro-pop influences such as RÜFÜS DU SOL, Running Touch, and Chet Faker, yet Golding continues to carve a unique path for themselves through their intricate, hooky vocal melodies, modern, sharp production, and clever lyrical turns that keep the listener guessing. Boxing Underwater is particularly special, co-written alongside global superstar and master melodist Jarryd James, as lead singer Jay from Golding explains, “Jarryd has always been a huge inspiration and someone I’ve looked up to as an artist. He’s always encouraged me to explore my musical freedoms and demonstrated the idea of ‘you can do anything’, there’s no rules in songwriting. To finally be creating in a room with him was a special moment for me.”
Working alongside LA artist Cailin Russo was another snappy opportunity for Golding – and she is a perfect choice for this track, as her voice floats delicately amongst the hypnotic electronic bed of instruments. Reflecting on their time working together, Jay remarks, “We didn’t realise that the song could grow even more until Cailin came on to feature. I’ve been a fan of Cailin’s music for years and have always had her in the back of my mind as someone I’d like to work with. Her vocals really helped set the tone and the mood of the song, all the pieces fell into place.”
The mood of the track is wistful, even a little melancholy, but undeniably beautiful. There’s room for the listener’s interpretation, yet another alluring charm – the audience will interpret each word and each textural movement differently, as Jay explains, “I love how creatively vague the lyrics are. I really want people to find their own meaning within the track and hope the lyrics can speak to people in their own way. Boxing Underwater is a melodic expression that evokes emotion through the sonics of the track, allowing listeners to create their own sub-narrative and imagery in their minds.”
Filmed and directed by Nicholas Stevens (Havana Brown, Manu Crooks, Onefour) at Fastback Studios, the video for Boxing Underwater is engaging and beautifully shot, taking on a life of its own, as Matt explains, “It was really important to us to show varying sides of relationships, not just the good but the bad too. We wanted to capture the emotion of a real relationship so we were lucky enough to have real-life couple Mikalah and Zohar star in the clip, you can truly feel the love and chemistry between them as you watch the video unfold.”
After the success of their recent collaboration with Boo Seeka on Don’t Waste Your Love and previous single Alone. Together now on its way to notching up 2 million streams on Spotify alone (and spawning that ultracool Touch Sensitive remix), it’s a thrill to see this electrifying duo back again so soon, and with such a strong offering. This really is just a taste of what is to come from Golding.
Boxing Underwater feat. Cailin Russo is out today.
Golding is Jay Bainbridge and Matt Bartlem.
Listen: BOXING UNDERWATER FEAT. CAILIN RUSSO
Watch: BOXING UNDERWATER FEAT. CAILIN RUSSO
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