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Based out of Sydney’s Inner West, Behind You began as a duo in 2017 and released a slew of singles and EPs, performing to small crowds in dark venues around the city. Things changed in 2020 with the entrance of their live percussionist, and the release of their last single ‘More Like Fresh‘ turned heads, drawing praise from the likes of triple j Unearthed and FBi Radio’s Independent Artist of the Week.
Behind You stand as one of Australia’s most exciting experimental bands right now, stay tuned for more.
‘Burning‘ is out now, buy/stream it here.
Video credits:
Directed & Edited by: Behind You
Shot by: Cameron Johnson
Camera Assistant: Nathan Dick
Runner: Dan Merson
Stay connected with Behind You:
Instagram | Facebook | Bandcamp | Unearthed
SUPPORT FOR ‘LET ME RUST’
“It felt like the band had reached through the radio gripped me by the collar. Heavyweight alt rock with the emotion in overdrive.” – 4/5 stars
Dave Ruby Howe – triple j Unearthed (AUS)
“A grungey alt-rock banger that’s going to wow fans and showcase a different musical side to these two musicians!“
Wall of Sound (AUS)
Premiered on triple j’s Short.Fast.Loud w/ Josh Merriel
Perth-based melodic-punk group Onslow have just revealed their titanic debut single ‘Let Me Rust’ – produced and mixed by Matthew Templeman (Make Them Suffer, Voyager, Statues).
Opening with poignant guitar chords, ‘Let Me Rust’ vigorously bursts with potent drums and driven distorted riffs, before the melancholic vocals of Sean Harmanis guide the track dynamically through quiet verses and compelling choruses. Emotionally charged hooks lead into an entrancing bridge, where colourful harmonies then pave the way for a monumental finale to bring the song to its abrupt ending.
Harmanis talks about the process behind ‘Let Me Rust’:
“This tune was probably the main catalyst for starting the band in general. To me, the song is about feeling as if you’re going to waste. At the time, I was struggling to find purpose and felt as if I very had little direction in my life. Between Make Them Suffer tours I felt an increasing sense of isolation and separation from my friends and normal life at home. This led to some unhealthy habits. The lyrics ‘Let me rust. Drink me empty. Turn to dust, slow and steady’ are about the vicious and unhealthy cycle I felt I had fallen into and the increasing sense of isolation that paired with my reclusivity. Musically, I tried not to think about it too much. I just see each section as a bite-sized moment from my favourite bands of my early adolescence. They come together to form the alt-rock Frankenstein that the song is.”
Onslow consists of hardcore-scene behemoths Sean Harmanis (Make Them Suffer), and Scott Kay (Voyager, Statues, Absent Heart). Expanding from their roots, the two musicians confidently show their ability to blend heavier music elements with angst-fuelled punk lyricism, taking cues from Deftones, and The Smashing Pumpkins.
‘Let Me Rust’ is available worldwide now
FOLLOW ONSLOW
Hiya! I’m Cal and I’m the singer & songwriter.
We just moved back home from Melbourne to Sydney.
That’s when I knew I was ready again. One evening not soon after I called Dan asking if he wanted to start a disco duo and before I could finish my pitch he cut me off mid sentence telling me to “shut up already, I’m IN” and promptly hung up on me.
We just played our homecoming show, Moonlanding, at The Factory Theatre with our new 3 part horn section, The Hornshank Redemption.
As per usual, love inspired the songwriting. This time, it’s from a new found love and where it could go.
It usually starts with my acoustic and I spending some time together. I write the chords, vocal melody, lyrics and structure and then take the first draft to the boys. We plug in and from there.
We’ve had a home studio for the last 3 years. This was the last track we recorded in our studio during lockdown in melbourne last October. It’s also the first song of ours that we recorded, produced and master completely ourselves.
We usually record a draft vocal and guitar and then build each instrument layer by layer. Multiple times as each roles part becomes more developed.
The best part about playing live is the crowd. Seeing people singing along to our songs and having their own connection to those lyrics and dancing free of any worry is something truly special and I cherish that.
Social Media really forced us to think outside the box while stuck at home last year. Our best is yet to come.
Always listening to Steely Dan, Toto and Whitney Houston but I’ve actually been listening to Ben Folds Five most recently!
Pretend I’m Larry Bird winning his third consecutive 3 point competition.
Finishing up a couple more singles, a live tour, a disco concept album and launching another project ‘Hot Glass’.
Mary’s Newtown.
A cathartic track with swelling synths, engrossing bass and compelling production, ‘Undercover Lover’ explores the process of surrendering:
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Fresh off the back of the release of their debut project HEATHEN, New York’s HOKO have released a new set of visuals for their latest single, ‘Big Mistake’.
Directed by James Mountford, the video puts HOKO songwriter and lead vocalist Nathaniel Hoho to work, bringing new energy to an already spirited original.
As part of the wider HEATHEN EP, ‘Big Mistake’ is a standout point for HOKO – the song is a fleshed out and fully realised example of the type of band they are. Striking and captivating at their core.
A track that focuses on the dissolution of relationships, viewed through a sharp and entertaining indie pop lens, ‘Big Mistake’ is anything but for HOKO. It’s a touchstone release for the group, who have been taking strides since their inception only a few years ago.
“I feel like most songs come to you and write themselves through you, but I’m pretty sure ‘Big Mistake’ is a song about some of my exes. It’s a pop song with sitars and yoyos weaved through it; it’s a perfect example of the line we wanted to walk for HOKO. Exploring pop but keeping it unique and a little cynical. For the record, I have no hard feelings towards any of my exes who may read this; everyone is someone’s Big Mistake, I know I am!” Nathaniel Hoho, HOKO
Recently, HOKO took part in Rolling Stone Australia’s ‘In My Room’ series, where they performed ‘Big Mistake’ as well as ‘Starlite’ and ‘Hellogoodbye’ in a special stripped back style.
Says Rolling Stone of ‘Big Mistake in particular, it is ‘a track that perfectly helps to encapsulate the HOKO sound, in this case features Hoho’s Weeknd-esque voice, and luscious, subtle backing instrumentation that mix ambient soundscapes with electronic melodies.’
WATCH/LISTEN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CejaFCgKogM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XieeF_XKKkQ
PRAISE FOR HOKO
AAA Backstage“The EP is a stunning showcase of a band who are likely set to be household names in no time.”
Rolling Stone Australia
PHOTO CREDIT: DARREN CRAIG
Alt-rock quartet The Wrecks are starting off the year strong with the release of their new single, I Want My Life Back Now, available to stream today via Big Noise. The track is an upbeat and positive tune about wanting that special someone back and wanting to go back to the way things were.
On the track that is guaranteed to hit you right in the feels, front man Nick Anderson shares, “Contrary to the suspiciously timely nature of the song’s title, ‘I Want My Life Back Now’ is not a Covid-19 cash-grab. Although, if you can imagine going through a break-up in the middle of an already devastatingly lonely global pandemic, this song might resonate a bit.”
The release of I Want My Life Back Now follows up The Wreck’s newest EP Static, released towards the end of 2020 via Big Noise. Static is made up of 4 tracks that cover everything from ballads to upbeat dance tracks. Static is available to stream now at thewrecks.ffm.to/static.
The Wrecks formed in 2015 in Thousand Oaks, CA. With heavy influences from The Pixies, The Strokes, and Weezer, they snuck into a recording studio to self-produce their debut EP, We Are The Wrecks. The group’s 2018 follow-up, Panic Vertigo, earned similar acclaim, with Ones To Watch hailing the four-piece as “indie rock’s best kept-secret” and Billboard calling them “as authentic and honest as possible.” Since then, the band has secured a number of nationwide tours while opening for bands such as Nothing But Thieves, Silversun Pickups, The Struts, New Politics, Paramore, and All Time Low.
The Wrecks are:
Nick Anderson
Aaron Kelley
Nick “Schmizz” Schmidt
Billy Nally
PRAISE FOR THE WRECKS
“The alt-rockers are finally giving fans the album they’ve been waiting for” – Billboard
“A MASTERPIECE” – MTV
“The Wrecks should be your new favorite alternative rock band.” – Ones to Watch
“This is alt-rock on fire. Burn, babies, burn.” – idobi Radio
“I Want My Life Back Now’’ is released March 12
Website | Facebook |Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
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What is your name and role within Hoko?
Nathaniel Hoho – I am the writer and vocalist for the band.
Where are you currently based?
NYC has been my home for the longest, but this year I spent most of my time in Australia between Sydney and Fremantle WA. I love Freo and am eager to get back.
How did Hoko form?
HOKO formed while I was living in LA working on projects for some other artists as a songwriter. I was focused on being a writer for nearly two years with no interest at all in doing an artist project but as I started collecting more and more songs of my own I started to become obsessed with the idea. Now I’m obsessed with the idea of playing shows.
Your EP ‘Heathen’ is being released on March 26 what influenced the sound and songwriting?
HEATHEN is the first half of a project we’ve spent almost 2 years conceptualizing.
Our aim was to create a body of work that sounded big, but was also sonically interesting, with songs that are accessible, but also have layers and complexity. All of my favorite albums give me something new every time I hear them, so that’s always something in the back of mind when finishing a song. Visually we wanted to pay homage to the artistic direction of artists like David Bowie & Queen who created beautiful images that stand on their own as art, not only as an accompaniment to the music. We’ve been influenced by artists like Terry Gilliam, Cary Foji Fukunaga, Alejandro Jodorowsky and Danish designer Henri Vibskov. Currently we are exploring a dark and muted world. Despite some peoples first impressions visually we are not a hard rock or metal band, haha. For HEATHEN I wanted to create something that embodied some of the struggles I endured trying to find my own voice as an artist for HEATHEN. Mentally I was constantly fighting the pressure of wearing a mask, for fear of not fitting in, based on the opinions and judgments of my peers. We come from a very Alt/DIY background, but for HOKO we wanted to focus on writing Pop music for the first time, which can be taboo in the circles we come from. We worked on HEATHEN bouncing between NY and LA, and ultimately landed back in NY at the end of creating it. LA stretched us creatively into new territories of Pop and the energy of NY kept us inspired to hold fast to our desire to separate ourselves creatively.
What’s the meaning and story behind the lead single ‘Big Mistake’?
I’ve heard that every relationship is practice until you meet “the one”? My dating history involves some pretty big red flags that I failed to miss while wearing hormone enduced rose-colored glasses…including an ex going to prison as an accomplice to kidnapping and armed robbery… I feel like most songs come to you and write themselves through you, but I’m pretty sure Big Mistake is song about some of my exes. Sonically, Big Mistake is a Pop song with sitar’s and yoyo’s weaved through it. It’s perfect example of the line we wanted to walk for HOKO. Exploring Pop, but keeping it unique and a little cynical. For the record, I have no hard feelings towards any of my ex’s that may read this. Everyone is someone’s Big Mistake, I know I am!
Where and when did you record/produce/master and who did you work with?
Because the project was created over such a period of time I would work on it in different locations. At home, both in NY, LA, and Australia. In NYC we worked at Shifted Studios in Brooklyn. In LA we worked at several of our friends studios. Michael Freeman is our mix engineer. Producers that we worked with are Mike Irish ( of Shifted Recording ) John Hill ( Santigold, Portugal the Man, Cage the Elephant) and Andrew Wells ( Kaiser Chiefs, Halsey ).
What programs/equipment did you use?
I work mostly on Logic it feels like the most versatile DAW to me. However all the songs were run through so many different DAWs depending on who was doing what. Mike is on Ableton, John Ableton and PT and Wells on PT.
How did you approach the recording process?
Really no rhyme or reason we just worked with what we had around at any given time and did our best to give it a nice vibe. We used starters from fireplaces at times for HiHats that we recorded on our iPhones. At the very end we had our friend Gus Oberg come in who produced a few of The Strokes records to record some live drums, but we only ended up using them for a few tracks.
What did you find most challenging and rewarding during the creation of Heathen?
The most challenging part of creating Heathen was that we wanted to try and create something that sounded unique to HOKO – because this was our first project finding that sound took some time. You start a project with endless possibilities so finding lines and similarities that can run through a collection of songs took us a little bit of time to find. The most rewarding part by far has been releasing the music and hearing from fans who are listening and connecting with the music. We haven’t been able to tour or play a show yet due to Covid but we have been speaking with fans over social media from all over the world. Its an amazing feeling to know that something you put so much of yourself into is connect with someone else. It really brings the whole creative process full circle.
What do you like to do away from music?
Good question. I really work on music nearly everyday in some way and if I don’t I feel a little lost. The last year has been alot of time conceptualizing artwork and music videos for HOKO. Other than that I love to swim, surf, eat, hang with my dog.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
At the moment I’ve been listening to alot of The Strokes, Hot Chip, and Grimes.
What’s planned for 2021?
We have some festivals coming up in US and are planning to be touring the end of the year in the states. We also will be releasing more music!
Favourite food and place to hangout?
NYC – love to hang at Niagara and eat next door at Miss Lillies.
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Today Joji Malani [pron. choch-ee ma-la-knee] is proud to announce his new independent label venture, Broth Records, in partnership with leading distribution company The Orchard.
Broth Records is a network of musicians and creatives who together represent community, independence and pure music discovery at its core. Its ethos remains firmly planted in Malani’s interpersonal approach and a DIY mentality that could only be shaped by his near-decade tenure as a musician, formerly of Gang of Youths. This experience, born out of sheer creativity and ambition built from the ground up, is what gives Joji the means to understand the artist process first and foremost and nurture those taken under his wing.
Of the launch Joji Malani says “I am thankful to have a great partner in The Orchard and excited to work hard and throw myself at this next venture with these amazing acts.” Blake Rayner, General Manager of The Orchard for Australia and New Zealand echoes Malani’s sentiment, adding “Joji came to me with the idea of a very modern independent record label that represented an incredible diverse roster of artists and genres. The Orchard’s teams in Sydney and New York worked closely with Joji to develop a structure that suited his vision. We are delighted to offer the leverage and reach of The Orchard’s global teams for the Broth Records artist roster for many years to come.”
Malani continues, “In one of my early hospitality jobs, there was a storeroom malfunction that caused our many vats of broth to collapse and flood the storeroom. It added a painful extra five unpaid hours of cleaning the spillage and remaking all the broths to my shift, causing much justified resentment towards soups and warm liquids. I thought it was nonsense, a soup made up of so much of random meat and veg, that takes so long to prepare and to my untrained taste buds, made very little difference to the end product.
The chef saw my disgruntled demeanor and was motivated to improve my countenance towards broths. He made two dishes, one with and one without the broth, which he asked me to try and to show him which one tasted better. Unbeknownst to me, I acknowledged the broth based dish. The chef then went on to impart a lesson I would never forget: ‘You may not see the value in the process of what goes into the broth but without the time and process, you don’t get the end result.’
I changed a lot that day. That thought and concept caused me to become so thorough. Not cutting corners but trying to be present and fall in love with the process. I’m privileged enough to have had the career I’ve had so far and achieved so much success, but it’s the ‘broth’ that nobody else sees. A good broth can either be enjoyed on its own or can form a strong base for most meals. A good broth is uncompromising. The labour of love behind those many tours and recordings, that’s what makes the end product so much more special. This is what I look forward to sharing with Broth Records, and to be a part of with the new acts that I will be releasing.”
Beyond Joji’s forthcoming solo project, the Broth artist roster is dedicated to ambitious bedroom music; “the Australian art that I see and want to see more of. Diverse in race and gender, yet strong in identity,” Joji shares. He describes each act through the tales of their discovery in moments of unsuspecting serendipity via dating apps, his time living in London and the United States, and close attention paid to those on the fringes of the music community, who contribute behind the scenes. Threading each artist together are the moments that Broth and Malani hold close – the nostalgic spirit of uncovering your favourite band as a teenager; stumbling across something so unexpected; the glee of being let in on a secret before anyone else.
Broth’s ‘Soup Kitchen‘ is an upcoming live music showcase of the label’s roster and more coming later this year. Stay tuned as Broth Records steadies to introduce its artist roster in the next few weeks.
Stay connected with Broth Records:
Website | Facebook | Instagram