Music interviews the definitive archive of stories behind the music

NYE on the Hill Announces Its Final Festival After 23 Editions

October 7, 2026

Clockenflap Announces Thrilling First Wave Lineup, Including HAYLEY WILLIAMS, KESHI, SLOWDIVE, MALCOLM...

October 7, 2026

“Electric Hills”: the documentary uncovering the Italian roots of electronic music

October 7, 2026

Sick Visor Turn an ’06 Camry Into a Punk Origin Story

October 7, 2026

Interview: Special Forces 805 – No Rules, No Gatekeeping and One Special...

October 6, 2026

Interview: The Local Romance – Shedding Skin, Finding Their Sound and Taking...

October 6, 2026

THE GROGANS RETURN WITH ‘COUNTRY MILE’, A WILD AUSSIE TALE STARRING LOST DRUMS...

October 5, 2026

Victor Towle Returns to Simplicity on New Album Waiting For Today

October 4, 2026

THE LOCAL ROMANCE SHARE TENSE NEW SINGLE “ECDYSIS” HEADLINING HALLOWEEN PARTY NIGHT...

October 1, 2026

Killswitch Engage Bring Sylosis and Heists Along for Australian Run

October 1, 2026

by the partae

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Natty Wylah

London’s Natty Wylah drops new single ‘4 Siblings’

Where are you currently based? Toronto, Canada How did you first start playing music? I first started playing music through singing. My dad used to spin Motown records and eventually my mom saw my passion for music and bought me a guitar. I then started playing and posting covers on youtube. Might I add, *cringey* covers. I’ve taken them all down and stored them in a memory bank that I hope to never access again! lol What have you been working on recently? Writing, writing, writing! I spend my days either in front of my computer and keyboard, or with a guitar in hand, with a notepad. Staying home has freed me from a lot of distractions that would otherwise keep me from writing. Now I can focus on music….and baking cookies. Your new single 'Go Slow' is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting? Falling in love inspired the content of the song, I can’t say any specific genre or type of music inspired the sonic sound of the track, we just did what felt fitting for the melody and lyrical content. It all happened very naturally! But I definitely wanted to make sure that the song had some bounce to it, you have to be able to dance. How did you go about writing the music for Go Slow? How did you approach the recording/production process? This song started with the melody and words “go slow, slow, slow”, that you already hear in the finished product! Eric and I put some demo production behind it just to get a vibe, then brought the track to our producer/songwriting partner Benjamin Nudds. After that, we started working on the production with Joel Stouffer. Where and when did you record and who with? Benjamin Nudds, Joel Stouffer. That’s the dream team right there! We just all click, it’s like they know what my ears are looking for even before I do. We work so well together. What programs/instruments did you use? We use logic and ableton mostly for production and just a keyboard or guitar when we’re trying to get a particular vibe. How did the concept for Go Slow music video come about? We wanted the video to feel sensual, empowering, passionate and hypnotic! The neon lights and the backseat of a car filled with smoke is sexy, and the darkness of the night is alluring. It wasn’t so much of a concept, but a feeling we were trying to evoke in the visuals - I think it came together perfectly! Where and when did you film and who with? The one and only Kelsi Lux! Look her up, she’s a dope creator! I can’t tell you where we filmed it, it’s a secret location ;) sh!! You have an EP coming out later this year, please tell us about the progress and what we can expect: It’s so funny how they say it takes your whole life to make your first album! Well this isn't even our first album and it feels like it’s been a lifelong process haha. The process has been an amazing learning experience because we’ve been able to grow through it and do so many cool things as a result. This ep is about just that actually- Personal growth, Self-reflection and love. What do you like to do away from music? Photography, mostly digital, but lately I’ve gotten really into film. I just love how it’s so tangible. It looks timeless which is always very appealing to me! Who are you listening to at the moment? Anything that makes me want to dance really- a lot of Dancehall/Reggae/soca, I love it so much! Oh! Check out stefflon don if you haven’t already, if you haven’t heard her on Boasty, you’re missing out! What's planned for 2020? Hopefully being allowed to leave my house haha. I want to play a lot of shows! And record all this new music I’ve been working on! Favourite food and place to hangout? Anywhere there is Pho and beer! Haha To be honest, any Asian cuisine is my favourite! I’m obsessed! I don’t really have a favorite hangout spot… Any cool bar in the city really! I’m not picky, I just want good people around me. That’s all that matters to me. https://www.facebook.com/aisforarrows/

A Is For Arrows

Carl Cox's leading Awesome Soundwave label in partnership with Beatport is bringing together some of the best live acts in the game for a special online festival on April 25th. It will be streamed live via Beatport’s social pages and various other prominent online channels, with the boss himself appearing alongside label co-founder Christopher Coe and a host of other carefully chosen performers including Marc Romboy, Saytek, The Oolluu and Honeysmack and more. Awesome Soundwave is a live electronic label with a big reputation for releasing music from the cutting edge. It is exclusively for artists who play and perform it live and recent times have given rise to standout albums and EPs from a host of the artists lining up for this special online broadcast. The artists will all be playing from their own lockdown locations around the world, with Carl Cox and Christopher Coe playing an hour each from Carl’s studio in Australia and Hannes Bieger - whose recent new single with Ursula Rucker made a big impact thanks to its environmental message - playing an hour from his studio in Germany. Elsewhere, The Oolluu, a two piece live act crossing over electronic fusion with live drums and amazing dynamics. They’ll be joined by the always on-point and legendary Marc Romboy, fellow live wizard Saytek and the likes of rising Irish live act Nancy and Australia natIve Honeysmack and you have an unmissable online party that will take you away from your lockdown woes for a few essential hours. This is a fantastic showcase of the Awesome Soundwave live sound that will keep us dancing and coming together through these difficult times. Each performance will be 100% live with Carl playing a special set comprising an exclusive selection of ASW releases. Awesome Soundwave stand in solidarity with their artists and, as such, have set up a donation platform whereby 50% goes to the artists performing and 50% goes to a grass roots aid organisation. Also, this is only the start with Awesome Soundwave also promising similar events over the coming weeks. Keep it locked! CONFIRMED acts Episode 1 - April 25 - start time 4pm CET, 3pm GMT, 12 midnight AEST 4pm The Oolluu - AUS (live) 5pm Honeysmack - AUS (live) 6pm Nancy - Ireland (live) 7pm Saytek - UK (live) 8pm Hannes Bieger - DE (live) 9pm Christopher Coe - AUS (live) 10pm Marc Romboy - DE (live) 11pm Carl Cox - AUS (100% Awesome Soundwave set) Bandcamp: https://awesomesoundwave.bandcamp.com/ Facebook: facebook.com/awesomesoundwavemusic/ Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/awesomesoundwave Instagram: instagram.com/awesomesoundwave Artist Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hannesbieger/ Label Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awesomesoundwavemusic/ Label Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/awesomesoundwave Preferred donation charities: 50% to the artists 50% to Crisis Kitchen Bali : https://www.facebook.com/crisiskitchenbali/

CARL COX & CHRISTOPHER COE’S AWESOME SOUNDWAVE ANNOUNCE ONLINE FESTIVAL FOR APRIL 25TH SAYTEK, NANCY, MARC ROMBOY AMONG THOSE PERFORMING

PACHA IBIZA PRESENTS ‘HOUSE PARTY’ AN INTERACTIVE CLUBBING EXPERIENCE BRINGING THE ULTIMATE FEEL OF PACHA DIRECTLY INTO YOUR HOME FEATURING CLAPTONE, FELIX DA HOUSECAT, PETE TONG AND MORE PACHA IBIZA – HOUSE PARTY APRIL 25th @ 6PM CET

Pacha Ibiza’s Interactive ‘House Party’ Launches this Saturday

Playlist

Music From The Home Front | Epic lineup grows as more artists added to Anzac Day special televised concert event this Saturday

Music From The Home Front | Epic lineup grows as more artists added to Anzac Day special televised concert event this Saturday

Jacob Asher

Jacob Asher Interview

Rochester-born, Atlanta-raised recording artist Jazz Ingram today shares his new single ‘2AM’. The single is available to buy and stream today on all partners via b4. Musing on his potential retirement from the party scene, 21-year-old Ingram considers the next best alternative to being out at 2am: being home at 2am. “People party like it’s their profession, you know,” he remarks. “When I wrote this song I was really at the beginning of my ‘I could not go out’ phase. This song is kind of a record of my intentions changing from being out all the time to where I’m at now.” ‘2AM’ is produced by NYC-based hip hop producer and Princess Nokia collaborator Owwwls and is the latest addition to Ingram’s now dependable output of punchy rap gems - or “diary entries”, as he calls them. His growing catalogue of tracks covers everything from his undying love of hip hop (‘Blue Gatorade’) to cathartic midnight freestyles (‘U Turn’), all released through his label partner, the buzzing NYC-based imprint b4. Born the son of a poet in Rochester, NY, Jazz Ingram’s proficiency with words developed at a young age. Moving with his immediate family to Atlanta, one Jazz’s earliest exposures to rap was via his cousin Audra the Rapper who encouraged him to rap over preset beats. Uploading his first single at the age of 15 - entitled ‘Make Em Bounce’ - helped build Jazz a small but devoted online following. Now, with 2 EP’s worth of weird and wonderful tracks under his belt, Jazz’s latest cut further cements his cult status as one of Atlanta’s most exciting new voices.

JAZZ INGRAM Releases new single ‘2AM’

Nat Vazer reveals dreamy third single ‘For a Moment’ from debut LP Is This Offensive And Loud? + announces album release date

INTRODUCING NOCON (Jamie Timony (Mossy/These New South Whales) + Jake O'Brien) SCUZZY PUNK DEBUT 'AGAG', OUT NOW

NOCON (members of These New South Whales/Mossy) share skuzzy punk debut ‘AGAG’

THE GHOST INSIDE ANNOUNCE SELF-TITLED RECORD OUT JUNE 5

THE GHOST INSIDE ANNOUNCE SELF-TITLED RECORD OUT JUNE 5

Where are you currently based? Beautiful Brisbane. How did you first start playing music? I got a guitar when I was 16 and worked my way through a Cat Stevens song book. Then started writing my own stuff. How are you getting through Iso? Haha it's a bit loose at our place. I have a day job where I normally work from home, but now I also have a 5-year-old doing home learning and a husband who is trying to teach from home too. It is definately not what I thought the year would look like, but we are lucky to live in a lovely place, with lovely neighbours. Your new album 'Hiatus' is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting? 'Hiatus' is a collection of songs that have been written over a few years. We spent a few months travelling, particularly in Italy and Bali, and most of the songs were started then. I'm a bit of a people watcher so I love telling those stories. And having a baby definitely influenced a couple. We have incorporated sound worlds from artists we love like James Vincent McMorrow, Iron and Wine, Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens, Lisa Hannigan, Glen Hansard and Angus and Julia Stone. How did you go about writing the music for Hiatus? I really enjoy the craft of songwriting. I love telling stories that connect with people and make them think. The song 'Our Lady of the Highway' is a reflection of seeing highway prostitution in Italy and diving into news articles about who these women are. It ended up being two stories: hers, where she is doing what she needs to but won't let it define her, and mine: we become what we drive past; we shouldn't. The song "This is forever" is a personal one. It tells the love story of a cousin and his widow. It's about grief and love and good times and the worst of times. I was pretty happy with it but Pennay kept saying very annoying things like: "It's great, I just don't think it has a chorus." After collecting my ego from the floor I wrote what I think is the best chorus I've written, so I guess he was right. I wrote "Little eyelashes" as a lullaby for my son. It tries to capture what I hope for him. Thankfully he likes it. It is amazing how songs written in a totally different context seem very relevant right now. "So, where does that leave me" is about the end of something significant. "This is not free" is a statement on how undervalued the arts are and what a bleak world we would live in without artists. I think that is particularly relevant now as the creative industries are in free-fall. "Heading home" and "Juniper trees" are about finding peace being at home. A number of the songs were either finished or started while I was doing an online songwriting challenge with the I Heart Songwriting club. Having a weekly assignment really helped me keep the creative thoughts flowing. Where and when did you record/produce and who with? The only song we didn't record at home was "Someday", which was recorded as part of QUT's Indie100 project with the wonderful producer Paul Pilsneniks. All the rest was performed, engineered, produced, mixed and (in most cases) mastered by my husband/producer Andrew Pennay and I in our home studio. How did you approach the recording sessions? We approached recording this album differently to anything else we have done. I write on guitar. We would record the guitar and vocals as a guide to get the song structure, then essentially get rid of the guitar and build the song from scratch. There was a lot of trail and error to find the right sound for each song. We just focused on how we wanted each song to sound so that it captured the intent of the lyrics. We included elements from our travels like a (very effected) Balinese Gamelan recorded on a walk in rural Bali in "Heading home" or a car on gravel at the start of "Our Lady of the Highway". Most nights we put put the small person to bed and then head into our home studio and try different instruments and sounds. Most of the songs sound very different to when they were written. What programs/instruments did you use? We recorded it all at home so used ProTools and lots of plugins. Everything is just the two of us: all the instruments, production, engineering, videos. There are very few real drums on the album, mostly due to necessity rather than intention. I always thought we'd get real drums in the end, but we really liked the mix of electronic drums with organic snare, toms, home-made percussion. There's a ring on a wine glass on one song. A honey jar filled with the right mix of rice and baking paper. Pennay is a keyboard player so this album has a lot more keyboards, organs, synths etc. than our previous work. Often I would go to bed and Pennay would work into the night. When I'd listen to what he had done in the morning sometimes he'd put a string quartet on something, or a double drum kit! One morning he had added an analogue synth to the song "So, where does that leave me" and it blew me away. I loved the rawness it brought to the track and I can't imagine the song without it now. Towards the final stages of mixing we called in the big guns in a few music friends to get their advice on a few of the tracks, but no one had heard the entire album when it was released. What did you find most challenging whilst creating Hiatus? We recorded the whole album in the evenings after the small human went to bed, so the most challenging thing was probably finding time, energy and persistence to get it done. It took a year-and-a-half in the end. You have a live show on May 8 at 8pm via the Live on Mars Facebook Page, how will you prepare for this show and what can we expect? Firstly, we are watching a few livestream shows and talking to people who have done them to figure out the best sound. At this stage it will probably be a striped down version of a few songs. We can't do full band with the two of us anyway, so it will be fun to reinterpret or pair back so tracks. The dog will also probably bark in the middle of it. What do you like doing away from music? Hanging out with my small human and dog. At the moment we are doing a lot of wandering around the neighbourhood, bush walking, putting on unrehearsed and unscripted shows in the lounge room and reading. I also really like good TV, so I have been watching way too much lately! Who are you listening to at the moment? I'm watching a few great livestream concerts where the artists are either getting paid directly or raising money for great charities. Glen Hansard did a gorgeous solo show from his home to celebrate his 50th birthday. Other than that, I'm really enjoying the new Laura Marling album, Thelma Plum, new Bon Iver and Calexico & Iron and Wine. Holy Holy, pretty much anything that Sarah Aarons has written, Grand Salvo, Darren Hanlon, Gillian Welch, Jason Isbell, Sufjan Stevens, Taylor, and the Teeny Tiny Stevies are all pretty much on high rotation in our house. Your Bad Guy cover is out now, please tell us the story behind the track: We love covering songs in unexpected ways. Pennay came up with a version of Bad Guy in a major key and we rolled with it. We wanted to do something fun using a mix of the instruments we used on 'Hiatus' so it's a mix of folk and electro sounds. We call it folktronica. All instruments are by him, apart from my vocals. He has also made it into a game (on our website) where you can mix your own version and make it as folky or electro as you want. How did the concept for the video come about and who did you work with during the filming/editing? It was really Pennay's idea. We just had to work with what we had available to us. We made the video at home on the first Saturday night we went into covid lock-down. We had one camera, a black background, a fan, a spinning chair and that was about it. I edited it (from the same room) the next day and we uploaded it that night. It's meant to be fun. We didn't want to overthink it. What's planned for 2020? I guess we will see? If 2020 has taught me anything, it's that we need to expect the unexpected! I will be promoting 'Hiatus' as much as possible. Connecting with friends and family online. Hopefully doing good work in my day job (raising money and sharing stories of those much less fortunate than us). Writing. Growing veggies. Spending time with my family. Favourite food and place to hangout? Most weekends (in normal times) you can find us loitering around the West End or Northey Street Markets in Brisbane. At the moment, we are enjoying loitering outside our house in the afternoon and waiving at the neighbourhood going for their afternoon walk/ride. Website | Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | Spotify

Mardi Lumsden Interview

UNTITLED GROUP ANNOUNCE LION BABE VIRTUAL TOUR, HOSTED BY OXFORD ART FACTORY

UNTITLED GROUP ANNOUNCE LION BABE VIRTUAL TOUR, HOSTED BY OXFORD ART FACTORY

JOYWAVE's Benjamin Bailey Has Kicked off 2020 With His New Solo Project Jacob Asher Stream His New Track, "Joshua Tree" Out Everywhere Today

JOYWAVE’s Benjamin Bailey Has Kicked off 2020 With His New Solo Project Jacob Asher Stream His New Track, “Joshua Tree” Out Everywhere Today

Where are you currently based? Sydney, Australia. How did you first start playing music? I wrote my first song when I was about two, and although it was incoherent, that is the earliest documentation of me dabbling in music! I don’t remember ever making a conscious decision to pursue music. It feels like it was appointed to me and I had no say in the matter! What have you been working on recently? I’ve been working on tracks for my project and really fine-tuning my sound. I’ve been remotely collaborating for my project with other artists too, like ANGE and Charlotte Adelle from Sydney, and SKYE from Melbourne who are all my friends, which has been super cool. I’ve also been doing some virtual writing and producing for other people’s projects, which is one of my favourite things to do. It’s always an honour when someone invites me onboard with their art. Your new single 'How Come You Don't Pick Up Your Phone' is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting for this track? If I’m writing for my own project I can only ever draw from personal experience, so every song is deeply embedded within events and realisations I’ve lived through. I found myself relying on other people to create a sense of worth (through the experience of desperately waiting to hear back from someone), and I wanted to explore this without straight up saying the conclusion I had come to. So the track is still in that pathetic space where you’re glued to your screen, and any semblance of self awareness hasn’t been achieved just yet! I was listening to heaps of 90s hip hop and R&B at the time, and I didn’t realise it but it was totally bleeding into my production and writing style: real angular, sassy hooks, big synth bass, that boom bap style beat… it all subconsciously ended up there! How did you go about writing the track? As the title would suggest, I was waiting for someone to hit me back! But I didn’t end up only writing about one particular experience, rather, I ended up noticing a pattern in the scenarios I was finding myself in. The song started with the hook, so the chorus was done first. I was hearing the chords and beat in my head. I knew I had the chromatic movement in the chords so when it got time to write the verses, I wanted to keep it pretty simple. The chorus explores this desperation I was talking about earlier but in the verses I go into more depth about why I was feeling this way and my own part in my negative feelings. The song was done pretty quickly and it stayed virtually in its original form, minus some production finessing! Where and when did you record/produce and who with? The song was written between Sydney and Melbourne, with the chorus popping in my head when I was alone in my hotel room on a writing trip. Once I got home I finished up the verses and produced the track up, a few months later re-doing the vocals and polishing the production. It was about a year ago when I was 17. I wrote and produced the track myself, but got heaps of feedback from friends in the industry. How did you approach the recording sessions? Honestly, I wasn’t putting too much pressure on the song, so it was pretty chill! I did them all by myself so I had no expectation to impress - I could mess up as much as I needed to. The rest of the instruments I tracked in my little home studio when I wrote the song or at like 1am when I was finessing the track. What programs/instruments do you use to create music and record? I produce on and have pledged my allegiance to Ableton, which is the first DAW I learned. I’ve played piano since I was 8 and picked up guitar at around 12, so those two instruments almost definitely make a cameo in my tracks. As of late I’ve been trying to get better at playing real groovy bass lines, so working on my bass skills is something I’ve been doing heaps. The drum programming is also obviously a super important part of my songs, if that can be referred to as an ‘instrument’ in and of itself! How did you get into recording/production? Like I mentioned before, music was always non-negotiable for me, and I always just thought everyone produced their own demos, so I think around the age 15 I decided I’d better start learning. It was kind of just troubleshooting and making track after track for a couple years until I felt decently confident, and now it’s a massive part of what I do! You're also working with hiphop singer Nardean, please tell us about this experience so far: Nardean is a queen. Queen Nardean. We met at KLP’s Ricochet Songs writing camp in Newcastle, although we’re both from Western Sydney and we don’t live too far away from eachother! We’ve done a couple songs together and I’ve produced a couple of hers and it feels like a match made in heaven. Definitely super keen for what we’ve been working on to drop. What do you like to do away from music? If I’m honest, music occupies most of my time. But if I’m having some forced downtime, I love cooking vegan stuff and reading self help and non-fiction. In isolation I’ve also taken to doing yoga in the morning and playing dumb online games with my friends over zoom. So I’m loving that! Who are you listening to at the moment? I’m still digesting Thundercat’s new album and Mac Miller’s latest albums. They’re two of my favourite artists and I seriously love everything they do. I adore a body of work and so I’m really taking my time with these releases. In terms of local artists, I’ve really been digging 18YOMAN and Vetta Borne at the moment, I think their grooves and subtle complexities are really sick. And I’ve always loved Milan Ring! What's planned for 2020? I definitely think that now is more important than ever to create, and the worst thing we could do right now is to shut ourselves out from new releases and artistic magic. So keeping busy writing and producing, both for my own project and for other artists, and taking the time to really get everything perfect! I’m working on my debut EP at the minute and that’s going to take a lot of heart and soul until it feels intimately right, but I hope you can expect that from me this year! Favourite food and place to hangout? My favourite cuisine as of late is Mexican food, literally in any way shape or form. But I also love boujee chocolate and somewhat niche fruits like passionfruit and grapefruit. In terms of places to hang out, I love (and miss) just wandering around the inner suburbs of Sydney, finding cool parks and bars in places like Newtown and Enmore. That’s also where a lot of gigs were! But I also love chilling out in the botanical gardens and around the Rocks, because its super cool and tranquil and also right next to my uni. But right now, my room and home studio are treating me well!

Chelsea Warner Interview

https://mail2.iheardtheyeatcigarettes.com/michael-franti-spearhead-reveal-11th-studio-album-work-hard-nice-june-19-release/

Michael Franti & Spearhead reveal 11th studio album ‘Work Hard and Be Nice’ (June 19 release)

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]