We've rounded up Adelaide's best new music for July, including Workhorse, Loopole, MANE, aleksiah, Slowmango, The Empty Threats and more.

Aleksiah — ‘Ant Song’

The soft yet upbeat melody in ‘Ant Song’ gave CityMag all the warm fuzzies inside. Following a young love and all the reasons aleksiah herself fell in the first place, ‘Ant Song’ is a cool melody that showcases her creative flair. It’s the easy type of song to listen to 1000 times over, while sitting on a train watching the rain fall outside. It’s the song that makes us romanticise our life and measure it in its small, uneventful moments. Luckily for fans of aleksiah, she will be playing at Handpicked Festival this November.

Cvlt Code – Kibosh

Cvlt Code have shown in their new single ‘Kibosh’ that heavy metal with a touch of electronic flair creates a musical masterpiece. The intense culmination of vocals, guitars, bass and drums perfectly balances, and forms a powerful song with an echoing sound. The band formed after years of individual experience within the industry, and strive to push their music to the limit. Lead vocalist Jon Demertzis says Cvlt Code is driving for a “relentless pursuit of originality” and show this quest has begun through ‘Kibosh’. Cvlt Code will be playing at Metal on Murray on Friday 13 October and plan to release an EP in late 2023.

LENI — ‘What’s on Your Mind’

LENI has a consistent R&B sound that flows throughout all of his music. His song ‘What’s on Your Mind’ has a dark club-esque vibe. With a music/lyric video to match, ‘What’s on Your Mind’ is perfect for a slow groove in the early hours of the morning, when everybody knows it’s probably time to go home. LENI says the song attempts to “express the ebb and flow nature of relationships,” and that it “delves into those challenging moments where open communication becomes pivotal”. LENI will be launching his new single ‘100mph’ at the Queens Theatre on Saturday 19 August.

Loopole — ‘Candles’

Loopole’s new single ‘Candles’ has a continuous bass beat that keeps the band and the song moving in one, clear-cut direction. Formed in 2020, Loopole is an indie band with a punk rock sound, with songs fit for a ‘pres’ playlist, and sure to make it into ‘Your Top Songs of 2023’. CityMag is here for it.

MANE — ‘Flowers’

MANE’s single ‘Flowers’ is a light and upbeat indie track that has a feel-good aura as she repeatedly chants “I’m coming home”. MANE’s voice in ‘Flowers’, and the rest of her tracks for that matter, are the perfect mix between Florence And The Machine and Maggie Rogers but with an Adelaide twist. ‘Flowers’ explores the idea of a soft type of love, that being between friends and family and friends who become family as MANE sings “I don’t want to have to prove myself no more, when I’ve got flowers waiting at my front door”. MANE puts thoughts to words describing the uncool yet very surreal feeling that no matter where you go in the world, there really is no place like home.

Matt Ward & Taasha Coates — ‘Two to Tango’

‘Two to Tango’ is a collaboration of two Australian country music names — Matt Ward and Taasha Coates of The Audreys. The duo came together and created a soft country masterpiece that explores a hetero couple’s conversation after a little too much booze, which is “teetering on the brink of passion,” the duo says. With separate solo careers and multiple albums to their names, Matt and Taasha came together to put their foot down in the Australian music scene and put Adelaide on the international music map.

Slowmango — ‘Floppy Disko’

Colourful both in the ears and in sight, the workings of Slowmango have a bouncy life-giving sound. By refusing to conform to a genre, Slowmango proves that more is always more in their debut album, Hypercolour Miscellaneous. ‘Floppy Disko’ is just as camp in its title as it is in its melody. It mixes every type of sound to create a complicated score. The self-proclaimed “sweet and savoury buffet of international groove,” Slowmango continues to surprise CityMag with avid tempos and innovative music choices.

The Empty Threats — ‘Dear Sunshine’

‘Dear Sunshine’ by The Empty Threats begins with a softer, cooler, relaxing tone. It then turns to a sudden musical stop, with just a monologue and drum beat. Sunshine musically and ironically beams through in the next half of the song, with a hardcore guitar solo and a heavy metal sound. ‘Dear Sunshine’ is straight from The Empty Threats debut album Monster Truck Mondays, which is available to order on vinyl in a deep blue sea, mustard or magenta marble design for those indecisive listeners. The Empty Threats’ Australia tour hits Adelaide at the Jive Bar on Saturday 26 August.

Workhorse — ‘Desert’

‘Desert’ reminds CityMag of six o’clock in the morning at the beach. The still sea a calming presence against the overly energised, early-rising exercisers. But to Workhorse, ‘Desert’ is the tranquillity of a long drive down a straight highway with cruise control set comfortably 10k’s under the speed limit, and nothing but time. Workhorse says ‘Desert’ is about “driving the long stretches of highway that connect and keep us apart from far away loved ones”. Soft, precious and timeless, ‘Desert’ shows the rawness of Workhorse in their most delicate moments. Written for the album No Photographs but only released this month, ‘Desert’ is the hidden treat CityMag didn’t know we needed.