We've rounded up Adelaide's best new music for October, including Motez, Colourblind, aleksiah, J-MILLA, Mum Thinks Blue and more.
October 31, 2023
Culture
Adelaide’s best new music
aleksiah — ‘Pretty Picture’
‘Pretty Picture’ by aleksiah is the most raw we have heard her. Aleksiah discusses the unfair events she lived through as a 19-year-old, when her photos were stolen and photoshopped into illicit images. This song is a self-proclaimed feminist rage as she reflects on those events in her life: “Early in the morning, when there’s nothing to do / they’re making love to themselves / and not you”. Although aleksiah claims she tried to joke about the events at the time, she says “I felt sexualised despite feeling like I had no sexuality to show. The worst thing was this was a common occurrence amongst women my age as well”. (CD)
Remarks
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Blood Circle — ‘CRIMSON feat. Long Hours’
Blood Circle is the brainchild of Adelaide artist and drummer Simon Parker, blending deep electronic with classic pop structures that he knows well. Blood Circle pride themselves on mixing genres and ‘Crimson’ is no exception. This vibrant track is emotive, expressing anxieties building into anger, captured in the brooding guest vocals by Melbourne artist, Long Hours.(HK)
Colourblind — ‘Torched’
The first note of ‘Torched’ is deceptively quiet. The gentle guitar strum is instantly blown away by a barrage of bullet-quick strikes on the guitar, blows on the drums and rattling cymbals. The lyrics are not sung — they’re shouted. They meld with the hard rock beat like a shout in a storm picked up by the thunderous wind, in a head-thrashing style that you could only call ‘emo stomp’. (WB)
J-MILLA — ‘Gammon’
CityMag is looking forward to what’s next for hip hop and R&B music young superstar J-MILLA. ‘Gammon’ is the first in a run of releases for 2023. Both the music and the lyrics have the no-nonsense rhythm that’s essential to any hip-hop and that makes it something you can tap your feet to. But there’s a sombre piano raining notes in the background behind the rhythm that’s tough and regular like the hum of a hot-rod engine. This is something more than your usual hip-hop. (WB)
Lucy Zola — ‘Bournemouth’
The lyrics: “If I went to Bournemouth / I wonder what I’d find’” repeats in the latest from Adelaide musician Lucy Zola, currently working in Seoul. What you’ll find in ‘Bournemouth’ is a unique duel between lyrics and music. When Lucy sings that “I keep losing myself” the music spirals upwards, the skyward flight seemingly at odds with the sombre lyrics. Like how Lucy sings: “So I can drown out / All the thoughts going on in my head”, the music seems to drown out the sadness of the lyrics. (WB)
Mim Crellin — ‘Early Pennsylvania’
No one wants to hear another word about COVID, but you will want to hear Mim Crellin sing about it. ‘Early Pennsylvania’, the first song off her album All Our Little Boxes, was written during the pandemic but it’s far from miserable. Mim’s voice is sweet but it glides and twirls hand in hand with the music and jazz smoothness. She sounds like Maria from The Sound of Music, if she was in a quiet and comfy 1920s Paris night club frequented only by happy couples. (WB)
Motez — ‘Press Play’
Motez states: “The only mistake you made / Was pressing play”. CityMag doesn’t agree with this lyric from Iraqi Australian music producer, Motez. The song’s perfect for those who sit for hours into the night listening to the soundtracks from the latest sci-fi epics. Futuristic electronic notes rush and fill the ears with the force of an ancient battle horn. You’ll feel like you’re marching into battle to slay evil AI. (WB)
Mum Thinks Blue — ‘Mr. Nice Guy’
‘Mr. Nice Guy’ follows the formula of any summer, Australian party tune — think San Cisco. The song is fun and cheery, with an upbeat saxophone carrying the tune through its entirety. The lead singer, Austin, admits the song can be chaotic at times but “makes it a true Mum Thinks Blue song”. The band are nominated for this years SA Music award, in the soul/funk/RnB category. (CD)
My Cherie & uomo — ‘runrunrun’
CityMag pictures this song blearing in the ears at 2am on Sunday morning, down deep in the undergrounds of Adelaide’s nightlife scene. It’s perfect for headbanging, moving with a vodka lime soda in hand. Although we see this as a song for the fun memories, My Cherie and uomo explore themes of self-discovery and personal growth, while highlighting each individuals differences: “But when life gives you lemons, you may as well try and face them / make them into something beautiful and sweet”. (CD)
November Kane — ‘Another Friend’
Technically this track was released at the very end of September, just missing the cut-off for our September bests. But, given it’s been on our office playlist through October, it deserves a nod. This is the first single released as November Kane, and though we don’t know much about them, this track tells us they’re going through it. The vibe is an empowering, electronic dance track to help you through a break-up: “I believed all your lies but now I won’t, ’cause I don’t need another friend”. (HK)
Nug Chompah — ‘Re-Sync Nation’
Nug Chompah’s latest release plunges listeners into the world of drum and bass, with cycles of beats to make you feel like you’re on a fast-paced quest for glory. ‘Re-sync Nation’ warms you up and sends you into a groovy tale of introspection with gusto. (HK)
Pest Control — ‘Close Contact’
CityMag can feel the anger in Pest Control’s ‘Close Contact’. With subtle touches to the ever-dreadful two years that should not be named — the pandemic, Pest Control highlight the acts of an disloyal partner, and how during COVID times, there was really nowhere to hide: “Thought I was special cos I got it from you / who’d you give it to, someone new, ew”. However the story played out, CityMag sides with Pest Control. (CD)
Pine Point — ‘Say It Again’
This one’s for that slow dance with your special someone on a porch as the sun sets. The quartet have woven a tune that’s country without being folksy or parochial. It’s relaxing but won’t put you to sleep. It’s halfway between Taylor Swift’s country music and The Beatles’ soft and soothing rock. You’ll want to steadily sway in your chair, standing up, or as you walk down the street. (WB)
Remarks
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Samuelson — ‘Liar’
‘Liar’ is the lead single from Samuelson’s debut album ‘On My Way!’ ‘Liar’ is a bouncy, laid-back beat that draws you in, with some of the other club-ready tracks on the album picking up the pace. The ever so relatable and catchy hook, “she working, she tired” is one that can be heard hummed on repeat at the CityMag desks. (HK)
Stormy Lou — ‘Impulsivity’
The proudly queer indie foursome gives song and music to the frustration of living with ADHD, while revelling in the beauty of this neurodivergence. The guitar is gentle one moment. But it then does a ferocious U-turn, and is accompanied by equally hard hits and on the bass and energetic cymbals. The music never slows down to become despondent. Lead vocalist Mikaeli Stoker says “I hope ‘Impulsivity’ finds a place of relatability in our neurodivergent listeners, and shows that they are nowhere near as alone, or as unworthy, as they’ve been made to feel”. (WB)
Street Legal — ‘Modern Ruins’
‘Modern Ruins’ is the latest single from Street Legal which captures their ethos of post disco and punk reimagined. “Modern ruins” is a capitalist love song that draws you in with new romantic drums. This track is somewhat ethereal, taking you through an old-school Aussie dream based on singer Matthew Hayward’s childhood observations growing up regionally during the mining boom.(HK)
Sweeney — ‘Preference’
Following on from his last release ‘To Be Done’ which CityMag described as vulnerable in our Best New Music for September, ‘Preference’ goes deeper. This track captures the fear of being a young gay man in the 90s during the time of the AIDS epidemic, with a present-day lens on how sexual preferences still shape how we see each other.(HK)
Teenage Joans — ‘Hospital Bed’
An eerie hospital beep in conjunction with the beat of a piano replays in the first 24 seconds on the opening track of Teenage Joans’ debut album, The Rot That Grows Inside My Chest. ‘Hospital Bed’ starts off as an electronic slow symphony. In a sudden turn of events, the lyrics beam “so you tuck me into your hospital bed”. CityMag is then taken on a heartbreaking rollercoaster as the song progresses into what sounds like an early 2000s grunge female banger, that hit us deep in the feels. The song caps abruptly at two minutes, but leaves CityMag wanting more. (CD)
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