We've rounded up Adelaide's best new music for October, including aleksiah, Bromham, Dom Sensitive, Pest Control and more.
October 31, 2024
Culture
Adelaide’s best new music
aleksiah – ‘Batsh*t’
In the description of the ‘Batsh*t’ YouTube bio, aleksiah warns us of a “new era incoming” and we guess she’s right. This is, in fact, one of the more upbeat songs we’ve seen from aleksiah recently – as this is her first release since her debut EP Who Are You When You’re Not Performing? came out in May this year – and we are here for it. It’s giving Olivia Rodrigo in the best way.
Remarks
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Written in only two hours, aleksiah describes this song as “reckless, unserious and fun”.
“It’s about being so obsessed with somebody that you lose your sanity and do some questionable things, something I think every person has experienced at least once,” she says.
“I hope it brings fun and energy to everyone who listens to it.”
You can catch aleksiah for her You’re Never Getting Rid of Me tour at the Lions Art Factory on December 7. Buy tickets through the website.
Axe & The Ivory – ‘Give It All to Me’
This song just missed out on the cut from our September best new music column but doesn’t lack in music flavour. Axe & The Ivory have released ‘Give It All to Me’, a song that is soft and relaxing – what we can usually expect from the indie-folk band.
The band is made up of mates who grew up together and played music together from a young age. The guitarist and vocalist says the song’s about “waiting and hoping for someone to magically appear”.
“But then when they do, hoping you don’t waste the chance. And if you do, hoping a second chance will magically appear again,” he says.
There’s more to come from the band, with a range of anticipated songs set to be released by the end of 2024.
Bidemi – ‘Fear Fear’
WOMAD x NSS Academy artist Bidemi’s ‘Fear Fear’ is a lot of fun. The fast beat has CityMag nodding our head in the offices as Bidemi sings: “I’d like to know you well… I want to know you better”.
Bidemi told the Australian Music Scene through Instagram that the term ‘fear fear’ is West African lingo for ‘scaredy cat’, and this song is “speaking to a lady who is a little bit spooked”.
This won’t be the last we hear of the Afrobeat artist as he plans to release his EP Heaven On Earth (H.O.E.) in early 2025.
Bromham – ‘We’ve got friends’
‘We’ve Got Friends’ is a song written in response to Bromham singer Dave and wife Hannah discovering they can’t biologically have children, along with being “priced out of the housing market”.
Though the couple tried to come up with a plan for the next phase of their life – the ideas included overseas travel, moving to Tasmania and travelling/living in a van – none of them felt quite right.
When playing on the piano one day, Dave came up with the lyrics “we’ve got friends in all the right places” and began to write ‘We’ve Got Friends’, along with ‘Adulthood’ on the EP Adulthood. The two songs speak to being appreciative of all the little things that they love, in particular, their friends in their lives who have helped them through.
Catch Bromham at JaumaFest on December 14. Buy tickets through the website.
Dom Sensitive – ‘Weather Maps’
Choosing a favourite track on Dom Sensitive’s new release, Leather Trim, was hard. Listening to the 32-minute EP, this CityMag reporter smiled and chuckled (in a good way) at the wacko synths, intentionally offbeat drums and eccentric lyrics.
One track, titled ‘The Second Day Of Spring’, is centred on a single piano riff and lasts 11.07 minutes, with synths, avant-garde sax and other peculiar sounds weaving themselves in and out.
Ultimately, CityMag thought that ‘Weather Maps’ would vibe with our readers the most. In some ways, this is the most conventional song on the album, but that’s really not saying much. Throughout the 5.50-minute song, a steady beat is complimented by Dom Sensitive’s deadpan vocals, an acoustic guitar, a piano and a gritty electric guitar.
Thanks Dom Sensitive for brightening our day!
Full Cream – ‘Butterscotch’
If CityMag could guess what butterscotch sounds like, we would say this is pretty close.
This new single, released by Adelaide-based 5-piece indie rock outfit Full Cream, blends clean, jazzy guitar chords, a funky drum beat and a powerful, soulful vocal performance.
“Butterscotch draws parallels between spirituality, nature, and relationships. Lush harmonies, a groovy guitar hook and an infectious bluesy solo make this song a crowd favourite,” says the band.
‘Butterscotch’ is the first single and title track of Full Cream’s upcoming EP, which will be released in January 2025.
JesseMelancholy – ‘character actor’
After appearing in CityMag’s best new music column in April, June and August, JesseMelancholy has returned with their debut EP, does the skin i wear define me?
The 7-song, 23-minute and one-second album includes the track ‘character actor’, which starts off with a simple synth riff before giving way to acoustic guitar and JesseMelancholy’s emo-tinged vocals.
JesseMelancholy gives off serious e-boy energy, from everything down to the avoidance of upper-case letters in song titles, their dress style and the raw, emotional lyrics.
“I try and fit the shape/of somebody you would hate/I’ll find another stupider character to play,” JesseMelancholy sings.
Jonny Amoral – ‘Pizza Mind’
CityMag’s best new music column sometimes gives us the chance to listen to genres that aren’t normally on our personal playlist. ‘Pizza Mind’ by Jonny Amoral is one of these songs.
The grunge-punk headbanger combines Jonny Amoral’s energetic vocals with heavy guitars and drums.
The intermittent, slow-paced interludes are perfectly designed to let audiences catch their breath before the hardcore instrumentals and moshing resume.
‘Pizza Mind’ will be launched at Low Life Basement Bar on Saturday, November 2, with support acts St. Loki, Fair Call and Steal Capz.
LEZEN – ‘With Me’
This CityMag reporter recently reviewed LEZEN’s debut EP for the August edition of best new music. Now he is back with his debut LP, titled Duality.
This track merges dubstep, house and other EDM genres. A build-up crescendos to the song’s high point, with LEZEN repeating the refrain “as long as you’re with me”.
As LEZEN explains, “Duality is not just an album; it’s a sonic exploration that traverses various genres, sounds, and tones, crafted meticulously over several years”.
“From deep, bass-heavy tracks to uplifting, ethereal soundscapes, Duality embodies the complexities and contrasts that define the electronic music world,” he says.
Pest Control – ‘BITCH’
CityMag always finds Pest Control tracks to be an exercise in catharsis. BITCH is no exception. “No one told me being a girl would be easy // but no one told me it would be this fucking hard,” is the first lyric you hear, and we immediately know what we’re in for. Punchy and punctuated by a sharp riff and tense drums, BITCH has strained passionate vocals on show.
Lyrics like “I’m not rude, I’m not a prude, so don’t tell me I have attitude” are catchy and clearly written to be heard in a pub with a crowd expelling collective feminine rage.
Catch Pest Control supporting the Vains with The Genevieves on November 30 at the Cranker.
Rob Edwards – ‘Emerald Skies’
Rob’s soul and jazz influence shine through on this track, as the multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter takes listeners on an emotional journey of reconnecting to his Indigenous heritage.
As part of the Stolen Generation, Rob’s family had been disconnected from their heritage and Country. ‘Emerald Skies’ is the story of the profound impact Rob felt visiting his ancestral lands where his great-grandmother was born for the first time. The peaceful drum groove and ambient swells on the track reflect that sense of healing.
“Tell me, tell me, I’m listening to what I need to find // I feel you, I feel you through my skin, I follow you through the night” Rob emphasises the healing that comes from listening to the land and to ourselves.
RobT – ‘Now I’m Free’
Adelaide-based artist and music producer RobT collabs with Melissa Condo Francis, who sings vocals on this track. Not unlike RobT’s September release, the futuristic patterned synths and bouncy melody are reminiscent of the 80s. This coupled with Melissa’s rich off-beat harmonies make the track sound like it would fit in the opening credits of a film from that decade.
Lyrics like “sharing tears as well as smiles” and “future’s calling me, and now I see” implore us to place it in rom-com category.
‘Now I’m Free’ is the second single from RobT’s upcoming album Dark Horse which is due for release in December. Rob says we can expect darker themes from the album, so saddle up.
St. Morris Sinners – ‘Midas’s Milk’
October 31 is a timely release date for an album called Nightmares, the latest work from St. Morris Sinners. Though Nightmares was released through French Label Beast Records, the band split their time between Adelaide and Melbourne, so we will claim them proudly as long as we can.
The album is a moody soundtrack conceptually based on the seven deadly sins, where the experimental jazz backgrounds of the band members shine through.
The track ‘Midas’s Milk’ is a standout for how it melds groovy vocals telling a story of vainglory and pride that reminds this reporter of spoken word poetry, achieving lyricist Stephen Johnson’s goal to stylistically emulate Tim Burton and Edgar Allan Poe. The chunky bass riffs are a determined throughline of storytelling.
Stormy-Lou – ‘Falls Away’
Stormy-Lou is serving up autumnal rock goodness with ‘Falls Away’. Maybe it’s our pumpkin- coloured glasses, but this release is perfectly timed. The lyrics capture the gloomy mindset of winter; “I’m feeling rough, I’m feeling weak // I lose my head thirty times a week” while the energetic guitars and unrelenting drums propel it forward into spring.
The harmonies from frontwoman Mik Stoker and Bassist Alex Flynn Taylor open the track on a high. Alex then takes lead vocals on this track, which he says we shouldn’t get used to, but it’s a treat. Alex says he was “emotionally spent” when he penned the track and wanted “to write something that hit the feels but at the same time, got people yelling at the top of their lungs”. Well Alex, mission accomplished.
Catch Stormy-Lou perform ‘Falls Away’ at the Cranker’s Halloween extravaganza Oct 31.
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