AUSSIE AUDIO: Emerging Australian acts you need to discover!

From new Indie gems and explosive Rock acts to intimate Folk songwriters and singer songwriters, we'll be showcasing our favourite Aussie acts and their new releases...

ALEIA

Perth artist ALEIA has unveiled her enchanting Indie-Rock poetry via her latest track ‘Willpower’. Taking listeners into her climate of a smoky grey cloud haze, the track encapsulates romantic betrayal through poetically crafted lyricism, amongst the slow burning instrumental blaze. ‘Willpower’ opens with growling guitar chords that engulf us immediately with its enticing darkness. ALEIA’s vocals perfectly mesh with this somewhat gothic sound as her voice, tinged with a beautiful sadness, puts us on a leash and glides through the track.

Photo Credit: Jennaelson

Like a confessional tale, lyrics like “All my answers are begging more questions”, and “I spiral into descent / like I’m planning your death” prove that ALEIA is not afraid to bare her soul as she explores every angle of her consciousness through thoughtfully and vividly crafted lyrics. Further components like drums, bass, synth, and piano cement ‘Willpower’ as a cinematic piece of music, where if it were 2008, there would certainly be a place on the Twilight soundtrack for this song.

Words by Haldana Juhl

Slowly Slowly

Melbourne three-piece Slowly Slowly have marked their new era with a bang impossible to ignore. Their latest track ‘Sacrosaint’, while filled with the most golden harmonies, and sweet airy guitar sounds, is lyrically a hard-hitting outlook on the world, urging us to appreciate the good in our life before it is no longer there. Bleak yet powerful, lead singer Ben Stewart is urgent, passionate, and clear in his message: "Eight billion lonely people, and not enough for equal”, where his rawness is right in front of our faces.

This bold track comes with clever composure, one that pulls us in and out with a thrilling musical whiplash. In particular, drums are used to their fullest throttle, where like fireworks, they contribute this colourful explosion, hypnotic to the eardrums, with a compulsive desire to headbang. However, Slowly Slowly’s point is never lost beyond the noise, where the frustration is heard, as well as the beauty of the track. Most directly, Stewart sings, “We’re running out of time”, enhancing the track's notion of nothing lasting forever, encapsulating its ethos. As Slowly Slowly combines the sounds of Blink-182, and The 1975, alongside their poignant message, we find this powerful Rock tune.

Words by Haldana Juhl

Layer Cake

Australian Indie band Layer Cake’s latest single ‘sunnyboy’ is a track destined for everyone's summer playlist. Bursting with instrumental sweetness and a lyrical tale of nostalgia and young love, Layer Cake crafts a sunset of a song where golden guitars shed gentle yet moving melodies, drums form cheery beats, and beautifully toned vocals carry us through. Beginning in tranquility, reminiscent lyrics like “So I wonder where you go by now / And if someday I’ll run into you somehow” set the sentimental tone amongst the serene guitars as we are centred by the band's soulfulness.

Soon disrupted, the chorus takes the track to a higher place where its joyous energy is cranked up to the max, putting an instant smile on listeners faces. The way the track evolves resembles that of a blooming flower, where from the first note played, it is clear that it is going to be something colourful, heartwarming, and packed with radiance. Leaving our ears treated by this Indie-Pop delight and the urge to go out and frolic in the sun, Layer Cake’s ‘sunnyboy’ is certainly a song to soundtrack not just the season, but for anytime there is a need to feel their flowering, gleaming sound!

Words by Haldana Juhl

Harley

Brisbane’s indie-rock artist Harley has just released his new single ‘Tell Me You Love Me’, an up-beat track blending infectious vocals with compelling storytelling. The single wastes no time introducing the ultimate vibe of the tune with the first two lines serving as a hook to entice the listener.

Harley takes inspiration from Sam Fender and the 1975 for this track, using vibrant riffs to share a story of self-doubt. The rhetorical questions throughout the song engage the listener in a really special way, giving us an insight into the artist’s headspace through his heartfelt lyricism. It has a raw and emotional feel but with a feel-good energy creating something impossible not to sing along to. ‘Tell Me You Love Me’ is something a little different compared to the singers other releases. He delves into bright, energetic indie-pop melodies, giving his fans a fresh taste of what he’s capable of.

Words by Jasmine Butler