The year is gradually drawing to a close and plenty of Aussie artists aren't content to say goodbye to 2020 without leaving one final impression on us. Just like any other week, Aussie artists have been kind enough to spoil us with an array of wonderful music and here are just some of the highlights.
Liyah Knight - Tipsy
With songs like ‘Girls Need Love’ by Summer Walker opening the door recently, Liyah Knight is strolling right through it. ‘Tipsy’ holds an inherent politicism to it, simply because it’s a song created in a world that still stigmatises casual relationships for women. Knight writes in the songs description that when she wants to have a sexual relationship separate from any emotion she’s often called ‘Promiscuous’ or ‘Broken’. However, on ‘Tipsy’, her sultry R&B voice is empowered, assertive and in control, ‘And I know you don’t approve/You tell me weekdays aren’t for booze/But I don’t remember ever asking you’. However, the tracks confessional moment arrives with ‘Maybe possibly one day/I’ll wake up and wanna stay/If it isn’t too late’, hinting that as there so often is in a casual relationship, some underlying complex emotions are swimming beneath the surface.
For fans of: Ari Lennox, SZA, Summer Walker
Kee’ahn, Kobie Dee and River Boy - Sunrise
As part of celebrating NAIDOC week, Triple J Unearthed set up this collaboration, and in less than a week vocalist Kee’ahn, rapper Kobie Dee and producer River Boy came together to make a track that sounds like it could’ve been in the works for years. Kobie Dee gives two spectacularly delivered verses, with emotionally tinted vocal inflections akin to J. Cole or Joey Bada$$. As the verses fade out, they are swallowed into the stunning singing of Kee’ahn, as she spreads her vocal wings and gently floats over the instrumental. Both artists effortlessly find their pocket within River Boy’s subtle instrumentation, that maintains its minimalism while still offering enough texture to allure you into the track. You can hear how important this song is through the artists respective performances and with ‘Sunrise’, they’ve really created something very special together.
For fans of: J. Cole, Joey Bada$$, Nas, Kaiit
Jiordy - Weight In Water
Whether it’s a tricky relationship, a pursuance of passion, or in this instance, an overly exuberant inner monologue, so often the things that have us ripping hair from our scalp are the same things we wouldn’t know how to live a day without. Coming to streaming on 26 November, ‘Weight In Water’ is almost a love song to Jiordy’s anxiety, an acknowledgment that her inner restlessness isn’t all evil and has played its own role in making her who she is. Jiordy describes her sound as ‘cosmic’ and it’s difficult to disagree, sweeping soundscapes through the second half of the song will have you feel like you’re floating through space, coming to terms with the universe and all its unknowns. Drawing positives from what we’ve previously perceived as mental barriers and hindrances is a deeply therapeutic and liberating exercise and it’s touching to hear someone share this process. Everything we’ve heard so far from Jiordy has been personal, relatable and sounded all sorts of mesmerising, so we’ll be watching her closely in 2021.
For fans of: The XX, Vera Blue, Lana Del Rey
GRAACE - You Do You
Sometimes it’s not necessary for a slew of words and conversations and it can be as simple as ‘You just do you and I’ll just do me’. GRAACE streamlines her emotions into those lines, with her emotional pleas hidden in the crevices of an irresistible dance track. While GRAACE's influences range from Banks to Joni Mitchell, this track is almost reminiscent The Weeknd’s collaborations with Daft Punk, with ‘Starboy’ currently eight times platinum, that’s not a bad sound to be hitting. GRAACE won’t be a stranger to a lot of Australian music fans, with the 21 year old already possessing a packed resume of great tracks and nearly a million monthly listeners on Spotify. ‘You Do You’ is a seductive anthem, ‘I could blow your mind/Leave you guessing every time’, and with that voice, the seduction is sounding very successful. With a striking music video to match, ‘You Do You’ seems set to propel GRAACE further into the stratosphere.
For fans of: The Weeknd, Banks, Hayden James
SAHXL - The Kid Freestyle
With new age Hip Hop continuing to dominate airwaves across the world, it feels like SAHXL will be surfing these same waves very soon. Having received shout outs from a now global superstar in The Kid LAROI, SAHXL is right in the same lane of melodic rap. With evident influence from the Juice Wrld and Trippie Redd corners of Hip Hop, at just 17 years of age SAHXL has a natural ear for melodies and is drenched in charisma on the mic. He has the vocals to match too, you can even find a cover of rising R&B star Giveon’s ‘The Beach’ on SAHXL’s SoundCloud. The Kid LAROI has shown the blueprint to not only take over the Australian scene but how to take your talents overseas and SAHXL is showing all the signs that he could be up next. The aesthetic, talent, confidence and authenticity are all there for SAHXL to begin a meteoric rise.
For fans of: Juice Wrld, The Kid LAROI, Lil Uzi Vert
NEON PATTERN SUNDIAL - Winter
We often unfairly view ambiguous lyrics as lacking substance or unnecessarily poetic jibber. Yet really, what could be more personal to an artist than having to cast a wide net because it's too confronting to locate or express precise feelings. NEON PATTERN SUNDIAL's Ben Rizio sings his own truths over a mash up of alternative pop and lightly psychedelic instrumental weaves on ‘Winter’. If you need a tranquil track to polish off your day, this is the one. With an EP due on 4 December, this is our taste of it before release with ‘Winter’ being released alongside an entrancing visualiser. ‘Winter’ is aptly named, as the track transitions from lower moments of introspection into the sound of a quiet comfort within the cold. The expressive lyricism and melodic explorations of ‘Winter’ will have you very very ready for One Moment Never Meant A Thing’ two Fridays from now.
For fans of: The Japanese House, Hippo Campus, Mansionair