We hope you're doing swell. We're back with a special selection this week highlighting some of the incredible folk-influenced releases that have come out recently. From fingerpicked vignettes to uplifting sonic breezes, these Aussie indie-folk tunes mesmerised us this week and we hope they'd do the same for you too.
Ruby Gill - 'you should do this for a living' (Ft. Angie McMahon, Maple Glider, Mimi Gilbert, Hannah Cameron and Hannah Blackburn)
The sparse, plaintive tone lets its message ring clear - this is "a song about what it takes to navigate male power, pressure and coercion in the music industry." And that message is well and truly delivered with gorgeous melody and rich resonant vocals. Yet the heavy strums carry with them a hollow ache - of a collective experience that hits too close to home
'You don't have to go back with him to his room'
It is a song that rises from hard-won milestones. A song that is resolute in its intention. A song that is uneasy, cathartic and full of warmth all at the same time - a reflection of collective female-identifying spirit in the industry.
“This song is for anyone who’s had a man change their guitar tone without their permission, had their worries ignored because worries aren’t sexy, or had their body convinced to do things that hurt, all in the name of getting ahead"
For Fans Of: Angie McMahon, Maple Glider
Interstellar Tay - 'Garden Song'
Brisbane seems to be full to the brim with wide-ranging talents and Interstellar Tay is no exception. Tay offers sublime vocal harmonies and authentic lyricism in 'Garden Song' - a precious piece of music that is both a celebration of life but also a reflection on the sorrow of loss.
“Garden Song is about the night my grandfather died. I’m not a particularly spiritual person, but we were very close. At 11pm that night I had a dream about somebody stomping on piano keys which woke me up. In the morning I called my grandmother and she told me that he had passed away at 11pm that night...Both my uncle and grandmother told us that they were also woken up at 11pm. So the song is about how jarring losing the connection of a loved one can be.”
For Fans Of: First Aid Kit, Winterbourne
Charm of Finches - 'Canyon'
In 'Canyon' the Melbourne sister duo brings a rich and layered arrangement that floats between sonic clarity and its surrealist theme. 'Canyon' features unfurling lyrics that wrest control of our thoughts from its gliding melody and lofty vocals. Its another great release from this duo ahead of their upcoming third album.
"Both of us keep a dream journal. One week we both dreamt about leaping into the unknown - one was leaping out of a huge tree, the other off into a canyon. It’s strange and beautiful the way your subconscious can show you things through bizarre little dream journeys. This is our little leap of faith song."
For Fans Of: First Aid Kit, Agnes Obel, Aurora
NIDALA - 'Said Too Much'
Djugun musician NIDALA's latest release is uplifting in its lyrical warmth and upbeat with its driving instrumentals. 'Said Too Much' exudes a sense of melancholy and remoteness that is bridged completely and perfectly by tremendous song-writing and yearning vocals. It has us very excited for the release of NIDALA's debut EP early next month.
“'Said Too Much’ is about dating and how it collides my worlds together! My ancestral heritage sees partnership as a central part in human-nature relationships, and my tech-ridden modern existence plays it out through online dating in a culture that fears deep connection. It's about being confused, and being able to dance it off. I chose this theme because I wanted it to feel relatable and deeply human, and I wanted to paint my Indigeneity in the colours of softness it so rarely gets to wear in white Australia.”
For Fans Of: Julia Jacklin, Meg Mac, Thelma Plum
Ally Row- 'why do i care'
Melbourne troubadour-duo Ally Row have let fly a blissful track that gives us that
feel good 90s vibe infused with satisfying Tea-for-the-Tillermanesque introspection.
Picture a girl blowing dandelions captured on grainy super8 footage with that warm vintage bloom. This song captures that image and distills it into delightful music.
"'why do i care’ is an uplifting indie folk song about overcoming the pressure to please everyone; learning to have trust in yourself and in the choices you make. This song was written during the 2020 COVID lockdowns in Victoria, Australia. It left AllyRow with the liberating feeling that life is too short to push your passions aside.”
For Fans Of: Of Monsters and Men, Ben Lee, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Follow Ally Row | Facebook |
Zander Rhodes - 'The Only Way I Know'
Brisbane surf-folk artist Zander Rhodes invites us to imagery that stretches from ocean to hinterland with the comforting yet expressive harmonies of 'The Only Way I Know.' Within we find striking guitar work, weathered-timber vocals and a "salt-water splash of coastal-pop energy." Its a song to crack open a cold one to and wash away the taste of salt water as the sun dips below the horizon.
For Fans Of: Angus and Julia Stone, Ziggy Alberts