Toronto starlet Ralph has been capturing the hearts of pop fans internationally over the past year and now comes the day they’ve all been waiting for. After a string of hit singles, an MMVA nomination, and a major tour announcement, Ralph’s debut full length album ‘A Good Girl‘ is available today via 604 Records/Yunizon.

‘A Good Girl’ introduces a new sound for Ralph – maintaining her classic glittering synths and disco flare, she’s introduced heavier beats and a sprinkle of sultry R&B to create a collection of danceable bops, low-key jams and heartbreak anthems. Including the summer favourites ‘Girl Next Door’ ft. TOBi and ‘Tables Have Turned,’ the 10-track collection holds an eclectic range of emotions from the flirty ‘Bedroom Eyes’ to the intensely emotional ‘Cereal’ ft. Milk & Bones.

“I wrote A Good Girl over the course of a year, maybe a little more… and a lot happened in that year,”explains Ralph. Her new album is a collection of intimate stories, feelings and experiences since her early 2017 debut, “because I use song writing as a type of therapy and a way to explore my feelings, the songs naturally began to reflect everything that was happening in my life. Sometimes I was hurting, other times I was the one hurting someone else, and then to make it more complicated, sometimes I’d be both”.

In addition to the album release, Ralph has released a brand-new video for her latest track ‘Long Distance Lover’. Directed by Ally Pankiw the video features a diverse group of hopeful lovers at a bingo-hall style speed dating event. Sparks fly while opposites attract and Ralph leads the crowd both in their search for love and a surprise dance number.

Previous single ‘Tables Have Turned’ was warmly received by Australian tastemakers, including support from the likes of triple j, SYN FM, Music Feeds, Pilerats, Savage Thrills, Project U, Acid Stag, Future Mag Music and AAA Backstage.

The track also enjoyed resounding success globally, reaching #1 on Hype Machine’s now charts, and featuring on Spotify’s New Music Friday (US, Canada, Germany, Poland, Switzerland) and Apple Music’s ‘Best of the Week’ in over twenty-four countries (including US, UK, Netherlandsand Canada).

Over the coming months, Ralph will set off on a twenty-five date tour across the US, Canada and UK, performing at a combination of her own headline shows and support slots to Ria Mae and Flint Eastwood.    

For more information surrounding Ralph’s debut album and tour dates, visit www.songsbyralph.com

On Saturday October 13th 2018, Hope Estate will host an All-Australian line up, bringing a new sound and music culture to the rolling hills and lush vines of the Hunter Valley.

FKA (Formerly Known As) Festival wasn’t just a catchy name, a few things led to the creation of the festival…

The new festival,  will make its debut at Hope Estate in the Hunter Valley, and will be headlined by indie heroes The Jungle Giants  with other sets from the likes of Luca Brasi and Kingswood, Tired Lion, Ali Barter and The Belligerents.

Aside from all the tunes, there will also be roaming entertainment, gourmet food trucks, DIY workshops and (of course) Hope Estate’s award-winning beer and wine.
Read more at http://musicfeeds.com.au/news/new-aussie-festival-fka-reveals-debut-lineup-feat-jungle-giants-luca-brasi/#kKTJwwhZkkKPm87b.99

FKA Festival 2018 Lineup 

Ali Barter
The Belligerents
The Jungle Giants
Kingswood
Luca Brasi
Maddy Jane
Tired Lion
Trophy Eyes

Hope Estate is well known for hosting a large variety of artists. With a resume that holds names such as The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac, and Midnight Oil (just to name a few).
So we thought… why not bring out some of our favourite Aussie artists to show off their talent at an all Aussie alt-rock festival! Let’s face it, it would be rude not to.

FKA Festival, 13th October 2018. Hope Estate, Hunter Valley

TRANSPORT

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO FKA?

BY CAR

There is plenty of parking at Hope Estate, however there are plenty more people that love to come to concerts there too!

Your best bet is to carpool with some mates, our even better… don’t risk it and catch the bus right to the gate! Talk about door to door service…

Hire a campervan or car 

BY BUS

Getting to FKA is so easy with Rover Coaches! If you are looking for bus transfers from Newcastle, Maitland or Singleton then Rover have you covered.

Are you from the Mid North Coast? Then Port Bus is your best choice for transfers. 

There is no easier way to get to and from FKA and those sweet sweet All-Aussie tunes. Book your tickets today!

Northern Beaches psych-rockers Ocean Alley are thrilled to be teaming up with Cerebral Palsy Alliance (CPA) later this month, raising money for the initiative through ticket sales from both sold-out Sydney shows as well as setting up a platform for friends and fans to donate online. The news comes with the announcement of local supports for all dates of their upcoming regional run, which has sold out six of eight dates and recently expanded with a performance in Byron Bay. To make a donation, or to find out more information on Cerebral Palsy Alliance visit here. Cerebral palsy is caused by injury to the developing brain, and is the most common physical disability in childhood. In Australia, one in every 500 babies is diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a lifelong disability that affects movement and muscle control. Ocean Alley will donate $2 per ticket from both Sydney shows, with good mates Coopers Brewery, UNIFIED Music Group, 123 Agency and Wrangler Australia throwing their support behind the initiative – collectively raising over $20,000 for CPA. The band has a longstanding association with Cerebral Palsy Alliance’s Twenty/20 Challenge event, which raises funds for essential equipment for children, and hopes that with the increased awareness over these two shows, public support will take their contribution to even greater heights.

Following the release of their much-awaited fifth studio album Let’s Go Sunshine, The Kooksstep things up yet again announcing East Coast headline shows at Festival Hall in Melbourne, Hordern Pavilion in Sydney and Eatons Hill in Brisbane. Along with recently announced performances at Beyond The Valley, Origin Fields and Lost Paradise Festivals.

The Kooks started their career with a bang in 2006 with their unstoppable debut ‘Inside In/Inside Out’, which went five times platinum. The four-piece have continued to go from strength to strength. With three more studio albums including a ‘Best of…So Far’. The band have acquired over 1 billion streams worldwide – embarked on a number of massive world tours, awards and critical acclaim under their belts they’ve maintained a steady ascent to the top, constantly growing in popularity throughout the last decade.

The Kooks have now confirmed their place in the Great British Songbook with new album Let’s Go Sunshine. The album manages to tackle the dual nature of British urban life, with songs like Four Leaf Clover and Chicken Bone exploring harsh themes of lost innocence, addiction, struggling relationships and suburban entrapment, whilst retaining its positivity through The Kooks’ timelessly melodic songwriting.

With a legion of new fans discovering the band through streaming in recent years, 2018 sees The Kooks redefined, varied and ready to go again at their most confident.

TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY 8TH OCTOBER

Thursday 3 Jan, Festival Hall, Melbourne
Saturday 5 Jan, Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
Sunday 6 Jan, Eatons Hill, Brisbane

GET TIX ATWWW.XIIITOURING.COMWWW.SECRETSOUNDS.COM

 Indie songwriter Rob Jamner has partnered with Indie Band Guru to premiere the narrative-styled video for “Eventually.” The first single off his upcoming EP highlights his dynamic songwriting by shedding light on procrastination and how this avoidance can come back to haunt us.

“Initially I named my characters Kristen and Walter because they rhyme with “fiction” and “daughter,” but as I kept working on the song, they grew into realistic people with deep struggles. The music is fun and the lyrics are full of wordplay, but something sinister lurks beneath the surface.” – Rob Jamner

To draw interest to the EP, Jamner has commissioned five video artists to create short films inspired by his songs. Jamner says, “Instead of traditional music videos that focus on myself and my band, I want our works of art to be in conversation with each other, standing on equal footing.” The “Eventually” video features animation work from artist Jesse Israel to bring the song to life, in which Israel hand drew, colored, and animated every component.Noticing how crucial community is to the artistic process, Jamner feels that creating music is about bringing people together. Raised by a flutist and a pianist in Louisville, Kentucky, Jamner picked up the cello at the age of six and began to forge his own path. Influenced by renowned artists like Simon & Garfunkel, The Shins, and Sondre Lerche, he wrote his first songs at the age of fifteen. He pursued guitar and songwriting with excitement and dedication, graduating from Oberlin College and Conservatory with a degree in Creative Writing.

During his time at Oberlin, he co-founded a songwriter organization, formed a band, and released his first self-produced EP. In every place where Jamner has lived–whether in Louisville, New York, Oberlin, or his current residence of Berkeley, California –he has always looked to support and inspire the artists around him.

As an openly queer person, Jamner thrives on ambiguity. On stage, he feels most comfortable presenting himself with a degree of androgyny. He also plays with expectations in his music: some moments are catchy and cathartic, other moments are surprising and sophisticated, and they all come together to make a singular, distinctive sound.

His upcoming EP was recorded in the legendary San Francisco recording studio, Tiny Telephone, with producer Adam Hirsch and a team of esteemed studio musicians. Keep an eye out as he releases five music videos and singles prior to the ‘Holding Stones’ release on February 22, 2019.For Fans of:The Shins, St. Vincent, Simon & Garfunkel, Sondre Lerche, and Andrew Bird

 Fusing styles, genres, and innovated ideas, Adam Drew is the mastermind behind the musical project The Religion. Drawing inspiration from synth pop, new wave, and 70s and 80s prog rock/instrumental music, The Religion is no stranger to experimentation and tackles ambitious concepts with flair. His new album Anhedonia will be released on September 28, 2018.

Drew honed his skills as a producer, songwriter, and technologist on Anhedonia; first developing the album for piano and voice, Drew livened the stripped versions with synth, layered harmonies, and contagious rhythms. The album was fully written and produced by Drew, allowing him to express the transformative powers of emotions.
 

“‘Anhedonia’ was all about making music that had my whole self in it – completely honest, and personal, and shedding all of my inhibitions and baggage. It was about connecting with every part of myself – my fears, my pain, all of the things that threaten to pull me down – to harness them to create something true and beautiful. It was transformative, like alchemy – taking all of that emotional lead running through my veins and turning it into gold.”

Growing up in a musically inclined household, Drew developed his vocal abilities, picked up a guitar and bass, and learned other synthesized instruments. Inspired by other genre-bending groups such as Nine Inch Nails/Trent Reznor, Depeche Mode, Erasure, Eurythmics, and Placebo, Drew channeled his passion into his ever-evolving music style. The Religion uses facets from multiple musical genres and delivers thought-provoking and unique tracks with each new release.

Anhedonia will be officially released on September 28th, 2018. (Digital and Vinyl formats)

For fans of: Placebo, Depeche Mode, and Erasure

Sydney’s new-age-psych-funk lord, Joyride, today returns with a brand-new, head-spinning single ‘6am,’as well as the announcement of the release date of his long-awaited debut album, Sunrise Chaser.

The album will be released via Dew Process / Universal Music Australia on November 9, as the final plunge on the sonically and chemically induced roller-coaster ride that has been the last 12 months of music from the maverick, Sydney party rogue.

‘6am,’ is typically Joyride in so far as its total lack of convention. A warped mix of r’n’b, pop and club banger, the song was premiered this week by triple j head honcho Richard Kingsmill on his 2018 show.

It’s the next chapter from debut album Sunrise Chaser, which Joyride explains as, “a collection of stories about being 20-something legends on the weekend in Sydney’s Inner West. It explores different genres like a Bluetooth speaker on a bender. It explores the emotional spectrum that exists between Friday and Monday, including the bits we maybe try not to explore all the time.”

Although the album was written with that narrative in mind, Sunrise Chaser represents the broader story of Joyride – an artist that has firmly entrenched himself as one of the most loved members of the Australian music community, finally stepping out on his own. Widely recognised for his immense DJ talents, or as a member of the One Day crew and The Meeting Tree, Sunrise Chaser is a body of work that runs at the weekend, rather than strolls through it. The surface is characterised by humour and highs, the depths are explored with love and reflection and a philosopher’s curiosity. 

One of the true characters in Australian music, Joyride called on a number of friends to work on Sunrise Chaser. Sarah Corry from leftprojects, Handsome, Nina Las Vegas, Bree Tranter and Ali Barter all sang on different tracks throughout the album.  Mitch Kenny mixed the majority of the album and was also a big part of the formative moments of Sunrise Chaser‘s life. Hermitude swished ‘Aunty Tracey’s Cookies.’ The Meeting Tree blessed ‘6am.’ Oscar Dawson from Holy Holy and Alex Laska from Kingswood went off on ‘Blue Batmans.’ Adit from Horrorshow produced ‘Hate Is Such A Strong Word’ and ‘Woke Up Like This.’   

Wonderlick Recording Company are proud to announce the signing of Japanese Wallpaper the indie electronica project from Gab Strum. Melbourne-based Strum joins the growing ranks of Wonderlick’s roster alongside the likes of Amy Shark, Holy Holy, Montaigne and The Paper Kites.

“We have been huge admirers of Gab’s talent for quite some time, and in fact we first tried to sign him around the time he won triple j’s Unearthed High. When we heard the music he has been working on over the past couple of years, we were even more excited about the prospect of having him join our roster. Gab is one of the most original and brilliant music minds in this country, and we are thrilled to have him join the Wonderlick family. We are looking forward to working with Gab and his fantastic manager Craig Lock from Five Four Entertainment on this next chapter in the Japanese Wallpaper story,” said Wonderlick co-director Stu MacQueen. 

After winning triple j Unearthed High back in 2014, Japanese Wallpaper independently released his self-titled EP and has since racked up tens of millions of streams and made fans of everyone from Lily Allento Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend). He has a variety of producing and remixing credits that include ‘Need Ur Luv (Remix)’ Charlie XCX, ‘Make Time’ by Mallrat, ‘Animal’ by Bec Sandridge and many more. He has even contributed synths to label mates Holy Holy’s latest single, ‘Faces’. No stranger to the triple j Hottest 100, Japanese Wallpaper found himself at #97 for ‘Between Friends’ featuringJesse Davidson in 2014, #69 in 2015 for ‘Forces’ featuring Airling and #44 for his feature on Allday’s ‘In Motion’ just last year. 

“I’m thrilled to be joining the Wonderlick family, they feel like a perfect fit for me and I love working with them already,” said Gab Strum.

Japanese Wallpaper will be joining Shallou on a North American tour this November. 

Rockhampton. Known for being the Beef Capital of Australia (Up Yours, Casino! You know it’s not you), the quiet Central Queensland town is unfortunately not known for metal. Really, though, it should be. There has been a great history of great heavy shows and tours having taken place in Rocky, there’s been great venues who have supported shows in the past and now, Affinity Minus Perfection is drawing a line in the (admittedly, really dry) dirt. 

Today, they are releasing their filmclip for single Intention Subversion – the first cut from their brand new EP “Passion through Unity”. The single will be out in all good digital stores and streaming outlets this Friday October 5, along with the pre-orders opening for the record. The EP will see its release on Friday November 30. The clip is filmed and edited by Colin Jeffs – who has also made videoclips for Hammers and Boris The Blade!

Affinity Minus Perfection (A.M.P.) wanted to take this new release to a whole new level. Having spent the majority of 2017 in writing mode, A.M.P. refined their sound before hitting the studio in December last year with producer Troy Brady, previously a member of The Amity Affliction and who has produced records for In Hearts Wake and Antagonist A.D. The product of this long gestation and pre-production period and time spent with Troy – is the bands new offering ‘Passion through Unity’. The record is an evolution of the band’s sound with much larger, slicker production. 

The new single “Intention Subversion” is about “Hel”, a being from Norse mythology. The lore changes slightly from source to source, but essentially the story goes that the gods deemed not brave enough upon death were sent to her realm and suffered for eternity. The song slowly took shape by explaining how those who reach for their desires but give up and no longer fight are punished for not giving their all. Lyrically and musically the song was a very different approach to what the band would usually lean towards, but it has become a favourite. 

Having released their self produced debut EP “Interpret As You Will” during July of 2016, the band toured extensively playing shows and festivals, covering all corners of Queensland and made it as far south as Coffs Harbour in NSW. Including sharing the stage with bands such as The Amity Affliction, Ocean Grove, Hellions, Chronolyth, A Breach of Silence, She Cries Wolf and Darkcell.

Affinity Minus Perfection’s new EP ‘Passion through Unity’ will be released on Friday November 30, with pre-orders on all good digital stores opening this Friday October 5.