2018 has been a year of bar-raising in the music industry, and in classic Darebin Music Feast style, expectations will be met and surpassed with the diversity, engagement and celebration contained in the 2018 festival program. 

Taking place over 11 days from October 18-28, the 22nd annual Darebin Music Feast will encompass 120 events across 26 different venues, thoughtfully curated to showcase a swathe of artists and musicians who represent and reflect the rich and culturally diverse community of Darebin. 

“I’m so thrilled with what’s on offer in 2018. This year’s program is vast, rich and diverse,” says Mayor Le Cerf. “At its heart is a commitment to celebrating our local musicians, live music venues and music lovers.”

Underpinning the curation of this year’s program is an intention to recognise and respond to the long-standing inequalities that exist in the music industry; gender disparity, sexism, lack of cultural diversity and all ages gigs. Over a third of the events in the 2018 program are free to attend, more than half are open to people of all ages and many are wheelchair accessible.

The Darebin Arts Centre will once again host the opening party on October 18, with a special screening of the must-see ‘Her Sound, Her Story’ documentary. Created by Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore and Michelle Grace Hunter, this powerful film seeks to uncover the conscious and unconscious bias in the music industry around gender and highlights the significant social impact women have within the Australian music industry – a theme that resonates throughout this year’s Feast.The screening will be followed by an immersive night of music and art curated by LISTEN and newly launched ThickWave. Showcasing the modern spirit of community, diversity and empowerment, SONIC/ASCENT brings together a stellar line-up featuring Alice Skye with the PICAA Choir, Girl Zone, Jesswar and Wahe.

Sonic aGender, curated by Janelle Johnstone, is an entire weekend of events that consider the relationships between gender, sound and narrative; including a keynote address from Darebin local and world-renowned muso Jen Cloher, round table discussions with famous faces, networking drinks, an in-cinema music clip binge, and an all ages gig at the Thornbury Bowls Club.Darebin Music Feast’s Event Producer Mentorship program ‘AMPLIFY’ returns, following an incredibly successful debut in 2017 with Daisy Catterall’s Mana. This year the mentorship has been awarded to Dani Sib, who under the mentorship of Jessie Lloyd has curated Jirrmujina Liyan (songs for spirit) featuring a diverse line-up of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists including Kalyani, DRMNGNOW and Soju Gang.Our Voices Inc. will present a special Feast edition of Sudo Girls Talk!showcasing an all-South Sudanese female line up of musicians, spoken word artists and poets. Sudo Girls Talk! is about recognising and celebrating the many talented individuals that are within the South Sudanese Australian community.

Music moves to the silver screen for Feast Films, a new concept making its debut at this year’s festival. In partnership with the freshly opened Thornbury Picture House, Feast Films continues the theme of gender and the music industry, with screenings of feature and documentary films  ‘The Punk Singer’, ‘A Life in Waves’, ‘PATTI CAKE$’, ‘The Song Keepers’ and ‘20 Feet from Stardom’.

Feast for Families returns in 2018, as does the annual Darebin Music Feast Songwriters’ Award Grand Final where one of ten local finalists will take home a prize package of $2000 cash, studio time and more.  And as always, Darebin Live guarantees something for everyone with a back-to-back program of gigs across Darebin’s prestigious music venues and pop up shows in unexpected places.

Finally, October 28th’s Closing Party is going to be bold, broad and BIG – 18 acts across three stages to be exact! A stunning line-up of some of Darebin’s most famed local talents, including Banoffee, Clypso, Jaala, Jade Imagine, Jess Cornelius, Loose Tooth, Oetha, RVG… the list goes on. It’s all ages, all day and free entry.
A perfect way to close out a stunning 11 days of festivities!

Just when you thought this year’s line-up couldn’t get any bigger or better, Yours & Owls Festivalhave added a stack of local talent and DJs over across two new stages into the mix. Punters lucky enough to have secured tickets to the sold out festival can expect a jam-packed weekend of good times and great tunes, as big names and emerging artists from all walks of life take over Wollongong’s Stuart Park on Saturday and Sunday 29-30 September.

On the other end of the scale the Y&O crew have curated the ultimate rave cave line-up, borrowing some of Australia’s best DJs from clubs around the country to create the Das Schmelthause dance stage. Prepare yourselves for a non-stop party featuring intense beats and heavy drops like nothing you’ve ever experienced. 

The Local is set to become a mecca for some of the gongs’ most talented and creative artist collectives. From music and poetry slams, to photography, book nooks and workshops (and more), there won’t be a shortage of things to hear, see and do at The Local. Those looking to take a break from the epic party scene will be able to head to The Local to kick back and fully immerse themselves into the Yours & Owls Festival experience.

While tickets to the Yours & Owls Festival have sold out, those that have missed out can catch a handpicked selection of acts at the Yours and Owls All Ages Sideshow. 
CHECK OUT THE FULL LINE-UP HERE

DAS SCHMELTHAUS STAGE
*Listed in Alphabetical Order
ADI TOOHEY · AYEBATONYE · CARLA URIATE · CHELSEYDAGGER · 
DELICIOUS CITRUS & AL GORES RHYTHM · JEALOUSING · LANCELOT · LEX DELUXE · PARKSIDE · ROZA TERENZI · THE DOLLAR BIN DARLINGS · TONI YOTZI
TORNADO WALLACE · UNKNOWN ASSOCIATES
Constantly swimming in aural pleasures, you’ll either find Adi Toohey controlling the dancefloor from a Sydney DJ booth, presenting Saturday Sunset on FBi Radio, working in record stores or hosting parties with her Rimbombo crew. Now a graduate headliner, Toohey carved a name opening for the likes of Hunee, Young Marco and The Black Madonna, playing Dark Mofo,Subsonic and Splendour in the Grass festivals and for interstate crews Daydreams, Luxuryand A Love Supreme.

Ayebatonye has long been a fixture within the Sydney club and music scene.  Having learnt how to DJ in 2013 whilst working as a door host at the World Bar, Ayebatonye quickly gained residencies at the World Bar and Newtown Hotel as well as gigs at Ted X Sydney and Girl Thing Mardi Pardi, under the moniker Black Magic. 

Carla Uriarte was born in the Philippines, grew up in San Francisco, became a woman in Spain and now comfortably resides in Sydney, Australia. Her nomadic nature is reflected in the deep freaky sounds that exit the speakers. Expect an over complicated jolt to the head that will transfer to your body and move into your soul.

Wollongong’s local disco punk disc jockey ChelseyDagger has been a regular at Wollongong events over the last year, including Strawberry Boogie, jacuzzi.stu, Queer AF and PRIDE TIDE. Incorporating the camp and luxury of left field and classic disco alongside gritty DIY punk attitude, she fills dance floors and beer gardens alike. 

Jealousing plays all genres, with a focus on disco and disco derivatives, but mainly picks songs that will get you jealousing, either because you don’t have a track ID, or because well-known tune just caused your prospective love interest to run off with that person they told you not to worry about 5 minutes ago. A northern gong’ native, Jealousing facilitated a few parties recently asAnatomy, and maintains an active schedule Youtube DJing at kick-ons across Sydney’s Innerwest.

Lancelot first ventured into dance music while at Sydney’s Conservatory of Music. Mentored by prolific Australian composers such as Michael Smetanin and Nigel Butterley and surrounded by Australia’s most dedicated young classical and jazz performers, he developed an ear for decorative, polyrhythmic composition and the off-kilter sensibility of the swing note. Over the past year, Lancelot has played across the UK, and is one of only a handful of Australians to perform atBoiler Room London. He’s performed at marquee festivals including Dimensions and Secret Garden Party and tours regularly through South East Asia, Australia and North America.

Drawing inspiration from artists far and wide, Lex Deluxe has the ability to travel from genre to genre without breaking the groove. From Chemical Brothers to Todd Terje, Letta Mbulu toPeggy Gou, you’re transported from 1962 to 2043 before you know even what’s gone down. With recent appearances at Secret Garden Festival and Groovin’ The Moo, a five-hour set forNortheast Party House’s Corner House Festival, and Purple Sneakers Twelfth Birthday forVivid, and main supports for Confidence Man and The Presets plus more, Lex has well and truly carved her name into the Australian dance scene.

Cementing their place as experts on both sides of the party, with a consistent reputation for late-night crowds and sunrise kick-ons, Parkside have earned their cred DJing gut-busting sets on rooftops, beaches, skyscrapers and landmarks around the country. Bridging the gaps between underwater house, crashing techno and deviant disco, the crew bring the world’s great dance locales together in a heaving mess of grooves – called upon to support names like Kolsch,Bicep, Omar-S, Claude Von Stroke, Jimmy Edgar, Jamie XX, Shaun Reeves and Tiger & Woods for friends at Future Classic, Astral People, Falls Festival and countless club nights across the country.

Roza Terenzi’s productions are prime for interstellar communication; sublime mind dance, warehouse bleeps and dawn­ready breaks that will inevitably find union between earth people and other beings. This is even more apt in her immense DJ sets, astutely linking these outer limit genres as one through common sound, tone and rhythmic drive. Australia’s club mecca embraced her with open arms and she’s since become a vital component of the scene ­ playing most weekends, opening for the likes of Objekt, Avalon Emerson,Volvox, Legowelt and Jayda Gand billing at Strawberry Fields, Camp Doogs, Freedom Time and Inner Varnika (her debut live set).

The Dollar Bin Darlings create a dance floor so heaving and unrelenting, that no one in the venue can say “Disco is Dead”, or make any sort of Melbourne-is-better remark. DJs Dre andJonBoy are the dynamic disco duo; Dre is the musical genius and tech support, JonBoy is the impassioned M.C. preaching love and disco to all on the dance floor. The duo learned their trade at The Hive Bar, under the tutelage of some of Sydney’s greatest DJs and have since bookedThe Bank, Ching-a-Lings, Fredas, The Bearded Tit, Hudson Ballroom and Double Bay’s The Royal Oak Hotel.

Toni Yotzi has played a crucial role in developing Perth into a thriving club metropolis, programming Deep Doogs’ sunrise rave, co-hosting Full Frequency on RTR FM and presenting parties for Kenji Takimi, Bell Towers and DJ Nozaki. Now based in Melbourne, she’s established herself as one of the most open minded DJs on the local circuit, immortalised by a legendary Inner Varnika set that saw her fearlessly transition from Jon Hassell to italo disco, Memphis rap and Bristol bass. 2018 has seen her headline Golden Plains Festival with the set being touted a stand out of The Sup‘s historical back catalogue. Going international she was recently invited on Tim Sweeney‘s New York dance music institution Beats In Space radio show and will be making an appearance on NTS London and Red Light Radio Amsterdam.

First blowing a gale as a forerunner of the new wave of Melbourne dance producers, Tornado Wallace’s distinct and perceptive electronics now find him in a constant rotation of both hemispheres, spending most of the year based in Berlin. From formative house beginnings, theESP Institute initiation ‘Thinking Allowed ‘proved Tornado Wallace as a force to be reckoned with – the driving groove and will powers stargazing quickly matched by an EP of eco-electro burners on Beats In Space. This two-timing continued for another round with ESP issuing the elegant Circadia, while Beats In Space got their churning acid two-tracker ‘Kangaroo Ground’/’Ferntree Gully’. After some time in between releases due to an increasingly busy DJ schedule, 2016 saw the release of a Tornado Wallace 12” on Second Circle, sister label to cult Amsterdam archivists Music From Memory, as well as his debut album ‘Lonely Planet’, which came out on Gerd Janson’s Running Back.

Following 5 years as commander and chiefs of the Unknown Records’ mothership, and 4 years pioneering the now sought after south of Sydney party scene, Unknown Associates have gained a formidable reputation as Wollongong’s not first, but favorited fathers of rave facilitation.‘Educate yourself in dance’ echoes the outer suburbs each and every Friday when theAssociates step away from label release, A&R, artist and tour management; opening the doors to techno education as ‘Institute of Dance’ and its underground devotees delve deep into the early hours. This year, again, the Associates are loading up the club they call home with some of the best acts in biz, letting the Unknown sound be heard around the globe, and looking to the future

THE LOCAL
*Listed in Alphabetical Order
ASTROPHYSICAL MASER · BIKE PARK GALLERY · CORTEX JOURNAL · DUZI CUATRO
 ENOUGH SAID SLAM POETRY · HIDDEN HARVEST · JACUZZI STU · OVUHM · PRIDE TIDE
QUEER SPACE · SANDWICH PRESS ZONE · STRAWBERRY VISIONS

Renowned for their spellbindingly powerful live shows and hypnotizing tribal flavours, Australian 6-piece progressive rock livewire AlithiA will release their highly anticipated sophomore record The Moon has Fallenworldwide on Friday October 26th 2018 through Wild Thing Records. They are celebrating this announcement by releasing the first single/video from the record, entitled Empress – which is available, alongside the pre-order for the record at http://smarturl.it/alithia.

AlithiA are set to traverse the globe with The Moon has Fallen, their best album yet. In sync with their monumental release, AlithiA will tour Europe with Norwegian avant-garde rock specialists Shining as direct support in November 2018.

Recorded in Athens, Greece, The Moon has Fallen delves deep into the realm of psychedelic tribal post-prog rock. The band embraces heavy percussive grooves, new wave Blade Runner-esque synth blasts, and striking melodic vocals with an emphatic punk attitude, resulting in one of the most unique and diverse albums to ever infect your senses. The Moon has Fallenis

AlithiA’s first record written entirely collectively with the inspired addition of percussionist Jeffrey Raul Ortiz Castro interlacing the album’s sound with Latin rhythms, celestial synthesizers, and distinctive secondary vocals. The band’s original foundations, however, remain intact with John Rousvanis’ inspiring lead vocals and mesmerizing guitar styling apparent throughout, none more so than the epic album opener The Sun. From the pulsating engine room of bassist Tibor Gede and drummer Mark ‘Vel’ Vella, shining on highlight track Empress, to the stirring keyboard soundscapes of Danny Costantino, which command the single Diamonds, AlithiA have emerged with a simply exceptional album.

AlithiA founder and lead singer John Rousvanis had this to say about the new album. “We didn’t choose to make this album, but rather it was it’s own entity already in the etheric plane which chose us as it’s conduit birthing parents, in turn the writing process affected myself and the other members of the band in a extremely challenging way, leading to tumultuous ups and downs, we went through an intense journey that involved  bemusement, blind optimism, broken hearts, death, loss, depression, near band break ups, sever sickness, mental illness,  suicide, self destruction, betrayal, doubt, hedonism, salvation, brotherhood, the left and right hand path, realisation, enlightenment, new friends, love, marriage, empathy, philosophy, gratitude and growth all in our daily lives while traveling across the world and back in making this music…this album is just one part of my self and AlithiA that will live on after we are gone. The Moon Has Fallen.“

AlithiA, meaning ‘Truth’ in Greek, was formed by singer John Rousvanis in 2004. Following the release of two experimental EP’s in The Rising (2009) and A Realm O Null(2011), AlithiA honed their sound with the ethereal debut album To the Edge of Time (2014). Recorded in Budapest, Hungary, To the Edge of Timegarnered international interest in the group, with the record receiving rave reviews worldwide; Metal Hammer (UK) proclaimed “the kind of emotional fireworks that could send the world’s festival stages into orbit”. The band’s momentum gathered steam, becoming a core component of Australia’s progressive rock scene revival, leading them to tour Australia and Europe several times over with The Music (AUS) affirming, “…their live show is starting to attain legendary status“. Their captivating live setup was further solidified with the joining of young prodigious guitarist Nguyen Phambam in 2017.

AlithiA are nomadic travellers in every sense, displayed in their extensive touring history and vivacious ‘street dog’ personality, an expression / movement of which they’re proud to have pioneered. In recent times, AlithiA embarked on a 29-date European Tour with Leprous and Agent Fresco in 2017 (their fourth European sojourn), and 2018 saw the band tour Australia with Leprous, and The Contortionist and SikTh. AlithiA have directly supported some of the biggest names in progressive music such as Animals As Leaders, Alcest, Dead Letter Circus, Ne Obliviscaris, The Ocean, sleepmakeswaves, Caligula’s Horse, Tides From Nebula, Mother’s Cake, Vulture Industries, and many others. In Australia, they’ve performed at prominent festivals such as BIGSOUND, and at PROGFEST a record five times. Their engrossing live performances led the group to signings with Wild Thing Presents (management), and Artery Global (bookings).

AlithiA’s “The Moon has Fallen” will be available for pre-order from today at http://smarturl.it/alithia and will see its release into the world on Friday October 26th.

With a beat that evokes the pulse of an animal on the loose, Bec Sandridge’s new single ‘Animal’ is futuristic art pop with a punk mentality. Sandridge independently released the new track today along with the announcement of tour dates in October. Two very special, intimate shows will take place in Melbourne and Sydney, where Sandridge will be joined by Wollongong band Cry Club.A sound that echoes its title, ‘Animal’ is built around what makes Sandridge a one-off; essential components of melodrama, stabbing guitar swagger and her voice – every phrase and nuance coaxing us along like a steadfast and weighty magnet. Sandridge describes the song as “the only true (ish) love song I’ve ever written” and is not afraid of asking herself what it means to be destructive and in love simultaneously, exploring the influence of internal anxieties and external doubts from friends and family. Produced at Melbourne’s Aviary studios, Oscar Dawson (Holy Holy) and Sandridge team up on this track to mash gritty guitars with hard hitting disco hats, showcasing Sandridge’s impressive range from gleaming techno-punk-pop to a near torch song. Of ‘Animal’ Sandridge says “Occasionally I resort to sort of weaponizing my emotions which this song is probably a testament of. I felt out of control in love with an ex (now partner) and I needed to be okay with that and somewhat confess that in this song.”Sandridge is staking her claim to be heard as a nomadic pop-punk artist, catapulting herself onto the world stage. Release by release, her songs continue to take strong strides forward in direction, more sure than ever before. Reminiscent of Prince or Donna Summer, with the delivery of new wave icons like David Byrne, ‘Animal’ follows on from Sandridge’s ‘I’ll Never Want A BF’.

Presented by Little Giant Agency & Four Tone Artists BEC SANDRIDGE ‘ANIMAL’ SINGLE TOUR with special guest Cry Club Thursday 11th October – 107 Projects, Sydney – TICKETS HERE Friday 19th October – Schoolhouse Studios, Collingwood – TICKETS HERE Also appearing at Friday 12th October – UC Refectory, Canberra Saturday 24th November – Shakafest, Gold Coast

Melbourne indie folk outfit The Paper Kites’ have a lot to celebrate with their song Bloom being officially certified gold in the US, and today announcing their new album On The Corner Where You Live (set for release on September 21 via Wonderlick / Sony Music Australia), the much-loved band’s melancholic, mid-tempo companion to the recently released album, On The Train Ride Home. Give them your tired, your lonely, your lovesick, your unsure, The Paper Kites have a song for each of them on this latest album. On the Corner Where You Live wafts evocatively with noir-ish saxophones, guitars, ambient traffic, even the languid sound of rain. It’s levitating and bittersweet; heavy-hearted stories that are resoundingly universal.

The first taste of this immersive record, Deep Burn Blue (released on Friday July 13) Stream: DEEP BURN BLUE, floats into the consciousness with heady guitars, driving percussion, and expressive vocals that twist, build and turn as the track drifts. It’s this gentle yet assertive manifestation that fans have come to expect from The Paper Kites, and they do it with undeniable class and sophistication. “Music is so much more purposeful and devastating when it makes you feel exposed,” says frontman Sam Bentley. Deep Burn Blue describes a girl who won’t leave her room, as Sam elaborates, “It’s that feeling of being so inside your own thoughts that it’s debilitating.” (If that weren’t gutting enough, the song even references Nick Drake with the line, “You like the sound of a pink moon cry/Lying on the floor as the day goes by.”) 

On The Train Ride Home and On The Corner Where You follow up their 2015 album twelvefour. The Paper Kites (which also includes vocalist Christina Lacy, guitarist Dave Powys, drummer Josh Bentley and bassist Sam Rasmussen) have earned a loyal, organic fan base. In the eight years since they formed, what’s followed is an impressive reach of their music with standout single Bloom (from their Woodland EP) certified Gold with nearly 700,000 tracks sold across America, which sees them join a small list of Aussie artists (including ACDC, INXS, Midnight Oil, SIA, Kylie Minogue, Flume and Silverchair) who have received GOLD accreditation in the US.

The band has also been steadily touring across 4 continents, 24 countries with nearly 200 shows in just under 3 years. With over half a billion streams and nearly 3 million monthly listeners on Spotify, the band continues to amass new fans wherever they go. They’ve also today announced a 21 date North American and UK headline tour, kicking off in Los Angeles on November 6, before moving through San Diego, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnepeg, St. Paul, Chicago, Toronto, Waterloo, London, Montreal, Boston, Philadelphia, New York and finishing up in Washington on December 1.

On The Corner Where You Live is co-produced with Grammy-winner Peter Katis (Interpol, The National) at his studio in Connecticut – a 120-year old Victorian era home that the band lived and recorded in for 5 weeks.

Sam spoke of the moment the album’s concept clicked together, saying “It’s a collection of stories about these characters all living in an apartment building; I wanted to capture moments, feelings, it’s about people and their stories.” This album is one best listened to from start to finish, as each story seeps into the next; meditative yet complex, On The Corner Where You Live will not disappoint The Paper Kites’ loyal fanbase, and will enamour new and existing audiences alike. Immersed in an aural diet of blues and jazz, the band collaborated with Los Angeles film-noir artist Gina Higgins on the album’s artwork, who also painted the cover for On The Train Ride Home and worked closely with the band on the concept.

For fans, the band will make both On The Train Ride Home and On The Corner Where You Live available as a deluxe double gold and silver coloured limited edition vinyl, out September 21.

THE TWILIGHT SAD ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM, ‘IT WON/T BE LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME’OUT JANUARY 18th ON ROCK ACTION RECORDS  

Today, Glasgow’s The Twilight Sad announce their return with the band’s fifth full-length – and their first for their new label Rock Action Records – IT WON/T BE LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME arriving on January 18th, 2019. The news comes accompanied by a second taster of the record – following recent single ‘I/m Not Here [missing face]’ – in the guise of its tumultuous, icy closer ‘Videograms’, which also sees release as a standalone 10”.

Speaking of the track, frontman James Alexander Graham says, “‘Videograms’ was the first song written for the album but the last song finished before we went in to record. It’s one of the most melodic things we’ve done. Since writing the song I’ve heard the phrase “don’t you start on me” whilst walking down the street, in the supermarket, in the pub. It must have been something that I’d heard a lot that stuck with me and came out in this song.

“I quite like that it’s the first official single yet it’s the last song on the album. There’s sometimes pressure to front load an album with the singles as it’s assumed that people don’t have the attention span to listen to a full record, but people that know us and like our music know that we make albums that should be listened to all the way through as every song is a chapter in the overall story of it. It’s also why I love Rock Action as there was no pressure from them, they let us do what we wanted with the track list.”

While the 11 tracks that comprise IWBLTATT largely began to take form during the band’s lengthy recent tours with The Cure, it wasn’t until returning to the UK and the isolation of his London home, that guitaristAndy MacFarlane distilled the band’s collective aspirations – to find immediacy in their writing, to bring a new hugeness to the often dark matter of their songs – into demos for their fifth LP. Following six months of pre-production, his vision was made flesh during a productive residency in a remote rehearsal space onLoch Fyne last November. Eager to keep momentum, the band subsequently tracked their efforts at Devon’s Middle Farm Studios with long serving live engineer Andy Bush in January of this year.  

For this record, Graham and MacFarlane officially brought long-time touring members Brendan Smith (The Blue Nile, The Unwinding Hours) and Johnny Docherty (Take a Worm For a Walk Week, RUNGS) in from the wings to help push The Twilight Sad to the next plateau. 
The results speak for themselves: an exhilarating listen, by turns cinematic and claustrophobic in its scope, the band dug deep to produce It Won’t Be Like This All the Time, and it’s perhaps their most raw and dynamic record to date.

“It’s a dark record but I think there are some uplifting moments to be had too,” Graham offers. “There are so many extremes here – there are moments that are harsh, then others that are quite melodic and others that are stripped right down. This album definitely comes with the extremes of every side of the band, I think. There’s a certain direct openness and candour now but at the same time I want to keep some mystery. We don’t like to throw things in people’s faces and spell it out for them.”   
Listen to ‘Videograms’ here:

Official Video Unveiled for New Single ‘Utican’
Debut Album Birthplace out October 19 via AllPoints
Album Pre-Order Available Now
“A heart-wrenching, beautiful new song” – The Fader

“A supernatural sense of peace permeates every track he touches” – Consequence of Sound

“There is just something about Ali Lacey’s music, which is some of the most beautiful that currently exists on this planet” – Earmilk

Novo Amor has unveiled the official video for his new single ‘Utican’. The track is the latest to be taken from his forthcoming debut album Birthplace, to be released on 19th October via AllPoints. Much like the video for the album’s title track – which seeks to address the monolithic problem of plastic in our oceans and was awarded Independent Video of the Year at the recent AIM Awards in the UK – the storyline for the ‘Utican’ video also centres on a topical and emotional issue, befitting of the cinematic nature of Novo Amor’s music.

Speaking about the ‘Utican’ video concept in more detail, director Ethan Graham shares: “It’s a culmination of meanings – from a young boy’s realisation of looming adulthood and sexuality, to he and his father coming to terms with the loss of his mother. His memory of her is slowly deteriorating and the only way he can hold onto this is by wearing her dresses and applying her make-up the way she used to when he was a little boy. It’s an emotive coming-of-age story that nurtures a masculine relationship in a beautifully delicate way.”

Expanding on the thoughts behind the song itself, Novo Amor shares: “Musically, Utican represents a proud, celebratory realisation that you don’t need something in your life. You are no longer a resident of your past. The name ‘Utican’ refers to the idea of becoming a resident of Utica, a place in which I’ve spent a fair bit of time and started to feel at home. Utica is more of a metaphor for that time of my life, rather than the actual place.”

Working from this home studio, Novo Amor has received acclaim for a catalogue of beautiful and melancholic songs, which have the ability to effortlessly transport the listener to another realm. On ‘Birthplace’, the sounds of his home bleed in – the distant chatter of a party across the street, Bonfire Night fireworks, seagulls that congregate on the building site next door. Even the sound of the late-night recording hours Lacey kept to avoid the sounds of construction seem to make their presence felt: “I think there’s something calming about working at night,” he says. “You can focus on smaller details and sounds.”

The songs cover many themes, thoughts, ideas – ‘Oh, Round Lake’ revisits ‘Woodgate’, ‘Repeat Until Death’ deals with friends experiencing drug addiction, ‘Seneca’ is rooted in the story of a town in Nebraska that tore itself apart over a dispute over how many horses might be kept in a yard. “But no matter what each individual song is about there’s this somber conflict across the record,” Lacey says. “It contradicts the happiness with waking up every morning another day older, another day further away from your past.”

Columbus, OH rock band Beartooth recently announced the release of their third studio album Disease which will come on September 28th worldwide. Today, fans can hear another new track off the album entitled “Manipulation”.

“Manipulation is about that person in everybody’s life that takes advantage of your kindness,” notes frontman Caleb Shomo. “It’s about standing up for what you’ve done and not letting people destroy your accomplishments.”

Disease is a painstaking, riff-driven examination of the unshakeable throes of depression. While there are moments of positivity, this isn’t the sound of triumph. This is music about survival.

“The album is a whirlwind of emotion,” Shomo explains. “Crazy highs, crazy lows, and lots of intensity. This record isn’t about winning anything. It’s about trying to even begin to learn how to deal with things. It’s hard to process just how dark you can get, what you can really put yourself through with expectations. It’s like starting from the beginning all over again. At the end of the day, it is a very dark album.”

Even as Shomo and his bandmates played to sold-out crowds across Europe, the battle against mental illness and childhood issues returned, and the seed for Disease was planted. The title track was the first song written for it, setting the overall tone.

As always, Shomo recorded vocals, guitars, bass, and drums, and mixed the album himself with assistance from an engineer, now with executive producer (and Grammy winner) Nick Raskulinecz, who has worked with Foo Fighters and Rush.

Beartooth just wrapped up a headline run in Europe and after a short break will hop back over the pond for a full US headline tour.

Disease is available for preorder now on 24Hundred & iTunes.

Beartooth – Disease is out September 28 via Red Bull Records/UNFD