Produced in association with Microsoft Surface Pro 3 and Intel.
Everyone loves discovering new music: fact. To help you wade through the endless stream of new bands currently floating around the internet, we asked the music category finalists of our 2014 Blogster Awards – powered by Microsoft Surface Pro 3 and Intel – to spill the beans and un-surface their favourite up-and-coming or unsigned artist.
SUBMITTED BY THE 59TH SOUND
Mountains
of music from local artists arrives on my desk each week, and while I’m
consistently impressed by what our emerging talent can produce, there’s
no sweeter sound being made right now than that of Melbourne’s The
Darjeelings. First catching my attention on Triple J Unearthed, the
bubbly four-piece made up of Bella, Greer, Izzy and Mairead have left a
positive lasting impression and a smile on my face with their upbeat and
infectious indie pop melodies. With their toe-tapping new double A-side
release of ‘Put It To Rest/Are You Happy?’ available now via Bandcamp,
and an October residency at the Evelyn Hotel in Fitzroy, new music
lovers and Darjeelings fans alike can get a lovely taste of the exciting
tunes the fab four will have to offer in 2015! VOTE
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Inboxes can be scary places. Bursting at the seams with those pesky ‘unread’ and ‘flagged’ symbols – and if you’re unlucky enough, an overflowing junk folder. Some days though, you just open your inbox to absolute gold. Something special that breaks through the overwhelming reality of a music blogs’ submission inbox. Redspencer, their endearing and catchy as all shit indie pop, were one of those bands that took my attention. From Melbourne, via the Gold Coast, Redspencer are a dream combination of pop, shoe gaze and rock. Each and every track (and not to mention the accompanying videos) is an experience in itself. If you haven’t checked out the stupidly simple, and enjoyable music video for ‘Tell’ – do yourself and favour and have a gander. There’s not a lot to their name at the moment, but the prospect of what’s yet to come from these lads has me excited. VOTE
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17
year-old Brisbane songstress, JOY. is proving once again that once
you’ve left high school, you have no chance in the music business. Not
to be confused as Vance Joy’s sister, her real name is Olivia McCarthy
and she’s making electronic, dream-state music with a pop demeanour. Her
debut single, ‘Captured’
is a sophisticated track, pumped along by a persistent throb. On top is
her breathy voice, which hovers for the duration of the track, never
landing. Compared to one of her demos, the ethereal-sounding cover of
Cloud Boat’s ‘Dréan’,
‘Captured’ is the product of a growing artist influenced by the
burgeoning electronic music culture in Australia right now. Further
proof of that is her contribution to fellow Brisbane young gun, Young
Franco’s ‘Close 2 You’, on which JOY.’s voice finds its highest resolution on a bed of ‘90s keys. Her Facebook
indicates she’s been in the studio with Basenji and Cosmo’s Midnight,
showing she’s been inducted seamlessly into the new class of Australian
electronica. An artist making these choices at this age has too much
staying power to simply be a product of hype. VOTE
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My
favourite unsigned artist right now is a twenty-one year old lady named
Ryn Weaver. Her first single ever ‘OctaHate’ managed 100 thousand plays
in its first 24 hours. Three months later, it’s on two million. She
hasn’t even had to harass anyone to listen to it – Ryn’s actually quite
social media shy – the strength of the song alone is what’s made her go
‘viral’. She’s rather conveniently dating the brilliant producer
Cashmere Cat, who’s best friends with two of pop’s finest in Charli XCX
and Benny Blanco, so that’s potentially one of the reasons her music is
so fucking good. Her debut EP is full of airy yet polished pop from a
voice packed with vulnerability and purpose. Keep an eye on her, and
I’ve got word she’s going to be working with a couple of Australian
artists REALLY soon. So that’ll be nice. VOTE
SUBMITTED BY SEMPLESIZE
I‘ve
been listening to an unbelievable amount of dark synth and goth-y
electro post punk lately. And there’s one band in particular that’s
grabbed me by the fucking throat and made me powerless to even dare look
away from their dark, enchanting splendor is Melbourne act Habits. What
makes Habits so sublime is that they manage to temper this brooding,
goth-wave and fearless, punk-throated rage, with the proud vulnerability
yet carefree danceability that characterises the other end of the
Aus synth spectrum inhabited by artists like Oscar Key Sung and
Collarbones in a way that seems effortless and organic. Combined with an
enamouring on-stage chemistry, commanding performance and god-like
presence, a Habits live show is an immersive and heart-stoppingly
beautiful experience that must be felt to be understood. VOTE
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Man oh man, too many to list… can we mention a whole stack of artists on the up and up? Just A Gent took out our ‘Breakthrough Producer of the Year’ award and at 17 can grow a mean moustache (is he signed yet?). There’s also a kid out of Melbourne called Sweetland who’s making house music beyond his years and also feeling this guy called ANDRU. VOTE
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Fans of My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive will be happy to know that our local crop of shoegazing music makers are having a BIG year! Aussie noisemakers have been punching above their weight, with releases by Flyying Colours, Roku Music and Lowtide all gaining praise internationally. Not to mention solo efforts by Fait, Kigo, Sunbeam Sound Machine and Colours. Our next contender is Adelaide’s Alister Douglas, who recently released his second EP ‘Dead Air’ under the moniker Blush Response. Best of all it’s free! Well, almost (name your price here). The multi-instrumentalist is currently working on a full line-up, so keep an ear out for local shows in the coming months. In the meantime, take a listen to the EP cut ‘This City Will Eat Itself’. VOTE
SUBMITTED BY WE TALK, YOU DIE
My
pick is Melbourne duo friendships. Although I’m cheating slightly, as
Nic Brown and Misha Grace signed to Brisbane’s Silo Arts last year –
these two Melbourne locals are the real future of Electronic music in
Australia. Nic’s productions stick to no one formula and no one style,
crossing in and out of every spectrum of the electronic soundscape. The
only theme you can guarantee though, is that everything is going to be
very verrrrrry bass heavy. But what truly sets them apart from the rest
is their live show. Performing on the dancefloor, Nic creates new
beats/loops on the spot leaving Misha to create a visual composition out
of her arsenal of clips and animations that matches the audio to
perfection. So let me ask you this? Why wouldn’t you want a completely
immersive and inclusive live show, filled with ridiculous beats and
dance moves, lead by a guy wearing a V8 supercars marshal’s uniform? VOTE
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There’s a reason that Little May were our number #1 pick for Australian artists to watch at the start of 2014 and it appears that Capitol Records were also keeping a close eye on this Sydney trio as they have just snapped them up for their new EP. The tracks ‘Dust’, ‘Hide’ and ‘Boardwalks are exquisite examples of just how fine this band is at putting together outstanding tracks. They easily demonstrate just how much of a force they are to be reckoned with. It is only a matter of time before they crack it like they’re supposed to, both in Australia and of course overseas. For an up and coming band, they’ve done more online through The Hype Machine than a hell of a lot more established bands. That should tell you something.and we cannot recommend this band highly enough to you. VOTE
Check HERE for all the finalists in the 2014 Blogster Awards powered by Microsoft Surface Pro 3 and Intel, supported by our impossibly chic mates at David Jones.
