New Music

Sydney based genre-bender Lake Crook Mouth has released his new single  ‘Thirty One’, which premiered exclusively via AAA Backstage. 

“Thirty One is a collage of stories, sketches, images and experiences collected from backpacking around Europe. Getting its title from an (allegedly) old Portuguese saying picked up on a free walking tour, Thirty One explores the romance of aimlessly wandering in the chapters between chapters. Exploring places and cultures, the people you share them with and meet along the way, Thirty One is a photo-book of experiences in the process of becoming memories.”

The single is taken from his forthcoming debut album ‘Here, Here & Finally Here’ – an LP looking back on his rock roots through the lens of his musical experience and exploration. The album is set for release on October 31.

Somewhere between a DJ and a Punk band, a beat-maker and a Folk singer, Lock Campbell channels his eclectic creativity into an immersive experience named after the Gaelic translation of his name, Lake Crook Mouth. Moving to London in 2019 to study at the Abbey Rd Institute, Lock’s musical pallet expanded immensely, challenging his rockist pretentions and inspiring him to explore hip-hop, pop and electronic production styles. Two years, a failed band and a global pandemic later, Lock returned to his hometown of Sydney ready to channel his experience into a new project. An amalgamation of guitar riffs, phat beats and miscellaneous keys Lake Crook Mouth’s debut EP, ‘Free to Experiment’ (2023), combines years of musical exploration, discovery and wonder. 

New single ‘Thirty One’ is available on all major online stores and streaming services.

With a weathered voice and a heart tuned to the truth, Emmett Jerome returns with “Nothing To Do,” an upbeat, warm country-rock ode to growing up in a tiny foothills town. It’s a wistful look back at carefree days, wild nights, and the bittersweet sting of outgrowing the place – and the people – you love.

Written about his own coming-of-age in Bragg Creek, Alberta, “Nothing To Do” pays tribute to sun-soaked river hangs, midnight highway drives, and stolen cases of cheap beer under prairie moons. “Growing up there meant a lot of freedom in the outdoors,” says Jerome. “When I turned 18, I left for good and said goodbye to a lot of formative friendships. This song is about the loss of leaving not only that place behind, but the good people of Bragg Creek too.”

The track was recorded live off the floor to hi-fi tape, capturing the raw energy of Jerome’s band in the room, before layering in baritone guitar, harmonica, and Rhodes to flesh it out. “We wanted to use the same technology our favourite classic records were made with. Real analog gear and real musicians,” Jerome says.

The Winnipeg singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist wears his heart on his sleeve in his new single, “Your Touch,” a feel-good, guitar-driven pop-rock track that beams with gratitude, energy, and emotional clarity. A celebration of the people who keep us grounded, “Your Touch” captures what it means to feel safe in someone’s presence, even on your worst days.

Inspired by his wife, Zach taps into the raw beauty of relational intimacy with sentiments that feel both timeless and refreshingly personal. The song’s emotional anchor is matched by its sonic sparkle – a shimmering blend of pop and rock influences that channel the earnestness of The Band CAMINO and the hook-driven joy of The 1975.

A highlight on the track is the soaring guitar solo, performed by Zach’s longtime bandmate Alec and marking the first recorded collaboration between the two. “I knew I wanted a guitar solo at the end, but I’m a pretty subpar guitarist,” Zach laughs. “So I asked Alec, and he instantly nailed it. It was exactly what I was hoping for.”

Canberra based Country Pop artist Leila has just released her earnest new single ‘Do Without’, which premiered via ABC Country and The AU Review.

‘Do Without’ is a song for those experiencing uncertainty and apprehension. With a unique tone like no other mixed with a Country/Pop feel, ‘Do Without’ takes listeners on a sonically emotive and heartfelt journey. 

Leila possesses a truly unique voice proven to leave audiences craving more. She brings authenticity, undeniable vocals, hooky melodies, fresh songwriting and most of all, heart. Performing in front of thousands, this emerging talent has captivated audiences around ACT, NSW and VIC. 2023 saw the release of debut single ‘Missing Piece’, while 2024 was about uncovering more of Leila’s sound with her single ‘Stranded In Cairns’ and debut EP ‘Uncover’.

2025 kicked off with a bang with Leila being selected to perform at Melbourne’s ‘Futuration’ in front of a sold-out audience. Leila worked and connected with prestigious music industry members Fatai, touring band The RNGZ while also crossing roads with industry leaders, key players and other talented creatives. Leila has also been selected as a finalist in the ‘Mothertone Gympie Music Muster Talent Search’ which will take place in August 2025. 

New single ‘Do Without’ is available on all major online stores and streaming services.

“Do Without is a heartfelt journey, with her crystal clear vocals carrying the emotions of her dreams and reckonings on the future and the present. The song absolutely nails the feeling of uncertainty experienced during the late teens and early twenties.”
Bruce Baker – The AU Review

Hamilton, Ontario’s The Dirty Nil fire back with “Fail in Time,” the latest single off their upcoming fifth album, The Lash, out July 25th via Dine Alone Records.
Following the searing charge of “Gallop of the Hounds,” the snarling honesty of “Rock N’ Roll Band,” and the delicate introspection of “Spider Dream,” this new track drives the knife even deeper, pairing triumphant verses with a stark chorus that confronts the inevitable fade of happiness.

“Fail in Time” is a perfect example of The Lash‘s stripped down, black-and-white approach: raw, loud, and refreshingly bleak.

When true joy enters your life, you know it’s got a return ticket to wherever it came from. I wrote the chorus of the song first and wanted to make the verses as triumphant as possible – we even got an ‘I Think You Should Leave’ reference into the second. Then we hit the pre-chorus where happiness begins to fade. The chorus is about knowing it’s over… that little spark is gone. [Engineer] Vince [Solivari] insisted we put a hardcore breakdown in at the end and I’m glad we listened to him. – Luke Bentham (guitarist/vocalist)

Everything about The Lash evokes a certain sort of brutality.

During a trip to the Vatican, Bentham found inspiration in some of its forgotten art: I was in a very dusty part of the basement, and they had these crazy bronze reliefs that were some of the most brutal things I’ve ever seen. There was a particular one called The Horrors of War. It was two guys fighting over a knife. That image ended up guiding a lot of this record.

From there, the band brought in UK designer Jack Sabbat for his acerbic, bootleg punk-flyer style, assuring The Lash would look right at home in a beat-up bin of old Crass records or in a Medieval torture dungeon.

The emerging indie-pop artist, hailing from Maple, Ontario and now splitting his time between Toronto and LA, returns with “7:11,” a shimmering new single that captures the electricity of late-night encounters and the soft glow of possibility. Known for fusing meaningful lyrics with upbeat instrumentals, Julian continues to explore a fresh intersection of indie pop and rock, drawing inspiration from artists like Charli XCX, Troye Sivan, and Gus Dapperton.

“‘7:11’ is a song about the after-hours of a night out. The club is closed but the night is far from over, leading you down the aisles of a fluorescent convenience store paradise with the muse of the dance floor,” Julian shares. “From shots to slurpees, and from slurpees to the rest of your life – you hope it’s not just the alcohol talking, but if it is, then the alcohol is a wise man. It welcomes in a new era for my music: pop mixed with sensuality, dance, and medicine for the young 20-something soul.

Toronto-based indie-pop artist goodheart captures the quiet ache of emotional in-betweens on her debut EP Blue and Other Colours – a self-produced five-track project that explores disconnection, heartbreak, longing, and self-reckoning through shimmering melodies and honest storytelling. With elements of indie-pop, folk, and alt-rock woven through its sound, the EP invites listeners to sit with sadness – not to wallow in it, but to understand it.

From the friction of fading friendships to the numbness of everyday apathy, Blue and Other Colours traces deeply personal experiences with a diaristic sensibility and cinematic edge. Whether it’s the drifting isolation of “Casey,” the quiet resentment of “Funeral,” or the dreamlike malaise of “Stuck in a Cloud,” goodheart doesn’t shy away from emotional complexity. Instead, she leans in to build lush, dynamic soundscapes that feel both intimate and expansive.

The focus track, “Silverspoon Sunday,” is one of the EP’s most biting and buoyant moments. With crisp drums, layered guitar work, and bright vocal delivery, it offers a sugar-coated critique of privilege and passivity. “It’s about comfort becoming a kind of cage,” says goodheart. “Some people are handed every opportunity and still feel stuck. They coast instead of confronting the real stuff.”

Despite its polished surface, the structure of “Silverspoon Sunday” subtly shifts throughout, avoiding traditional pop repetition and instead offering a dynamic chord progression that mirrors the unease beneath its brightness. “I love songs that sneak heavier truths into something that feels fun. This one is a bitter pill with a sugar coating.”

After the intricate rhythms and sly wordplay of “Wrong Carolina,” Sourwood returns with “When I’m Gone,” a bold departure in form and tone that underscores the power of simplicity. Built around a clean, classic verse-chorus-bridge structure, the song trades technical complexity for emotional clarity – cutting straight to the ache of one-sided closure.

“This song is simply about figuring out that it’s time to move on,” says frontman Lucas Last. “That you have to realize sometimes there’s no closure to be had and that your experience was entirely one-sided.”

Written during a period of rapid, disorienting personal change, “When I’m Gone” confronts the quiet resignation that can follow emotional upheaval. “Circumstances beyond my control were pushing me into a new phase of life,” says Lucas. “I had to come to terms with the fact that you don’t always get closure on a chapter. Sometimes, things just… end.”

Brisbane based artist John Drake has just released his new track ‘Siren’, which premiered exclusively via The AU Review. 

“Siren was inspired by a brief relationship I had in London several years back that was built on quicksand, always in a state of flux. It was a constant tightrope walk, one day it was blissful the next it was like being chained to a sinking ship. I never knew where I was, but it was addictive, exhilarating and painful all at the same time.”

Drake recorded the single with ARIA-winning engineer Cody McWaters and longtime friend/producer Chass Guthrie. ‘Siren’is the second offering from his upcoming debut album ‘Separation Songs’.

Drake crafts cinematic songs merging classic melodies, Rock n Roll poetry with tinges of Soul and Country. He draws influence from the likes of Sam Fender, Bleachers, The War on Drugs, Nick Cave, Paul Kelly and Radiohead.

New single ‘Siren’ is available on all major online stores and streaming services.

“Siren has a broad, lush cinematic soundscape. The melancholy nature of the tale is nestled within some beautiful musicianship. His vocals have a clarity and honesty that is gripping, the percussion is neat and tight, and the intensity has just the right amount of light and shade. There’s elements of sweet soulful Americana threaded throughout.”

Bruce Baker – The AU Review

Following the soul-stirring release of “Crazyglue and Skeletons,” The Bapti$$, the boundary-pushing musical rebirth of multi-instrumentalist Joseph LaPlante, returns with “My Father’s Sins,” a raw, introspective new single taken from his just-announced debut album, Pop Cult(ure), out September 26th.

Anchored in aching guitar and a deep 808 heartbeat, “My Father’s Sins” is a confessional offering that digs deep into the scars of lineage, masculine silence, and the fight for spiritual freedom.

“I wholeheartedly believe in Generational Curses and contracts made with the Spirit World,” LaPlante reveals. “I took it on myself to break my family tree free of those shackles that have caused so much pain in my blood line.”