4ZZZ Music Dept.Best New Arrivals For February Part One

Local Artists:

Glitter Veils: Figures In Sight (Flexible)
- Glitter Veils is the Brisbane duo of Michael Whitney (Nite Fields) and Luke Zahnleiter (The Rational Academy) and they've scored themselves a pretty neato record deal with Flexible, an offshoot of Terrible, which is run by Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear and has been home to the likes of Solange, Blood Orange and Kirin J. Callinan.
What is it about GV that warrants rubbing shoulders with that kind of company? At first it seems like you're going to get dosed with extremely DIY synth-rock, but suddenly everything's dark, brooding and gothic, really darkly soft-rocking Americana, somewhere between Suicide and Chris Isaak. Fans of Lost Animal and Nicholas Jaar's Darkside should just have a ball with this, I know I am. (Chris Cobcroft)

Greg Charles: Rough Music (Indie)
- Greg Charles is a man from Burleigh Heads who knows what he likes and what he likes is Lou Reed. Rough Music takes that same warmly complex guitar-work and the scooping, sung-spoken vocals and, well, we didn't need reminding that Lou Reed was great, but Greg may share some of that same genius. (Chris Cobcroft)

L.Major: A Central Valley (Single) (Indie)
- After the driving cool of Sunglasses At Night, the ever-casual L. Major has returned. It’s a swelling ode to fair-weather wanderlust in a gazey-folk atmosphere. It’s calm and accepting and really quite pleasing. (Nick Rodwell)

LEØ: Young EP (Indie)
- Sticking very close to that mopey, sparse but relateable formula devised by The xx, but, also doing a pretty dang good job of it. (Chris Cobcroft)

Rachels Holiday Music: Let It Shine (Single) (Indie)
- Very smooth electro-dub-reggae from this local producer. Maybe a bit too smooth for some, but undeniably classy production work and, really, anything which can send a chill down my spine in this weather gets a free pass from me. (Chris Cobcroft)

Red Red Krovvy: Red Red Krovvy (Helta Skelta)
- Not actually out for quite a while, but still widely audible even at this distance. The former Cairns-i-ans have been unleashed across Australia like a shotgun blast and are putting out a full-length on a Perth label. Splattery-ass, female-fronted punk to grab you by the (long) neck. (Chris Cobcroft)

Tom Cooney: Futureproof (Single) (Indie)
- Take your time with Tom’s return. He took his time and the results are captivatingly open in sound and message. There is a deep sense of compassion that resonates from the sonorous percussion through to the tickling of the dulcimer and ultimately Tom’s thoroughly considered approach to song. It’s beautiful, immerse yourself. (Nick Rodwell)

Australian Artists:

Brad Pot: Air Strike (Single) (Slovenly)
- It’s important to document punks in a studio because if you were to catch them live you may not last long enough to fully appreciate it. Unless, of course, you’re fueled by the same sense of destruction -whether it be towards redundant culture or society’s expectations- and are willing to absorb every frequency and bodily fluid projected at you.Thankfully, you can appreciate Melbourne’s Brad Pot and their thrashy and pummelling Air Strike, with all of it’s Damned & Buzzcock overtones. (Nick Rodwell)

Buried Feather: Mind Of The Storm (Cobra Snake Necktie Records / Kozmik Artifactz)
- Melbourne’s Buried Feather don’t exactly reinvent the doobie when it comes to stoner-psych, but they do a very good impression of the original. Sweet, heavy guitar riffs thunder through as the muffled vocals waft away somewhere up near the rafters. If you need some mood music to help pry open your third eye, this is it. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Cactus Channel & Sam Cromack: Sorry Hills (Single) (Hope Street)
- The verses are drawn and wan in this collab. single between Australia's 'soundtrack soul' mainstays and Ball Park Music's Sam Cromack. The chorus comes to life like a Bacharach and David pop hit and just make everything better. Like chronic depression blasted by a flood of compensatory serotonin. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Clouds: Mabel's Bookshop (Single) (Red Eye)
- New Clouds?? It's only been twenty years. I'm glad they didn't leave it longer, the renewed taste for female-fronted, fuzzy, '90's guitar-pop might have faded again. As it is, this is just right. (Chris Cobcroft)

FOAM: When Does It Get Better (Single) (Indie)
- This Perth trio have a rad single. The way it unfolds is the ace in hand. From pummelling Dinosaur Jr styled instrumental beginning to an all out existential vomit of scuzz is a winning play. Wild. (Nick Rodwell)

Hadal Maw: Olm (EVP)
- A bit of a development from their debut full-length. Melbourne death metallers Hadal Maw have given themselves space to lean into a groove and expand the atmosphere of their previously in-your-face, technical assault. It's an astute move: Olm sounds like the work of a mature band, quite in command of their brutal sound. (Chris Cobcroft)

Herzeloyde: Sprung (Single) (Indie)
- Dig Moonbase Commander? Well, it’s just Moonbase now and his latest signee to his Trench label is proof of his eye for talent. Herzeloyde introductory offering is some seriously progressive 2-step Garage with all the modern adornments. It’s this gritty, jagged bass monster that knocks hard. I’m all in. (Nick Rodwell)

The Pretty Littles: Helluva Tuesdi (Single) (Caroline / Universal)
- Self-described as “dumb **** garage” Melbourne’s self-deprecating fuzz-ballers The Pretty Littles have a thrashy little number to satiate the boredom and the n’er-give-a-rats within the mid-week ride (or lack there of). But, for real, it has the best guitar solo I’ve heard in a LONG time and that Pixies flavour in the bridge is most complimentary. (Nick Rodwell)

Rag N' Bone: Pissy Flow (Single) (Indie)
- Nice to hear Perth’s Rag N’Bone taking fuzzy garage rock that extra step. Sloshing on some gothic reverb makes you feel like the song is towering over you and has people reaching for comparisons like PJ Harvey, Savages or Esben And The Witch. You need more music that puts the fear in you. (Chris Cobcroft)

Overseas Artists:

Bathsheba: Servus (Svart)
- The words "female-fronted doom" tick quite a lot of my stylistic boxes to begin with, but Belgians Bathsheba really make it work with an unusual flair. The guitar sound is rich and warm, as you'd expect, but it's the unusual elements, from Michelle Nocon's capacity for syrupy, clean vocals, to the upbeat rhythmic change-ups, and the fricking sax solos (!?) which make Servus a real breath of fresh air. (Chris Cobcroft)

Fazerdaze: Lucky Girl (Single) (Flying Nun)
- Fazerdaze are a female-fronted Auckland band that have a really strange, even enviable ability to make reverb drenched shoegaze that is, at the same time super-crisp, upbeat pop. This is the rare kind of song that stands a chance of appealing to just about everyone. (Chris Cobcroft)

Moon Duo: Occult Architecture Vol 1 (Sacred Bones / Rocket)
- It's 2017 and Wooden Shjips and the whole ****gaze thing seems further away than ever. Psych-fuzz duo, er, Moon Duo, are still buzzing away though. Like a successor act to WS now, rather than a side-project? I can't tell you about that, but I can say that Occult Architecture is not breaking the mould. It sounds like the Moon Duo you know and that's a fine, a reassuring old head-spin to have. Krauty, fuzzy, endlessy spinning guitars, synth, drums and a whispered vocal to let you know there's still humans at work in there. (Chris Cobcroft)

Noga Erez: Pity (Single) (City Slang / Inertia)
- Ooh, I’ll go in for this. Israeli artist Noga Erez and her wavy electro pop is tastefully percussive and pointed in it’s message. It’s bounce and rattle is an engaging form for her commanding and righteous drawl. If you’re down with M.I.A.’s get in with Noga. (Nick Rodwell)

Teen Daze: Themes For Dying Earth (Flora)
- The sixth (?) full-length from Jamison Isaak steers more closely back to the gliding ambient pop he’s so good at. A very personal record, to the point of being a bit insular, but that doesn’t detract from its beauty. If you let it take hold of you, you may well struggle to escape thereafter. (Chris Cobcroft)

Trevor de Brauw: Uptown (The Flenser)
- Those familiar with the work of Pelican will probably be reassured rather than challenged by this solo record from its guitarist, Trevor de Brauw. The mixture of doom and post-rock is of their ilk. Unlike a lot of doom, however, this isn't very metal, leaning into sweatly ambient timbres and even, once in a blue-moon, taking on dark, quiet folk. More likely to mend and expand your head a little, rather than destroy it. (Chris Cobcroft)

4ZZZ Music Dept.Best New Arrivals For February Part One

Chris CobcroftNew Releases Show

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