Local Artists:

BARGE With An Antenna On It: Divided At The Serpent River (Indie)
- Local experimental duo BWAAOI have just up and dropped another album, Divided At The Serpent River. It’s weird but captivating, there are moments that are like a maximalist Swans or a surreal Shellac - there’s all these different guitar sounds but the drums are tricky and then it’s huge but is he saying “low in health bird”? You feel me? (Nick Rodwell)

The Delicates: The Delicates - EP (663056)
- Call it Surf rock or dream pop, call it whatever you want, just don't ignore the aural bliss of Gold Coast's The Delicates self-titled EP. Featuring a six track psychedelic extravaganza of smooth tunes perfect for a paddle out in the ocean. The release is saturated by Shani's hypnotic vocals throughout, where she especially shines on Too Young and Reflecting In The Sun. (Luke Doig)

Greg Charles and The Ex-Catholics: The Wrecking Moon (Indie)
- Queensland songwriter Greg Charles has released a new EP, The Wrecking Moon, with The Ex-Catholics. A Mix of Pavement and The Velvet Underground, the lo-fi recordings feature an abundance of extended jams that compliment the simple but poignant songs. Recorded over only a few hours, the songs are mostly first or second takes, presented with brutal honesty - warts and all. (Jonathan Cloumassis)

Interalia: Aleon (Single) (Indie)
- It is always exciting to see a local female fronted progressive rock band - more so when they are this good! The layered intricate guitar is balanced out with powerful, hard hitting melodies from vocalist Megan Vessi, which makes this single a must listen to for any prog fans. (Bianca Reck)

Lucalion: Magic (Single) (Indie)
- Lucalion gets me in the same way as Twin Shadow does: this is quite glorious, '80's inspired, synth-powered anthemic pop. I'm a little ambivalent about it for the same reasons! It's so neat, though, the build to huge synthetic peaks is so finely controlled. Yeah, there's a lot of sugar here, but Lucalion knows what to do with pop sweetness. (Chris Cobcroft)

Requin: Return To Sender (Single) (Indie)
- Requin make an indie-art-rock that is pretty interesting. The mood is wistful and melancholy, sometimes almost as emotionally drained as the xx. With Requin, however, you get jazzy rhythmic changes and, in this song, they jump into that archetypal drum'n'bass pattern. They way it builds is pretty close to the classic post-rock formula, but never quite that overblown, Requin keep a hold of their indie-rock roots and are the more approachable for it. More like this please. (Chris Cobcroft)

Sewers: Invisible Hands (Single) (Virtual Cool)
-The bad news, local garage rabble Sewers have never sounded so present, so efficient. The good news, they’re calling it quits. Apparently there is an album coming, and if this single is anything to go by it sounds like they’re assuming their final form, which is a good time to leave. (Nick Rodwell)

Australian Artists:

Big Words: Miss Your Mind (Single) (Indie / Palmary)
- Jazzy rhodes opens this soulfuly and quietly, but wait for the slap bass and g-funk synths. It really provides some grunt, but never stops this Melbourne crew being slick as anything, especially those two boys doing the vocals, all sensitive like. I'd like to see who'd win in a dance-off with Jordan Rakei. (Chris Cobcroft)

Freya Josephine Hollick: Don't Mess With The Doyenne (Heart Of A Rat)
- This is a lovely EP. Like a lot of country-roots artists, Ballarat's Freya Josephine Hollick has quite a diverse set of musical skills at her disposal. She deploys them with care to begin with - the fiddle, the steel guitar, the keys - the EP starts out sounding quite considered. The tracking is unorthodox, but quite clever, building to a wild bluegrass climax, complete with the titular yodel on Long Gone Daddy'o Yodel. Freya's voice is a feature too, with some of the pixie-like quality of Dolly Parton, but, I dunno, maybe a bit of Kate Bush too; whatever, it's infectiously sweet. In just five tracks this EP offers the depth of a full-length, it's a winner too. (Chris Cobcroft)

Great Outdoors Keep Your Focus (Single) (Indie)
- From concept to execution, this is great. I would hope that you know of Melbourne bands such as Free Time and Totally Mild because central creative figure within Great Outdoors, Zach Schneider, has a hand in all of them. Keep Your Focus is a slick slice of kraut-rock’n Australiana - indie-rock sensibilities with tinges of psyche and ironic delights. (Nick Rodwell)

Lachlan Bryan & The Wildes: A Long Way To Fall (Single) (Indie)
- This song has a had a life and half before it’s arrival here at Zed but its beauty is worth noting. Humans can be really quite foolish and Lachlan Bryan’s ode to folly, with it’s gentle folk traditions, is full of humility and grace. (Nick Rodwell)

Lewis Cancut Plastic Games (Single) (NLV)
- Melbourne Producer and DJ, Cancut, has a very distinct style. The Indoor Rainforest EP of 2016 was an eclectic selection of technicolor glitches criss-crossing various dance genres. This latest single carries on from that assertion in sound with metallic house thump switchin’ up into playful bass, all tied together with Hatsune Miko (Japan’s synthetic pop-star) sampled vocals. There’s a lot of Japanese influence on electronica these days, but this still manages to stand out. (Nick Rodwell)

Michael Beach Never Had Enough Time With You (Single)
- Michael Beach is an intriguing dude. He's been over in the US and making a record with members of Meercaz and Comets On Fire. The combined sound is something like a quite rocky Neil Young and The Chills, which, well that'd be pretty great - right? The LP's out in September and this single is a great start. (Chris Cobcroft)

Omahara: Untitled (Single) (Indie)
- Deep, immersive drones up from the pristine surrounds of Tasmania. That’s for the first fifteen minutes, anyway. The later movement of this twenty-four minute single is a cacophony of hammering drums and a lost gaze of guitar. Only Tasmania would be capable of procuring such harrowing majesty. (Nick Rodwell)

SAATSUMA Stay (Single) (Indie)
- Memphis Kelly and Cesar Rodriguez are dab hands at the old school triphop sounds. The opener to their latest single is virtually identical to Massive Attack's Teardrop. It's more of a tribute than a steal though and this is a neat track in its own right: shadowy, moody and sweet. (Chris Cobcroft)

Time For Dreams: Lighthouse (Single) (IT Records)
- I've really enjoyed the first couple of singles from the forthcoming Time For Dreams full-length. Previously I've compared the sound of Tom Carlyon (Standish Carlyon) and Amanda Rolf (or Harmony) to HTRK, but this new single is a bit different, allowing more warmth and charm to leak into the sound. This is more of an emotional and stylistic cousin to Massive Attack's more upbeat moments, say for instance their old classic, Sly. They've also released a not half-bad idm remix of Lighthouse as well. Quite exciting and another nice portent for that LP. (Chris Cobcroft)

Tom E Lewis Shifting Sands (Single) (Skinny Fish)
For those of us who still hold on to glamily inspired art by the late David Bowie and Michael Hutchence this is a slightly more dustily inspired cousin and these guys will not disappoint you. (Charlotte McMaster)

Overseas Artists:

Algiers: The Underside Of Power (Matador / Remote Control)
- This insane band out of Atlanta are exactly as badass as they were on their first full-length. Combining throat-tearing soul with brutal post-punk and incendiary politics is one of those 'so-crazy-it-might-work' propositions and work it does! There's a lot of other things going on, like the electronics or the spiritual rhythms and everything, all of it comes crashing at you like an avalanche. I guess the most surprising thing about this record is just how listenable and entertaining it manages to be at the same time as it pulverises your ears. Highly recommended. (Chris Cobcroft)

dälek: Echoes Of (Single) (Ipecac / Mushroom)
- Oh bless, after all this time dälek is doing exactly what he's always done: oldschool hip hop beats crushed against industrial rock that bares an unnerving resemblance to a cloud of chittering locusts. There are a bunch of people who like Deathgrips and Bodycount, right? Well, if you do and you don't know dälek, check this out. (Chris Cobcroft)

Ex Eye: Ex Eye (Relapse)
- It might be apalling bad luck for the Party Dozen and Ex Eye that they both release records of crushing, experimental, sax-fronted proto-metal in the same week. It could just be an early Christmas for you if you like this kind of thing. Hell, they could support each other on tours, we can make this work! Oh, also, the saxophonist here is none other than experimental, crossover star Colin Stetson and the band features at least one member of Secret Chiefs Three. Proggy, krauty, saxy and bloody compelling. (Chris Cobcroft)

Kedr Livanskiy: Ariadna (Single) (2MR / Remote Control)
- Moscow electro-songstress Kedr Livanskiy impressed with her first LP and this advance on the second is similarly noticeable. It's funny how a little messing with textures and timbres can turn a straight-up electropop anthem into something quite different and distantly, stylishly ethereal. Machinelike beats are unobtrusively efficient, the synths sound like they're borrowed from Boards Of Canada and Kedr is ineffably, mournfully Russian. (Chris Cobcroft)

Grandbrothers: Bloodflow (Single) (City Slang / Inertia)
- Düsseldorf duo, Grandbrothers, have created something a little different here, moulding progressive piano pieces with electronic pulses to form Bloodflow. If you're a fan of Bonobo, Caribou or the likes, then these guys will be up your alley. Bloodflow is a six minute instrumental thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat until the twist has been revealed, and all is settled once again. (Luke Doig)

Juicy The Emissary Attention K-mart Choppers (Street Corner Music / Low Key Source)
- Texan beatmaker and crate-digger Mark Davis had the find of a lifetime when he managed to purloin decades of shopping centre muzak and promotional announcements from his employer, Kmart. The way he's spliced it into instrumental hip hop and slow, grainily produced funk recalls the best moments of DJ Shadow. Also, for all that this is vaporwave, commercial detritus, there's an unlikely amount of musical beauty here, lurking in the loops of yesterday. A genuine pleasure. (Chris Cobcroft)

Moses Sumney: Doomed (Single) (Jagjajuwar / Inertia)
- There is definitely a little more magic in Moses Sumney than most others. His neo-soul is haunting for its individuality and his talent. Alone in a vast, warm space, Sumney’s upper register cracks with sincerity as he explores his existence. (Nick Rodwell)