Local Artists:

Drawn From Bees: Gravity (Single) (Bonefinger)
- The persistently (naturally?) outlandish Drawn From Bees return with a new song, the first since 2014’s Web Of Lies. Gravity is a space-trucker of a single with chugging bass and traces of theremin, it’s a definite progression in sound for the Brisbane band. Not to worry, though, the pristine melodies and classic sense of song is still very much present. (Nick Rodwell)

Feeding Fauna: N IS FOR THEN (Indie)
- No need for what ifs, Louise O’Reilly’s new project Feeding Fauna is for those who’ve wondered what The Pretenders would sound like if they engaged heavily with synth-rock. This album is dark and danceable, open and thought-provoking - balancing lo-fi sounds with stadium feels. (Nick Rodwell)

Jordan Rakei: Sorceress (Single) (Ninja Tune / Inertia)
- The unstoppable rise of Jordan Rakei continues. The neo-soul smoothy becomes the first bloke from Brisbane I know of to sign to redoubtable downtempo mainstays Ninja Tune. To celebrate we get this mystical, complex, scintillating little tune. Weird and wonderful as always. (Chris Cobcroft)

Machine Age: Chivalry Is Dead (Single) (Indie)
- I’m hard pressed to think of any other current artist that is chopping and screwing with their sound in this way. Similar to Trent Reznor, local tech-troubadour Machine Age combines challenging sounds with great songwriting. This is a heavy track that sizes up the likes of Royal Blood and offers more than the standard fair. (Nick Rodwell)

May Lyn: Soldiers (Single) (Indie)
- May Lyn is getting politically charged on this one. Ominously exotic, the tuned metal percussion and bleeding low end only heightens the mystery surrounding May Lyn’s potential as one of Brisbane’s rising electronic artists. I’ma need more of this, May Lyn. We’ll all want more of this. (Nick Rodwell)

Australian Artists:

Adrift For Days: A Sleepless Grey (Art As Catharsis)
- Not a song under seven minutes on the new album from Sydney's Adrift For Days. It's worth the time investment too for this eclectic mixture of alt-rock, post-rock, doom, psych, drone. Obviously not for the faint-hearted, but it will reward those in for the wild throes of the journey. (Chris Cobcroft)

Andrew McCubbin: Stay (Single) (Indie)
- Andrew McCubbin has a long history in the Melbourne music scene, but it's all kind of irrelevant - all you need to do is listen to his voice. It's the dark, mahogany hued star of this alt-rocking-country cut from his forthcoming record. He groans like Leonard Cohen - is that quoteable? (Chris Cobcroft)

Ani Lou: Eralda (Indie)
- This Tasmanian artist does an interesting meld of folky singer-songwriter stuff with big, emotive post-rock. Echoing, ghostly and with icicles hanging from its emotive lunges, it kind of sounds like the larval stage of Sigur Rós and, well, there are many worse things to sound like. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Babe RainbowThe Babe Rainbow (Flightless / Inertia)
- If ‘60's rock and rollers all united in the dismissal of their shoes to start a new life in Byron Bay, it’d sound like this. Also some blues and roots dudes from the ‘40's wanted in on the deal too. A big, lazy, happy, historical gumbo. (Charlotte M)

The Bob Gordons: Weekended (Indie)
- In the sloppy tradition of Frenzal Rhomb, The Bob Gordons are a punk band from Perth. Their newest EP Weekended is worth checking out because it has everything a good DIY punk band needs. Muted power chords, epic guitar licks, a fast beat and lyrics that embody good ol’ aussie humour. (Bianca Reck)

Bus Vipers: CSIRO Weeds (Single) (Future Classic)
- Dream pop has a tendency to surreptitiously meld into psychedelia. Here with Bus Vipers single CSIRO Weeds, it blasts into it. Strap yourself in for this trip, it’s vividly surreal and a helluva lotta fun. (Nick Rodwell)

Chloe Adele Perrett: Young Like That (Single) (Indie)
- Young Melbourne singer-songwriter Chloe Adele Perrett has given her acoustic folk-rock the dream pop treatment and the result is surprisingly good. Writing on themes of fragile identity and difficult desire, it's gentle and quite moving. (Chris Cobcroft)

DIET.: Clothes Off (Single) (Indie)
- There’s a little jangle, a lil-new-wave melodicism and a touch of post-punk, similar to raucous New Yorkers Les Savy Fav, in DIET.’s Clothes Off. There’s a lot going on if you wanna break it down, but ultimately, The Melbourne quintet are serving up a whole lotta energy that is hard not to move to. (Nick Rodwell)

GL: Destiny (Single) (Plastic World)
- Any day with new GL is a good day. This single is pretty much their formula: Ella Thompson's diva vocals over Graeme Pogson's electronic beats and pounding kit, creating a slick electro-boogie / nu-disco, mid-tempo groover. There formula is so good though, why **** with it? (Chris Cobcroft)

Gold Class: Twist In The Dark (friendships remix) (Single) (Barely Dressed / Remote Control)
- Now this is a stylish combo. Much talked about Melbourne post-punks get their recent single remixed by dark, dance terrorists friendships. Apparently it was given extra production work by Garreth Liddiard, so it's kind of a who's who of artily fashionable Aussie musos. The muted, techno thud, fuzzy synths and sung-shouted vocals make this feel like a more industrial echo of Underworld's Born Slippy. Uh, great! (Chris Cobcroft)

Haiku Hands: Not About You (Single) (Indie)
- A bouncing party rap banger with slightly strange, slightly dorky lyrics which I think are about how sharing is good (?) anyway, credit to its creators Claire Nakazawa and Beatrice Lewis, this offkilter party starter is plenty infectious. (Chris Cobcroft)

Imbi The Girl: Acidic (Single) (Indie)
- This is just about my favourite thing lately. I didn't know about Imbi The Girl before this, but I want to know a whole lot more now. This is beautifully realised neo-soul and Imbi fronts it immaculately - she's equally good as rapper or smokey voiced soul singer. The lyrics are a subtle reflection on, well, a whole bunch of life stuff. I was so fine with the song already and then that chorus. I get a bit worried when something comes out of the blue and I like it this much - like I'm going to listen again the next day and not be so impressed. I've been listening to Acidic for a week and every time I do I listen to it three times. Highly recommended. (Chris Cobcroft)

Lachlan X. Morris: Ouija Board Heartbreak Tambourine (Indie)
- Ouija Board Heartbreak Tambourine is the brilliantly cumbersome title of singer-songwriter Lachlan X. Morris' stellar debut album. At first, you will notice the uncanny vocal resemblance to the late great Elliott Smith, continue and you will notice that Morris also shares Smith's penchant for creative chord progressions and melodies. Featuring lush arrangements and catchy tunes, Ouija Board Heartbreak Tambourine is enjoyable from start to finish and is undoubtedly an impressive debut album. (Jon Cloumassis)

New Lovers: Impunity (Single) (Dinosaur City)
- Sydney’s New Lovers are pushing something of a new romantic’s Birthday Party. I know, it sounds uncomfortable, but it works. It’s this ripping dark disco, Spandau Ballet covered in the desire to spook normies. (Nick Rodwell)

nyck: This Might Be My Year (Single) (100s+1000s / Mushroom)
- Similar to Jack Grace’s inde-gospel, St. Kilda duo, nyck and their single This Might Be My Year are overwhelmingly hopeful. Piano, hand claps and positively looking forward, if you need your spirits lifted, turn this up. (Nick Rodwell)

Party Dozen: Straights (Single) (Grupo)
- My favourite, under-the-rader, completely unpredictable musical wunderkind Jonathan Boulet is at it again. Here he's teamed up with saxophonist Kirsty Tickle to produce something that sounds like the unholy love child of Merzbow and Colin Stetson. The combination of apocalyptic synths and screaming sax is brutal and weird but really compelling. Completely excited for the album which comes at the end of June. (Chris Cobcroft)

Sayah: Addicts (Single) (Indie)
- Adele kinda saturated the market for deeply-voiced soul divas, which was kinda how I started thinking about this single from Sydney's Sayah. I mean there's nothing wrong with any of this: it's dark and brooding, smouldering even - but when it catches fire, with the thunderous crunch of the Hammond organ chords - that's when it sets itself apart. Fingers crossed Sayah can be as distinctive in the rest of her forthcoming EP. (Chris Cobcroft)

Sensible J: Fire Sign Feat. Sampa The Great and Remi (Single) (House Of Beige)
- Beats man, percussionist and long time REMI collaborator, Sensible J, is heading out of the gate strong on the first single for his upcoming solo release. Borrowing the heavyweight talents of Sampa The Great and Remi for this cut which alternates between energetic rhythmic complexity and mystical synths floating across like mist. It's a conscious banger which bodes well for the rest of the record. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Spring Peaks: No Curfew (Single) (Indie)
- Subtly jangly, subtly surfy, the easy-going indie-rock-pop of Perth's Spring Peaks doesn't want to force anything on anyone. In fact, despite this being a breakup-song, the band are pretty chill and quite content to let you realise -all by yourself- that you need their Real Estate / Ducktails kinda charm in your life. (Chris Cobcroft)

True Vibenation: Heaps Good (Samuel L. Jackson) (Single) (Indie)
- There is a heavy knock to this calypso vibe that has to get you movin’, and once you start you won’t stop. This party starter from Sydney-siders True Vibenation is a testament to the attention they’re garnering internationally. (Nick Rodwell)

Violet: (Wo)man (Single) (Indie)
- Smokey and soulful Sydney triphopper Violet casts a baleful eye over sexist double-standards and hypocrisy. Sarcastically playing the feme-fatale makes you think twice about what you're enjoying here, but it also makes it sound damn good. (Chris Cobcroft)

Wet Lips: See You Later (Single) (Hysterical)
- The grungy girls from down south have pushed their LP back a month, but this is a nice way of telling us. Slow, grinding guitars and sardonic vocals. Some bands promise to take us back to the Rrriot girl of the '90s and some bands actually do. If all of the record is as punchy as this it'll have been well worth the wait. (Chris Cobcroft)

Woy: I'm Coming For You Big (G)Eye (Single) (Notional)
- Something of a meeting between kraut-rockers Can and Nick Cave’s dark literary exploration is where you’ll find Woy. It’s weird but it’s a romper, this Victorian songwriter is careering along towards obscurantism with a feverish sense of fun. (Nick Rodwell)

Zerodent: Soul Mender (Almost Ready)
- This Perth four-piece worship pretty devoutly at the altar of power-pop and bands like The Buzzcocks and MC5. They're pretty bloody good at playing it too. Blink and you'll miss it but these three cuts are loud, lo-fi, leatherclad, deliberately messy but actually supremely tight goddamn rock. (Chris Cobcroft)

Zoe K: It's Just What I Like (Indie)
- A bit of an unexpected one, a full album of loungey, jazzy soul from the Melbourne chanteuse. Very competent musicians at work here, including at least one Roots collaborator. Actually this record is less of the contemporary neo-soul futurism and more of the kind of classic sound that The Roots prefer. So, unexpected but welcome. (Chris Cobcroft)

Overseas Artists:

9T Antiope: Isthmus (Eilean)
- Dark brooding strings, electronics and vocals from Paris based Iranian duo, 9T Antiope. A uniquely crisp, clear and accessible approach to ambient soundscapes.
(Adrian Marsh)

Arcade Fire: Everything Now (Single) (Columbia / Sony)
- Using loungey disco-rock as a vehicle, uber-'indie'-rockers Arcade Fire take a fairly hypocritical, if self-aware potshot at today's culture of instant-gratification. The contradictory impulses of this song are so strong I get a headache, but if you survive the cognitive dissonance it's hard not to crack a wide grin as it gets sillier and sillier. Suspiciously ABBA-esque riff, euphoric, stadium sized backing vocals, frickin' pan pipes: disco! The kind of album for which this is the harbinger, well, it boggles the mind a bit, but this is Arcade Fire. (Chris Cobcroft)

Baptiste Trotignon & Yosvany Terry: Ancestral Memories (Okeh / Sony)
- Baptiste Trotignon and Yosvany Terry are musicians from different jazz schools but they've come to together to make some really diverse and accessible music. Effortlessly blending French colonial influences with European tradition makes for some harmonically adventurous but rhythmically bangin’ tunes. It’s wild. (Nick Rodwell)

Dauwd Theory Of Everything ( Technicolour/ Inertia)
- American born but raised in Wales, Dauwd, makes some really warm, undulating dance. There are hints of of techno and lo-fi house incorporating both samples and the modular but it’s largely focused on atmosphere. It’s a low-key beauty and I’m all in. (Nick Rodwell)

Elider: Your Silent Face (Single) (Indie)
- Scrappy, fuzzy alt-folk-rock out of Hamilton in NZ. Without being exactly the same, this has the same ramshackle splendor as a good Neutral Milk Hotel song. (Chris Cobcroft)

Lovebrain and Diskotäschchen: Lovebrain and Diskotäschchen (Gutfeeling)
- German trombonist and generally busy man, Mathias Götz, has put together yet another band, this time with a ridiculously long name shortened for convenience when reviewing to 'Lovebrain and Diskotäschchen'. An enjoyable collection of rhythmical, catchy instrumentals featuring brass, strings and drums.
(Adrian Marsh)

Lovozero: Moroka (Full Of Nothing)
- The first solo full-length for Russian synthy experimentalist Anastasia Tochneva. Fearlessly DIY, perhaps to a fault, but there's definitely a healthy dose of the big mood, adventurous spirit and crystaline synths of artists like Björk, Ben Frost, Karin Dreijer Andersson or Olga Bell. I think I really need a record like this in my life right now. (Chris Cobcroft)

Noah Slee: TOLD (Single) (Majestic Casual / Wondercore Island)
- From New Zealand by way of Berlin, Noah Slee is shaping up to release an album and if this single is anything to go by, it should be a party starter. Self-reflective over a over a slamming future R’n’B groove, it seems like Slee could commandeer a night of dance and song towards enlightenment. (Nick Rodwell)

Noga Erez Off The Radar ( City Slang / Inertia)
- Noga Erez’ art is attractive. Noga Erez recognizes the importance of form and function. Her righteous Israeli voice set to current urban and electronic trends is important in attracting disaffected youth and creating solidarity in the face of those who misrepresent them. (Nick Rodwell)

Sløtface: Nancy Drew (Single) (Propeller / Caroline Australia)
- It’s no secret that Slotface’ frontwoman Haley is a role model for young women all over. Here on Nancy Drew, the Nordic pop-punks use the literary heroine as way to take aim at indie boys and their acoustic guitars. (Nick Rodwell)

The War On Drugs: Holding On (Single) (Atlantic / Warner)
- Critically acclaimed U.S. band The War On Drugs have a released new single, Holding On, from their highly anticipated forthcoming album, A Deeper Understanding. A sterling return, Holding On is a jaunty ballad awash with heavy synths, fuzzy guitars and bright glockenspiel. Equal parts Bruce Springstein and Chvrches, The War On Drugs expertly marry multiple genres to create something that is thoroughly their own. (Jon Cloumassis)