Local Artists:

Age Champion: Death In America (Single) (Indie)
- With the same vein bursting intensity of The Hives, Brisbane rockers Age Champion come out with all guns blazing on this one. Whether you take this single literally or as allegory, it’s definitely a hot take. (Nick Rodwell)

ApeMAN: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Single) (Indie)
- So didn't watch the movie, but you really don't need that to appreciate ApeMAN Dan, bellowing about his feelings. He's a bravura rapper and an interesting rapper. Fast paced flow over bouncy electro: I hear he's got even better stuff than this in store and, if that's true, that'd be pretty impressive. (Chris Cobcroft)

Butterfingers: Big Night Out (Single) (Valley Trash)
- It's been a while between drinks for the boys. Wait, Butterfingers, not drinking? That sounds serious. Don't worry, this is their tried and true formula of hip hop balladry, stumbling after Evil Eddie as he cuts a trail of destruction across Brisbane, all set to speedy funk. Given what else is on offer in Oz hiphop right now, this'd be good even if it wasn't very accomplished. It really is though. (Chris Cobcroft)

Matt Hsu Feat. Tenzin Choegyal: Every Step Is A Horizon (Single) (Indie)
- This is pretty inwardly-focused for a single. Tenzin imparts a leathery, spoken-word wisdom and some Tibetan vocal stylings to the quiet background, 90% of which I’m guessing is (The Mouldy Lovers’) Matt Hsu, bar the female backing vocals. Not full of sugar or fire, but still interesting to anyone who digs the jams of the Mouldies or Mzaza. (Chris Cobcroft)

Australian Artists:

APES: Filter (Single) (Indie)
- Melbourne band APES know how to give that well needed dose of indie-pop goodness. Using a combination of funk drenched strings and high pitched harmonics, this track will leave you humming along to the melody all day. (Tayla Galvin)

Broadway Sounds: Le Voyage D'un Vagabond (Single) (Indie)
- Hey, Broadway Sounds are trying something a bit different. The Melbournite afropoppers have adopted French vocals and a la Francaise, they’ve slipped into nu-disco, tricking it out with all the rhythmic cleverness rhodes piano and sax solos they’re famed for. Breezy dancefloor action. (Chris Cobcroft)

Cash Savage & The Last Drinks: Run With The Dogs (Single) (Mistletone / Inertia)
- Cash sounds weathered on this new single, just the bit tired and drawn, which meshes right with the band’s fast-paced tension. Blues-rock continues to be one of the most played-out genres and Cash Savage -bitter, rootsy, folky, gritty- continues to buck the trend completely. Really gripping. (Chris Cobcroft)

Diger Rokwell: We Can Ride (Single) (The Community Records)
- This is a trip. Diger Rokwell, Perth’s jack-of-all-grooves, has dropped out and tuned into the the haziest of disco grooves in this single. Grandmaster Flash’s electric feel has been finding new life of late, and Rokwell shares the same wavelength as MNDSGN, as he’s buried in vocoder letting the cosmos dance around him. (Nick Rodwell)

Fortunes: Focus (Single) (Twenty Three)
- Bringin’ the biggest feels via some of the slickest downtempo soul you’re likely to hear this side Nick Murphy’s maturation. The way this slides and heaves gives Conor McCabe's vocal a physical gravitas that will definitely pull you in. (Nick Rodwell)

HYLA: Swam Out (Single) (Gun Fever)
- I never know quite where we are on the arc of the shoegaze re-re-revival, but I’m pretty much always happy to plunge into some more warm, sweet guitar fuzz. Perth’s HYLA bring a melancholy longing to the formula. Already plenty moving enough, long before the cello kicks in. (Chris Cobcroft)

Jagwar Ma: Slipping (Soulwax Remix) (Single) (Future Classic)
- Belgian dance rockers bleed the hazy Madchester out of our favourite paisley revivalists and what remains sounds neat, efficient and kinda krautish. Clinical chill. Hope the rest of the remix EP is this good. (Chris Cobcroft)

Lupa J: Put Me Back Together (Single) (Indie)
- Lupa J is proving to be a very reliable provider of dark electro beats for Australia. I may not need another Bat For Lashes record if things keep going like this. Put Me Back Together is shadowy but propulsive dance music, familiarly tinged with themes of fragmented identity and emotional turmoil. It goes well with her new Kucka-esque look. It’s also watermarked with her signature string playing. Put it on in the club please. (Chris Cobcroft)

Mary Glenn: EP (Little Lake)
- Another exquisite little folk EP from the increasingly prolific Little Lake label. Nick Huggins’ production gives Mary Glenn’s already sparse, unaccompanied acoustic guitar and voice a brittle, beautiful clarity. A classic in the style of early Holly Throsby, Tiny Ruins or Alela Diane. (Chris Cobcroft)

MAYA: What After Now (Single) (True)
- After doing a lot of pretty impressive stuff on the downlow, former Brisbaneite MAYA is going a bit larger and her sound has moved from an often fairly subtle future r'n'b to some, big, in your face and comparatively old-school r'n'b sounds. Toni Braxton watch out, this is pretty sweet. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Meltdown: Darkness Into Light (Single) (Hope Street)
- This is the sort of number you imagine Joe Cocker roaring out, late in the set, dripping sweat as the slow and haunting accompaniment lays it on thick. Blue-eyed soul that's a mixture of exhaustion and a final burst of power that drags you right on down with it. (Chris Cobcroft)

Obscura Hail: Loose Tooth (Indie)
- I really love Melbourne’s Obscura Hail. He has the same brittle beauty as Sun Kil Moon, the oddball, throwback quality of The Beatles at their folkiest and when it’s appropriate, the raw pain of Elliott Smith. New release Loose Tooth is a mixed bag of rarities, b-sides and a few new things too. Some of the production might be a bit variable, but the song-writing is top-notch. I’m not sure everyone else will feel the way I do, but Obscura Hail, to me, is endlessly absorbing. (Chris Cobcroft)

Sister Socrates: Less Myself (Single) (Indie)
- Four-piece Melbourne band, Sister Socrates have dropped their dreamy follow up single, Less Myself. Saturated by haunting, warm vocals, a mellow synth and relaxed guitar, it is the perfect slow burner for dealing with the headaches of a relationship breaking down. Following in the same indie-rock styles of The XX and Tame Impala, this is a release sure to please many. (Luke Doig)

Spenda C Feat. Cult Shotta: Release (Single) (Indie)
- Veteran DJ Spenda C has been getting into collabs with rising Australian MCs of late. This latest single sees fellow Sydney-sider Cult Shotta get in with a future beat cut that has plenty of crossover potential. (Nick Rodwell)

Sui Zhen: Calm Winds (Single) (Indie)
- Sui Zhen’s latest is real breezy. For real. Calm Winds has the clarinets to compliment the Zen state that this pop-croon may induce. It’s the perfect sonic accompaniment for Sui’ words of encouragement. Just gotta let go and take the lightest ride. (Nick Rodwell)

The Vacationists: Here She Comes Now (Single) (Indie)
- Sydneysiders The Vacationists reckon they're a refined blend of indie, arty heroes Pavement and floor-appreciators Jesus & Mary Chain. Hey, you know what? They are. The laidback indie sweetness and sung-spoken vocals are backgrounded by a big, hazy guitar sound and meet a big warm, stonery bearhug. For all that is laidback and medicated this single manages to be quite upbeat too, it even has a tambourine jingling away. On a bunch of levels, really, pretty nice. (Chris Cobcroft)

W.I.P.: W.I.P. (Indie)
- Sydney’s W.I.P. are a loud trio of noisniks. Their brash melange of grunge and post-punk takes cues from the noisiest of guitar bands like METZ with some really interesting buzzsaw sounds. Don’t worry, though, they change up their approach to texture enough to keep you engaged and so you don’t destroy your ears or lose your head all together for that matter. (Nick Rodwell)

Overseas Artists:

A7PHA: A7PHA (Anticon / Redeye)
- Doseone was one of my favourite leftfield rappers in the first decade of this century. Sounding a bit like a Jewish grandma rapping out little haiku-like, slice-of-life observations. On this (so far) very low-key return, a collaboration with fellow MC Mestizo, things are deeper and darker than usual, even Doseone’s voice sounds more weathered, like a rap version of Tom Waits with echoes of Buck 65 or a touch of Gonjasufi (who guests on this record). The cloudy synth production is forbidding, taking more pages out of the books of Clipping or Deathgrips than, say, the weird boom-bap of Doseone’s collabs with Boom Bip. Mestizo is no slouch as a rapper, but, whatever else you might say, Doseone is ****ing sensational, even as the background noise obscures his breakneck double-time pace, it’s clear Doseone is back even badder than before. (Chris Cobcroft)

DUKWA: Thoughts Feat. Mar G (Single) (Numbers)
- There is a lot of lo-fi house around at the moment and Italian DUKWA adds a very warm and soulful cut to the trend. Being hardware lead, Thoughts thumps with a gritty depth that opens the vocal loop to suggest that whether you’re in for lowkey vibes or gearing up for something harder, you’re commitment can’t be questioned. (Nick Rodwell)

Feist: Pleasure (Single) (Interscope / Universal)
- The title track to Feist's forthcoming record is an intriguing mix of sparse, kinda lo-fi whispering and moaning and lush '70s power-pop-rock bridged, with rough-as-guts, snarling guitar. Strange, unsettling, but in the end, pretty damn interesting. (Chris Cobcroft)

Goldlink: Meditation ft. Jazmine Sullivan and KAYTRANADA (Single) (Sony)
- I don’t mean to gush but Goldlink is really good. He applies his formidable flow to really curious club tracks with flavours that take in future bounce and hazy disco. He’s a regular collaborator with Kaytranada and it’s understandable, really, they work really well together. There’s always such a fun vibe to his tracks. (Nick Rodwell)

Ho99o9: United States of Horror (Single) (Toys Have Powers / Caroline / Universal)
- This New Jersey duo have been kicking around for a few years now, experimenting with brash electronics and and intense live shows. What they’re doing treads a fine between Rap and Hardcore, which, when you break it down, they share plenty of the same characteristics. This leading single is both energized and righteous, comparable to Death Grips but a notch down in intensity. (Nick Rodwell)

Jakuzi: Bir Dusmanim Var (Single) (City Slang / Inertia)
- Nothing should pique your curiosity more than this Turkish synth-pop. Get your croon fix or add another track to your cult slasher soundtrack shortlist as the disco ball slows and your emotional whims soar. I have no idea what is being sung but for a brief moment I was wearing baby blue ruffles and it felt good. (Nick Rodwell)

Mastodon: Andromeda (Single) (Reprise / Warner)
- No less conceptual or progressive, Atlanta heavies Mastodon wield the wild with ease in lead single Andromeda. It’s a tumultuous feat of strength, you know Mastodon, riffs, varied vocals, tangents that soar, breakdowns that belt. This impending album should prove to be as monumental as usual. (Nick Rodwell)

Nathan Fake: HoursDaysMonthsSeasons (Single) (Ninja Tune / Inertia)
- Nathan Fake indulges in an eclectic mix of electronica and downtempo. The UK native adds layer upon layer which builds to an exultant atmosphere. HourDaysMonthsSeasons is an expansive trip in texture. (Nick Rodwell)

Sacred Paws: Strike A Match (Rock Action)
- This UK duo do a real celebratory mix of afrobeat and indie songcraft. So it has this really light inviting bounce but with these really sweet melodies and sentiments woven in. Pure fun. (Nick Rodwell)

The Seshen: Colors Collide (Single) (Tru Thoughts)
- Hailing from San Fran, The Seshen are on that wavy neo-soul ride. I use neo-soul loosely because this latest single is actually quite proggy. Utilising a big beat as an anchor, the group sets about creating a tangential cosmic trip that is reminiscent of THEESatisfaction and Shabazz Palaces. (Nick Rodwell)

Soulwax: Missing Wires (Single) ([PIAS] / Mushroom)
- Belgian electro duo Soulwax have a bumper single in Missing Wires. Amidst the flurries of drums, arpeggiators and squelchy analog sounds it successfully retains a weirdly pop accessibility and it’ll get you moving in much the same way that Talking Heads does. (Nick Rodwell)