Australian TYF staff writer Georgia Anger returns with her monthly instalment of A Month In Aussie Music, taking a look back on a month of exciting news in Australian music from new releases, to new faces, to the exciting lead up to the 7th year of the world’s most remote rock concert.

Scorching New Releases

June 7: Meg Mac – “Hope”

Aussie pop princess of the people, Meg Mac, released her newest record “Hope” earlier this month wearing her heart on her sleeve and her head held high. Her second album shows life’s pain and all stages of grief in the soulful way only she knows how. Daniel Hanssen from the AU Review describes “Hope” as a record she should be proud of and that it “…emphasises the heavier parts of life, whilst still paying homage to those lighter moments. These shade of light and dark are combined with such grace and clarity that it’s hard not to be caught up in the experience… [it] shows why listeners have long been able to connect with Meg Mac’s music.” Mac’s most powerful track lies in the gospel acclamation that is “Head Away”, where her voice is at its peak, encapsulating all emotions in her rawest and most emotional track yet.

June 7: Polish Club – “Iguana”

Another small Aussie rock band that is hard to dislike, Polish Club bring us their sophomore album with the cocktail of suburban and city sounds that is perfectly mixed and shaken- the New Polish way. The album’s hits “Clarity” and “We Don’t Care” spark the flame for the future of Polish Club and stand as a powerful benchmark and representative for the album as a whole. With the most seamless transitions from track to track (literally, its like listening to one super long song in 12 movements) that I’ve ever heard, “Iguana” is in the middle of reaching Aussie stages and ears for PC’s “Meet Me At The Iguana” tour. 

 

June 14: Hayden James – “Between Us”

Aussie songwriting DJ and producer, Hayden James’ debut studio album “Between Us” has been described as a representation of “the journey through different stages of relationships; love, seperation and ultimately hope”, James told Billboard. The record is already peaking at #9 on the ARIA charts, with Triple j dubbing it “home grown dance at its finest”. James released that the album is “more of a development of [James] sounds than anything else”, evident in his level of production and songwriting techniques- completely genuine and whole-hearted.

 

June 14: Stonefield – “Bent”

One of Australia’s greatest all girl rock bands, Victorian sisters Stonefield released their first EP “Through The Clover” in 2010 and are now going stronger than ever on their fourth studio album “Bent”. These powerful women have kept the fire of psychedelic rock alight on Aussie turf for just over a decade following their Triple j Unearthed High win in June 2010. “Bent” is the Findlay sisters’ most iconic album yet, reaching heights not sought out before, becoming and growing more and more with their desired musical aesthetic. 

June 28: Kylie Minogue “Step Back In Time – The Definitive Collection”

Australia’s OG pop princess has returned with her career mixtape “Step Back In Time – The Definitive Collection”. The record is her fourth greatest hits album, and features some of her top hits and some previously unreleased tracks- an ode to her career and a reminder to her audience of her classic moments. Minogue goes all out with her compilation format, including a two-disc edition, a picture disc vinyl, and five limited edition cassette formats. The album’s title is derived from her 1990 single of the same name, which was her first major release under her BMG contract. The album has already reached #1 in Australia, Scotland, and the UK, and has peaked at #4 in Ireland.

New Faces – West Coast Girls Shock East Coast Scene

Western Australian newcomers Dulcie share a once though to be lost ideology of indie-rock girl groups with their home of WA and have recently invited the rest of Australia to bear witness to their wonder. Starting off in 2018, Dulcie is made up of four girlfriends, Ashleigh Carr-White (keys and vocals), Saskia Britain (guitar and vocals), Timeika Denton (bass and vocals), and Madison Hanley (drums). The girls ignited their career after releasing their first single “Fall” in January 2019 and “Own Ground” shortly after, and were taken under the wing of Sydney based band Polish Club after performing at this year’s Groovin The Moo, as one of their support acts during their Australian “Meet Me At The Iguana” tour. 

Only Weeks Until World’s Most Remote Rock Gig

The countdown is on for Australia’s famous Big Red Bash- the world’s most remote rock concert, taking place in the red-dirt town of Birdsville QLD. The 3-day festival takes place in the world’s largest sand dune desert, on Birdsville’s own dune dubbed “Big Red”, standing 40m high. The gig has featured some of Australia’s greatest acts, including Jimmy Barnes, Paul Kelly, The Angels, Hoodoo Gurus, and Kasey Chambers- just to name a few. I have been lucky enough to see the festival twice before, the first being in 2014 when the crowd consisted of a couple hundred people, eating pumpkin soup made by the local indigenous elder- myself being the youngest audience member by about 30 years. The second coming however took a shocking turn- a near 7000 people were in attendance, with KFC even filming a commercial there the previous year. This year marks the seventh year of the outback festival, with Midnight Oil, The Living End, and Kasey Chambers headlining the three nights.

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