808s & GREATEST HITS ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM OUR LORD IN EXILE OUT 15 SEPTEMBER + SHARE SPLIT SINGLE 'ANOTHER LIFE / AUTHORITARIAN BLUES'

Today 808s & Greatest Hits unveil their fourth album Our Lord In Exile out September 15th 2023 via Our Golden Friend. To celebrate the announce they have shared a two track single 'Another Life / Authoritarian Blues' out now on all digital platforms.

~ STREAM / DOWNLOAD 'ANOTHER LIFE' / 'AUTHORITARIAN BLUES' HERE ~

Starting as a three song suite that was intended for 2021's Social Bubble, the album charts the journey of a dystopian king and the downfall of a despot through heavy prog influences and dark synths. Mixed by John Lee at Phaedra and mastered by David Walker at Stepford Audio the album was woven together from songs swapped back and forth between members Skube Burnell, Ronnie Frew, Lochy Funston and Nathan Nicholson. 

Our Lord In Exile sees 808s & Greatest Hits dive deep into a narrative concept, creating their most ambitious and collaborative album yet. The double A side singles explore the intricacies of power struggles and control, a dystopian landscape masterfully captured across the tracks.

808s & Greatest Hits, initially the recording project of Melbourne’s Skube Burnell has grown into a collaborative maelstrom of local creatives. 808s & Greatest Hits’ recorded material and live shows feature a revolving cast of friends and collaborators who allow the project to take unconventional and exciting detours along the journey. They have released three albums, 2019's Cabin Vibes, 2020 album Greatest Hits II and Social Bubble in 2021. Previous incarnations of 808s & Greatest Hits have seen Burnell collaborate with a 5-piece band and other recordings and performances have captured 808s at its most intimate and introspective from Skube alone.

Our Lord In Exile will be released September 15th 2023.
You can pre-order the album HERE.

RVG RELEASE NEW TRACK ‘COMMON GROUND’ + NEW ALBUM BRAIN WORMS – OUT FRI JUNE 2

Revered Melbourne band RVG present ‘Common Ground’, the fourth and final track from their forthcoming and highly anticipated third studio album, Brain Worms – out Friday June 2.
 

~ BUY/STREAM 'COMMON GROUND' NOW ~
 

The opening track of Brain Worms, ‘Common Ground’ aptly sets the scene, introducing us to a record that leaves no stone unturned in the pursuit of self-dissection, analysis, and ultimately, plaintive acceptance. “Something that Sarah from Camp Cope said to me years ago has always stuck with me; ‘No matter what we do, they’re still going to hate us.’”- Romy Vager

Sonically, ‘Common Ground’ rocks back and forward melodically, as if to comfort its listener, as Romy’s forthright and penetrative lyricism cuts through synth laden crescendos with earnest poignancy. It’s a journey that culminates in a transcendent instrumental outro, punctuated by silvery, 80’s-esq percussion.

Watch 'Common Ground' HERE.

The accompanying 'Common Ground' video is directed by Tom Campbell, and features RVG performing in the round as dancer Jayden Lewis performs the striking choreography of Zoee Marsh. “Together we wanted to do something that was stripped back, reduced to its simplest form, with only the most basic and essential features,” says Campbell. “There is no contrivance, no attempt to cover up or hide the infrastructure of the band’s instruments or our film gear, we embrace that chaos, but we also wanted to play with our audiences expectations to land somewhere in the middle of narrative and performance. Visually, I wanted to represent the struggle I heard in the lyrics in a physical way. How we fight these feelings, how we try to beat them down, or free ourselves from them. These feelings get inside us, under our skin - ridding ourselves of them, or exorcising them from within, becomes a kind of exercise in healing.”

The new offering follows previous album singles ‘Midnight Sun’, ‘Squid’ and ‘Nothing Really Changes’, which featured across The Guardian AU, NME AU, Tone Deaf, Music Feeds, plus received a slew of local radio adds, DSP playlist covers and debuted at #3 on Top 10 Singles Chart at specialty radio in the U.S. Last month’s follow up ‘Squid’ was one of Rolling Stone’s ‘Songs You Need To Know’ and praised by Brooklyn Vegan’, Culture Fiend, Femmusic and Glamglare, with Austin Town Hall calling the track a “a powerful display that delivers a wallop to the listener’s ears”.

After a momentous first five years — finding critical acclaim for debut A Quality of Mercy (2017), landing on countless end-of-year Best Of lists, and playing alongside some of the world’s biggest acts in Pixies, Kurt Vile, Pete Doherty, Sleaford Mods, Camp Cope, Shame, and more — RVG released second album Feral (2020) as the world was locking down. Feral was called “masterfully executed” by The Big Issue, “the record of a lifetime” by Rolling Stone Australia and given four-and-a-half stars by the Sydney Morning Herald. But in new album Brain Worms, this is the most confident the band has ever felt in RVG. They’ve moved past their influences, pushed themselves, and tried new things. And they have made a record they can, by all accounts, call their best.

RVG recently returned from the UK and Europe where they toured with Billy Nomates and showcased at The Great Escape between headline shows. The band are now set to play Rising Festival, Dark Mofo and Splendour in the Grass.

Pre-order Brain Worms now here.

CHITRA ANNOUNCES FIRST SHOW FOR 2023 MONDAY 22 MAY FOR SOCIAL SANCTUARY AT NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB

Today Naarm/Melbourne-based singer-songwriter, Chitra announces her first show of 2023 playing Northcote Social Club as part of their free Social Sanctuary series on Monday 22nd of May. She'll be joined on the night by Hot Glue and Local Derby, more info can be found here.

The night will see Chitra taking to the stage anew, fresh from two years spent writing and reflecting, in the process stepping away with an enigmatic new sound. It will also mark the debut performance with her new band and the first glimpse into her world of new music coming out later this year.

Chitra creates transportive music that footnotes her contemporaries - Julia Jacklin, Angel Olsen, and Adrianne Lenker - and fuses their influences onto a bed of sparkling rock. Late 2021 saw the release of single ‘Give Up’ which followed Chitra’s self-titled debut EP, released right at the dawn of the pandemic in February 2020. A three-year in-the-making endeavour, Chitra’s music is the vessel for an old soul growing up and navigating the world with a firm lens of the present.

Growing up in the Bellarine Peninsula, her adolescence as a coastal kid - jubilant and carefree - shines across her vocals and production work. Though the instrumentation and melodies appear as breezy, catchy jaunts, Chitra’s magnetism lies in catching listeners off guard with her astute observations of relationships, the world, and her place amongst it all. Stay tuned for more Chitra coming soon. 

RVG RELEASE NEW TRACK ‘MIDNIGHT SUN’ + NEW ALBUM BRAIN WORMS – OUT FRI JUNE 2

Today, revered Melbourne band RVG present their poignant new single ‘Midnight Sun’, lifted from their highly anticipated third studio album, Brain Worms – out Friday June 2. ‘Midnight Sun’ comes with a single-take video shot in Melbourne’s Templestowe.

~ BUY/STREAM 'MIDNIGHT SUN' NOW ~

A hurtling rock song, ‘Midnight Sun’ deals in matters of disbelief, and what it feels like to live in a culture that often prefers to argue the semantics than save the world from burning. Aptly furious and defiant, frontwoman Romy Vager cuts through the chaos singing ‘my city is in ashes / but I’m still burning bright / Hangin’ here like a lantern / in case you change your mind’.

Of the song Romy says “I wrote this around the time of the Australian bushfires in 2019 when it felt like everything precious about this country was being destroyed by climate change. There were all these talking heads trying to play down how much of a disaster it was, instead focusing on how much they hate immigrants or queer people. I thought - the world is literally on fucking fire and this is what you choose to use your platform on? The song is contrasting these two things, and how sick we are ideologically that we can’t identify what real problems are.”

This urgency and passion are heard on Vager’s heaving vibrato and vivid lyricism, capturing both her pervasive fury, yet undeniable yearning for empathy and inclusivity. ‘I’ll do my best to be kind,’ she accentuates over the band’s signature post-punk symphony.

Watch ‘Midnight Sun’ HERE

The new offering follows February’s album lead single ‘Nothing Really Changes’, which featured across The Guardian AU, NME AU, Tone Deaf, Music Feeds, plus received a slew of local radio adds, DSP playlist covers and debuted at #3 on Top 10 Singles Chart at specialty radio in the U.S. Last month’s follow up ‘Squid’ was one of Rolling Stone’s ‘Songs You Need To Know’ and praised by Brooklyn Vegan, Culture Fiend, Femmusic and Glamglare, with Austin Town Hall calling the track a “a powerful display that delivers a wallop to the listener’s ears”.

Buy Merch HERE

After a momentous first five years — finding critical acclaim for debut A Quality of Mercy (2017), landing on countless end-of-year Best Of lists, and playing alongside some of the world’s biggest acts in Pixies, Kurt Vile, Pete Doherty, Sleaford Mods, Camp Cope, Shame, and more — RVG released second album Feral (2020) as the world was locking down. Feral was called “masterfully executed” by The Big Issue, “the record of a lifetime” by Rolling Stone Australia and given four-and-a-half stars by the Sydney Morning Herald. But in new album Brain Worms, this is the most confident the band has ever felt in RVG. They’ve moved past their influences, pushed themselves, and tried new things. And they have made a record they can, by all accounts, call their best.

RVG recently returned from SXSW (Austin) and are currently touring the UK with Billy Nomates, which will be followed by a short headline tour in Europe across May. The band will then return home to play Rising Festival, Dark Mofo and Splendour in the Grass.

If you do one thing today, let it be listening to ‘Midnight Sun’.

Pre-order Brain Worms now HERE.

GOOD MORNING ANNOUNCE INTIMATE EUROPEAN TOUR IN DUO MODE THIS JULY

Photo by Nick McKk

Good Morning today announce a short, sweet, and intimate UK and European tour in duo mode this summer. Fresh off the back of their first ever duo shows, including two sold out nights in LA plus a very special show at Pappy and Harriet's, Good Morning are jumping to do it all again. This time they'll bring their show across to Urtecht, Paris, Brighton and London, recreating the magic of their SoCal shows and giving a sneak peek of a bunch of new songs to audiences this July. Tickets go on sale Friday 21st April.

SEE ALL TOUR DATES BELOW.

These shows will be their first in the UK and Europe since their 2022 tour in support of sixth album Barnyard. Having played sold out duo shows earlier this year in Southern California this will be a rare opportunity to see Good Morning members Liam Parsons and Stefan Blair up close and personal playing a mix of fan favourites and never-before-heard tracks. 

In their near decade long tenure, in the wake of Barnyard's release Good Morning have been internationally celebrated, with widespread acclaim from Rolling Stone, NME, Stereogum, The Line Of Best Fit, Consequence, Alt Press, Paste, DIY Mag, Music Feeds, The Music, Northern Transmissions, KCRW, BBC 6 Music and many more, including a warm embrace across local community radio stations Triple R, PBS, FBi Radio, 2SER, Edge Radio and SYN. The album's release also tracked New Music playlist support upon release across DSPs, alongside tastemaker editorial. They spent 2022 touring across the UK, Europe and North America.

Formed as a recording project in 2014 by Stefan Blair and Liam Parsons, the band’s presence in their lives has expanded slowly but surely over the better part of a decade. Due in part to a few strokes of luck, and a mysteriously unflinching desire to write and record music, Good Morning have been able to expand their scope from the lounge rooms and pubs they began recording and performing in to playing shows to people all across the globe. They return to the stage as they formed, in duo mode, bringing a whole new suite of tracks alongside fan favourites.

All tour dates listed below, with tickets available from Friday 21st April HERE. 

EUROPEAN  TOUR DATES

Wed 5 July - Brewpub Kromme Haring - Urtecht, NL - TICKETS
Thu 6 July - Supersonic Records - Paris, FR - TICKETS
Sat 8 July - Green Door Store - Brighton, UK - TICKETS
Sun 9 July - Moth Club - London, UK - TICKETS

RVG RELEASE NEW TRACK ‘SQUID’ HEADLINE THE FORUM FOR RISING FESTIVAL (JUNE 14) + NEW ALBUM BRAIN WORMS – OUT FRI JUNE 2

Photo by Izzie Austin

Revered Melbourne band RVG release ‘Squid’ – the next glimpse into their highly anticipated new album Brain Worms – out Friday June 2. The new song arrives following the announcement of their headline show at The Forum (Melb) on Wednesday June 14 as part of Rising Festival, joined by Danish rockers Iceage and a once in a blue moon show from Batrider.
 

~ BUY/STREAM 'SQUID' NOW ~

‘Squid’ powers through the walls of realism and out the other side, imagining what might happen if we were to go back in time, step on something, and … become a squid. “I didn’t intend to be // Some hideous turquoise thing // Some hideous third thing,” Vager sings, bringing an earnestness and desperation so real that feelings suddenly cut through the song’s absurdity.
 

Of the single Romy says "Squid is a song about going back in time and stepping on a Tiktaalik and then going back to the present but you have the same job, the same problems you had before except you’re a squid. We jammed it on a whim and it ended up coming out really well. I left a large chunk of the lyrics till the last minute, finishing them off in Finsbury Park at 6 in the morning before I could get into the studio and record my vocals."

The new offering follows last month’s album lead single, ‘Nothing Really Changes’, which was hailed by The Guardian, The Music, Brooklyn Vegan and more, received a slew of local radio adds, DSP playlist covers & debuted at #3 on Top 10 Singles Chart at specialty radio in the U.S.

All throughout Brain Worms – made up of post-punk band of lyricist/frontwoman Romy Vager, guitarist Reuben Bloxham, drummer Marc Nolte, and bassist Isabele Wallace – it’s apparent that RVG is in very fine form. Named for the recognisable experience of each day bearing witness to a world of private obsessions being aired out in the infinite, Brain Worms may not be wholly new territory, but this time around, there’s a newfound radical acceptance glistening overtop everything.

Recorded in London at Snap Studios with James Trevascus (Billy Nomates, Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, The Goon Sax), all ten Brain Worms tracks surge with lush sounds and clear intentions. RVG have moved past their influences, pushed themselves, and tried new things. And they made a record they can call their best.

RVG found critical acclaim upon release of their debut A Quality of Mercy (2017), landing on countless end-of-year Best Of lists, and playing alongside some of the world’s biggest acts in Pixies, Kurt Vile, Pete Doherty, Sleaford Mods, Camp Cope, Shame, and more. The band followed up their debut with the incredibly received Feral (2020), called “masterfully executed” by The Big Issue, “the record of a lifetime” by Rolling Stone Australia and given four-and-a-half stars by the Sydney Morning Herald.

RVG have just landed back in Australia following eight performances at last week’s SXSW(Austin), and will head overseas next month to tour the UK with Billy Nomates followed by a short headline tour in Europe across May. They will return to Australia for their album launch at The Forum on June 14th as part of Rising Festival. 
 

Pre-order 'Brain Worms' now here.

RVG BILLY NOMATES TOUR DATES 2023

Mon. Apr. 17 - Cardiff, UK @ Tramshed (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Wed. Apr. 19 - Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms (w/ Billy Nomates) - SOLD OUT

Thu. Apr. 20 - Manchester, UK @ New Century Hall (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Fri. Apr. 21 - Leeds, UK @ LUU-Stylus (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Sat. Apr. 22 - Glasgow, UK @ QMU (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Mon. Apr. 24 - Newcastle, UK @ Boiler Shop (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Tue. Apr. 25 - Birmingham, UK @ O2 Institute Birmingham (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Thu. Apr. 27 - London, UK @ O2 Forum Kentish Town (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Fri. Apr. 28 - Brighton, UK @ CHALK Live (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Sat. Apr. 29 - Bristol, UK @ Marble Factory (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

RVG EUROPEAN TOUR DATES 2023

Tue. May. 2 - Paris, FR @ Supersonic - FREE
Thu. May. 4 - Rotterdam, NL @ V11 - TICKETS HERE
Fri. May. 5 - Haldern-Rees, DE @ Haldern Pop Bar - FREE
Sun. May. 7 - Nijmegen, NL @ Merleyn - TICKETS HERE

RVG MELBOURNE HEADLINE SHOW

Wed. Jun. 14 - Melbourne, VIC @ The Forum - TICKETS HERE

RVG ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM BRAIN WORMS OUT FRI JUNE 2 + NEW SINGLE ‘NOTHING REALLY CHANGES’ OUT NOW + SIGN TO IVY LEAGUE RECORDS

Revered Melbourne band RVG today make their anticipated return with the release of their new single ‘Nothing Really Changes’, lifted from their just-announced third studio album, Brain Worms – out Friday June 2! To coincide with the news, RVG also announce that they have signed to Ivy League Records in Australia and New Zealand, with the album out via Fire Records for rest of world. They will also be playing shows across Australia with Julia Jacklin this month, supporting Billy Nomates throughout the UK and will be showcasing at SXSW in March.
 

~ LISTEN TO 'NOTHING REALLY CHANGES' HERE ~

Between the four bandmates — lead singer and guitarist Romy Vager, guitarist Reuben Bloxham, drummer Marc Nolte and bassist Isabele Wallace — Brain Worms sees the band at their most confident. They’ve moved past their influences, pushed themselves, and tried new things. And they have made a record they can, by all accounts, call their best.

Exemplifying this is ‘Nothing Really Changes’ – a pulsing, thrilling listen, detailing the pains of a fresh break-up, and the physical attachment that lingers. The song is brought to life by Vager’s striking performance in the video (and subsequent ‘twist’!), directed by Hayden Somerville & filmed at Rippon Lea Estate in Melbourne. Somerville describes the scene as, “A giant empty estate, haunted by a past decision. The words and music painted this haunted manor world in my head. A lifeless body represents a past relationship so nicely, while also acting as a fantastic listener for Romy. I think it’s all very therapeutic.”

Vager on ‘Nothing Really Changes’:“It started off as a songwriting experiment to write something catchy with an obnoxious riff, a cross between Divinyls and Smoke on the Water. It’s a song about missing someone but protecting yourself from being hurt. We were rehearsing It a lot leading up to recording the album but couldn’t get it to sound right on our own. James really helped us to orchestrate the parts in the studio and make it feel like an RVG song.”

Pre-order Brain Worms, listen to 'Nothing Really Changes' and purchase the exclusive Filthy Rat Bag designed t-shirts HERE.

Pre-order the ‘Brain Worms’ album and merch HERE.

After a momentous first five years — finding critical acclaim for debut A Quality of Mercy (2017), landing on countless end-of-year Best Of lists, and playing alongside some of the world’s biggest acts in Pixies, Kurt Vile, Pete Doherty, Sleaford Mods, Camp Cope, Shame, and more — RVG released second album Feral (2020) as the world was locking down. Feral was called “masterfully executed” by The Big Issue, “the record of a lifetime” by Rolling Stone Australia, and given four-and-a-half stars by the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Hype is scary. After two years of Covid it felt like the hype had gone down so we were able to just do stuff,” says Vager. “This time around we were like, this is what we’re doing, we’re taking control, we’re taking risks, and we’re going to make an album that sounds big so that when we hear it on the radio we want to hear it again.”

“If we could only make one more album, it would be this one,” says Vager. 

This weekend RVG commence their tour supporting Julia Jacklin across Australia. Kicking off this Sat Feb 25 at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre, the tour will see RVG play The Tivoli in Brisbane on Sun Feb 26, before finishing with two shows at The Forum in Melbourne on Tues Feb 28 and Wed March 1. With their live show feeling more fine-tuned than ever, March will also see RVG play Austin’s SXSW, before they support Billy Nomates across the UK in April. All tour dates are below.
 

Pre-order 'Brain Worms' now here.

RVG TOUR DATES 2023

Mon. Feb. 25 - Sydney, NSW @ The Enmore Theatre (w/ Julia Jacklin) - SOLD OUT

Sun. Feb. 26 - Brisbane, QLD @ The Tivoli  (w/ Julia Jacklin) - TICKETS HERE

Tue. Feb. 28 - Melbourne, VIC @ The Forum (w/ Julia Jacklin) - SOLD OUT

Wed. Mar. 1 - Melbourne, VIC @ The Forum (w/ Julia Jacklin) - SOLD OUT

Sun. Mar. 5 - Adelaide, SA @ Hindley St Music Hall (w/ Julia Jacklin) - TICKETS HERE

Fri. Mar. 10-Sun. Mar. 19 - Austin, TX @ SXSW
 

Mon. Apr. 17 - Cardiff, UK @ Tramshed (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Wed. Apr. 19 - Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms (w/ Billy Nomates) - SOLD OUT

Thu. Apr. 20 - Manchester, UK @ New Century Hall (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Fri. Apr. 21 - Leeds, UK @ LUU-Stylus (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Sat. Apr. 22 - Glasgow, UK @ QMU (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Mon. Apr. 24 - Newcastle, UK @ Boiler Shop (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Tue. Apr. 25 - Birmingham, UK @ O2 Institute Birmingham (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Thu. Apr. 27 - London, UK @ O2 Forum Kentish Town (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Fri. Apr. 28 - Brighton, UK @ CHALK Live (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Sat. Apr. 29 - Bristol, UK @ Marble Factory (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

RVG – Brain Worms
Out Fri June 2 through Ivy League Records/Fire Records
Pre-order HERE

1. Common Ground
2. Midnight Sun
3. It’s Not Easy
4. Tambourine
5. Brain Worms
6. You’re The Reason
7. Squid
8. Giant Snake
9. Nothing Really Changes
10. Tropic Of Cancer

OUR GOLDEN FRIEND ANNOUNCES 'SOCIAL SANCTUARY' SHOWCASE AT NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB MONDAY 20TH FEBRUARY

Today Our Golden Friend announces a free showcase on Monday 20th February at Northcote Social Club, the first night of new series Social Sanctuary. The sister to cult favourite Monday Night Mass, Social Sanctuary will bring the buzziest bands to local audiences for free every Monday night.
 

Hitting the Social Sanctuary ground running Our Golden Friend have curated a genre hopping lineup featuring Elizabeth, ENOLA and 808s and Greatest Hits. Across both label and management sides this lineup charts the history of Our Golden Friend, from their first vinyl pressing with 808s & Greatest Hits to the newest member ENOLA who has taken the world by storm since signing in mid 2022.

The night will see Elizabeth bring her lush dreampop haze to Melbourne for the first time since her spectacular turn in 2022 celebrating the release of her Suite of Singles. This time around, her music is animated by a jolting electronic pulse — a current of icy trap drums and unearthly vocal samples that firmly place the indie ingenue in the world of contemporary pop music.

Fresh off the back of a summer of festivals ENOLA's raw post-punk traverses boundless plains musing on isolation and in search of catharsis. Delivering the urgency of IDLES and atmosphere of Joy Division, ENOLA has made a name for themselves as one of the most exciting live acts in the country.

Our Golden Friend’s firstborn signing, 808s and Greatest Hits, the recording project of Melbourne multi-instrumentalist and producer Skube Burnell, is a mellow and melodic picking of the best of bedroom pop. Weaving melodies that meander like a 2pm daydream and then twist into a deeper sleep, like a semi-surreal dream. 

The debut Social Sanctuary and Our Golden Friend Showcase is  happening Monday 20th February 2023. To find out more about Social Sanctuary visit the Northcote Social Club website.

GEORGIA MAQ SHARES LIVE AT SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE EP

Georgia Maq's Live At Sydney Opera House EP, a collection of songs lifted from her recent appearance at Vivid LIVE is out now.

~LISTEN TO 'LIVE AT SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE' HERE~

The EP comes two previously unreleased songs from her burgeoning solo catalogue, picking up where her surprise debut Pleaser opened Georgia up to cavass her vulnerabilities and heartbreaks unlike before, Maq's embrace of her own self-exposure is again on display through Live At Sydney Opera House EP. With the pensive 'Living Alone' and soaring 'Neighbour' Georgia Maq continues to unfurl further multitudes of herself, revealing that aspiring twenty-something looking to make sense of themselves and their relationships - just as we all see in ourselves. 

In Georgia's words, 'Living Alone' is about "leaving the music scene, being perceived and general loneliness vibes of being in a long-distance relationship. I think it’s also about getting older and saying goodbye to your youth. Like a eulogy for my mid-twenties. I think your twenties are when you are meant to live in share houses and party, but that’s never really something I’ve done, I’ve lived alone for about three years and I lead a pretty autonomous existence and that’s fine." 

'Neighbour' however, tells the tale of "When I had my tinder set to 5km during lockdown 2020 and I developed a crush on my neighbour, we’re best buddies and I wrote the song at their house on their piano. This song brings a bit of laughter and light to a very isolating time of my life and I’m proud of myself for turning something a bit silly into something special and cool."

The powerhouse vocalist delivered a spellbound performance overlooking harbour-side views with audience members entranced by Georgia’s every breath, tears moving to every note. "This performance affirmed what I’ve always known about Georgia Maq," says Lucy Smith of Mornings on triple j of the night. "She’s one of this country’s star vocalists and consistently working hard to evolve her sound and approach. You could have heard a pin drop during this set. A selection of songs considered with grace, musicality, and intimacy. Maq knew the gravity of this moment, and the room was captivated by her presence and voice."

Georgia explains, "I love how live versions of songs are different to the recording and the authenticity of a live performance, so I wanted to share that. With the pandemic, it’s hard to go out and see live music so I wanted to bring that intimate experience to the listener at home. These performances were special to me because I had my beautiful step mum Rebecca Mason on the piano, as well as my ride-or-die string duo, Lucy Rash and Lucy Waldron, all of whom I am very lucky to call friends.”

Live At Sydney Opera House EP marks Georgia’s solo debut in the live show arena, where previously Camp Cope headlined the Sydney Opera House in 2019. Performed in the intimate Utzon Room, Live At Sydney Opera House is a capsule of Georgia's own original songs reimagined as a stripped-back, piano and strings-led performance, including Pleaser’s ‘Big Embarrassing Heart’ and the stand-alone release ‘Cold Summer’, alongside her entrancing cover of Regina Specktor’s ‘Samson’.

Photo by Jess Gleeson. Design by Sebi White.

As the leader of Naarm / Melbourne’s DIY punk trio Camp Cope, singer and guitarist Georgia Maq became something of a local hero, calling out music industry sexism over fearsome indie rock salvos while garnering widespread international acclaim. The band’s second album, How to Socialise and Make Friends (2018), was described by Pitchfork as “a mix of folk-rock intimacy, punk incision, and loud emo catharsis,” and featured heavily on year-end best-of lists around the world. In late 2019, Maq surprised everyone by releasing her solo debut, Pleaser, a refreshingly bright and catchy missive of electro-pop tunes about heartbreak and love. Describing the album as “Paul Westerberg meets Robyn”, Maq drew on her punk energy and love of pop artists like Carly Rae Jepsen, Lorde, and Cardi B to craft an immaculate collection of synth pop bangers.

ENOLA SHARES NEW SINGLE 'METAL BODY' OUT VIA FIRE TALK RECORDS + SIGNS TO UK/EU AND AU BOOKING AGENCY

ENOLA - the moniker for Naarm/Melbourne-based post-punk solo artist Ruby Marshall (they/them) - today returns with ‘Metal Body’, a powerful new single that vents resentments and disappointment about failing healthcare systems. ‘Metal Body’ is out now through Our Golden Friend (AU/NZ) and Fire Talk (ROW).

~LISTEN TO 'METAL BODY' HERE~

Opening with sparing guitar and bass over a fuzzy soundscape, almost mirroring the false sense of safety that failing systems often perpetuate, ‘Metal Body’ is an intensely personal song that highlights the songwriting power from the rising multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter. ENOLA shares of the track, “‘Metal Body’ explores our failing healthcare systems and entities, my own experiences in witnessing loved ones fall victim to these failures, and in turn feeling my own frustration of bearing witness to such.” 
 

The pain of these frustrations can be heard on ‘Metal Body’, as the song contorts through dense walls of sound and paired back verses that command just as much attention. It was a visible highlight from their showcases at Bigsound and recent headline shows in Naarm/Melbourne and Eora/Sydney - ‘Metal Body’ was the moment in each set where you’d see an entire audience fixated, intently nodding their heads in unison. ENOLA shares, “Sonically I leant into 90’s grunge and shoegaze as influences for this track, Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine & Pixies to name a few.”

Taking cues from the no-wave sounds of Joy Division and the post-punk of IDLES and Fontaines DC underpinned by a background in electronic music production, ENOLA infuses hard hitting tracks with a stinging vulnerability, applying the salve to the self-inflicted wound. Making music is where ENOLA can expose emotions to be served by them, not destroyed; where they can explore the dualities they inhabit and continue to find their voice. "Whatever it is, I want to do it honestly. I don't want to hide. You can't connect when you're not willing to be ugly and sweaty, I try to let go of any of that," they share.
 

ENOLA launched into Naarm/Melbourne's music scene with their debut self-titled EP (2019), released via local champions of the underground Burning Rose, which saw airplay and praise from the likes of triple j, RRR, PBS, RTR, FBi Radio, CVLT Nation, Happy and Deafen County. Their recent single ‘Strange Comfort’ saw support from BBC Radio 6, Radio 1, RRR, FBi Radio, Double J, So Young Magazine, Demure, When The Horn Blows and more. Live, ENOLA is an enigmatic and captivating performer, holding their audiences close. They have performed alongside some of the so-called-Australia’s most groundbreaking artists this year including RVG, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever and Divide and Dissolve, powerful showcases and performances at Bigsound and the ‘Strange Comfort’ single launches. Since Bigsound, ENOLA has signed with Collective Artists (Aus) and ATC Live (UK) for bookings, and US-singles label Fire Talk for the release of ‘Metal Body’. Their debut album will be out in 2023.

Listen to 'Metal Body' HERE now.