Every fortnight, Beat Magazine rounds up the best new Melbourne/Naarm bands and artists making moves online, underground and on the airwaves.
For those looking to keep an ear to the ground with the best emerging Melbourne artists, this column will have you covered every two weeks with Victoria’s finest.
This fortnight, we’ve been enjoying the synth meditations of River Yarra, the cathartic grooves of the new Pinch Points 7” and the pure party music of Alien Nosejob. Last time around we made space for Let Your Hair Down, Grace Cummings and more. Check them out here, or keep reading on…
River Yarra
Local music studio and record label Super Utu has shared a name-your-price release from producer and DJ Raudie McLeod, AKA River Yarra. The Frogs Are Dying comprises two tracks, each sporting his trademark percussion and leftfield pop sensibilities.
“Climate Crisis. Global Extinction Event. Massive BioDiversity Loss. The Frogs Are Dying,” reads part of the lengthy accompanying statement, with “New Concrete Parklands! Loudspeakers Play Pre-Recorded Frog Synths” being an apt description and evocative picture of these oddball jams.
‘Part 1’ is a fun day party starter, its squelchy synths and loose percussion proving a perfect fit for an eco-friendly dancefloor. ‘Part 2’ is a deeper meditation, a forest-indebted, slow-burning odyssey that sounds distinctly fresh and yet retro at the same time. This is tongue-in-cheek music nonetheless making an important statement on the state of our world, and it also cements River Yarra as one of the most fascinating producers currently in the local scene.
The Frogs Are Dying is out now on Super Utu.
Pinch Points
“I get anxious when I don’t have my phone” yelp Pinch Points on their latest single ‘Reasons To Be Anxious’, which matter-of-factly sums up everything there is to be worried about in the world while simultaneously providing ultimate catharsis with its tight grooves and in-your-face guitar lines.
It’s the A-side from their new 7” single, having recently signed to Mistletone Records here in Melbourne and the legendary cult label Exploding in Sound in the US. With the spiky attitude of Amyl and the Sniffers and the relentless moshability of Sweden’s Viagra Boys, both ‘Reasons To Be Anxious’ and its b-side ‘Boy’ are two of Pinch Point’s most powerful songs to date – reckless, chaotic and super infectious post-punk tailor made for flailing limbs at The Old Bar or The Curtin.
Reasons To Be Anxious / Boy is out now on Mistletone Records.
Alien Nosejob
Jake Robertson has been smashing out snotty garage punk from his Melton bedroom for several years now, but his most recent album, Paint It Clear, is his most definitive statement to date. Recorded and mixed with dream collaborator Mikey Young, Paint It Clear traverses everything from scrappy pop punk (‘Leather Gunn’) to kitsch new wave (‘Duplicating Satan’) and has a tremendous deal of fun doing so.
One of the album’s highlights is ‘Kings Gambit’, a sort of lo-fi, Americana take on King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at their most anthemic. This is driving, unabashedly cheeky party music that never careens into cheese – give it a few listens and Paint It Clear will be rattling round your brain for days. This is perfect road trip music for your next sunny trip down the coast.
Paint It Clear is out now.
