Local Artists:

The Albino Eyes: Oranges For Angels (Indie)
- The strange arrangements of The Albino Eyes draw inspiration from everything from country to reggae to britpop, and somehow still manage to combine in a strangely endearing way. The witty and effortless lyrics are magic on their own, and when combined with their weird but catchy riffs and beats, create a magical style of their own. It needs a few listens but this one growns on you rapidly. (Olivia Shoesmith)

Angharad Drake: Baby (Single) (Indie)
- Local songtress Angharad Drake’s latest single moves ever so gently away from her more traditional folk sounds into modern representations. Baby evokes the same compassion via narrative that artists like Beth Orton and Cat Power built connections through. (Nick Rodwell)

Confidence Man: Boyfriend (Repeat) (Single) (Indie)
- A big ol' Brissy supergroup comprising members of The Belligerents, Jungle Giants and Moses Gunn Collective, that includes Grace Stephenson delivering the "I'm so bored" sounding vocal. She makes it sound like The Flying Lizards' Money (That's What I Want), but it also owes a suspiciously large debt to Right Said Fred's I'm Too Sexy while its absurdly infectious synth-funk must have its origins in an intimate knowledge of the back-catalogue of the likes of Peter Gabriel and David Byrne. By all of these pop powers combined, this humorous little earworm is as likely a shot at a breakout chart hit as any local band short of Savage Garden has managed. Enjoy it now before it gets so much play it becomes utterly unbearable. (Chris Cobcroft)

Good Boy: Plum (Habit)
- Local favourites Good Boy have released their new EP Plum, which features five truly hectic tracks that you may have heard if you have seen them playing around the Brissy circuit lately. As they teased with their single Poverty Line, which is one of the tracks on the EP, Plum is jam-packed with energetic guitar riffs and matter-of-fact vocals belting out anthem-like choruses. This new release makes for one juicy piece of indie-rock music listening, and there can only be more great things to come from Good (sounding) Boy. (Clare Neal)

Hey Geronimo: Bake A Cake (Single) (Indie)
- The latest single of Hey Geronimo’s happy-go-lucky album, Crashing Into The Sun, is the infectious Bake A Cake. It’s this infectious piece of '70’s pop-rock full of cheesy jive and clever songwriting - quite possibly 2016’s Crocodile Rock. (Nick Rodwell)

Kudos: Plucker (Indie)
- Melbourne based MC Kudos bursts onto the scene with his debut single entitled Plucker. Fans of Illy will find themselves welcoming the irreverant style of Kudos. Catch him performing live on the East Coast over the next few months promoting his single. (Lee Evans)

Lastlings: Time (Single) (Indie / Select)
- Yet again Gold Coast sibling duo Lastlings are dropping the serious bangers. Filled out with lush synths, rich harmonies, and the pure tones of the somehow simultaneously naive and mature sound of front woman Amy's vocals make for a complex and polished listen that's far beyond the youth of this duo. Beat driven synth-pop can be lyrically light-on, but not this, Time is still poetic and meaningful. If Lastlings keep dropping tracks like this they are soon going to be a household name. (Olivia Shoesmith)

ROLLS BAYCE: Inside Out (Single) (Create/Control)
- The ingredients were always pretty good in the ROLLS BAYCE recipe: all the indie, psych sounds du jour with a healthy dollop of soul. Inside Out makes funk the primary flavour and by golly that was a good idea. The bass line is killer, so much so that everybody else might just be along for the ride - but it's a pretty great ride. (Chris Cobcroft)

Australian Artists:

Apakatjah: Waru (Single) (Foot Stomp)
- Waru is brimming with such eclecticism and passion, that it encourages that lazy ‘Gypsy’ tag that The Mouldy Lovers receive. And, much like the Lovers, this duo from Alice Springs does well to make their sound cohesive, poignant and fun. (Nick Rodwell)

Bare Minimums: Missed The Boat (Single) (Indie)
- Members of Ernest Ellis' outfit, Bloods and Peter Garrett's (other) band get together to make ever-so-slightly jangly Australiana-rock. Admirably austere in the way it folds together a variety of influences into an indie-rock that's pretty timeless. The EP isn't due till next year, but this single makes me want to hear it. (Chris Cobcroft)

DEN: Poltergeist (Single) (Rice Is Nice)
- Simmering with menace, Sydney post-punks DEN are the taut retention of spirit that threatens to break you from within. Their single, Poltergeist, sets such fierce focus on melody and rhythm against a haunting wall of noise and dissonance that it compels you to offer yourself up as a conduit so that they may sustain such power. (Nick Rodwell)

Donny Benét: Working Out (Plastic World)
- Sydney's Donny Benét is flying the flag for the sensual synth-laden sounds of the 80s. Faithfully capturing the vibe of a bygone era, while straddling it into modern times. His new single Working Out has just been released on Plastic World. (Lee Evans)

Ela Stiles: Molten Metal (Paradise Daily)
- Ela Stiles is still keeping you guessing. On her latest EP she kicks off with a deceptively amorphous, ambient drone. The repetitive vocal loops of Hit Hard are kinda related but with more of a Fabulous Diamonds feel from the tribal percussion and the vox. The brutal, industrial percussion of I Don't Think So and the distress in Ela's voice might lead you to thinking she was about to go full Pharmakon, but no. Check out **** You as it leaps into outsider dance and synth-pop! That, of course, just sets you up to be blindsided by the enormous timbre and textures of the title track, rolling out like a tsunami for nine minutes under Stiles' sweetly melodic vocal line. Undeniably challenging, Molten Metal is also diverse, skillful and finally, impressive. (Chris Cobcroft)

Em Burrows and the Bearded Rainbow: Solitary Sounds (Indie)
- Em Burrows voice is an instantly recognisable link to her old band, Freo's The Lammas Tide. I've had a lot of time for their more historically informed approach to psych and that extends to the Bearded Rainbow. An EP of slow and measured psych, more rocky than before but still with hints of that paisley folk. Em's voice is the undeniable centre-piece: a huge contralto presence, too rich and deep to be Judith Durham or Nancy Sinatra, although Solitary Sounds has some of the feel of both. (Chris Cobcroft)

friendships: Nullarbor 1988-1989 (Paradise)
- What I would really like is for friendships to soundtrack a noir action film. So much menace and suspense. So many overwhelming grooves and ominous pauses. Their bass music poise is diversifying and it sounds great. (Nick Rowell)

Lortica: Phellemens (Provenance)
- On his latest release Alister Hill's work has taken on haunting dimensions. Putting live performances on tape and then manipulating the tape to produce ghostly echoes of former analogue warmth. Lortica might be a team of intrepid supernatural investigators, capturing the ambient music of a band lost beyond the veil. (Chris Cobcroft)

Seekae: Turbine Blue (Single) (Future Classic)
- After toying with deep house on their previous record, weird beat merchants Seekae are having a full-on croon in this moody, synthpop slow burner. Despite the melancholy the synths build to a stirring climax, giving the cut unexpected power. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Tambourine Girls: The Tambourine Girls (Chugg / Mucho Bravdo)
- Somehow the weird and ecclectic mix of genres and stylistic influences The Tambourine Girls have put together in their new self-titled LP work in a mysterious and magical way. Acoustic guitars, reverby vocals, and plenty of percussion (and tambourines) mixed with the poetic lyrics, psychedelic synth sounds, and slightly rough vocals create a listening experience that is unique and intoxicating. A solid effort from these guys. (Olivia Shoesmith)

Overseas Artists:

A Tribe Called Red: We Are The Halluci Nation (Radicalized / Dew Process / Universal)
- An indigenous electronic dance act out of Canada with a seriously righteous fervour. Utilising traditional sounds alongside guests like Yasiin Bey and Saul Williams there is some real power in their sound. (Nick Rodwell)

Against Me!: Shape Shift With Me (Total Treble / Cooking Vinyl)
- After the intensity of Transgender Dysphoria Blues, Laura Jane Grace brings the same acute perspective to the topic of transness as it applies to relationships. Fortunately Against Me! pack the tough introspection into music that's pretty easy to take on board. By turns thunderous and catchily melodic it doesn't stray too far from the melodic punk formula. Timely, powerful and listenable. (Chris Cobcroft)

Deap Vally: Femejism (Cooking Vinyl)
- LA rock duo Deap Vally return with their second album Femejism. The album is loaded with thundering drum fills, overdriven guitar and unexpectedly introspective lyrics. An unapologetic insight into Deap Vally's views on feminism and society it allows Femejism to provide a unique listening opportunity: listen to the lyrics and deliberate what is being said, or don't and just jam out to a solid rock album. (Richard Prendergast)

Dhafer Youssef: Diwan Of Beauty And Odd (Okeh / Sony)
- There's a lot of fusion music joining the many traditions of North Africa to many others in the west. Tunisian composer and oud player (the oud is awesome, just fyi) Dhafer Youssef has lived in Europe since 1990 but still draws strongly on the music of his homeland. On Diwan Of Beauty and Odd it is sutured to a modern jazz sensibility, sharing angular rhythms and complex harmonies. For all that, its heart is soulful and Dhafer is more than capable of dropping out of that coolly calculating jazz and into melodies that are simple and highly affecting. The latter is the sort of pop-jazz you might get out of Diana Krall or Michael Buble, but better balanced here, so the sugar won't overwhelm you. An unusually productive meeting of head and heart. (Chris Cobcroft)

Drakkar Nowhere: Drakkar Nowhere (Beyond Beyond Is Beyond / Redeye)
- Placing its conception in a rented apartment in Stockholm back in 2012, Drakkar Nowhere have finally released their self-titled debut album. Blending starry-eyed psychedelia with undertones of funk and prog rock and drawing equal inspiration from the whimsical Swedish woodland and the intergalactic, the nine track body of work showcases a grand amalgamation of synthesisers and echoing vocals that well and truly ignite the imagery of a wander through some sort of enchanted european forest, at night, with really bright stars. It's been a long time coming, but an undeniable success for this band of trippers. (Clare Neal)

Leonard Cohen: You Want It Darker (Single) (Sony)
- I didn't think Cohen's voice could get any more leathery, but, wow it really can. He's still doing that cheap synth-soul thing that has become has become so inimitably his and quipping out those little profundities about humanity's essential baseness. I really couldn't think of anyone I'd rather listen to, telling us how awful we all are. (Chris Cobcroft)

Luke Temple: The Birds Of Late December (Single) (Secretly Canadian)
- North American folk songsmith Luke Temple's latest solo offering is a merciful contemplation on the breakdown of a relationship. His tumbling guitar and melodic motifs and are really quite sweet in regards to the content with some neatly restrained production to add the appropriate edge. (Nick Rodwell)

LVL UP: Return to Love (Sub Pop / Inertia)
- Indie-rock group LVL UP are back with their third LP, this time releasing on Sub Pop as opposed to on Caridi and Benton's own Double Double Whammy imprint. A sometimes rough and raw journey with an experimental edge and a triumphant finish. A great listen! (Lee Evans)

Meshuggah: Nostrum (Single) (Nuclear Blast)
- Another new single from the soon to be released eighth full-length. You say you know Meshuggah by now? Is there going to be anything new? Well, they've gone back to a more organic recording style, performing the lot, live in the studio and that does translate into something more visceral, alive. When you hear how the band still achieve their unmatched technicality you may just remember how Meshuggah got eight records deep - by being the best at what they do. Intensely mathy, heavy as **** and solid politics, screamed in your face. (Chris Cobcroft)

NxWorries: Lyk Dis (Single) (Stones Throw / Inertia)
-NxWorries, made up of Knxwledge and Anderson .Paak, follow their flickering 2015 ep with a single, Lyk Dis. These two combine to make such familiar yet awkwardly new hip hop as Knxledge clips across Madlib and Dilla in an even sharper sampling style and .Paak is the old soul with a new flow. Slick. (Nick Rodwell)

Pavo Pavo: Wiser Way (Single) (Bella Union / Mushroom)
- This retro-pop out Brooklyn has the fun warmth of Belle and Sebastian coupled with the psychedelic fringes of early Tame Impala. It’s intricately arranged as if its floating melody undulates across this slow-dance of remembrance. (Nick Rodwell)

Trentemøller: Fix