Hipland Blog – Page 4

TRACK REVIEW: 'Precious Heart' by TOM

Sincerity gets a bad rap these days. Blame the state of the world; it’s much easier to embrace numbness at the moment than it is to examine your feelings too closely. And that’s why kudos must be given to up-and-coming singer-songwriter TOM, who’s debut single ‘Precious Heart’ isn’t afraid to wear its…well…heart on its sleeve. And though it may not be to every cynic’s taste, what the song lacks in grit it more than makes up for in its structured writing, precise lyrics, and deeply felt earnestness.

Angus & Julia Stone talk video-game inspired album, 'Life Is Strange'

We're all living in a simulation anyway right? So it makes a kind of sense that Angus & Julia Stone, our very own Laurel Canyon-esque neo-bohemians would end up writing an album based on a video game, doesn't it? Well, whether you anticipated it or not, it's here, and we should thank our lucky stars because Life Is Strange might just be one of the pair’s most immediate, most beautifully-rendered sets yet.

SILT talk 'You Hate It', the lead single from their upcoming EP 'Contact High'

Inspiration is a funny thing. Fleeting. Sometimes you're plugged into the muses and then sometimes you're not. Sometimes that little burst of inspiration can strike you when you least expect it. Case in point the new single 'You Hate It' from Melbourne indie-rock band SILT (out today!), which hit lead vocalist Jess Polain like a bolt from the blue one day on an unsuspecting commute.

EXCLUSIVE: Behind-the-scenes on 'Strong Enough', the latest video from Approachable Members of Your Local Community

If you didn't already know and haven't already checked it out, Melbourne-based indie-darlings Approachable Members of Your Local Community have been raking in the views with their latest clip 'Strong Enough', and we here at Hipland have your exclusive behind-the-scenes look!

NEW MUSIC VIDEO: 'Letting Go' by Claira J

As promised last week, Claira J has just unveiled the new music video for her debut single 'Letting Go' and can we just take a moment to say that it's a stunner! Directed by Visible Studios' Nick Kozakis & Liam Kelly of 'Dance Monkey' (Tones & I) fame, the video is a startlingly stripped-back conceptual piece that sees Claira J literally rising from the ashes, filmed late last year in the golden gaps between the country's various lockdowns.

Up-and-coming singer-songwriter TOM talks latest single 'Precious Heart'

There's no easy was to say this: breakups are hard y'all. I think we can all relate to the pain of being dumped, or perhaps it's the pain of having to do the dumping. Either way, it goes without saying that heartbreak is universal. Which is why we get so many songs about it. I mean, some of the best songs ever written are about lost love amiright? And now up-and-coming Sydney-based singer songwriter TOM is the latest musician to have his say on the nature of heartbreak with his song 'Precious Heart', a piece of folk-inflected pop that's all smooth vocals and warm guitar.

Le Fleur puts the lit in po-lit-ical with banger single, 'Strange Moonlight'

Music, by definition, has always had the power to make people listen. Artists like Billie Holiday, Marvin Gaye, and Buffalo Springfeild - to name only a few - knew that the quickest way to someone's brain was through their ears, and used their musical skills to create songs that not only banged, but helped to shine light on important issues as well. And now, Narrm-based future-funk artist Le Fleur is continuing this tradition with her latest track, 'Strange Moonlight'.

When things get low, self-taught DJ and producer BINDY gets 'HIGH'

We all cope with the stress of lockdown in different ways. Some of us cook. Some of us knit. Some of us stare into space wondering when it'll all be over. That's all understandable. Relatable even. Well, not if you're up-and-coming DJ slash producer BINDY, who -- funnily enough -- kickstarted her whole career while the rest of us were watching Bridgerton with our best stretchy trackies on.

Jacob Fitzgerald's 'Pretty Good For My Mind' is an ode to relationship goals

I think it's fair to say that relationships form a big part of who we are. So I can imagine we'd all want to end up with someone who brings out the best in us right? RIGHT? Well, if you need any further convincing look no further than Jacob Fiztgerald's brand new single 'Pretty Good For My Mind', a grooveable, dopamine-inducing slice of vintage-pop that might have you thinking twice about the person you just swiped right on. Because 'PGFMM' is about relationship GOALS people. And Fitzgerald has the inside scoop.

Tarini sidles up close with 'Do You Wanna Dance'

Remember dancing? That thing some people do (not me) when the lights are low and the music is just right? Well even if you don't, Canberra-based singer-songwriter Tarini sure does, and she's here to remind you of its charms with her single 'Do You Wanna Dance', a darkly ethereal gem that will have you yearning for your own stranger to press up against in under 4 and 1/2 minutes.

FRESH TRACKS: Claira J releases debut single 'Letting Go'

I don't know what's so auspicious about today's date, but it seems there is a tidal wave of new Australasian music dropping. Well, we here at Hipland have another track to add to today's listening party: 'Letting Go', the debut release from indie-songstress Claira J, a Delta Goodrem-meets-London Grammar power ballad smash that was inspired by ‘a full blown mental and physical breakdown’ she suffered after the abrupt end to a relationship.

Holy Holy drop ambitious new album 'Hello My Beautiful World'

The wait is over! Indie-rock legends Holy Holy have finally dropped their much anticipated new album Hello My Beautiful World and in many ways its their most ambitious yet. Following on from singles 'Port Rd', 'How You Been', 'Believe Anything' and 'The Aftergone' Hello My Beautiful World is - as the title would suggest - a paean to our complicated modern existence, bristling with an awareness of life, death, and the cycles of the natural world.

INTRODUCING: Claira J

Ladies and gentlemen. We may be living in precarious times. We may be facing down our sixth or seventh lockdown. We may have exhausted everything on Netflix/Stan/Binge combined. But do not despair! New music is here! Introducing Melbourne based indie singer/songwriter Claira J (the musical alter-ego of stage and screen actor Janine Atwill) and her debut single 'Letting Go' which drops next week on August 20.

Karen Harding appeals to the anti-maskers with newest song 'I Heard Somebody Talking'

For Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Karen Harding, the last couple of years have been a mixed bag. On the one hand, the numerous lockdowns and a constant nationwide precariousness have led to a burst in creativity for the artist. On the other hand though, there were all the other pandemic-related issues to deal with as well. People getting sick. People getting scared. People getting angry. That's where her newest single, 'I Heard Somebody Talking', comes in.

Marshall Smith talks 'A Serious Boy', his cinematic ode to queer love

New Zealand-based composer Marshall Smith (aka Marshmellow) is like a musical Swiss Army knife. In fact, there doesn't seem to be a musical genre he hasn't dipped his toe into. Whether it be orchestrating scores for movies or writing jingles for Korean shampoo ads, he's done it all. So colour me impressed when after all that, in his downtime, he still finds the time to write his own music, including his latest release 'A Serious Boy', a cinematic ode to love and acceptance inspired by the 35th anniversary of the New Zealand Gay Law Reform.