Five Local Acts To Wrap Your Earholes Around Right Now
Local produce.
Music
Words by Harry Webber August 19, 2019

Left image by Thomas O’Halloran // 

Look no further for new tunes.

With Meredith, Beyond The Valley, and Lost Paradise all dropping in the last week or so, it feels like our attention has been unknowingly diverted to international rap acts like Tyler and Skepta, or big-name electro outfits like Rüfüs Du Sol and What So Not. Now we’re not saying there’s anything wrong with that, all we’re saying is there’s plenty of good listening to be had locally right now too.

So follow our Local Produce Spotify playlist and check out five of the finest below:

The Melodrones

You may remember The Melodrones from when we premiered their debut video ‘R.I.P. Hollywood’ a few months back. That track, which critiques the cultural wasteland of Hollywood through a gritty 12-bar lens, has been on high rotation here at LWA ever since it crossed our earpaths. But today we’re talking about the single’s b-side, the dreamy ballad ‘Goodnight Nicko’. Here, frontman Rik Saunders pays tribute to a friend who has passed away, backed by melody and instrumentation that makes it feel more like a starry-eyed lullaby than a “song” (which we guess is the whole point, right?). The Melodrones will be playing their first ever show this Friday at The Vanguard supporting Leroy Francis – info here.

Georgia June

Have you heard the latest from Georgia June? ‘Try Again’ sees the Sydney songstress depart from her garage-rock roots and opt for a piano-led, syncopated groove, allowing her vocals to take centre stage massively. The track still features all those 80s trimmings that we’ve come to love and expect from June; infectious melodies, chorus-marinated guitars, and a strutting bass pulse. Hell, there’s even a couple of drum fills that would make Jim Pocaro of Toto proud. June and co will be playing a bunch of shows in support of the single over September and November (info here) and we recommend you get yourself there. With triple j recently adding ‘Try Again’ to spot rotation, it might be one of your last chances to catch GJ in smallish venues.

BREIZERS

Sydney trio BREIZERS are showing now signs of slowing down following the release of their debut LP Galactic Zoo earlier this year. This time round the Inner-West lads tackle the decay of local nightlife with protest song ‘Nice Casino’. How do you tackle draconian laws and government policy with one tune, you say? By delivering a thumping bassline, raw vocals, and some head-banging riffery, of course. The resulting tune is a fittingly chaotic jam that we can only imagine it will be causing spontaneous moshing when they unleash it live. BREIZERS next show is at The Miranda Hotel in September supporting Sketchy Fancy (info here) –

Okkaido

We first came across Okkaido when he performed at our ‘Sweet Nuthin’’ launch party last month. Combining soulful vocals with smooth rhymes, backed by tight grooves, his flow is undeniably as polished as they come, and new single ‘Red Whine’ is a shining example of what he can do. Taken from his forthcoming debut EP Freedom Of Speech, the track’s keys and laidback beats are reminiscent of the chilled-out stylings of A Tribe Called Quest, with Okkaido cramming a truckload of addictive vocal hooks into the three minute tune. He even manages to work Dora The Explorer in there too. Check it out:

F₹ANK

We’re starting to get a little impatient waiting for the debut EP from Sydney artist Joanna Frank AKA F₹ANK to drop. But, thankfully she’s just released a remix to tide us over in the meantime. Incorporating original sounds from ‘Mukkala Mukkabla’ – a tamil song composed by A. R. Rahman for the 1994 Bollywood film Kadhalan – F₹ANK once again enmeshes flavours from her Indian heritage with some sizzling industrial style beats. It’s the remix you didn’t know that you wanted, and it’s not her only one. Check out her Soundcloud here to hear her remix of Destiny’s Child’s ‘Survivor’, along with all her other releases to date:

Head here to tune into our Local Produce Spotify playlist, where you can listen to all these acts (and many more).

Editors Pick