Support Aussie music…

We got 99 problems but finding fire tracks isn’t one of them (you can probably guess what the 99 are though). It’s a strange time, and it’s impossible to see beyond it all. But nonetheless, we’re blessed in the form of local music, and today’s batch is absolutely killer.

Five tracks by local artists that we’re bumping on repeat, coming right up. Check it below.

Anso – ‘So Damn Loud’

Sydney/Eora singer-songwriter Anso thrusts you into a world of hyper-pop insanity in her latest banger ‘So Damn Loud,’ the floor-to-the-floor heater flooding you with enough culture, vibrance and resonance to resurrect your being three times over.

Continuing to explore the notions of cultural confusion and self-discovery she immersed herself in in January’s Farrago of Emotions, the inner-west starlet wonderfully embraces her dual South Korea/Australian roots in spades, alternating between Korean and English lyrics to affirm that she’s an artist of two lands, two soundscapes. Sonically she’s experimenting and pushing the bounds more than ever, glitchy frenzies layered upon screeching synths that are anxiety inducing but captivating. It all comes together with ease in her singing ‘Pain will make it better,’ droplets of sonic pain dripping off her every utterance.

It’s a flash in the pan and hits you square in the gut throughout its 2:44 minute runtime, hurtling toward you with enough magnetism to ensure that ‘So Damn Loud,’ will never be loud enough (at least not while Anso is playing).

Nectar – ‘Plateau’

Perth/Mooro psychedelic outfit Nectar are vibing their way into the past in their summer-infused bop ‘Plateau,’ exploring where they’re all at in their respective lives and how they measure up to where they saw themselves heading in the new decade.

The track follows the indie upstart as they serve up a whizzing bowl of musical intricacy, clattery drums, stingy guitars (and one very satisfying saxophone) swirling together in an easily digestible wealth of sonics. Singer Judah’s vocal’s fit just perfectly on top of it all as well, equal parts laid-back and emotive as he emanates the hook ‘When I’m sitting on my plateauuuu,’ that just totally reaches deep within. It paints this visceral image of a disenchanted soul driving off to the middle of nowhere to just get as pissed as a parrot, abandoning on all responsibility to get a moment of clarity outside of the craziness.

It’s got everything great about Aussie psychedelic but still feels distinctly fresh and new. But aside from its musicality and catchiness, at the end of the day it’s just about a bloke trying to remember how he got to where he is to discover where he wants to go.

Hayden Calnin – ‘What It Means To Be Human’

Hayden Calnin is raw, vulnerable, and just totally deep in his philosophical quandary ‘What It Means To Be Human,’ the acoustic folk-lord engaging in some cathartic musical introspection that we’re more than happy to be privy to.

Backed by a gentle guitar line and emotive strings, the Melbourne/Naarm singer-songwriter stays true to his roots, refusing to compromise lyrically or musically as he ponders the genesis of the human condition, life and the inevitable death. His velvet-like vocals tell the story wonderfully, pristinely clear as he soundtracks an existential quest within. It very much makes you feel like you’re sitting around the campfire in the dead of night with a soul wise beyond their years, one who only knows how to share his lessons with the aid of a guitar.

So what does it mean to be human? We’re not sure, and we don’t know if Hayden is either, but he’s striving to find out on the new single, and watching him find his way is possibly the best answer you’ll get any time soon.

Eilish Gilligan – ‘First One To Leave The Party’

Melbourne/Naarm singer-songwriter Eilish Gilligan soundtracks the night before cataclysm in ‘First One To Leave The Party,’ crafting a emotion-driven bop that would play just perfectly in an early 2000s rom-com where the only worries in our lives concerned love, heartbreak and the non-pandemic.

The track sees Eilish backed by a tangy guitar and minimal drums as she shows off her wonder-filled tone, taking it slow and steady as she sings about the last party she attended before the COVID-19 pandemic. Naturally, her vocals burn with heartache, the hook ‘I wouldn’t have changed/If you had stayed now I’m/The first one to leave the party’ pulling you into her world of reminiscence, so much so that you’re transported to that party with Eilish, watching her confess everything she’s been holding in to her former love. Except, you’re fully aware that this is only what she wishes would’ve happened, and you find yourself powerless to try to manifest it into existence.

It’s definitely a track just begging to be cried to a couple times this Friday arvo, one that’ll have you feeling a whole lot of things you’ve taken pains trying to bury. Eilish Gilligan is pure emotion in ‘First One To Leave The Party,’ and we couldn’t ask for any more.

F-POS – ‘No Cause’ ft. Caro, Gold Fang

Sydney/Eora hooligans Paddy Cornwall and Taras Hrubyj-Piper are glittering and exploding with charisma on their latest single ‘No Cause,’ the third single from the highly acclaimed duo continuing to prove them to be incapable of being placed within the confines of genre.

Musically the track is bursting with Tarras’ larger-than-life production, bustling drums and whimsical synths gliding across the soundscape with complete ease. We also get another cheeky look at Paddy’s singing voice, one that’s distinctly human, relatable and soul-stirring. He meshes wonderfully with feature artists Caro and Goldfang as a result, Caro’s breathy blessings and Goldfang’s fiery bars meeting him in the middle for a tune of the planetary variety, one without borders or divide.

It says a whole of a lot without trying to, which, if you’ve been with F-POS as long as we have, is a dichotomy that you’d know comes totally naturally to the duo. If you’re as in love as we are, their debut EP Golden Century Group is out today. Get on it ASAP.