Songs To Brush Your Teeth To (3rd November)
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Five tracks worth listening to this week. Scroll to the end to listen to them all together on our playlist.
Oklou – family and friends
Oklou will be heading to Australia next year for Laneway Festival (and a series of sideshows). This week she released the deluxe version of her album choke enough. I considered reviewing the deluxe album this week, but then I found out Ethel Cain said “I’m obsessed with this album, it’s like if they made pop music for bugs” and honestly, I can’t top that. Instead, I’m sharing family and friends. My fave off the album, it’s all plinky percussion (I promise, plinky is an official descriptor) and reverby high pitched vocals. It’s an exciting reimaging of what pop music should be.
Find out more about Oklou here.
Stilla – Taste Of Me
This catchy pop/dance track has been around for a couple of months now, but it’s recently popped up on my radar as we all know I’m fully in my pop-girlie era at the moment. Stilla is an emerging Naarm/Melbourne pop singer whose unapologetic pop sound and melodic vocals I love. The fun, cheeky lyricism on Taste of Me mixed with a funky/disco beat makes for the perfect lighthearted, energetic song.
Find out more about Stilla here.
Slowcoaching – Mirrors
Mirrors is one of two tracks from a double release by Melbourne/Naarm artist Slowcoaching (the other being My Friends, The Insomniacs). I love this dreamy, layered piece that gradually builds in energy as it unfolds. Sitting somewhere between shoegaze and dream pop, it captures a haunting quality without slipping into the overt melancholy that often defines the genre. I especially enjoy the journey from its soft, synth-soaked opening to the heavier, distorted climax.
Find out more about Slowcoaching here.
Matt Walker – Untitled 3 (from Dobro Nada)
I’ll be honest, I expected not to like this latest release from Matt Walker, at least not at first. Instrumental tracks usually take a little time to grow on me, but I popped Dobro Nada on and found myself still listening to it thirty minutes later. Centred around Walker’s slide Dobro guitar and heavily synth driven, I found myself get lost in this dreamy, cinematic release. I settled on Untitled 3 as my favourite as it transported me, unexpectedly, to Hollywood Westerns, to red earth, dustscapes and burning sunsets. This release is definitely best enjoyed as a whole album, but if you’ve only got five minutes, this is where I’d make a start.
Actually, this feels like a good spot to share the very specific method I have when I listen to a new album. I listen to track one, if I’m still interested after 30 seconds, I skip to track three, 30 seconds or more and I skip to the middle of the album (track 6-7 usually). If it holds my focus, then I’ll listen to the whole thing. I probably stole this from some musical great like Rick Rubin or something, but the first album I remember doing this on was Lil Kim’s The Notorious K.I.M. so I reckon 25 years is long enough to at least partly claim it as my own.
Find out more about Matt Walker here.
Bonnie and the Jets – Old Stories
Norwegian soul-rock band Bonnie and the Jets recently released their second full-length album, II, and one track that stood out to me while listening was Old Stories. The female-fronted group, known for blending ’60s and ’70s influences with innovative songwriting, have worked hard to cement themselves at the forefront of the modern soul-rock scene. Old Stories especially caught my attention. I loved how it felt more vocally driven than some of their other tracks, with subtle hints of Fleetwood Mac shining through.
Find out more about Bonnie and The Jets here.
All our recommended tracks can be found on our playlist for new music
Apple Music and Spotify versions of the playlist here.
Let us know in the comments which track is your fave!