Cold – Alison Wonderland
Sydney producer Alison Wonderland has some serious musical credentials: she was principal cellist in the Sydney Youth Orchestra, as well as bassist in an indie rock band, before lending her talents to the world of electronica. With Wonderland bringing in the new year at Falls festival and Southbound, you can bet partygoers will be hearing her monster party track I Want U. The second single from her Calm Down EP is called Cold and has oh-so-ironic lyrics like “I’m too cool for this, I’m cold, cold, cold” – a surefire electro anthem for the hipster set.
Your Drums, Your Love – AlunaGeorge
Aluna Francis and George Reid are the musical geniuses behind AlunaGeorge, and are one of the headliners at this year’s Beyond the Valley festival. The Brit pair make their own peculiar twist on pop music by blending garage and electro influences. Bouncy production and enchanting motifs by Reid bumbles along underneath Francis’s dreamy vocals that speak of broken hearts, candy-coated dreams and twinkling hope. Preview tracks of their new album Supernatural suggests something more upbeat than Body Music, their 2012 LP, which featured the melancholic single Your Drums, Your Love.
Fake a Smile – Sticky Fingers
Sydney rockers Sticky Fingers dropped their fans a late Christmas present with a new video Fake a Smile. The song saunters in on a funky bassline but crescendoes with a happy mess of rock guitar and drum rolls. According to their bio, the band’s genesis happened on a summer night, when now-lead singer Dylan Frost and bassist Paddy Fingers met on a “drunken street in Newtown” where Frost was busking. Over the years, this reggae-inclined five-piece have proved willing to put in the hard yards when it comes to touring and are kicking off their new year with three festival appearances: Woodford folk festival, Falls and Southbound.
Got It – Banoffee
Every “ones to watch in 2015” list seems to feature Melbourne songwriter Martha Brown, better known as Banoffee, so why not welcome 2015 at Lost Paradise and discover if live, she matches the hype. Got It from her self-titled EP showcases Brown’s penchant for stripped back R&B vocals and ethereal electronica. A few unusual key changes and a strangely monotonous delivery gives this song an almost meditative feel, reminscent of east-Asian chanting. And there’s something refreshing about hearing that hint of an Australian accent.
Golden – Jill Scott (Kaytranada’s Life Living Edition)
Few 22-year-olds can lay claim to touring more than 50 cities and even fewer have done so before they’ve broken big. Kaytranada (previously known as Kaytradamus), hails from the musical mecca of Montreal, Canada and with both feats to his name has added Sydney to his tour list, performing at Field Day. Editions, remixes and producing form Kaytranada’s musical arsenal, having released his own spins on Beyoncé, T.I., Flume, Pharrell and a bucketload of other big music makers. Fresh re-imaginings of tracks like Golden by Jill Scott showcase his talent for fusing diverse genres including hip-hop, R&B, electronica, jazz, disco and lounge.
