Sunny – Kenzie Fromwelly and Knovell Capote
In Sunny, Brisbane-based, Wellington-born MC Kenzie Fromwelly takes a page from early 90s hip-hop, where lyrical flow and jazzy piano samples play over a lightly tapping drum part. There’s plenty of political bite and gutsy, honest feeling to her lyrics, including: “The world went and snatched you / nothing to go back to / didn’t your mama teach you the importance of the whole? / community connected / but you went and lost your soul”. She’s joined by fellow Brisbane MC Knovell Capote in their first single off a collaborative EP called Watching The World Self-Destruct.
Just Where – Dried Spider
After kicking about in a number of Brisbane bands, neo-soul musician Matty Witney, aka Dried Spider, is releasing his solo debut EP Wounded City. The opening track Just Where kicks off with a recording of fireworks, before quickly moving to a Debussy-esque piano sequence and then establishing its key groove: velvety and soulful vocals swimming in shimmering instrumentation. The song, which Witney tells Guardian Australia “recounts a charged encounter between two people” seems to slowly swell and shrink in all the right places. Hiatus Kaiyote fans will dig this.
Hills – Jack Grace
There’s a mish-mash of pop influences in the new track from Sydney bedroom producer and singer Jack Grace, taken from his debut self-titled EP. The gospel piano parts, ice-cold vocals and layers of irregularly skipping beats in Hills is equal parts Thom Yorke to Kanye West. Opening up the unorthodox pop song is guest vocalist and electro-alchemist BUOY, playing at Sydney’s Goodgod Small Club on 8 July and supported by Grace. Paying back the favour, he co-wrote and co-produced her debut EP Immersion.
Come On Over – Animaux
Many members of the not-quite-funk, not-quite-pop seven-headed Animaux (pronounced “an-ee-mo”) are barely out of their teens. But proving youth is no barrier to decent songwriting, they delivered a strong EP in 2014 called Vale St that tempered bright, brassy sounds and jazzy dance floor numbers with slower, smokier late-night songs. In Come On Over the band is back with plenty of sunshine in their pockets – a song for the young lovers. Catch the band touring Australia’s east coast throughout August, beginning with Sydney’s Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar on 14 August.
Kudikynah Cave – Moya Henderson (performed by Acacia Quartet)
Fine Music are celebrating 40 years as Sydney’s first FM radio station with a special live event at Sydney Town Hall on 18 July. Guest musicians will present performances, each 20 minutes long, including: Frances Madden and Band, Nexas Trio, Acacia Quartet, Duo Histoire, Alicia Crossley and the young pianist Kevin Fan. A piece performed by the Omega Ensemble with singer Jane Sheldon will also make its world debut. Until then, enjoy Acacia Quartet’s rendition of Kudikynah Cave, written by Australian composer Moya Henderson.
