-
The ethereal Cloud Tangle is ‘Dreaming Again’ and the result is an album of enticing sonic bliss. – Backseat Mafia
The Breakdown False Peak/$000 Records – 9.0 Meanjin/Brisbane’s Cloud Tangle, the nom de plume of the glorious Amber Ramsay, is releasing her third album ‘Dreaming Again’ this week, and you can get an early listen of this exquisite album premiering here thanks to the dynamic duo of 4000 Records and False Peak Records. Cloud Tangle creates sonic architecture that lives up to the name – delicate cotton wool balls that float in a glacial world: shimmering and ethereal. In fact the latter word seems to have been created with Ramsay’s music in mind. As I’ve written before, there is something Antarctic and distant about Ramsay’s vocals, antithetically warmed by the…
-
Cannibal Corpse / Municipal Waste / Immolation / Schizophrenia, O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester 27.09.2024 – Backseat Mafia
A colossal billing is a thing of beauty and this was certainly one to tempt me over the Pennines without even a second thought. The venue, the O2 Victoria Warehouse, was one that I had never had the pleasure of patronising before but once the trauma of the parking demographics was navigated and I had made my way inside I was amazed, the interior was a thing of beauty and it was huge, the stage was probably as wide as the Main Stage at Bloodstock (or certainly it came very close) and the stripped back brick exposed walls only added to the natural charm and decadence of the venue. First…
-
Float Along Festival, Sheffield 28.09.2024 – Backseat Mafia
Float Along Festival was back again this year, with its biggest and most adventurous programme to date. Taking place across several venues across the heart of the Sheffield city centre and promised another encompassing mix of post-punk and psychedelic rock, as well as the best in indie and alternative music. And it sure delivered. Having hotfooted it over on the train, the first band on my agenda are a local band with clever alliteration Faint Paint, who play the Factory stage at Sidney & Matilda. Describing their sound as “shimmering, cinematic, and tinged with a Lynchian uncanny” their live set has a lot to live up too, and it does…
-
Frank Sultana proves his legacy to the Oz blues scene and beyond with release of powerhouse new album, Have Band Will Travel. – Backseat Mafia
The Breakdown Independent Release – 9.5 Still riding on the coat-tails of his win in the 2023 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, Frank Sultana has kept busy writing and recording, with the resultant The Ghosts of Sun 2023 being quickly followed up by this masterful release, Have Band, Will Travel. While largely steeped in blues tradition, this album also nods to styles on the periphery of modern blues. As for the music, there are classic acoustic, and modern electric elements which combine seamlessly, whilst elsewhere, within the lyrics, there are trains and railways, there are broken hearts, there are disasters (floods), there is intoxication, there is love…..but most of…
-
Ocean Grove Brings A Night of Chaos and Connection to Manning Bar – Gadigal/Sydney, 05.10.24 – Backseat Mafia
Ocean Grove’s Saturday night at Manning Bar was a collision of intensity, hitting early and not letting up. With a lineup of local and international acts primed to rattle the building’s foundations, the crowd knew exactly what was coming—and they were ready. The word “Oddworld” (a nod to Ocean Grove’s signature universe of weirdness and rebellion) dotted the audience, as fans fully embraced the band’s offbeat ethos before the first note even hit. Eora/Sydney’s own Inertia wasted no time igniting the room, unleashing a whirlwind of chaos that had the crowd roaring from the start. Their electrifying blend of post-hardcore, soaring melodies, and bone-crushing breakdowns created an unbreakable bond with…
-
Belgian black metal band KrvL Unveiled Their Upcoming Opus ‘Donkere Paden’ In A Full Album Stream Via Black Metal Promotion – Backseat Mafia
Belgian black metal band KrvL (pronounced as Kravaal) have unveiled their upcoming opus “Donkere Paden” in a full album stream via Black Metal Promotion. The band’s second full-length album will be released on 11 October 2024 via These Hands Melt in CD, Vinyl and Digital formats and is available to pre-order. Listen to “Donkere Paden”: Pre-order the album: Pre-save the album via digital platforms: https://share.amuse.io/album/krvl-donkere-paden Following on from their debut “Kravaal” (self-released, 2022), the second album “Donkere Paden” will bring even more darkness and despair which will be divided into seven chapters. The album features guest vocalists H. from Oerheks and Shazzula from the revered Wolvennest. The band states: “We’ve poured our souls into crafting an atmospheric black metal album that will transport you…
-
shape-shifting soul-jazz energy from the Budapest band. – Backseat Mafia
The Breakdown Albert’s Favourites – 8.8 Okay so we know that as far as new scenes go Rio gets touted as the upcoming centre of 21st century tropicalia pop and Geneva continues to excel in pushing its very individual avant / post punk refresh. Well, it now seems that Budapest may be building up to having its own moment with its unshackled jazz fusion/dance community making waves washing way beyond the Danube. You might have picked up on the psychedelic beat blasts Jazzbois’ recent debut ‘Still Blunted’, well now comes another vibrant but sonically very different opening statement from four-piece Mörk and their album ‘Still Dreamin’ (what is it with…
-
Alter Boy at the Lansdowne, Sydney 5.10.2024 – Backseat Mafia
Tonight, the Lansdowne in Sydney pulses with the collective energy of WA-based artists. The evening kicks off with Malaika Mfalme, a Tanzanian/Australian artist whose debut album Yasmin chronicles the aftermath of profound loss. When they launch into “Imagine,” the room seems to shrink, the heartbreak almost tangible—it’s the kind of raw emotion that stops you in your tracks, leaving you breathless, caught in the intensity of their grief. Then comes Boox Kid—Jarred Wall—a Noongar man who spins electro-pop into something electric, alive. His set crackles with energy, each track more thrilling than the last, the perfect foil to the intimacy of Malaika’s set. He’s the pulse of the night, creating…
-
Arch Enemy Announce New Album ‘Blood Dynasty’ – Backseat Mafia
After the surprise drop of their latest single “Dream Stealer“ on July 31, extreme metal legends Arch Enemy are back with more exciting news. The Swedes are pleased to announce their 12th studio album, Blood Dynasty, a long player with 11 new tracks chock-full of Arch Enemy’s powerful signature guitar riffs, guttural force, and clean vocal surprises. The announcement also kickstarts the pre-order of the new long player. Pre-order Blood Dynasty here. Arch Enemy founder and guitarist Michael Amott confides, “This new album pushes the boundaries of what we’ve done before – it’s everything you’ve come to expect from this band, and then some! We can’t wait for you to hear it and feel the energy we’ve poured into every…
-
The Open Flames Share Buoyant Debut Single ‘Drop a Coin’ – Backseat Mafia
With their debut single ‘Drop a Coin’ The Open Flames have made an audacious entry into the London music scene. Blending dark indie-pop tones with a cinematic vintage flair, the track unfurls like a haunting short film—mysterious, brooding, and building toward an unexpectedly grandiose climax. Opening with a fuzzy distorted bassline kicks in, bright guitar tones and tight boxy drums, the track quickly captures a vintage alternative tone before the vocals enter. The breathy, gravelly vocals weave a tale steeped in vivid, almost otherworldly imagery, while eerie “bah-bah” backup harmonies float like distant echoes, providing an unsettling but addictive texture to the song. The band’s arrangement is minimalist but potent,…
