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The Pulse of Darkness Hits Australia in April 2025 – Backseat Mafia
Trentemøller, the Danish architect of dark, cinematic electronica, is set to return to Australia in April 2025, and it’s more than just a tour—it’s a homecoming of sorts for fans who’ve been waiting for his atmospheric soundscapes to once again collide with our shores. Armed with his five-piece band, Trentemøller will unravel his alternative anthems across five cities—Brisbane, Hobart, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth—transforming each stage into a pulse of moody synths, throbbing basslines, and hypnotic rhythms. There’s no easy way to categorize Trentemøller—his work flits between indie rock, electronica, post-punk, but refuses to be pinned down. What’s certain is that in April, Australian audiences will be drawn into his world,…
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Northern Ireland’s ASH Ready to Ignite Australia with The Singles Tour – Backseat Mafia
Ash doesn’t just bring nostalgia—they throw it at you full throttle. Northern Ireland’s power-pop trio is back, and this time they’re ready to reignite the stage with The Singles Tour. It’s everything a fan could want: a career-spanning set that crashes through their biggest hits like ‘Kung Fu,’ ‘Girl from Mars,’ and ‘Burn Baby Burn,’ but also throws in new gems like ‘Usual Places’ and ‘Race The Night.’ The band hasn’t lost their bite—if anything, they’re more electrifying than ever. With their eighth album Race The Night breaking into the UK Top 20, it’s clear that Ash isn’t here to rest on past glories. They’ve still got something to prove,…
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Haiku Hands Drop ‘Kicks’ and Announce Tour Dates – Backseat Mafia
Haiku Hands (Claire Nakazawa, Beatrice Lewis and Mie Nakazawa) are back, and they’re not playing it safe. With their latest single ‘Kicks,’ the Aussie alt-dance trio are ready to rip through stages across Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane this December on their Club Deluxe Pleasure Beast Tour. The track drops with the kind of fearless, genre-smashing energy that’s become their signature, a call to arms for everyone ready to dance like nobody’s watching. It’s exactly what you’d expect from Haiku Hands—relentlessly bold, unapologetically fun, and always turning the volume up on what it means to move a crowd. A deluxe version of their acclaimed sophomore album, ‘Pleasure Beast,’ will drop on…
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Clara Pople Shares Dreamy & Emotive new Single ‘Hot Moon’ – Backseat Mafia
Clara Pople blends neo-soul undertones and striking alternative-pop on the striking and beautifully constructed new single ‘Hot Moon’. A hypnotic and wonderfully balanced example of how to gradually build a soundscape step by step, ‘Hot Moon’ moves from it’s minimal slow four to floor and vocal loop of the start, flourishing into a beautiful and melancholic soundscape of synths and textural guitar. With delicate, controlled lead vocals from Pople, the tracks infectiously catchy chorus melody shines bright over the SOHN-esque instrumental layering, ending with a stunning final iteration as layers of vocal harmonies dance with a sense of freedom. In her own words, Clara Pople describes “Hot Moon” as an…
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The magnificent Royel Otis release ebullient new single ‘If Our Love Is Dead’ to accompany deluxe re-release of their debut album ‘PRATTS & PAIN’ with tour news. – Backseat Mafia
Royel Otis have rapidly become musical royalty not only in their home Australia but globally, and we have been keenly following their ascendancy since their debut single back in 2021. And it is easy to see why they have rapidly risen to the top like cream: they have released a series of luscious, quirky hyperkinetic tracks, music that is delicately laced with a certain sense of humour and a commercial pop sensibility with their own unique sound. Their stunning debut album ‘PRATTS &PAIN’ released at the beginning of the year (reviewed by me here) will be re-released on Friday as a deluxe edition entitled ‘PRATTS & PAIN – It Ain’t…
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Sydney duo End Scene are our ‘Flavour of the Month’ as they release the hounds with their new single, ahead of a new album. – Backseat Mafia
We were mightily impressed by End Scene‘s 2021 album ‘All My Ghosts’ (see our review here) and other than a single in 2023 and a low key release earlier this year, things have been relatively quiet for the duo. But all is revealed: they have been working hard on a second album and have just unleashed a single ‘Flavour of the Month’ which seems to herald a slight deviation from their usual indie pop fare. ‘Flavour of the Month’ is a brash punky song delivered with a shouty sneer excoriating the vacuous and ephemeral world of influencers and celebrity culture, mixed in with what member James Jennings says is some good old-fashioned…
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Mdou Moctar Announces New Album ‘Tears For Injustice’ Out Feb 28 via Matador Records – Backseat Mafia
If ‘Funeral For Justice’ was the sound of outrage, ‘Tears Of Injustice’ is the sound of grief. Mdou Moctar’s new album is ‘Funeral For Justice’ completely re-recorded and rearranged for acoustic and traditional instruments. It is an evolution of the band’s critically-adored breakout – the meditative mirror-image to the blistering original. Listen to ‘Imajighen (Injustice Version)’, below: In July of 2023, Mdou Moctar was on tour in the United States when the president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, was deposed by a military junta who made him prisoner at the presidential residence. They ordered the nation’s borders closed, leaving band members Mdou Moctar, Ahmoudou Madassane, and Souleymane Ibrahim unable to return home to their families. Plans to…
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The Last Dinner Party / Lucia And The Best Boys / Kaeto – O2 Academy, Leeds 24.09.2024 – Backseat Mafia
There was no guessing where many people were going tonight in Leeds. The city centre was filled with glamour, with an invasion of flowy dresses, long hair tied in ribbons, and rainbow-laced Dr. Martins. Once inside, the audience was serenaded by classical and show tunes over the speakers between the acts, as tonight we have the pleasure of two support acts. First up, with her debut EP ‘Intro’ out, Kaeto opened tonight’s proceedings, floating like a disco fairy on stage as she fluttered through the lights. After binging her EP on the hour drive up it is true to say Kaeto sounds even better with a live band. A short…
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Helsinki Singer-Songwriter Carla Aakre Shares Beautiful New Single ‘watercolour’ From Upcoming Debut Album – Backseat Mafia
Helsinki-based singer-songwriter Carla Aakre shares the vibrant and warming new single ‘watercolour’, taken from the upcoming debut album, Things I Forgot to Tell You. Set for release in February 2025, the album promises to delve deep into Aakre’s emotional landscape, exploring themes of longing, doubt, and joy, all wrapped in a seamless blend of alt-folk, indie-pop, and indie-rock influences. The new single ‘watercolour’ embodies this approach, bringing a subtle yet driving beat under layers of warming guitars and silky smooth, whispery, heartfelt vocals. Comparable to the likes of Ben Howard, Katy J Pearson and Phoebe Bridgers, ‘watercolour’ is a beautiful example of restraint and beauty, using its guitars to elegantly…
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Winter Gardens Return With Brooding New Single ‘U/U’ – Backseat Mafia
Brighton quartet Winter Gardens make a bold and explosive return with their atmospheric and beguiling new single ‘U/U’. Showcasing a rich and alluring sonic approach the track is a striking example of the bands potential. Produced by Luke Marsden alongside Winter Gardens and mastered by Andy Miles at Star Delta, ‘U/U’ builds a rich sound pallet of swirling synths, driving live drums, punching bass and tasteful flecks of guitar, the result is a dystopian soundscape which blends elements of nu-wave electronica with post-punk and shoegaze. Effortlessly cool and impactful, the track is topped by a haunting and reflective vocal which glides between evocative spoken word and soaring, haunting high melodies.…
