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Joanne Shaw Taylor – All The Things I Said – Backseat Mafia
Acclaimed blues-rock guitarist and singer-songwriter Joanne Shaw Taylor has shared her new single ‘All The Things I Said’. The track captures a moment of looking back on a past relationship with hard-earned wisdom, acknowledging the flaws that led to its demise while seeking mutual acceptance. “This is the first song I wrote for the new album,” Joanne shares. “It’s about reflecting on a past relationship and accepting your part in its failure as well as asking your ex-partner to do the same. It’s also about how you can reflect on a love relationship and with the benefit of time you can see how you could have done things differently.” It…
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Fraser Morgan Shines On Honest & Raw New Single ‘Ruminating’ – Backseat Mafia
Folk-punk troubadour Fraser Morgan’s new single ‘Ruminating’, released today. Coming just after Fraser’s 1000th live show to a sold-out crowd at Colchester Arts Centre, the single offers a taste of the upcoming EP I Hope You Can’t Relate via Sad Buds Records. A raw and honest reflection on mental health, offering a glimpse into the deeply personal themes explored in his upcoming EP, Fraser bares his soul Ruminating, capturing the essence of overthinking and emotional turbulence. Musically, ‘Ruminating’ blends folk instrumentation with a punk edge, bridging a gap between traditional and modern sounds. Strummed acoustic guitars and a picked mandolin set the tone, with the track gradually building into a…
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us & sparkles – When The Birds Kick In – Backseat Mafia
A red sun sparkles through heaven’s space with a slate-colored haze: When The Bird Kicks In marks the departure towards a new vibe within the us & sparkles universe: warm pigments, woody ambiences and an overall witty attitude lay the ground for a psychedelic trip across a wild west inspired soundscape. The air shines dense and muggy: An ambient and guitar driven opening evolves continuously into a more and more dancy tonality. Glow and glare and rolling flames stream upwards as melodies there to stay. Specially the ever-present synthesizer-background-howling makes a significant contribution to the compositions on the album, which are generous, nostalgic and authentic. An all-gracious sun-God looks directly into the…
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Limited Tour Dates, Big Legacy-Oasis heading to Australia in 2025 – Backseat Mafia
Oasis. Just the name feels like a relic from a time when Britpop roared through the 90s, a decade powered by youthful defiance and Gallagher-fueled bravado. But here we are, with the news of their imminent return to Australian shores, as reported in Rolling Stone today. This time, they’re trimming it down to just two shows in Melbourne and Sydney for their ‘25 Live’ tour. the band that defined an era and a generation of working-class defiance, will reportedly be descending on Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on Friday, October 31st — their first Australian stop on the ’25 Live’ tour. And a week later, they’ll bring their bravado to Sydney’s Accor…
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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…
