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Sydney’s Liberty Hall Witnesses Isabel LaRosa’s Pop Takeover 27.02.2025 – Backseat Mafia
Liberty Hall is buzzing tonight. A sea of bodies presses forward, anticipation crackling in the air as they await Isabel LaRosa. With 1B+ audio streams and a staggering 5B video streams, LaRosa has skyrocketed from internet enigma to one of modern pop’s most hypnotic storytellers. And tonight, she’s proving exactly why Spotify crowned her a ‘Pop Rising’ artist to watch in 2024. Thomas LaRosa hits the stage like a bolt of lightning, wielding his guitar like a divine weapon, every riff landing with the kind of confidence that makes the crowd believe in something bigger than themselves. They eat it up, hands in the air, heads nodding in reverence. Then…
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Aotearoa/New Zealand’s Nik Brinkman envelopes us in a shimmering veil of dreamy pop in his sophomore album ‘World Within’. – Backseat Mafia
There is a dreamy heartbreakingly beautiful shimmer to the new album from Aotearoa/New Zealand artist Nik Brinkman that glows like the stars over the expansive southern hemisphere skies. Brinkman last blew us away here at Backseat Mafia back in 2021 with his debut album ‘Secret Stairs’ (see my review here) and in the intervening time has been utilising his skills with other artists as well as moving to a new town and reinvigorating his music writing and recording process. Brinkman says of the new material: I wanted to escape the world of modern music tools for this album and make a record with no MIDI and also an album I could…
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Left Cassette are ‘Always Kinda Late’ – a shimmering anthemic blast of indie pop. – Backseat Mafia
‘Always Kinda Late’ from Meanjin/Brisbane-based indie-rock act Left Cassette is a thoroughly satisfying blast of Brit-pop influenced indie rock that shimmers with its anthemic delivery. There are traces of fellow compatriots DMAs and, internationally, Kings of Leon in the sparkling guitar riffs and scaling choruses, a passionate and euphoric track resulting in an indelible pop song touched with a little melancholy. The shimmering, dappling guitars add to the driving pace, adding a lustre of gold to the track that has pulse-quickening pace. UK-born singer/guitarist Josh Aldred talks about the inspiration behind the track: It’s a song about heartbreak, I wrote it about an ex-partner. We were both from the UK…
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Robert Baxter Steps Into Their True Pop Era With ‘STARGIRL’ EP & Mesmerising New Single ‘CAMBOY’ – Backseat Mafia
Robert Baxter isn’t just stepping into their pop era—they’re tearing the doors off the hinges and strutting through in glossy, cinematic, hyper-digital glory. Announcing their new STARGIRL EP (out 11 April), the Naarm/Melbourne-via-Yorta Yorta Country/Shepparton artist, producer, ballroom performer, and all-around creative force has dropped ‘CAMBOY’, a slick and hauntingly danceable new single that dives headfirst into the murky waters of parasocial relationships and internet obsession. With production from Lucy Blomkamp (6LACK, Becca Hatch, Ninajirachi), CAMBOY oscillates between sultry, glitchy electronics and frantic breakbeats, perfectly framing Baxter’s effortless, silk-spun vocals. It’s the sound of someone who understands the internet’s seductive power but also sees through the facade.. The accompanying video…
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Jetstream Pony return with the heart stopping dream pop of Bubblegum Nothingness – Backseat Mafia
There’s nothing more heartwarming than a slice of dream pop tinged with melancholy, and Jetstream Pony have a history of delivering just that. Their latest single, Bubblegum Nothingness, is a perfect example, blending shambling, melodic indie-pop with an undercurrent of wistful longing. With a lineup featuring Beth Arzy (The Luxembourg Signal, Trembling Blue Stars, Aberdeen) on vocals and percussion, Shaun Charman (The Wedding Present, The Popguns, The Fireworks) on guitar and vocals, Kerry Boettcher on bass, Tom Levesley on drums, and Mark Matthews (The Dentists, The Treasures of Mexico) on guitar, the band has an indie pedigree that shines through in every note. Their sprawling yet edgy guitars continually hit…
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Welsh indie pop veterans Melys return with the engaging Santa Cruz – Backseat Mafia
Welsh indie/psych-pop veterans Melys have made a notable return with their latest single, Santa Cruz, now available on all streaming platforms. This track serves as a precursor to their forthcoming album, slated for release in the spring of 2025. Following their April 2024 release of BBC Radio Sessions (Vol 1)which highlighted sessions recorded for Huw Stephens, Adam Walton, and John Peel, Santa Cruzmarks the bands first new material since their 2005 album, Life’s Too Short. Santa Cruz is a bubbling slice of avant/indie-pop, featuring shivering synths and melancholy melodies. The song bubbles and fizzes with intertwining guitar and synth lines, while swooning backing vocals add a heart-melting touch. Andrea Parker’s…
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‘Where Are You Now?’ – Aotearoan dream pop King, Nik Brinkman, dials up the shimmering jingle jangle sounds with new single. – Backseat Mafia
Ahead of the release of his new album ‘World Within’, New Zealand dream pop artist Nik Brinkman has followed up his first single in a few years, ‘Long Way To Go’, with a second positively shimmering release, ‘Where Are You Now’. With languid laid back vocals channeling Jim Reid from The Jesus and Mary Chain, the instrumentation is bedded firmly in a delicious 12-string jingle jangle heaven that chimes like ringing bells in the ether. The song reflects on the struggle of being caught in memories of the past, unable to move on. Brinkman says: I wanted to capture that feeling of emotional yearning and isolation—like being stuck on a fast-spinning…
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Don’t ‘Put It All On Me’ – MacGregor Burns unveils his enigmatic indie pop plea ahead of new album. – Backseat Mafia
We are very honoured to premiere the single ‘Put It All On Me’ from MacGregor Burns. Burns is Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter who has a fascinating resumé, having worked an eclectic mix of jobs, from Hollywood tour guide and pet relocation specialist to substitute teacher and water polo referee. He brings his varied experience to the track which is a driving thrum of electronica with a Howard Devoto-style instrumentation and a hint of The Psychedelic Furs or Jona Lewie. Burns says of the track: Put it all on me is a desperate, wailing rock tune, which conveys my sense of detachment from previous failures in the form of a driving 4…
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Don’t you ‘Get It?’ Stavanger’s Eie unveils raucous acerbic slice of pop punk ahead of debut album release and tour. – Backseat Mafia
Eie – the world of Stavanger’s dynamic Emilie Eie – has just released a scorching acerbic piece of excoriating punk in the form of ‘Get It?’. Here the worlds of Lene Lovich collide with the more contemporary punk of Amyl and the Sniffers to deliver a perfectly formed riposte to bigotry and ignorance – a fitting theme given the depressing state of politics and the seemingly reversal of decency and tolerance. Eie’s music is, in many ways, an extension of their activism, and they are not afraid to speak out in the ongoing debate about LGBTQ+ rights. ‘Get it?’ is a sarcastic response to the increasingly normalized attitudes that queer…
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The Gentle Spring craft indie pop gem with new single “Looking Back At The World” – Backseat Mafia
The Gentle Spring’s new single, Looking Back at the World, released on January 17, 2025, via Skep Wax Records, is a poignant reflection on the past, echoing the classic sound of Michael Hiscock’s former band, The Field Mice. The track exudes a reticent and shy demeanor, yet brims with understated emotion and a profound sense of nostalgia. Its wistful melodies – ushered onwards by brushes of guitar and chiming piano, weave a spell reminiscent of The Field Mice’s timeless allure, capturing the same melancholic beauty that has endeared them to fans (us very much included) over the years. The single serves as a prelude to the three piece – Hiscock, Emilie…
