STACK #250 August 2025

FEATURE MUSIC

THIS MONTH?

AUSSIE RELEASES

MARGO PRICE Hard Headed Woman UNIVERSAL

The first single from Margo Price’s fifth album is called Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down . “I always hope to do like Johnny Cash did, which is

DRAPHT A Beautiful Day to Be Lonely UNIVERSAL

ROYEL OTIS Hickey UNIVERSAL

L ed by guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer John Fogerty, Creedence Clearwater Revival were the preeminent American rock band of the late ’60s and early ’70s, releasing six platinum-selling albums and seven major hit singles in three years. In 1971, Fogerty’s dominant role began to pull the band apart. Bass guitarist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford (the band’s other member, rhythm guitarist and John’s older brother Tom, had recently left to pursue a solo career) demanded an equal share of the songwriting and lead vocals. Mardi Gras , their next album, was a critical and commercial disappointment, causing the band to break up. While trying to get his head around this situation, Fogerty discovered that he didn’t own the copyright to his songs. Fast forward to August 2025. Finally, he wins back the rights to his Creedence Clearwater Revival catalogue, allowing him to release Legacy , a 20-track collection of new versions of songs such as Proud Mary, Bad Moon Rising, Fortunate Son, Lookin’ Out My Back Door, Lodi, and Travelin’ Band . Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years is being issued on CD and as a 2LP vinyl set. JOHN FOGERTY Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years UNIVERSAL BIL Y’S PICK

Sydney duo Royel Otis – Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic – broke big with their 2024 debut, Pratts & Pain , hitting the

Fun fact: Drapht (who was born Paul Ridge) became the first Australian solo hip-hop artist to have a number one album, when

speak up for the common man and woman,” the Nashville-based artist says. “But there have been so many threats and anger and vitriol over the years, when I am only coming from a place of love... I hope this album inspires people to be fearless and take chances and just be unabashedly themselves.” MAROON 5 Love Is Like UNIVERSAL

Top 10, touring the world, and winning four ARIA Awards, including ‘Best Group’ and ‘Best Rock Album’. They’ve wasted no time delivering their second album, Hickey , their take on love in the modern world, “because,” they explain, “love bites harder than any other emotion in the world”. The set’s first single, the slacker-pop gem Moody , hit the headlines when the lyric caused controversy. But Royel Otis don’t need to apologise for another album of sparkling indie pop.

his fourth album, The Life of Riley – fuelled by the smash hit Jimmy Recard – topped the charts in 2011. The Perth act’s first release in four years is a six-track EP featuring collaborations with Illy, Bronco, Cy Thomas, Anna Dabbs, Complete, and Bitter Belief. “It lives somewhere between solitude and self-discovery,” Drapht explains. “A snapshot of life’s contradictions, where the highs and lows sit side by side and sometimes even rhyme.” GUY SEBASTIAN 100 Times Around the Sun SONY The winners of TV singing shows are now quickly forgotten. But Guy Sebastian – who triumphed on the first edition of Australian Idol in 2003 – has carved a remarkable career, with six number one singles and three number one albums. His tenth album, his first in five years, features a killer collaboration with Sam Fischer, Antidote . The fact this wasn’t a chart hit shows what a diabolical time it’s been for local artists on the ARIA charts. The record follows Sebastian’s management dramas, which ended up in court. He says, “It’s an incredibly personal album that I wanted to feel full of love, life, and joy.”

“I feel like we’ve gone back to what we used to do,” Adam Levine says of Maroon 5’s eighth studio album, “which is

to not pay attention to where we fit, and producing the music organically.” Fun fact: Maroon 5’s bass player is Sam Farrar, the son of Aussie legends John Farrar and Pat Carroll, best known for their work with Olivia Newton-John. ROGER WATERS This Is Not a Drill – Live from Prague SONY

SWANEE Believe ROCKET

The lineup for Swanee’s album of duets shows how much love and respect the artist has in the Australian music

industry. As well as his brothers, Jimmy and Alan Barnes, and niece Mahalia Barnes, the record features vocal contributions from Colin Hay, Joe Camilleri, Ian Moss, Russell Morris, Jack Jones, Diesel, Dave Gleeson, Kevin Borich, Jon Stevens, Melinda Schneider, and Wendy Matthews, and a great guitar solo from Rick Springfield. It’s a stellar cast, but Swanee is never overshadowed – he remains one of Australian music’s finest singers. Just check out his take on Dylan’s Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right .

Forty years after he quit Pink Floyd, Roger Waters releases his fifth live album. It was recorded in Prague in May 2023 on his

This Is Not a Drill tour, which unfortunately did not make it to Australia. Waters – who turns 82 next month – remains powerful and defiant, explaining that the tour was “part of a global movement by people who are concerned by others to effect the change that is necessary”.

Coming in SEPTEMBER G FLIP Dream Ride (Sep 5) LOLA YOUNG I’m Only F-cking Myself (Sep 19)

SARAH McLACHLAN Better Broken (Sep 19)

Radio legend Billy Pinnell presents Billy Pinnell’s Musical Moments on YouTube.

55