STACK #203 Sep 2021

FEATURE MUSIC

EMMA DONOVAN CONSOLIDATES HER ICONIC STATUS

P ressure Machine was an unexpected delight. Announced barely a month before its release mid-August, The Killers declined to give us a taste of what was to come. Now, that decision makes sense. Had they tried to dissect the album‘s sprawling, honest depiction of life in middle America, the weight which the collective album delivers would‘ve been lost. The comparisons to Bruce THE KILLERS STRIKE DIVINITY IN THE DESERT Springsteen‘s Nebraska could be made ten times over. Desperate Things appears born as the softer son to Highway Patrolman , and the stark, foreboding landscape Springsteen created nearly 40 years ago would find itself an easy home amongst Flowers‘ conflicted longing for his hometown. Quiet drunk nights, boring days where the heat is oppressive, and always a hint of danger, it‘s an encapsulation of what

A fter the soaring success of 2020 album Crossover , acclaimed First Nations singer Emma Donovan and her regular contributors the Putbacks have raced to the studio to lay down another searing record. Song subjects have shifted from urgent pleas to commanding calls-to-arms that feel much more inspired by the ongoing

pandemic: “Don‘t give up on me“ is replaced with lines like “No time to be precious“, while No Woman Left Behind clearly shows Donovan‘s allegiance to her fellow sisters. With the Putbacks in her corner, the sounds are getting funkier and more exploratory, testament to their ever-evolving, ever-relevant arsenal of sounds. Holly Pereira

Under These Streets by Emma Donovan & the Putbacks is out Sept 17 via Heavy Machinery.

GET IN LINE FOR YOUR JOSH-JAB FROM THE VACCINES

it means to realise yourself in a small town. The Killers‘ best work has always come from a place of introspection, and in their most engaging work since Sam‘s Town they find their glory in the desert of Utah. Jacqui Picone

T he Vaccines‘ lyrics have always been drenched in a heavy dose of irony, and no doubt they‘re very aware of their newfound relevance given their name. Opening with a polite nod to ELO, Justin Hayward-Young spits his wordplay on a coy but confident riff, his charm still beckoning despite cutting lines like “I never even questioned if your cookies had consent.“ This is a band that knows hooks, and before you know it you‘ll be singing along, drawing comparisons and having a lot of fun. Hayward-Young and co. have never taken themselves too seriously, and neither should listeners. At the end of the day, what did you expect from a new Vaccines album? Holly Pereira

Back In Love City by The Vaccines is out Sept 10 via AWAL.

Pressure Machine by The Killers is out now via AWAL.

GRAB A COPY ONEREPUBLIC Human Multi-platinum hitmakers OneRepublic are back with their fifth studio album Human , featuring singles Run , Didn’t I and Rescue Me . Out now. JB UNCOVERED AT

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