STACK #229 November 2023

FEATURE MUSIC

collection of bubblegum dance-pop remains an absolute delight. Dean Lewis, The Hardest Love Dean Lewis's ill-fated relationship with a particular girl informed the bulk of the Sydney born, now Nashville-based artist's sophomore album, but it was all the lessons and observations between the knots of that liaison that made The Hardest Love such a compelling listen. And it wasn't just Australia who felt this way: Lewis literally dropped his croissant on camera when he found out standout track (and "best song [he's] ever written, in his mind) How Do I Say Goodbye had cracked the Top 200 Global Songs chart. Matt Corby, Everything's Fine Limiting himself to five chief elements in each of the hazy, hip-hop and funk bathed tracks of his third album, Everything's Fine , Matt Corby created a wonderland of soundscapes. The ARIA and J-Award-winning multi instrumentalist wove the tracks with the scenes of his life: from domestic bliss to cherished friends, love, addiction, noxious media, and more. The Cruel Sea, singer-songwriter Tex Perkins has said of the propulsion behind five time-ARIA-winning The Honeymoon Is Over, his band's third album. The record would trebuchet the Sydney five piece to international recognition, led by the hipshot-cool of Perkins' baritone. Brooke McClymont & Adam Eckersley, Up, Down & Sideways As partners in life and music, Brooke McClymont and Adam Eckersley have plenty The Honeymoon Is Over “Where does this music take me? What does this music want me to say? ...That's the bottom line for me,” The Cruel Sea's

to write about... and plenty of farm space to disappear into if they need a break from the other's banter. "I think if we didn’t have a good and similar sense of humour, we wouldn’t have made it this far together!" the duo told us about the writing of second collab album Up, Down & Sideways. The adorable pair celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary just last month: Congrats! Gretta Ray, Positive Spin The diamond on Gretta Ray's second album Positive Spin is Dear Seventeen , a brutally honest letter to her younger self about writer’s block, body image, dating older men, still loving Taylor Swift, and money. But we recommend you give the whole record a whirl. Positive Spin is one woman’s journey of discovery, warts and all. “I may never be Joni,” she admits. But the soundtrack to this quarter life crisis is thrilling, intelligent pop. Troye Sivan, Something to Give Each Other Perth-raised multi-talent Troye Sivan has always been a sensitive and nuanced voice on queer love experiences, and

Kylie Minogue (1988 promo image for the I Should Be So Lucky single)

Dan Sultan, Dan Sultan Dan Sultan has always been a great performer, with genuine charisma and presence. With his fifth album of August this year, he has arrived as a songwriter: “You can try to bury me with my past, but I’m coming with the wind in my back,” he declares in Won’t Give You That . Dan Sultan is the story of survival and resilience, delivering songs that will be ringing – and stinging – in your ears. Daniel Johns, FutureNever Oz indie icon Daniel Johns wasn't quite sure how his solo album of last year was going to land; it had no singles and no videos, and was released totally independently. Suffice to say, it's enormous success left him jazzed. “The FutureNever multiverse has provided me with a vast canvas to create immersive experiences that transcend a traditional release campaign," he said at the time. "I didn’t ever set out to have a ‘chart hit’ with FutureNever, but I thought if I did the opposite of what the traditional music industry said I should do, there might just be something in that”. Frente!, Marvin the Album Was there ever as adorable a debut single from an Aussie act as Frente!'s Accidently Kelly Street ? The unintentional-turned-deliberate

with his third album – released just last month – we find his feet planted firmly on the dancefloor. Led by Rush , a piano-stabbed dance track with an irresistible gang-vocal chorus (“I feel the rush/ Addicted to your touch”), Something to

Troye Sivan (2023)

Give Each Other serves heart-splitting moments delivered via the thumping thrill of the club. Winterbourne, Act of Disappearing Anthemic, captivating songwriting is par for the course when we're talking about musical-mates-for-a

misspelling of its title only added to the charm, and the indie-pop-rock act – led by the sweet vocals of Angie Hart – went on to capture every heart in the country with their first record, Marvin the Album . Kylie Minogue, Kylie The Loco-Motion, I Should Be So Lucky, and Got to Be Certain : the debut triple punch of singles from a 19-year-old Kylie Minogue was enough to disrupt the entire pop landscape of Australia, and Our Kyles hasn't slowed down since. Her self-titled debut album is a reminder that Kylie's music has always been a beautiful, blithe escape, and this

Adam Eckersley and Brooke McClymont (2023)

decade Winterbourne. But with Act of DIsappearing , the duo's fresh-this-month new album, they've hiked the kaleidoscopic brilliance up a notch or two, and sprinkled it with alluring contradictions. "The lyrics are stranger but also make more sense," the band say. "It’s red and yellow instead of green. The album has a sound, but we’re not sure what that is..." Intrigued? We recommend getting your ears around Act of Disappearing now.

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