STACK #150 Apr 2017

MUSIC NEWS

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SIR WAS S crolling through Joel Wästberg’s instagram posts is at first a little confusing. What is the meaning or irony behind using a portrait of Henry the Eighth to announce the addition of the sir Was single In The Midst to an American tastemaker’s playlist? It turns out it’s not ironic –

him for his looks, not for his abilities. But the paintings are just beautiful. And there’s so many of them! That nobody sees...” Amongst all the mysterious self- recorded samples (listen for the birds on Falcon ; Wästberg says they’re from a Parisian “zoo shop” [pet store]) and the fluid but surprising way he chooses his instrumentation, Wästberg says it is difficult to know when a song is done. “That’s the question, right? That’s the big question for art making! When is the belly of Heinrich the Sixth… Seventh… Eighth? When is his belly perfect? When is his beard perfect, full enough? The only thing I can do is try to listen to my gut feeling. When I’m focused, I know. This is it, that’s the way it should be,” he says with a click of his fingers. “Then someone else likes it, and suddenly you are calling me from Australia. Fantastic! We can talk with some philosophers and psychologists for five years, but we still wouldn’t know the formula.” ZKR

AMY SHARK A my Shark was one of 2016's mega break-out success stories: her single Adore was released at the tail end of July and quickly started racking up plays, hitting #3 on the ARIA chart, #1 on the Australian iTunes and Shazam charts, #5 on the Aussie Spotify chart and then reaching the #2

position in this year's triple j Hottest 100. It's currently certified Platinum, with over 10 million Spotify streams. Not shabby. Last month she released second single Weekends , and this month she will be gifting her first EP, entitled Night Thinker , into our hot little hands. Look out for our interview with the Gold Coast talent online towards the end of the month, and be sure to pick up Night Thinker at JB on April 21. ZKR

Wästberg’s fascination with the world extends past his eclectic musical interests (John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, D’Angelo and J Dilla are a few he mentions during our Skype call) and into every crevice of artistry. He’s what you might call ‘enamoured' with the world. “The fat guy! The big guy! Yeah, that picture is beautiful!” he enthuses in his heavy Swedish accent, and adds with a laugh, “I just wanted

Read the full interview online at stack.net.au

Night Thinker EP by Amy Shark is out April 21 via Sony.

Digging A Tunnel by sir Was is out now via Inertia.

COMPETITIONS

Enter at stack.net.au

A WARNER CD PACK Unsure which new Warner release to buy in April? Win them all! Thanks to Warner, we have a CD pack to give away which includes Little Dragon's Season High , Falling In Reverse's Coming Home , Yellow Claw's Los Amsterdam , Michael Nesmith's Infinite Tuesday: An Autobiographical Riff , the film soundtrack to The Fate Of The Furious , and Sheryl Crow's Be Myself .

10 X SIGNED COPIES OF NORTHLANE'S MESMER Northlane have just released the remarkable Mesmer and we have 10 copies signed by Australia’s finest hardcore lads up for grabs, thanks to UNFD.

5 X COPIES OF ALI BARTER'S A SUITABLE GIRL Thanks to Inertia, we've got five copies of Melbourne singer-songwriter Ali Barter's awesome debut album to give away. A Suitable Girl is out now at JB Hi-Fi.

5 X STEEL PANTHER PRIZE PACKS

Steel Panther's latest, Lower The Bar , is a throbbing 11-track run through relationship turmoil, alcohol abuse and steamrolling over anyone threatening to kill the party. Head to stack.net.au to score one of five prize packs thanks to Kobalt, each including a stubbie holder and one copy each of Lower the Bar , Live From Lexxi’s Mom’s Garage and All You Can Eat on CD.

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APRIL 2017

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