STACK #246 April 2025

MUSIC FEATURE

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WHAT’S OUT

Whether it’s a voyage of musical discovery or a sonic reacquaintance with a favourite band or artist, check out these fresh releases heading to JB this month.

JON PARDI Honkytonk Hollywood UNIVERSAL Honkytonk Hollywood is the fifth studio

album for America’s Jon Pardi, who’s had four Top 5 albums on

the US country charts. “All of my albums have been rock ’n’ roll with a country flare,” he says. “This one keeps on rockin’. It’s also the most grown-up record I’ve ever made.” JULIEN BAKER & TORRES Send a Prayer My Way ROCKET Julien Baker knows a

EDITOR’S PICK BALL PARK MUSIC Like Love INERTIA Ball Park Music’s Sam Cromack is a fine suburban poet. He comes across as like a Brisbane Bob Dylan on the title track of the band’s eighth studio album. “I’ve tried oysters, I’ve tried cocaine,” the song starts. “But none of them, oh, none of them were like love.” Ball Park Music have been remarkably consistent, with a run of six Top 10 albums, as well as placing a dozen songs in Triple J’s Hottest 100. And they remain proudly a Brisbane band – the new album includes a plea called Please Don’t Move to Melbourne .

BANKS O with Her Head INERTIA

CRAIG FINN Always Been ROCKET

Following the tenth anniversary of her debut album, Goddess , America’s Banks – full name Jillian Banks

The Hold Steady singer steps outside of the band to release his sixth solo album. Produced by The War on Drugs’ Adam

thing or two about collaborating. Along with Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, she’s a

member of the indie supergroup Boygenius, and now she’s unveiled a country duo with Torres (real name: Mackenzie Ruth Scott). Their debut album brings just the right amount of indie cool to the classic country sound.

– releases her fifth studio album. As the titles reveal, it’s a range of emotions, with I Hate Your Ex-Girlfriend, Best Friends, and Love Is Unkind . Overall, it’s a powerful collection of electropop.

Granduciel, the album also features vocal contributions from Sam Fender and Kathleen Edwards. “Most songs concern a protagonist who pursued a career as a clergyman despite a lack of faith,” Finn reveals. “The record tells the story of his rise and fall and redemption.” ELTON JOHN & BRANDI CARLILE Who Believes in Angels? UNIVERSAL

BILLY IDOL Dream Into It UNIVERSAL

MACHINE HEAD Unatoned INERTIA

Billy Idol – the bloke with the best sneer of the ’80s – is back, with his first album in 11 years. As the first single

Elton John was a big influence on America’s Brandi Carlile – she taught herself to play piano after discovering his music. They first worked

American metal band Machine Head have had eight Top 40 albums in Australia, including three Top 10

stated, the 69-year-old punk rocker is Still Dancing . And he’s not dancing with himself. With the classic guitar sound of his long-time collaborator Steve Stevens, Idol is proudly proving that old punk rockers never die. BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD Forever Howlong INERTIA

together in 2009, and last year they delivered the Oscar-nominated ballad Never Too Late for the documentary Elton John: Never Too Late . “Elton is a wildly individual and spectacular comet of a person,” Carlile says. “But he’s the sum of his parts, which are musically Elton John and Bernie Taupin.” GALACTIC & IRMA THOMAS Audience with the Queen ROCKET New Orleans jam band Galactic join forces with the Soul Queen of with the Queen . Thomas might be 84, but she’s still a voice that the world needs. As she sings in Lady Liberty , “Take a look outside, you can see that the whole damn world’s on fire.” New Orleans for the aptly titled Audience

entries. Their eleventh album showcases new guitarist Reece Scruggs and drummer Matt Alston. Singer Robb Flynn is the band’s only original member, but as he sings in the first single here, These Scars Won’t Define Us . MARLON WILLIAMS Te Whare Tīwekaweka ROCKET Marlon Williams’

fourth album is his first entirely M ori record. His fellow Kiwi star Lorde is featured on

There have been some changes in the BCNR world. Forever Howlong – the English band’s third studio album – is their first

one track, K ā hore He Manu E . Williams says, “I’ve found a means of expressing my joys, sorrows and humour in a way that feels distinctly new, yet also connects me to t ī puna (ancestors) and my whenua (land, home).”

following the departure of lead singer Isaac Wood, with the band’s three female members taking over the singing duties. “It created a real through line for the album, having three girls singing,” explains Georgia Ellery.

30 APRIL 2025

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