Author: Ayesha Bennett (Edited by Eugenia Kourkoutas)
‘WELL, I LISTENED BEFORE THEY WERE COOL!’
Australia’s music landscape has always held a diversity of amazing acts. Yet in recent years, there has come an explosion of upcoming ‘Indie Rock/Pop’ artists that deserve their names in the spotlight. Triple J darlings like Spacey Jane and Lime Cordiale come to mind – but 2024 has seen a spectacular emergence of newer artists that may have gone under the radar. Here’s an explanation of six bright and promising upcoming new talents in Australia that you can brag to your friends, ‘Well, I listened to so and so before they were cool!’
1. ‘Short Snarl’
Short Snarl, Gossamer Songs EP, Spotify, 2024
Listen to Gossamer Songs EP on Spotify.
Fans of Adrianne Lenker, Leith Ross and Hayley Heynderickx are sure to enjoy this one. ‘Short Snarl’ is the musical name for Adelaide based artist Thea Martin. Martin’s music is filled with heart wrenching tenderness at times it feels like you’re being haunted by a ghost who will stop at nothing to make you feel the hurt that it feels. Subsequently, the title of their debut EP, ‘Gossamer Songs’, is fitting; it’s as light and airy, beautifully mixing violin with guitar. Martin ties it all together with their atmospheric vocals to create alt-folk songs to get you stuck inside your own head.
2. Pocketwatch
PocketWatch, Break Out EP, Spotify, 2024
Listen to the Break Out EP here.
With two EPs under their belt, Pocketwatch have wasted no time putting themselves out into the world. Their consistently electric live shows and engaging social media presence have planted them firmly in the collective psyche of Sydney’s pop rock subculture. The trio’s latest effort, ‘Break Out’, features songs that call upon mid-90s alternative rock. Their recent song ‘Drown’ is reminiscent of an old Pixies or Smashing Pumpkins song, and ‘Rosemary’ has the distinct Britpop feel that sounds like it could’ve come from an early Oasis record. Many artists often struggle with paying homage to their influences without sounding derivative, but Pocketwatch has encompassed the amazing songs of their idols while adding bits of their own unique sound and aesthetic.
3. Eunuchs
Eunuchs, Harbour Century Album, Spotify, 2024
Listen to the Habour Century Album on Spotify
The best word I can use to describe Eunuchs is overwhelming. Not in a bad way, or else they wouldn’t be on this list, but there’s a lot that goes into each of their songs. Almost every song and piece is like an odyssey; a very loud, aggressive, sprawling odyssey, filled with horns and strings (see: ‘Gnome and Fortune’) in addition to conventional rock instruments. Thrown in the mix is jazz and bits of prog rock, making Eunuchs create an amazing blend of Black Country, New Road and King Crimson had a particularly mean baby. It’s loud, fluctuates between precise and messy, and requires every last bit of your attention.
4. Miles Nautu
Miles Nautu, Allude EP, Spotify, 2024
Listen to the Allude Album Here
Miles Nautu stands out amongst much of his cohort. His music is a fascinating intersection of hip-hop and jazz, with influences ranging from Kendrick Lamar (who even gets a name drop in Nautu’s ‘Pressure’, as someone who taught him ‘all new vocals’) to MF Doom. The jazz element is even more interesting; it’s smooth, gets in your ears and twists around inside your head. Along with this is Nautu’s terrific production work that often incorporates soulful samples. Therefore, this First Nations Brisbane artist delivers hard-hitting lyricism with a flow so naturally quick and effortless it is difficult not to be entranced by it.
5. Swapmeet
Swapmeet, Oxails EP, Spotify, 2024
Listen to Oxails EP on Spotify
There’s an inherently dreamy quality to Swapmeet’s music, like a fuzzy amalgamation of Slowdive and some obscure 90s band that would randomly pop up in your YouTube recommendations one day. Like fellow Adelaide act ‘Short Snarl’, Swapmeet’s songs captures feelings of loneliness and romance, often writing the two in tandem. Their song ‘Ceiling Fan’, the opening track from their 2024 EP ‘Oxalis’, almost sounds like a ballad, personifying a ceiling as something that has the omniscient power to witness the scenes that play out below it ‘without making a sound.’ This indie rock quartet knows how to make you feel alive, that’s for sure.
6. Wake In Fright
Wake In Fright, Touch Hands Pack Sting Album, Spotify, 2024
Listen to the Touch Hands Pack Sting Album Here
Even though their name refers to the 1971 Australian psychological thriller. Wake In Fright’s music is the opposite of tense and uncomfortable. It’s emotive, yes, but in more of a comforting way. In the band’s own words, they draw upon the ‘sonic sensibilities of the 60s and 70s’, and while this is true, there’s no denying that aspects of their music feel so distinctively modern. During their more subdued moments, influences blends of Jose Gonzalez and Bon Iver seemingly bleed through, only to be contrasted by their rousing, punchy, Fleet Foxes-esque sound. Wake In Fright’s newest album, ‘Touch Hands Pack Sting’, will make you experience a heartbreak that feels as if it belongs to you just as much as it belongs to them.
