MELODOWNZ Guide to Liiightside (INTERVIEW)

On 2017’s Avontale$ track ‘$on of a Queen’, MELODOWNZ self professed to being “just a hippy living hypocrite”. The Avondale MC got his start rapping in hippy hip-hop duo Third3ye in the early 2010’s alongside Angelo King, enlightening with conscious raising, free-spirited funk. It was during this era that his solo MELODOWNZ mantra, ‘liiightside’, was…

The 1975 recruit Phoebe Bridgers for ‘Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America’

First debuted at an Australian bushfire relief benefit show, The 1975 recruit Phoebe Bridgers for their latest single, ‘Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America’.  Beginning with raw guitar rattlings and a whispered count-in, the track establishes itself as an abraded acoustic existence. Folk melody consisting of sweet string chords, accompanying brass and lowly arranged piano…

Headie One & Fred Again.. share gritty collaborative mixtape, GANG

UK Drill act Headie One has connected with producer Fred Again.. for collaborative GANG mixtape. With A-list collaborations including FKA Twigs, Sampha, Jamie XX and a slowthai interlude, GANG experiments further outside the drill realm while still staying true to what Headie reps. Headie raps introspectively over glitchy, trip hop style production provided by Fred…

Rubi Du shares riddim heavy EP, Most High

Reigning Auckland reggae queen, Rubi Du (FKA as SilvaMC) has shared solo project Most High, following her explosive appearance on JessB’s ‘Take It Down’ and her acclaimed work as SilvaMC. An alluring flavour of dancehall, reggae, drum n bass and hip hop, rich with Caribbean heritage and nods to her Rastafarian childhood, on Most High Rubi Du is a…

Hybrid Rose and And$um transcend on cosmic jam, ‘Mr. Spaceman’

Wellington electro-pop princess Hybrid Rose has connected with Christchurch rapper And$um for transcending space jam, ‘Mr. Spaceman’. The collaboration is a cosmic cyberpop trance, as Hybrid Rose contrasts her signature surreal bubblegum pop with a glitchy cloudrap shift. Crying out over glittering synths, Hybrid Rose finds her head in the clouds on the quirky introvert…

MELODOWNZ shares self affirming mantra, ‘Fine

Following December’s sucker punch Denzel Curry collaboration ‘No Mercy’, MELODOWNZ has shared his first new music of the year with new single ‘Fine’, via Def Jam ANZ & SNIFFERS records. The Mercy produced, funk inflicted anthem is an addictive affirmation arriving in a time of uncertainty. Fusing his signature street hip hop with R&B melodies…

Kllo release tempo-experimental track, ‘Still Here’

Melbourne power duo, Kllo, hit with the release of tempo-experimental track, ‘Still Here’; complete with striking video. The track comes loaded with the announcement of their sophomore album, ‘Maybe We Could’.  Quickly fading in with a blurred and grainy personal picture, shot in 16mm, the semi-stagnant opening visuals pair with short vocal hits and a…

Thundercat – It Is What It Is ’til It Ain’t (INTERVIEW)

Thundercat’s fourth album, out tomorrow, is simply titled It Is What It Is. Over the phone, I tell Thundercat the album sounds seeded with a sense of acceptance for what we can’t control. His answer is profound, when he says “music can be therapeutic – but it can be painful too,” his signature goofy chuckle…