Hello and welcome to our new fortnightly indie artists column. Head here if you missed the previous instalment, featuring Time For Dreams, cutters and Hello Satellites.
Every fortnight, we’re rounding up the best new Victorian bands and artists making waves online, underground and on the airwaves.
For those looking to keep an ear to the ground with the best emerging acts, this column will have you covered every two weeks with Victoria’s finest.
Catch up on the latest music interviews, news and reviews here.
Too Birds
Too Birds are a local noise-rap trio that evoke the genre-defying style of clipping. and Death Grips. Melbourne 2 is their recently-released second album — a hard-hitting collection of glitchy beats, ear-rattling electronica and mind-bending basslines.
The trio of Realname, Teether and Mr. Society rep the more experimental side of Melbourne’s DIY rap scene, with songs like ‘Monstera Heaven’ and ‘Showers’ descending from melodic, forward-thinking hip hop into unnerving and relentless beats. Just when you think you’re aligned with their rhythms, they’ll spring a sudden panic attack on you.
That edginess runs through their lyrics too, which are teeming with anxiety and dread. It’s hard to not feel slightly overwhelmed by it all, but Melbourne 2 will undoubtedly come into its own live when Too Birds take it to the stage at Colour Club on Thursday May 27.
Melbourne 2 is out now on X Amount Records. Catch them at Colour Club on Thursday May 27. Tix here.
Plaster of Paris
Cult favourites on the Melbourne gig circuit Plaster of Paris release their debut album Lost Familiar on Wednesday June 23, tackling topics like body politics, climate denial, queer identity and states of physical and mental emergency with relentless passion and classic rock’n’roll rhythms.
Riot grrrl fans will find a lot to love here, with the band’s Sleater-Kinney-esque sound perfectly captured and utterly pristine. The album spans songs from the band’s lifetime, including fresh recordings of live favourites ‘Oh Wow’ and ‘Newcomer’ where the trio sound unapologetically like themselves.
‘Internalise’ even has some of the Sleater-Kinney side project Wild Flag about it – chugging post-punk guitars and crystalline vocals that marry darkwave and gothic with a distinctly pop sound. It’s a brilliant statement of intent from a band who’ve perfectly bottled their live show on record — a raw, razor-sharp and powerful album.
Lost Familiar is out on Wednesday June 23 via Psychic Hysteria.
Third Space
FBi Radio and triple j regular Andy Garvey’s Pure Space label is best known for techno and electro that sounds beamed in from deep space — the kind of music that’s best listened to after everyone else has gone to bed. The label’s first release of 2021 is Pattern of Spring by Melbourne producer Third Space, the first taste of which — the B-side’s ‘Cyclical Pan Workout’ — fits the Pure Space label like a glove.
It’s described as Third Space’s “most club-focussed exploration to date”, which is easy to believe if ‘Cyclical Pan Workout’ is anything to go by. An unruly, shapeshifting IDM track with more textures than a Spotlight store, it uses a cavernous drum pattern and fluttering synth pads to evoke a deep, foggy atmosphere that’s probably best experienced amidst the smog of a club smoke machine.
Fans of Leon Vynehall’s most recent work and Objekt will find a lot to love here. Third Space brilliantly uses sound design to push the boundaries of what club music can be, and with a lot of the world still unable to experience club music directly, it can be a transportive experience to listen at home with your headphones on.
Pattern of Spring is out Friday May 28 via Pure Space.
Keen for another fun read? Check out our guide to Melbourne’s best specialty record stores.
