DAMI IM – ‘LONELY CACTUS’

Dami Im releases her first new music for 2021, with the delightful pop overtones of ‘Lonely Cactus’ dropping today via ABC Music. It follows on from last year’s powerhouse single ‘Paper Dragon’, Dami’s first release after signing with her new label, and gives fans an exciting glimpse of what’s to come from her highly anticipated sixth studio album, confirmed for release later this year.

Written with Bri Clarke and Andrew Burford (aka One Above), ‘Lonely Cactus’ has been described as “a track with a hook that you hear once – and then spend the rest of the day with it running through your head!” Referencing her influences such as Emily Sandé, James Arthur, Benee and Julia Michaels , Dami explains “With ‘Lonely Cactus’ I wanted it to have enough production to keep it fun and interesting, but to be as minimalistic as possible and not overshadow the simplicity of the melody and the vocal textures”.

Reflecting on the inspiration behind the song, Dami says “While I was working on promoting my last single ‘Paper Dragon’, I became obsessed with cacti. I really wanted to write a song about a cactus and it started off as an idea about myself. On one hand I feel lonely and want to be around other people, and on the other hand I quickly get annoyed and prickly around people and just want to be left alone. I took the idea to our writing session and we tweaked it to mean it’s about a friend rather than myself because everyone knows someone who is that way.”

Both ‘Lonely Cactus’ and ‘Paper Dragon’ indicate the direction Dami is taking as she delves deeper and delivers sonic jewels that are somehow softer, gentler and more organic. They herald a new era for the X-Factor winner, as she draws on her pop past while demonstrating renewed creative growth.

Dami Im remains a trailblazer, a cultural icon, a shapeshifter and an artist that is completely in tune with her own pop self. She is considered ‘Eurovision Royalty’ (coming second in 2016) with her subsequent #1 global hit ‘Sound Of Silence’ charting in 38 countries. She has had four top ten albums on the ARIA chart and further hit singles with the likes of ‘Alive’, ‘Super Love’ and ‘Gladiator’. In 2019 Dami was the Women In Music Humanitarian Award winner.

Adam Harvey – Red Dirt Town

Beloved Australian country star, Adam Harvey, has released his fifteenth studio album, SONGS FROM HIGHWAY ONE, today via Sony Music Entertainment Australia.
Included on the album is the fourth single ‘Red Dirt Town’
As Adam describes it, SONGS FROM HIGHWAY ONE is about adventure, freedom and looking forward while, with a writer’s taste for nostalgia, taking the time to look through the rear-view mirror of life as well.
SONGS FROM HIGHWAY ONE marks the first time that Harvey has self-produced his own album. Recorded at The Music Cellar on the NSW Central Coast with engineer Jeff McCormack, Adam relished the role of producer on the project. “I’ve had all sorts of different producers through the years,” he recalls, “and I just thought, ‘Why don’t I have a crack at it myself?’ It’s another challenge and a whole lot more work than I actually expected. I learnt a hell of a lot too.”
The irony of timing and writing a record about the freedom of travelling was not lost on Adam. “Funnily enough, timing’s everything. I recorded an album about travelling all over Australia, and then – for a time – that’s the one thing weren’t allowed to do!”
In 2021 Adam will return to his love for being on the road, embarking on the Highway One Tour. Beginning in February 2021, Adam has put together a schedule of tour dates that add up to become the largest solo tour he has ever undertaken. Adam will perform over 40 shows across NSW, ACT, VIC, QLD and SA from February to September 2021. For Dates and Details, see below or visit adamharvey.com.au

Tayo Sound – Runaway EP

Tayo Sound is the 18-year-old rising star hailing from the UK. After a massive 2020, he is gearing up to release his debut EP Runaway.
Runaway is an incredibly substantial body of work, each track will have listeners wanting to hear the next.
Tayo takes us through this romantic narrative from his perspective. He presents his amazing and versatile alt-pop sound, alongside his vivid lyrics and his raw but mellow vocals.
The EP features all of Tayo’s 2020 singles and is track-titled; ‘Runaway’ being the third of five songs.
‘Runaway’ is an immediately boppy number with bold beats and vocals and a chorus that completely takes off.
Tayo Sound has been championed by pioneer alternative media outlets such as Pilerats, Vice UK, Dork, Clash and DIY.
To date, the previously released singles on this EP combine to 190K local streams and 4.8M global streams.
Tayo has worked fantastically at cementing himself as one to watch, and this EP is set to propel his growth even further.

Kings Of Leon – Echoing

‘Echoing’ is the third track taken from Kings Of Leon’s long awaited 8th studio album ‘When You See Yourself’, to be released March 5th.

The forthcoming 11 track album continues the band’s tradition of five syllable album titles and was Recorded at Nashville’s famed Blackbird Studios, produced by Grammy Award-winning Markus Dravs (Arcade Fire, Coldplay, Florence + the Machine)

Eskimo Joe – “99 Ways”

Australian rock royalty and 1990’s Indie icons Eskimo Joe triumphantly return to the airwaves with new music today. Their new single, “99 Ways” sees them re-energized and more formidable than ever, showcasing why they continue to dominate after 20 years of playing together.

Speaking about the inspiration for “99 Ways”, Kav Temperley says today “99 Ways is an isolation love song. I started writing this song in the first week of isolation when I was stuck in my bedroom with a bad fever, we didn’t know what it was and as I’d just returned from the states, we thought it best to isolate me from the rest of the family – luckily i had a piano in my room! Isolation is something the whole world has had to go through, and it’s been tough but sometimes you can only understand what someone else is going through if you have been through it yourself.”

“99 Ways” is the follow up track to their highly anticipated call to arms single “Say Something” released in June 2020. “Say Something” released after a 7 year hiatus is, “A song about hope and what it means to be a humanitarian. Whether we are talking about domestic violence, racism or the environment, to stay silent is to be complicit. Unless we say something, how will we build a better future?” – Kav Temperley

Say Something” became the number 1 most played song across the Triple M Network, including a classic Garage Sessions performance in WA. The band featured across various publications (Rolling Stone, News Ltd, SMH, NME, The Music, Tone Deaf/The Brag, Music Feeds) as well as interviews on TV breakfast programs: Sunrise, Today, ABC TV News Breakfast, culminating in an unforgettable performance on ABC TV’s The Sound.

“We were so lucky to be able to have put out the song “Say Something” over the lockdown period, and everyone’s response was so encouraging that we aimed to get back in a room as soon as we could and write another song. So, in august of 2020 we started writing and recording “99 Ways” in our Fremantle studio. We recorded most of the track between Studio 42 in Fremantle and Rada Studios in Perth. 99 Ways is self produced, and once again mixed by the amazing Pete Holz. This is our isolation love song.” – Kav Temperley

During Covid lockdown, the band embraced new ways to connect with their fans. Their weekly ‘Say Something Sessions’ featured a roll call of Australian rock legends including: Chris Cheney (Living End), Sarah Mcleod (The Superjesus), Ella Hooper (Killing Heidi) and Kevin Mitchell (Bob Evans, Jebediah) to name a few.

About Eskimo Joe

Since forming in 1997, Eskimo Joe have racked up a long list of impressive accomplishments. With 6 studio albums under their belts and sales in excess of 750,000, in Australia alone, the band has seen 3 of those albums debut at number 1 on the ARIA charts, with juggernaut ‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine’ shining for a monster 62 weeks in the ARIA Chart Top 50 and “Foreign Land”, from their fourth album ‘Inshalla’, bringing home 2 APRA Awards, for Most Played Rock Song on Australian radio and Best Rock Song of 2010.

Eskimo Joe have enjoyed 35 ARIA nominations in their career thus far – a number only surpassed by Silverchair, Powderfinger, Kylie Minogue and John Farnham. They have brought home 3 International Song-writing Awards, 11 WAMi Awards and 8 ARIAs and 11 of their compositions have featured in Triple J’s Hottest 100 countdown, with ‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine’ landing 2nd place. The stage however, is where Eskimo Joe shine and the band have performed at many significant events including: Sound Relief, Live Earth, Make Poverty History, the ARIA Awards, the APRA Awards, Big Day Out, Homebake, Laneway Festival, Falls Festival, Southbound, Splendour In The Grass, Triple J’s One Night Stand, The Australian Open, AFL and Sundance Film Festival in Utah, USA, on the same stage as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Along with a significant number of tours within Australia, the band have had their music released to great acclaim from fans and critics alike, in the United States, Canada, Europe and Korea.

The band began celebrations for their 21st birthday in 2018 by embarking on a national tour featuring The Sydney, Tasmanian, West Australian and Camerata – (Queensland’s Chamber) Orchestras and more recently provided a packed Optus Stadium in Perth with the pre-game entertainment before the NRL State Of Origin, plus a very special show at Freo.Social where they played Black Fingernails, Red Wine in its entirety.

With a national tour in support of the legendary Jimmy Barnes and a reunion show with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra in Kings Park at the end of 2019, along with the back catalogue vinyl re-releases (Girl, Ghosts Of The Past, Inshalla and Black Fingernails Red Wine, A Song Is A City) being released the anniversary was a great success.

Eskimo Joe released ‘Say Something’, their first new single since 2013, globally to critical acclaim on June 26th 2020. Say Something reached number 1 most played on Triple M and 11th most played song on Australian Airplay charts. Streaming now on all good platforms. “Their new single sees them refreshed and more powerful than ever, with frontman Kavyen Temperley describing the song as “a call to act with humanity, without prejudice or violence towards each other or the planet” – Rolling Stone

As their storied career continues to evolve, Eskimo Joe have certainly come a long way from their humble beginnings as much-loved indie rock kids in Fremantle, WA.

“99 Ways” is released on Friday, 12th February.

Andrew Swift – Head Full of Honey

THE FOLLOW UP TO HIS TOP 5 AIRPLAY HIT, ‘NEVER MEANT TO BREAK YOUR HEART’ & TOP 10 AIRPLAY SINGLE, ‘RIGHT ON DOWN’

Andrew Swift has gone from strength to strength since making his dive into the Australian country music scene. In 2017, he was a Toyota Starmaker Grand-Finalist; going on to release his album, ‘Call Out for the Cavalry’, which hit the #1 spot on the ARIA Australian Country Album Chart and win at the 2019 Golden Guitar Awards for Qantas New Talent of the Year & for Alt Country Album of the Year. In 2021, Andrew would go on to co-host the Golden Guitar Awards.

In 2020, Andrew signed with ABC Music and released the first single from his forthcoming new album. Never Meant To Break Your Heart, the single, went onto secure Andrew’s highest National Country Airplay chart to date – peaking at #4.

His 2nd single release, Right On Down, also climbed the charts peaking at #9 on the National Country Airplay Charts.

After a 2020 spent in and out of lockdown in his home state of Victoria, Andrew Swift has dropped his third single, Head Full of Honey. . As Andrew describes the song, “I think I channelled my awkward teenage self when writing ‘Head Full Of Honey’ with Billie-Jo Porter. There was always a girl at school or someone I’d see at the local shops that I’d develop a crush on but would never have the nerve to actually start a conversation. I did plenty of day dreaming, imagining how things would play out if we hit it off though.”

‘But I got a head full of honey

A real bad case of love drunk’

Swift is in the process of fine tuning his third album with award winning producer, Matt Fell. Album PREORDER details to come shortly with an album release in 2021. Meanwhile, with borders open, Andrew hits the road with more tour dates being added around the country.

Simon Astley – Make It

‘Make It’ – tells a story that so many of us can relate to. Relationship struggles, with an inner strength to hold on. The song is like a double ended sword, as it will appeal to so many people who have broken relationships, working on their relationships, or who are at a dark time of their lives. In 2020 we are all in a darker time of our lives than we used to be, so this song is very timely. One of the lines in the song says – “Sometimes you think that your so strong, but you just crumble when I’m around”. “Sometimes we think we are mentally strong, but really we are mentally strong!”

“We are actually stronger than we think, but we crumble sometimes because we believe we are weaker than we are”. “It’s all inside”

Love Stands True

Delilah Montagu – This Is Not A Love Song EP

London-based alt artist Delilah Montagu has released her latest EP This Is Not a Love Song.
The 6-track collection is an impressive and emotive body of work made with Robin Hannibal.
Delilah explains how “the songs on this EP are about the end of a relationship… the rawness and honesty of this EP is very exposing, and it is the most openly I have ever written about my life.”
The focus track of this EP is ‘This is Not a Love Song’. The track opens with the twinkle of an elegant harp and cuts to a calmed beat with guitar strums and Delilah’s elegant vocals.
The song outlines Delilah’s emotive standpoint on the end of a relationship, how she blames herself.
Delilah’s 2020 singles ‘Version of Me’, ‘Loud’ and ‘Us’ all feature on this EP and have more than 5.1M global streams combined.
This is Delilah’s second EP; her first being the critically acclaimed In Gold, which really worked at cementing her as a pop artist with a bit path ahead.

BIG MOUNTAIN & RASUN – TOUCH MY LIGHT (feat.Quino & Rasun)

Third week out and receiving 97,332 plays in reporting retail stores.

In the US 45,304 reported by What’s In Store January 29th weekly report.

On January 7, the “Touch My Light” video was added to Viacom CBS programming – MTV U on Dish Network , Sling TV, reaching 10 million house holds and received 25 plays for the week of January 25.

Now on over 175 FM Progressive AC / New and Old Hits format stations in

United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand & most islands surrounding Australia.

Over 12 of the major national satellite / syndicated networks have added this single into full rotation.

ONE HIT WONDER BAND IS BACK WITH A TIMELESS MEGA HIT

Just about everyone on this planet knows the mega hit “Baby I Love Your Way” by the band Big Mountain, which is the only mega hit credited to Big Mountain. This new Big Mountain single titled “Touch My Light” just takes one listen and you know that Big Mountain has hit another timeless hit radio song.

MacKenzie Porter – These Days

Singer-songwriter MacKenzie Porter is a rising Country talent whose sound knows no borders. Signed to Big Loud Records, Porter is surging now with an arsenal of new music produced by Joey Moi (Jake Owen, Morgan Wallen).

Since moving to Nashville in 2014 from her native Canada, she’s developed a radiant Country style which threads the needle between traditional heart and modern energy, often collaborating with songwriting mainstays like Nicolle Galyon, Craig Wiseman, Natalie Hemby, and Tommy English.

Her “mesmerizing vocals and hook-driven songs” (Billboard) have sparked a list of headline-worthy accolades, including multiple Canadian Country Music Award nominations – 4X Female Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Fans’ Choice – as well as a previous JUNO Award nomination for Country Album of the Year. Making her mark, Porter became the first female artist to have three back-to-back #1 singles at Canadian Country radio in 22 years with “About You” “These Days” and “Seeing Other People” in early 2020, following Shania Twain in 1998.

Porter also earned her first crossover Top 10 at Canadian pop-radio – a first since 2003 for a Canadian female country artist – with “These Days (Remix)”. She’s toured extensively on her own, sharing the stage with Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Chris Lane, Blake Shelton and Dallas Smith, and also co-starred in the Netflix series, “Travelers.”

Key Things You Need To Know About MacKenzie:

HIGHLIGHTS:

Three historic back-to-back #1’s at Country Radio (“About You”, “These Days”, “Seeing other People”).
#2 most played Canadian artist on radio overall.
1st Canadian Female in 22 years to score consecutive country #1’s since Shania Twain.
First Canadian country artist in 22 years to score cross-over Top 10 Pop radio debut (“These Days Remix”).
65 million global artist streams.
“These Days” over 37 million global streams.
“These Days” #1 most streamed Canadian Country track.
“These Days” #1 Canadian Country song on Shazam.