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Live Review: Banoffee, Stevan, Gauci: Best Songs of The Week

17 February 2020 | 10:23 am | Emma Jones

A new week means a whole new bunch of singles, and we've narrowed it down to just a few of the very best including cuts from Banoffee and Stevan!

Each week, we receive countless submissions of exciting new music, so we’ll be taking you through a weekly wrap up of all our favourite new tunes every Friday called #TrustedForTaste. For more new music and news, head to the Purple Sneakers website. Read on for new music from Luboku, Banoffee, GAUCI, BRUX, Khi'leb, E^ST and Stevan!

LUBOKU - 'Lift Off'

Rising electronic artist LUBOKU released his most ambitious project yet this week with a new EP titled Pale Blue Dot/Lift Off. Inspired by Carl Sagan's words on this "pale blue dot" we call Earth in reference to Sagan discussing a picture taken of Earth from NASA's Voyager 1 space probe, Luboku has crafted an intergalactic, dystopian space odyssey with 'Lift Off'. A master of creating small worlds within his songs, Luboku's pensive vocals pierce his slowly building soundscape into an intense, hands-up-eyes-closed moment that will have you astral projecting in no time. He's also announced a string of shows to celebrate the release, so head to his Facebook to check all the details!

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GAUCI - 'To Save A Moment'

Sydney producers GAUCI make their return this year with a brand new single titled 'To Save A Moment'. Thumping electro-pop to get your heart racing, 'To Save A Moment' is GAUCI's finest moment yet as they maintain their formative post-punk sounds while moving further into dance with deep, plunging hooks. It's nostalgic in its romantic 80s influences, but entirely forward-thinking as well, proving the creative force of the three creative minds that make up the group is stronger than ever. 'To Save A Moment' is a really exciting step forward for GAUCI, and given they've just kicked off a national tour (head here for more details), hopefully there's plenty more where this came from.

BRUX - 'Fruit'

Dark, rich, mysterious, entirely fascinating: these are all words that describe Australian producer BRUX. Having just released a new EP titled Fruit, we're gifted with another stellar cut from her with the bouncing, addictive title track taking us right to the edge. Traveling in slightly different lane than we've come to expect from BRUX, 'Fruit' is a testament to her versatility and innovation as a producer who refuses to be pegged into one sound only. With soulful vocals pleading, "Take my body to the edge" juxtaposed with the robotic "Share my body like a piece of fruit," BRUX maintains light and dark so expertly throughout the track without ever letting it become jarring or uncomfortable. In fact, its completely inviting as BRUX invites you further and further into the rabbit hole and beyond, and with music this good, you absolutely want to follow.

KHI'LEB - 'Twice'

Brisbane's Khi'leb is back with a one-two punch this week with his first cut for 2020 in 'Twice'. Another exciting lane-switch for the rising rapper, if he hadn't already put everyone on notice with his 2019 efforts, he is well and truly not playing around with 'Twice'. Sounding formidable over a fierce, booming beat, Khi'leb is perfectly at home on the mic moving between bars and singing, and showing off his many talents. Khi'leb said of the track, "'Twice' is about the things I used to do in the past that hindered me from bettering myself. I describe these things as an addiction, as I constantly repeat the lines 'I know you love it'." We love a glow up in 2020, and we sure as hell love Khi'leb in 2020 too! We can't wait to hear more.

E^ST - 'FRESH OUT OF LOVE'

For fans of King Princess or Lana Del Rey, E^ST has a treat for you this month with her new single, 'FRESH OUT OF LOVE'. Taken from her upcoming debut album and off the back of another appearance in triple J's Hottest 100 for 2019, E^ST continues her evolution as one of the country's most promising talents with a masterful, sorrowful song all about how exhausting it is to be let down in love again and again. Featuring a god damn string section, 'FRESH OUT OF LOVE' will have you slow dancing all the way through to the release of E^ST's debut album later this year.

STEVAN - 'No More Regrets'

Wollongong's STEVAN is ready to capitalise on an enormous year last year with a stellar new single out this week in 'No More Regrets'. After bursting onto the scene and really making a name for himself thanks to 'Timee' and 'LNT', 2019 was the start of something very exciting for Stevan, and with 'No More Regrets', he shows exactly why that buzz is deserved. Channeling funk, indie pop, slacker rock and more, it's a lo-fi anthem about not sweating the small stuff and we're instant fans. Stevan has a couple of live dates coming up, so if you're lucky enough to be around, we highly recommend heading along to see this one live in action!

BANOFFEE - 'Contagious'

Finally about to release her debut album after carving a name out for herself over the past few years, BANOFFEE is back with another new cut titled 'Contagious'. It's an unpredictable, enthralling take on future pop from an artist who continually evolves with each and every release, and doubles as one of her most intimate moments yet. Speaking on the release, BANOFFEE said, "The video is about loneliness and the feelings of ostracization that arise when your issues seem too much for the world to handle. It follows a woman roaming the landscape in a wedding dress, totally prepared to give herself up to something, yet completely alone and isolated by her sadness. The circles in the clip represent a safety zone, something I created for myself when I felt like I had to hide what I was going through in order to seem fit for love or friendship. I wanted the video to evoke a sense of longing and eeriness, like everyone has gone home, fed up with the things I still need and crave…" Her debut album comes out this week (!!!) so don't miss it when it drops!

Images (L-R): Stevan - @lazybonesphoto; Banoffee - Supplied; Gauci - Rik Saunders

Words by Emma Jones

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