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Live Review: Lastlings, Dream Wife, Cry Club: Best Songs of The Week

13 March 2020 | 9:48 am | Emma Jones

Ten fresh new tunes from this week you need in your life including tracks from Dream Wife, Lastlings, Yves Tumor, Cry Club and more!

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 Cry Club, Dream Wife, Pat Lok ft Thandi Phoenix, Tasman Keith, Grievous Bodily Calm, Kota Banks, REMI, Yves Tumor, GUM and Lastlings.

CRY CLUB - Obvious

Breakout duo CRY CLUB continue their winning streak with the release of new single, 'Obvious'. Another one-two punch of indie-electro with pop vocals, 'Obvious' is yet another example of why Cry Club are one of the most exciting acts in the country right now. Guaranteed to get stuck in your head (we're not complaining though!), it's all about trying to let go, even if just for a little while. One half of the duo, Heather Riley, said of the new single, “Sometimes, there are problems you just can’t solve, and all you can do is go out and try to forget all the things you can’t control. Obviously there are better ways to deal with stuff, but this song definitely came from a place of living in the moment and recognising that most people have the same worries about the world that you do. So, just grit your teeth, down another glass of wine, and let go for 3 and a half minutes!” We'll dance to that, Cry Club!

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DREAM WIFE - Sports!

After the success of their 2018 album, Dream Wife are back! 'Sports!' is the first cab off the rank of their new material, and it's equal part absurd and badass. Inspired by the band playing over 200 shows throughout 2018, forgetting how to sit still and turning to sports to expel some energy, 'Sports!' is a playful and wild ride. The band said of their new single and accompanying self-directed and self-produced video, "The video simultaneously plays with and celebrates 'sports' through multiple levels of reality and non-reality; exploring the nonsense of sports, toying with the seriousness of competition and the rigidity of rules while also asserting how important it is to be in your body, the joy of being in a team, the purpose in doing something for the sake of doing it, the endorphins and the sweat. Playing sports is great if that's for you but there are so many other ways to be physical, to be with your body. For us, more often than not, it’s the rock show. Rock n roll is an extreme sport and we're a team.” Taken from their forthcoming new album, So When You Gonna..., we can already tell this year Dream Wife is going to rule!

PAT LOK - Freefall Ft Thandi Phoenix

Following the successful release of his Corazón EP last summer, multi-talented artist and producer Pat Lok makes his return to the dancefloor this week. Teaming up with the amazing Thandi Phoenix for added vocals, his latest release is titled 'Freefall' and effortlessly showcases his penchant for RnB, soul and disco house as he infuses these into a all-killer, no-filler three and a half minutes. The pairing with Phoenix is a formidable one, with both artist sharing the spotlight: Lok providing a bed of shifting rhythms and a steady groove for Thandi's voice to really soar above. Lok said of the single, "When we first wrote 'Freefall' it started on a different vibe, Thandi and I were feeling a slower, almost dancehall type track." Taken from his forthcoming EP, Gone Is Yesterday coming out on globally renowned label Kitsune, 'Freefall' looks set to be the start of another big year for Pat Lok!

TASMAN KEITH - Nightmares on 9th.

Coming hot on the heels of his biggest year yet, Tasman Keith makes his first move of 2020 with the eerie new single, 'Nightmares On 9th'. Out on his own record label, Mission Famous Music, Keith effortlessly switches between his signature electrifying flow and a menacing slower pace, keeping you on your toes as he guides you down the meandering path of the woozy beat. His refusal to be pigeonholed is something that has remained consistent throughout his music, and is once again on display here as he once again shakes things up. Of the track itself, Tasman said, "Nightmares On 9th. represents the 9th hour that you wake and realise that everything that seems to be a bad dream is real. I wanted it to be like a classic horror film, a concept that relies heavily on things that do really happen. Things that I’ve personally experienced, and things I know the listeners can relate to..." Set to once again be a big year for the rising rapper, 2020 looks bright for Tasman Keith.

GRIEVOUS BODILY CALM - Sync Step

Perth-based instrumental/jazz band Grievous Bodily Calm have released a single this week that is unlike anything you've probably heard before. Titled 'Sync Step', it's a three-minute trip down the rabbit hole, complete with spacey synths, an undeniable groove, an electric melody and a skittering beat. Sitting somewhere between The Avalanches and Flying Lotus, Grievous Bodily Calm have set themselves up as one of  Australia’s most exciting and forward-thinking musical outfits, and 'Sync Step' only proves that further. The band said of their single, "You know what they say- when the air con breaks, you take the lan party outside. Set in the geometric pastures of the Wheatbelt Castle series, GBC’s new track comes to life, spinning a modern fable of hedonistic excess, grace, and revelation."

KOTA BANKS - Italiana

Any song that says "Shut up and give me pasta" is absolutely going to be one of the best songs of the week. Italian queen Kota Banks returns with another wide-arm embrace of her heritage on her new single, 'Italiana'. Over a signature forward thinking almost trap beat that samples a god damn accordion, Banks flexes her vocal chops in between rapping about different pasta types and confirming that there's "nothing some eggs and flour can't fix." It's dripping in Banks' trademark sass while also employing her pop sensibilities to create a swagged out anthem for coming home to nonna's every afternoon, but on deeper listen, it's all about owning who you are and if people don't get it, that's on them. We simply have no choice but to stan.

REMI - Get It Right (Ft. Jace Excell)

Taken from a AA side out today, REMI are back in a big way with 'Get It Right'. A beautifully soulful release, 'Get It Right' features the impeccable vocals of Jace Excell in between Remi's undeniable flows, with both riding the funk-driven production courtesy of Sensible J. Alongside the second half of the AA side, 'Elevate', 'Get It Right' is a sneak peek at REMI's forthcoming new album, Fried, which is a tribute to the eight years of friendship, trust and magic between the duo. Remi said of the song, "This song is the last song on our album. It’s a reflection. On our desires, our drive, our fear and our insecurities. The journey of maintaining inner strength and working tirelessly until you get it right. Jace captured this so perfectly you probably didn’t even need to hear from me and as per usual it was an honour working with him. Sensible J once again on production with a little help from Silent Jay on the sax.”

YVES TUMOUR - Kerosene!

Giving us another exciting sneak peek at their forthcoming album, Heaven To A Tortured MindYves Tumor is back with another new single this week. Titled 'Kerosene!', this latest single sees Yves Tumor team up with Diana Gordon for added vocals and is a five-minute sonic odyssey that hears both artists give their all over blistering guitars, thrashy drums and plenty of freakout moments. Channeling 90s grunge just as much as they're channeling Prince or Bowie, Yves Tumor continues to prove why they are at the forefront of genre-bending in 2020, and 'Kerosene!' sets up Heaven To A Tortured Mind as one of the year's most anticipated releases. Always one to defy expectations and conventions, Yves Tumor have done exactly that with this latest release. 'Kerosene!' will have you coming back again and again for more as you try to unravel everything that's jam-packed into the song, and every listen reveals something new. That's what makes it so damn good.

GUM - Out In The World

GUM aka Jay Watson is back with his first new material since the release of his 2018 album, The Underdog. Titled 'Out In The World', the Tame Impala/Pond multi-instrumentalist returns to his pop roots with this latest release, but with a darker edge. All about the all-too-relatable feeling of wanting to disappear after something goes wrong, Watson maintains his lo-fi/DIY indie grit and flexes his vocal chops with a soaring hook. The song is being released via Spinning Top/Caroline as a limited edition 7” vinyl paired with a cover of It’s A Sad World by Ballroom. Speaking of the new single, Watson said, "'Out In the World' is about wanting to give up and never talk to anyone ever again after something goes wrong. Some people have that feeling all the time - it’s crippling and isolating. It sounds like light coming through half-shut blinds. It’s not possible for all, but for me, I force myself to go out again, or get on stage, or do whatever it is I have to do to keep moving on."

LASTLINGS - Take My Hand

Along with the news that they've recently inked a deal with Liberation Records, Australian-Japanese duo LASTLINGS are back with a stellar new single titled 'Take My Hand'. Continuing to to gain global notoriety as an act to watch, siblings Amy and Josh Dowdle are set to double down in 2020 after their biggest year yet in 2019 which saw them truly breakout and make their mark, and 'Take My Hand' is exactly the song to do this. Encompassing a multitude of different genres, 'Take My Hand' is a driving, darkly-tinged exploration in new territory for Lastlings that sees them maintain their impeccable knack for solid pop songwriting. Amy's vocals are intoxicating in how effortlessly they glide over the racing, futuristic beats. Speaking of the new single, Lastlings said, "'Take My Hand' is about two people who are unprepared to let go of each other. They both care about each other deeply, but have to go their separate ways. We took inspiration for this song from one of our favourite anime's, 'Your Name' by Makoto Shinkai".

Words by Emma Jones

Images (L-R): Lastlings via Facebook; Dream Wife via YouTube; Cry Club by Giulia McGauran

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