Australian Gothic

Different Noises 142

A stunning collection of new releases is dominated by music from Melbourne tracking the importance of music from that city. This collection is notable for its stylistic range, seamlessly bridging the gap between historical post-punk and avant-garde contemporary compositions. It covers a wide area, from raw, archival energy and gritty, guitar-driven storytelling to atmospheric folk-electronica. By weaving together iconic voices with idiosyncratic experimentalism, the set serves as a sophisticated exploration of music as an evolving dialogue between tradition and subversion.

AUDIO

PLAYLIST

• Harry Howard David McClymont - Mirrors and Smoke - Blistersticks ¹

• Young Charlatans - Broken Hands - 1978 ²

• Fancy Weapon - Squid - Squid ³

• Hedge Burners - Fall Out Of The Future - Fall Out Of The Future ⁴

• The Jack Rubies - Greedy - Visions In The Bowling Alley ⁵

• The Veldt - Black Girl - Black Girl ⁶

• The Dambuilders - I Hope We’re Not Too Late - Shrine 2026 ⁷

• Strawberry Alarm Clock - Blow Your Mind - Blow Your Mind ⁸

• Joan As Police Woman - Flushed Chest (Real Live Evolution Version) - The Ride / Flushed Chest ⁹

• The Taps Of The Holy Trinity - Slow Ghosts - Slow Ghosts ¹⁰

• Beaker - 50 Men - 50 Men ¹¹

• Nina Simone - Four Women (DESIREE Remix) - Four Women (DESIREE Remix) ¹²

• Bonnie Whiting - Violent Passion - Through The Eye(s) ¹³

• Abby Fisher - Continuous Interior , I. Flickering, light - Continuous Interior ¹⁴

• Galan Trio - The Odessa Trio II - Kinesis Vol 3 ¹⁵

• Strange Fruit - Drips - Drips ¹⁶

• Black Reverie - When The Reverb Ends - When The Reverb Ends ¹⁷

• Freddie King - The Danger Zone - Feeling Alright: The Complete 1975 Nancy Jazz Pulsation Concerts ¹⁸

• Ramblin’ Ricky Tate - July June Bug - The Magnolia Sessions ¹⁹

• Bosko Baker - The Riddle Song - The Magnolia Sessions ²⁰

• The Go-Betweens - Clouds - G Stands For Go-Betweens: The Go-Betweens Anthology - Volume 3 ²¹

• Dubmatix - Senseless Killing Dub (ft Freddie McGregor) - Atomic Subsonic ²²

• Peanus - Matt 67, Ball Face, Sexual Baptist - Peanus EP ²³

• Moff Skellington - Keff, My Baggy Overture, Salvaged - Dawn Ablutions ²⁴

• Asteroid Ekosystem - Catch Breath, Off Axis - Sounds Have Dreams ²⁵

• Agent Starling - The Big Top, Procession - Surrealista Enigma Musica ²⁶

• The Dream Syndicate - Still Holding On to You (Live at Club Lingerie, Los Angeles, 1983) - Live Through The Past, Darkly ²⁷

• Hugo Race Fatalists - I Collide - I Made It All Up For You ²⁸

NOTES

1. Harry Howard (ex-These Immortal Souls, Crime & the City Solution) and David McClymont (ex-Orange Juice) are Melbourne-based collaborators. Their 2025 album Under the World and the 2026 project Blistersticks represent a meeting of Glasgow’s post-punk heritage and Melbourne’s “Australian Gothic” scene. The collaboration was produced in Melbourne, blending McClymont’s atmospheric, rhythmic backing tracks with Howard’s distinctive lyrical delivery.

2. The Young Charlatans were a pivotal but short-lived force in the 1978 Melbourne post-punk scene, consisting of Rowland S. Howard, Ollie Olsen, Jeffrey Wegener, and Janine Hall. Although the group disbanded after only six months and roughly thirteen gigs, their studio and live output has finally been officially compiled on the album 1978, released via Eminent Vinyl. The record features 13 tracks, including the definitive demo of “Broken Hands”, a song that showcases the band’s signature blend of dissonant, interlocking guitars and bleak lyrical themes. This archival release serves as the primary document of the Young Charlatans’ role in bridging raw punk with the more experimental “Australian Gothic” sound.

3. **Fancy Weapon** is a Melbourne-based supergroup featuring a line-up of prominent Australian and international indie rock veterans: Mick Turner (Dirty Three, Venom P Stinger), Joel Silbersher (GOD, Hoss), Claire Birchall (Paper Planes, Smoked Salmon), and Guy Maddison (Mudhoney, Lubricated Goat). Their debut single, **”Squid”**, was released on 1 April 2026, serving as the lead track for their self-titled debut album scheduled for release on 19 June 2026 via Poison City Records. The track, which features lead vocals by Birchall, highlights the band’s “minimalist, incandescent guitar-heavy” sound.

4. The Hedge Burners are a Melbourne and Rye-based collective whose debut album, Fall Out Of The Future, was released on 19 March 2026 via Legless Records. The group features Steph Hughes (Dick Diver, Boomgates) on vocals and bass, Arron Mawson (Split System) Jackson Allen on guitars, and Shaun Gionis (Stiff Richards) on drums. The title track serves as the album’s centrepiece, capturing the band’s self-described blend of “rock ‘n’ roll, country, and punk.” The project is noted for its “ramshackle” but melodic sound, often drawing comparisons to the “dolewave” aesthetic while incorporating a more expansive, coastal atmospheric influence influenced by the band’s time spent in Rye.

5. Visions In The Bowling Alley is the fourth studio album by the London-based post-punk band The Jack Rubies . Reunited with their original 1980s lineup—Ian Wright, SD Ineson, Steve Brockway, Lawrence Giltnane, and Peter Maxted—the band follows up their 2024 comeback Clocks Are Out Of Time with a record that bridges their C86 roots and “noir-pop” sensibilities. The lead track, “Greedy” sets the tone with wiry, jittery guitar work and Ian Wright’s signature dry, observational delivery.

6. The Veldt released the single “Black Girl” on 1 April 2026 as the lead track for their tour-only EP, Spanakopita. Led by identical twins Daniel and Danny Chavis, the North Carolina-born pioneers of “soul-gaze” recorded the track as a thematic tribute to the 1972 film Black Girl directed by Ossie Davis.

7. The Dambuilders re-emerged from a three-decade hiatus with the release of the single Shrine 2026 on 1 April 2026 via Magic Door Record Label. The A-side is a revitalised version of their 1994 alternative hit “Shrine” (originally from the album Encendedor), paired with the B-side ”I Hope We’re Not Too Late”, a new track written by the current lineup. This reformed version of the band features original members Dave Derby and Kevin March alongside Sean Eden (Luna) on guitar and Claudia Chopek (Dexys, Father John Misty) on violin. .

8. Strawberry Alarm Clock returned to the recording studio for the first time in over a decade to release this isnlge on 19 December 2025 via Big Stir Records. Written by original keyboardist Mark Stephen Weitz and produced by Steve Bartek, the track serves as the lead single for their 2026 neo-psychedelic album, Where’s One?—the band’s first collection of all-new original material since the 1960s. The current line-up features five original members, including George Bunnell and Randy Seol, maintaining the swirling organ textures and complex vocal harmonies that defined their 1967 hit “Incense and Peppermints.”

9. Joan As Police Woman released the digital single “The Ride / Flushed Chest” on 31 March 2026 via Reveal Records, featuring reimagined studio versions of two tracks from her 2006 debut album, Real Life. These recordings, including the “Flushed Chest (Real Life Evolution Version)”, serve as the lead singles for the upcoming full-length album Real Life Evolution, scheduled for release on 12 June 2026. This project marks the 20th anniversary of her debut, presenting “seismic” new arrangements developed over two decades of live performance.

10. The Taps of the Holy Trinity is a Melbourne-based experimental ensemble formed by musicians Arthur Karanikas (BBQ Haque, Fraudband) and Michael Plater (The Northern Lighthouse Board, Ghosts of Electricity). Their single Slow Ghosts is a central track from their debut album, Customs & Rituals of The Taps of the Holy Trinity, released in early 2026. The group’s sound is defined by a blend of Mediterranean folk influences—utilising instruments like the tzoura, zurna, and lauto—and hypnotic, psychedelic post-punk drones. The lineup includes Dee Hannan (Xylouris Ensemble), Dave Bullock, and Danny Martinov, creating a sonic identity that bridges the traditional folk styles of their Greek heritage with the dark, atmospheric energy of the Melbourne underground.

11. Reforming after a twenty-seven-year hiatus, the legendary late-90s Oxford indie quartet Beaker returns with this fierce and atmospheric single. The track is a powerful tribute to Gisèle Pelicot, whose defiance against sexual violence inspired the song’s central theme that “shame should change sides.” Original members Sam Batlle, Teresa Ward, and Clare Howard-Saunders were reunited by the tragic 2023 death of founding bassist Kim Parsons. Now joined by Hayley Wright and Emma Hunter, the band’s resurgence is further explored in the April 2026 Radio 4documentary Band of Mothers, cementing their return as a vital, current voice in the independent music scene.

12. Verve Remixed continues its Year of Nina celebration with its second instalment: “Four Women – DESIREE Remix.” For this new remix, she reimagines one of Nina Simone’s most powerful recordings, “Four Women.” Originally released in 1966, the track journeys through layered narratives of Black womanhood, illuminating the intersections of race, gender, class, and colorism during the Civil Rights era. A socially conscious and engaged artist, she uses her voice to raise awareness around diversity. She is driven by a deep yearning to dig for electronica in its many forms, is constantly channelling her broad knowledge and passion into unforgettable performances.

13. Bonnie Whiting performs, improvises, and creates new music for percussion, exploring intersections of storytelling and experimental music. Her work integrates text, movement, and technology. Her recent projects include collaborations with the National Symphony Orchestra and performances on the Harry Partch instruments. She teaches at the University of Washington. The music of composer Eliza Brown has been described as “delicate, haunting, [and] introspective” by Symphony Magazine.

14. With Continuous Interior, Abby Fisher unveils a solo album that reimagines percussion and electronics. The album includes two immersive works that explore scale, space, and perception. The title track – the evocative Continuous Interior by New York composer Robert Honstein – draws inspiration from the modern experience of limitless, bounded spaces – shopping malls, airport terminals, vast warehouses – and translates that feeling into waves of resonant sound, where vibraphone tones sparkle above neon, quasi-techno synth textures.

15. If 3 is the perfect number, Galan Trio’s third instalment in their series dedicated to the American piano trio hits the jackpot. Following the critical success of the first two volumes, which explored works from the easterly states, Kinesis: Volume 3 expands the project’s acoustic horizons by incorporating electronics for the first time, all while remaining true to the series’ guiding principle: dynamic motion.

16. Indonesian electro-bliss outfit Strange Fruit presents their new ‘Drips’ EP, a lucid trip to the edge of sonic consciousness, released by Gentle Tuesday Recordings. A defining moment in the band’s evolution, this release unifies fragments of their kosmische experimentation over the past 11 years to achieve a more cohesive sonic identity.

17. ‘When the Reverb Ends’ introduces the sound of Black Reverie — the new project by Sebastian Lugli (Rev Rev Rev): a psychedelic collective that fuses the darkness of fuzz with the kaleidoscope of reverb, bringing together members of Desert Ships and We Melt Chocolate, with contributions from The Stargazer Lilies.

18. A Record Store Day release. 3-LP set featuring the blues legend Freddie King live before more than 50,000 fans in October 1975, the final full year of his life. Joining King are organist Alvin Hemphill, guitarist Ed Lively, pianist Lewis Stephens, bassist Benny Turner and drummer Calep Emphrey.

19. Tate is a folk and country singer from Birmingham, Alabama who weaves age-old melodies into modern tales of heartache and spiritual struggles. He cut his teeth busking and playing on the streets of New Orleans and all over the country before starting a jug band and touring far and wide preserving pre-war tunes and writing music in the style of those who came before. Over the years, his solo music has evolved into everything from devilish tales to country storytelling, becoming truly his own.

20. Baker is a roots musician, blending American music — country blues, ragtime, folk, swing — into what he calls “street swing” or “bozo blues.” Drawing inspiration from legends like Doc Watson, Merle Travis, Big Bill Broonzy, Blind Blake, Jimmie Rodgers, and Mississippi John Hurt, his music combines raw energy with timeless tradition. The result is an infectious mix of blues, swing, and folk that speaks to the heart of American roots music.

21. This particular version was originally released as a B-side on the “Caroline and I” CD single in 2003. It was recorded live at the Barfly in London on 14 October 2002.

22. The track is a standout piece of modern roots reggae from the 2006 album Atomic Subsonic. It combines McGregor’s soulful, conscious vocals with Jesse King’s signature high-fidelity production, characterised by cavernous reverb, infra-bass frequencies, and hypnotic, driving rhythms. While the original version provides a strong lyrical message, the “Dub” version expertly deconstructs the arrangement to focus on the interplay between the skeletal rhythm section and echoing vocal fragments.

23. Peanus makes their debut on Metal Postcard Records with 3 tracks of ribald, no-fi anti-folk.On the first two tracks (”Matt 67” and “Ball Face”), Matt Nauseous (Occult Character, Neon Crabs, Legless Crabs, Legless Trials, etc.) is joined by Arizona based sub-underground legend Lame Impala on guitar, backing vox, and production. The final track, Sexual Baptist, is a primitive psych-blues ripper with Nauseous’ barking accompanied by Portland’s Lance Freely (Fantasy Creeps) on guitar.

24. Moff 96th album is best explained by the man himself “These recordings were a consequence of my renewed taste for the lovely sound textures of lo-fi. that noisy, unhygienic fug that seems equivalent to the work of my favourite painters: Dubuffet & Soutine.* ( hip, hip.. ) Lo-fi conveys a mood you can smell. I’d been listening to a podcast about The Premonitions Bureau, a forum hosted by The London Evening Standard in 1967, into which people gifted with precognition could write with their portents. The setting up of the bureau was prompted by the aftermath of the Aberfan disaster in which a number of individuals spoke out about the dark dreams and forebodings they had experienced prior to the tragedy. The Aberfan story is so powerfully haunting, I find, that it can stir up personal ghosts quite unconnected with its own narrative. My childhood recollections of the 1960’s in the midlands and the North of England are full of darkness, mystery and contradiction. My Dad told me about Aberfan in 1974, when I was ten. An immediate set of impressions took root in my mind, adding a pungent and infectious detail to my largely sunny memory map of the previous decade. Anyroad, suffice to say, memory plays a big part in this collection. A collection which obliquely reflects times past and is seasoned with a documentary helping of dream physics. Come and have a sniff.” * Soutine is there in Keith Levene’s guitar work on Metal Box. Three track are featured.

25. “Catch Breath” and “Off Axis” are atmospheric highlights from the album Sounds Have Dreams by the electronic project Asteroid Ekosystem. The tracks represent a sophisticated blend of contemporary jazz textures and ambient electronic production, characterized by fluid improvisations and layered synth soundscapes. While “Catch Breath” leans into a more meditative, rhythmic suspension, “Off Axis” explores intricate, syncopated patterns that showcase the group’s technical precision and ability to balance organic instrumentation with digital processing.

26. “The Big Top” and “Procession” are highlights from the album Surrealista Enigma Musica by Agent Starling, a project that blends hurdy-gurdy melodies with modern electronic production. These tracks showcase the duo’s ability to create “ethno-gothic” soundscapes, where traditional folk instruments are layered over pulsating beats and ambient synth textures. “The Big Top” evokes a dark, cinematic circus atmosphere through its swirling, hypnotic drones, while “Procession” leans into a more rhythmic, ceremonial feel that highlights the intricate ornamentation of the hurdy-gurdy.

27. “Still Holding On to You” is a raw, emotive highlight from the live anthology Live Through The Past, Darkly, capturing The Dream Syndicate at the height of their early “Paisley Underground” influence. Recorded at Club Lingerie in 1983, this performance showcases the band’s signature blend of Velvet Underground-inspired textures and gritty, feedback-drenched rock. The track is notable for Steve Wynn’s vulnerable vocal delivery and the intense, escalating guitar interplay that defines the band’s live reputation.

28. A brooding, cinematic centrepiece from the album . The track exemplifies Race’s “industrial trance blues” aesthetic, features a steady, hypnotic pulse, and his signature gravelly baritone. Lyrically, the song explores themes of collision and destiny, delivered with a dark, folk-noir intensity that has become the hallmark of his work with the Fatalists.