Revered for his piercing observational lyricism and thrilling live performances, Skyscraper Stan has once again capitalised on his chemistry with long time touring band the Commission Flats and engineer / producer Richard Stolz (Paul Kelly, HUSKY) to put together a crowd-funded, rollercoaster ride of a record at Woodstock Studios in Balaclava.

Golden Boy (released through Heart of the Rat Records) is tender, angry, introspective and political over the course of its 10 tracks. Split into two, 5 track volumes, Vol. I is aggressive and character driven - exploring stories from outside the songwriters own life. Vol. 2 is autobiographical - anger making way for more gentle introspection. Stan's first full length LP as a whole first tackles themes of privilege, masculinity, crime and ambition before moving into a more personal exploration of lessons learned (or not).

Driven by Stan’s intricate lyrics and underpinned by the dynamic Commission Flats, Golden Boy flies between such disparate influences as Stax era soul, Melbourne post-punk, Tin-pan Alley songwriters and rambling folk tales - a menagerie of mismatched musical muses coalescing into something unique, melodic and unexpected.

Release: June 14th, 2019, Heart Of The Rat Records
Words: Heart Of The Rat / Penney & Logan

Boston-based trio Palehound have released their acclaimed third album Black Friday on Remote Control Records.
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Receiving accolades spanning NPR, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, FADER, Stereogum, Jezebe, Paste Magazine, AV Club, FLOOD Magazine, prolific singer/songwriter Ellen Kempner’s third full-length is a finespun exploration of all the forms that love can take: love between friends, love for people no longer in your life, love in the face of self-hate, love that endures through major life changes or through many tiny catastrophes. Black Friday touches on gender, body empowerment & self acceptance, showcasing Kempner’s thoughtful narrative voice and lyrical finesse throughout.

Palehound examine the intricacies of friendship and partnership all throughout Black Friday, handling the subject with a level of attention rarely found in pop songs. Building off the emotional complexity of its predecessor, Palehound hope that the album might help others to work through their own troubles in life and love of all kinds. Co-produced by Kempner and Gabe Wax (Beirut, Soccer Mommy), she and her bandmates Jesse Weiss (drums) and Larz Brogan (bass) recorded at Panoramic House in Stinson Beach, California, tracking most of the songs live and breathing a new vitality into Palehound’s legacy.

Release: June 7th, 2019, Remote Control Records
​Words: Remote Control

The debut album from C O S T U M E explores transformation and becoming. Adam Ouston explores the various ways of being in the world in a collection of songs that explore following desire and losing innocence, not in a way that is regretful, but rather redemptive.
 
Following ten years at the front of new wave darlings All Fires The Fire, Ouston has forged a new path with his orchestral-infused, electronic art-pop solo project C O S T U M E. Commissioned by DarkLab and recorded in October 2018 in Reykjavik at the iconic Greenhouse Studios (Björk, Sigur Rós, The xx, Kanye West), the album was produced by Ouston himself and mastered by Greenhouse founder, composer Valgeir Sigurðsson (Björk, Anohni, Múm, Oneohtrix Point Never).

C O S T U M E’s debut live performance will be at this year’s Dark Mofo festival on June 12th at The Odeon.

​Release: May 17th, 2019, Independent