The new album from Perth based Erasers sees the duo continue their exploration of immersive, rhythmic and mood-driven music. The record gently sits between kosmische and post-punk in that sweet spot of mellow, vibe engulfed cool.
 
Forming as a home recording project in 2009 Rebecca Orchard and Rupert Thomas released a steady flow of CD-Rs, tapes and a 7” before eventually releasing their debut full length Stem Together in 215. In 2017 the duo followed up with a tape release Fault Lines, originally recorded as a soundtrack commissioned by FBi radio’s Ears have Ears and in April 219 released a five track EP Forecast.
 
Erasers have honed and refined their live show, sharing the stage with the like of Low, Grouper, Acid Mothers Temple, Prince Rama, High Wolf and The Soft Machine as well as multiple shows with long time musical heroes My Disco, Love Of Diagrams and Pikelet. In 2017 the duo supported Methyl Ethel on their sold-out Australian tour.
 
After an extensive recording and mixing process, Erasers have released their second full length Pulse Points. Pulse Points was recorded and mixed at home on Noongar Boodja and mastered by Lawrence English (Eluvium, Ben Frost, William Basinski, Xiu Xiu).

Release: Pouring Dream/Fire Talk, July 12th, 2019
​Words: Erasers

KOKOKO! began in 2016 in Kinshasa. Electronic artist Débruit was in town working on a film soundtrack and began collaborating with Makara Bianko, a charismatic singer who performs with his dancers to electronic loops, and separately with a number of ingenious musical instrument creators and artists. They threw a spontaneous block party, and though many of them hadn’t known each other previously, the energy really clicked between Bianko, Débruit, Boms Bomolo, Dido Oweke, Love Lokombe and Bovic Mwepu (who has since passed away), and together they became the founding members of the group KOKOKO!, which is part of a wider collective of multidisciplinary artists.

Their distorted polyrhythms and spontaneous lo-fi sounds provide a chaotic soundtrack to their home country. KOKOKO! represent the antithesis of tradition, and their debut album Fongola - which translates to “the key” - is a torrid, anarchic, youthful journey smashing a new path through modern life in Africa’s third most populous city.

Life in Kinshasa is tough. Since its inception three years ago the band have lost their drummer to lung cancer, a dancer from their wider collective to electrocution, had homes destroyed by police, safety concerns at election time, visa struggles and a lucky incident with a crocodile. Their lyrics explore love, sorcery and magic, the need to take things slowly in life, greed and corruption and the importance of being heard and understood.

Without access to imported guitars and drum kits, Imitation wasn’t an option, which necessitated innovation. The resulting album is experimental electronic music, but it doesn’t fit neatly within any genre. Most of the sounds on this project can’t be replicated - sardine tins, water bottles and engine parts. What started as a financial challenge resulted in a creative advantage.

Release: Transgressive Records/Inertia, July 5th, 2019
Words: Transgressive

Bianca Blackhall was born on the tray of an unregistered ute just north of any rural post office in the country. As she lay - lungs kick-starting, body barely the size of a longneck - she already knew that there would never be anything new under the sun; it’s all been before. The cattle grazier's wallet, the old dirt and new deeds surrounding her were meaningless unless written about and sung. 
 
The songs on Bianca Blackhall’s debut EP have been nine years in the making. Embedded with the dirt and dust of the vast Australian landscape, this simmering release represents a peerless storyteller reeling triumphantly into our consciousness, heart full to bursting, gritty, determined and true.
 
biancablackhall.bandcamp.com/album/ep

Release: July 6th, 2019, Independent

Can’t Make You Love Me is a distinct and dynamic debut from a young artist with a clear vision. Produced by Tim Harvey (Teeth & Tongue, Lisa Mitchell), it also features notable performances from musician Jade Imagine on bass and guitar. The album’s creation and release has been three years in the making.

There is a vibrant youthfulness and deep maturity that underpins Bruce’s songwriting, which allows Can’t Make You Love Me to swing effortlessly between earnest introspection and cool detachment with utter sincerity. Likewise, intimate and ungraspable, Bruce’s vocals drive this album; a stirring force amidst the pulsing rhythms, echoes of Mazzy Star and Lynchian undertones. Add to this the masterful restraint in the arrangements and you have an album that is both instantly timeless and unmistakably contemporary.

Can’t Make You Love Me is an electrifying balance of tension and playfulness underpinned by a smouldering vocal performance that leaves audiences full of longing. Melbourne-based Gena Rose Bruce is one of the newest additions to the Dot Dash family and a truly exciting new voice in Australian indie music.

Release: Dot Dash/Remote Control, June 28th, 2019
Words: Dot Dash