In the space of four minutes, Biddlewood can break your heart and make your day. They’ll prove this to you with ‘Young and Foolish’, taken from their upcoming self-titled EP.

Recently signed to youth-run record label Decibels Records and entering the studio for the first time, the band are tangibly excited: they have an undeniable, infectious energy, their sound tinged with nostalgia and soaked in sass.

With 60s-infused guitar-pop melodies, and lyrics that sound like a conversation you would enjoy overhearing on the tram, these Melbourne girls make music with a maturity and edge that belies their years.

Dual frontwomen Tali Harding-Hone and Bridget McArthur, along with drummer and vocalist Isabel Campbell-Taylor wrote their first song together in grade two. In a classic “let’s start a band” narrative, the band learnt their instruments as they went, which might explain the effortlessness of their playing: all three members play with a precision and restraint that lets their songs speak for themselves.

The songs may feel short and sweet on the surface, but there’s a sour bite to Biddlewood’s lyrics that will catch you off-guard: “Please don’t tell your friends about s*** that you’ve made up about you and me/Or at least make it easier to believe”.

Biddlewood are ready to sweetly lay down the law. Their debut EP will be released October 18 through Decibels Records as part of the 2014 Darebin Music Feast.

Biddlewood - Young And Foolish

The Black Harrys want to tell you a story. Their self-titled debut EP is an open book, a web of stories and sounds. Their songs will summon memories you didn’t know you had, as a sense of a time, a place, forms in your mind. They feel intensely personal, but as the lyrics leave gaps that elude your understanding, you begin to fill them in with your own experiences.

The fact that The Black Harrys cut their teeth on the Melbourne busking circuit feels present in the way they perform, unpretentious and relaxed, with an emphasis on connecting as performers. Recently signed to youth-run record label Decibels Records, the band were eager to get into the studio and hone a sound they were truly proud of.

There is an effortlessness to this songwriting. Without diminishing the obvious work that goes into crafting a song, there is nothing forced about The Black Harrys’ music. Despite the fact that each member is immensely confident with their instrument, nothing feels overplayed, and the songs achieve a natural balance.

As warm guitars and soaring vocals are accompanied by virtuosic rhythms, a sense of nostalgia is stirred, even if you’re hearing the song for the first time. There’s an immediacy in these songs: they feel like they appeared in the world fully formed.

The Black Harrys EP is set for release on October 18 through Decibels Records, as part of the 2014 Darebin Music Feast.

The Black Harrys - Another Day

Nobody really knows what Piqué is. Some say they were created in a lab by scientists; others insist they’re a product of alchemy, smooth saxophone and screeching guitars spun into gold. Either way, one thing is certain: they exist in a vacuum, not beholden to the laws of space and time, outside genre conventions, destroying preconceived notions of what five 18-year-old boys can achieve.
	
A humble suburban shed is the incubator in which Piqué were formed, the crystal beaker that they were poured out of. Micah Poulton-King is the driving force behind the band, a celestial cloud rapidly expanding, absorbing microcosms of influence and creating new entities from the dust. From the base materials of punk’s raw aggression and jazz’s fluid improvisation, Micah concocts an end result that sounds seamless; despite the opposed nature of the two genres, it just makes sense. An integral part of this is Piqué’s focus on collaboration: Micah surrounds himself with collaborators, each leaving their distinct mark on the band’s music. 

Lead single ‘Kitty’, like the animal it’s named after, is equal parts docile and ferocious; as the saxophone softly wraps around you, the hooks begin to dig in like claws, not letting you go until the final seconds. The efficiently powerful drumming forms the bones of the track, mapping the way for the rest of the band as they pilfer the best bits of jazz, punk and reggae like wayward teens sliding through supermarket aisles, gleefully grabbing whatever takes their fancy. 

Maybe the concept of Piqué still eludes you, and maybe that’s okay; maybe there’s a bit of Piqué in us all.

Piqué's 'Kitty' EP is set for release on October 30 through Decibels Records, as part of the 2015 Darebin Music Feast.

Piqué - Kitty

Hills Hoist don’t make "slacker pop" or "stoner rock" - it's beer pop. This is sunny backyard music, pool table or inflatable pool music, picnic rug music.
 
It's driving to your cousin's house on the coast music, late-night souvlaki music, goon sack pegged to the washing line music.
 
Maybe you heard the guitar lines over the back fence when you were a kid, because they sound like something your friend’s dad might’ve bought back in the day. But maybe this mixture is different -- the songs take turns you’re not expecting, as every so often a heart-on-sleeve lyric signals a sonic change. You’re not expecting that keyboard solo, and it hits you like sticking your hand in the esky.
 
These songs meander, then swerve unexpectedly, then take you back to where you were before, like a joyride.
 
Debut single ‘Cool Change’ is an ode to that infamous feature of the Australian summer, when it’s forty degrees and suddenly the mercury falls and it’s 20. The song mirrors this musically, but instead of the relief you might feel as you open the doors and air out the house, this cool change is a gleeful punch in the gut.
 
Lead singer and guitarist Jack and his keyboard-playing cousin Christy have been jamming together since they were kids, and you can feel it -- their instruments’ melodies intertwine in a way that feels like they’re from the same family. Along with James, Vinnie and Robbie, they look like the boy band that fired their stylist and learned their instruments, wearing each other’s hand-me-downs.

Leave the window open, and let the Cool Change drift through.

Hills Hoist's 'Westbourne Grove' EP is set for release on October 30 through Decibels Records, as part of the 2015 Darebin Music Feast.

Hills Hoist - Cool Change

Amber Jane - Again

Darebin City Council's Decibels Records is a youth-run record label in Reservoir, Victoria.

The year-long program provides opportunities for participants to gain first hand experience in the various elements of establishing and maintaining an independent record label. 

As a committee, participants work with local upcoming Darebin artists to develop and release an EP. Throughout the program, both participants and artists get the opportunity to be mentored and be exposed to networking opportunities with key industry figures. 

The annual program concludes in October each year with a label launch event held as a part of the Darebin Music Feast.

For more information please contact Decibels Youth Music Centre 
8470 8001 or email decibelsrecords@darebin.vic.gov.au

decibelsrecords

Popular tracks