Hello July, here so soon? Let’s recap June for Depth Mag!
Firstly our team has never felt so solid as it does now, with myself and Josh Hockey writing (with newcomer Jack Walsh dipping a toe in every now and then!), and Rowan Donohue, Liam Davidson, and Albert Lamontagne all excelling from behind the camera and in the zone of editing. I’m proud of this tight-knit team that makes Depth happen, with a consistent eye on quality and constantly honing our craft.
When it comes down to it, we’re just a bunch of music loving dorks, really. Here’s a low qual photo of us (obviously not snapped by one of our photographers!), minus Rowan in Brisbane. We’ll get a proper photo together one day..
(Josh Hockey, Kel Burch, Albert Lamontagne, and Liam Davidson @ Cherry Bar.)
Women In Music
Our Women In Music series continued in June, giving women in the music industry an opportunity to share their personal experiences. It’s been fantastic to receive positive feedback on this series relating to it being a really open and honest experience of sharing, as opposed to pieces to bait confrontation or driven by gaining hits/clicks. The question of ‘What’s it really like for a woman in music?’ is one that I felt was valid of exploration, and I’m glad that the series has highlighted a number of perspectives, and shared inspiration or ideas on navigating a passion for music without barriers.
This month we heard from:
- Steffanie Adele – frontwoman of Caged Existence
- Bree Wallace – live music photographer
- Stephanie Briffa – frontwoman of Red Lotus
- Alex Reade – frontwoman of Drown This City
- Bri Marsh – frontwoman of Future Static
- Andrea Skoumbri – guitarist of The Beautiful Monument
You can get the full conversation so far via the Women In Music tag.
(Tapestry on tour)
Interviews
June was surprisingly HUGE for interviews for us! As well as the above conversations, we had the pleasure of speaking with some intimidatingly creative souls:
Kieran Ellis-Jones, the creator of the kickass music videos you see with the Crystal Arrow Films branding, about his seeming Midas touch of the video kind: http://www.depthmag.com/kez-ellis-jones/
Patrick Miranda, the frontman of Movements, about the band’s upcoming tour of Australia and how crazily successful Feel Something has been for the band: http://www.depthmag.com/movements-interview-2018/
Manuel Gagneux, the brainchild behind Zeal & Ardor, about satanic belief, and the ‘set dressing’ he designed with the songs of Stranger Fruit: http://www.depthmag.com/zeal-ardor-interview/
Tom Devine-Harrison of Tapestry, about the band’s huge journey from Darwin to join in on Polaris‘ tour for The Mortal Coil: http://www.depthmag.com/tapestry-tour/
David De La Hoz, the frontman of Belle Haven, about the upcoming celebratory tour for You, Me and Everything in Between, and the breather the band will be taking: http://www.depthmag.com/belle-haven-interview/
Tom Weaver, the frontman of Casey, about SO MUCH. Possibly the longest article ever on Depth, this interview touched on the upcoming tour, inspiration behind Where I Go When I Am Sleeping, words and language, as well as the roots of the band and Tom himself: http://www.depthmag.com/casey/
Shows
Live music is unbeatable, and we had the pleasure of seeing some breathtakingly incredible shows in June (I’m still wondering if that Slowly Slowly experience was real or a dream..).
Antagonist A.D
The hardcore band’s shows at Bendigo Hotel in Melbourne and Burdekin Hotel in Sydney heralded the official return of the band, and it was as satisfyingly momentous as that sounds. The Depth crew of photogs couldn’t make the show in Melbourne, so Ivan Souriyavong kindly helped us out by capturing it in Sydney; braving the crush of the hardcore ‘party’ that was going down at these gigs. I just tried to put it all into words. Full gig review: http://www.depthmag.com/antagonist-ad-bendigo-hotel/
In Hearts Wake
In Hearts Wake celebrated the importance of having live music accessible to everyone with a short tour of all ages shows. Josh danced to Thornhill and gushed profusely over In Hearts Wake at Arrow on Swanston and Rowan captured the visuals from Brisbane. Full show review: http://www.depthmag.com/in-hearts-wake-aaa/
Slowly Slowly
Sharing the tracks of the recently released St. Leonards with us, Slowly Slowly’s live show felt as intimate and emotionally wow-ing as I’d hoped it would be. The Melbourne band are definitely something specia, and the show was hands down one of the best live performances of the year for me so far. I tried to put this waking dream into words, and Louie Mosscrop thankfully helped us out at the Corner Hotel when Liam was unwell: http://www.depthmag.com/slowly-slowly-st-leonards-tour/
Better Half
Better Half’s long-awaited EP Maybe I Was Wrong got one hell of a welcoming at its launch party at Cherry Bar. There was a lot of love in the room for the Melbourne band, and we were there to experience it. I reviewed the show and Albert Lamontagne captured it visually: http://www.depthmag.com/better-half-ep-launch/
New Music
The new music of June seemed to feature a majority of great tracks from bands that we haven’t heard from for awhile. For example, June saw the return of Alpha Wolf from their hiatus, as well as new music from Silent Planet, The Amity Affliction, and Boston Manor. Here’s the full list:
Vermont – Breathe: “The out-of-body observations of people in his life and his scramble to find what he needs is brilliantly captured musically and visually.”
The Fever 333 – Trigger: “The vocals of Jason Butler are something to behold, as he shifts between screaming, yelling, and singing with flawless composure.”
Meg Myers – Numb: ““Numb” attracted our attention from the track’s introduction with its dreamy riff and beckoning piano melody.”
Sleep Token – Jaws: “With a drum build-up, the track flies into a weightier territory where substantial riffs paint the landscape.”
Black Peaks – Home: “The raw vocal focus of “Home”‘s introduction is captivating, with guitars so heavy, they feel like they could be in mourning.”
Real Friends – From The Outside: ““From The Outside” comes off as an upbeat song at first; featuring the tone and instrumentals of what would normally be a much happier track. Yet on closer listen, it’s a very personal song looking at the depths of Dan’s mental state.”
Hindsight – The Frozone Layer: “It’s a pleasure to get swept into the warm layers of guitar at the second verse, punctuated by a cheeky ‘Woo!’, and expressed by easy rhymes that wouldn’t be out of place in an adult Dr Seuss book.”
Alpha Wolf – Black Mamba: “We’re drawn into the rabbit hole and sound collisions and raw vocals are part of the scene as we forge ahead with defenses prepared.”
Stay Outside – All The Way Down: “The dark and brooding vibes have been replaced by bright colours and a bit of silliness; all while keeping a really authentic core.”
Hurst – Purple and Green: “The classic alt-rock instrumentation really helps to belt out a few bars before heading into the office. The thumping of the bass guitar and the punching snares are exceptionally uprooting.”
Silent Planet – Northern Fires (Guernica): “Thrust side-to-side by erratic rhythms, overwhelming waves of bending guitar riffs, and a looming backing blanket of sound, we know our time is nearly up.”
Advocates – Detachment: “The china cymbal echoes through the background, making the instrumentals seem like something from a dream.”
Boston Manor – Halo: “Stronger beats and weightier guitars kick in and you sink into the music; surrounded by flashing colours and lights in your mind, all blinking and changing in perfect unison with the powerful snare drum hits.”
As It Is – The Stigma (Boys Don’t Cry): “Emotive in the sense of uniting men with acceptance and empathy, and rebellious in its sarcastic takes as to how you’ve got to ‘keep it together until the day you die’, the song and video for “The Stigma” take the inane concept of emotionless masculinity as far as it’ll creatively go.”
The Amity Affliction – Ivy (Doomsday): “We’re taken into the first-person perspective of someone who considers themselves a ‘doomsday’ influence on the life of another; a negative presence that draws them down into a place devoid of lightness.”
Rome Hero Foxes – 18 Summers: “Catchy choruses is just one of the great things about this piece of music that takes us on a tour through multiple doorways into pockets of goings-on. Whether you can keep up or not, it’s a sweet track nonetheless.”
Trophy Eyes – More Like You: “Despite the rough topic of self-loathing that plays on a loop, the warmth of the chorus is endearing and gives a Disney-esque vibe of something hopeful to the whole experience.”
Gold Key – Mechanical World: “Gold Key embrace experimentation, and demonstrate the musical collision of several different sounds in their new single, “Mechanical World”.”
Reviews
EPs seemed to be the flavour of the month for June. We checked out EPs from Semester, Oaks, Fiveash, Holy Pinto, Tired Eyes, As We Fall, and Bridge The Border, with full albums by Dream On Dreamer and Night Verses also reviewed. Click an album cover below to go deep via our full track-by-track reviews.
Premieres
In June we proudly got to exclusively present to the world THREE brilliant tracks! We love ‘song birthdays’! Sobriquet released their remastered “Birds of Prey” on the topic of drink spiking. Tired Eyes whet appetites for their In Denial, Force A Smile album with “Unforgiveness”, and we had the pleasure of sharing “Game Over”, the debut single for Brisbane’s Grizzlyshark.
What’s Next?
July has some sweet shows lined up with Belle Haven coming to town with Casey and Stateside! Trophy Eyes will be having an ‘Intimate Night In’ with us Melbournites, and Polaris is doing their regional tour of Australia along with Justice For The Damned and local supports. We’ve got reviews in progress, interviews to transcribe, and a couple more Women In Music articles coming your way in the month ahead.
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Spotify – The Depth List: 2018
