News

Austin musician/multimedia artist Mobley is excited to share Foster the People’s rework of “Nobody’s Favourite,” the first single off Mobley’s forthcoming EP.  His friends in the LA-based band were more than happy to offer their interpretation of a song described by Mobley as “the internal monologue of a powerful scumbag.” Premiering at Flood, who said “Foster the People have endowed him with a pumped-up reworking of the single, veering a bit further from the underlying rock influence of the original.”

Save / stream the rework here.

Isom Innis of Foster The People described the genesis of the new version: “I’ve been really inspired by Larry Levan at the moment. With Mobley’s track I was chasing a more archaic sequence based approach using the Arp 2600, Roland 707 drums and trying to make the baseline something that could have bumped at the Paradise Garage.” Mobley was delighted with the result. “I’ve been a fan of Foster since the first time I heard them and have always looked forward to their new releases. When I found out they were interested in reworking ‘Nobody’s Favourite’ I was thrilled, to say the least. I originally conceived of the song as kind of a dancepunk number. They really leaned into the dance aspect and got intricate with the rhythmic interplay.  I love it and I can’t wait for people to hear it.”

“Nobody’s Favourite” is featured on Mobley’s new EP, Young & Dying in the Occident Supreme. The film major-turned-multi-instrumentalist also flexed his directorial skills on the original music video, part one of a larger film that will be released alongside the EP. The new Foster the People rework comes on the heels of last Friday’s debut of A Home Unfamiliar, a multimedia collaboration, helmed by Mobley, which brought together 30 artists to produce a visual album in 30 days. Created in social isolation with no direct coordination between the artists, the experimental visual album is available now at Alamo on Demand, with all proceeds benefiting COVID-19 relief. 

While the pandemic has temporarily grounded the charismatic live performer, you can catch Mobley on the Bandsintown livestream today at 4:00p EST.

Today Alice Ivy releases her highly-anticipated second studio album, Don’t Sleep via Last Gang Records. The record includes singles “In My Mind feat. Ecca Vandal,” “Sunrise feat. Cadence Weapon” and more recently the album’s title track “Don’t Sleep featuring Imbi and BOI,” and “Better Man feat. Benjamin Joseph (SAFIA).”

Save/stream the full album HERE.

Written predominantly on the road where pool houses and kitchen tables were made into impromptu studios, in making Don’t Sleep Ivy strove to write music that could soundtrack both feelings of pure elation and move listeners emotionally. Challenging herself to experiment with new songwriting methods, explore the rawness of sound and collaborate with a broader range of voices, the result is a colourful journey made all the more vibrant and tender with tales woven from some of Australia’s most established and exciting upcoming voices.

Of the record Alice Ivy shares, “’Don’t Sleep’ is a body of work that features an abundance of voices that need to be heard and are generally not heard from enough. Some of those voices belong to women, some are non-binary, some are people of colour and some identify as First Nations people, some are members of the LGBTQI+ community and all of them have important stories to tell. It’s been a privilege to create a platform where all of these voices can be heard through the medium of my music.” 

Platforming new artists and helping new voices to break-through to the mainstream goes beyond just tastemaking for Alice Ivy, whose refined curatorial skills are on full display across Don’t Sleep. Through her choice of collaborators, Ivy is working to diversify the sound and look of the traditionally male-dominated studio space. This cause moves forward again through her second LP where Ivy is equally adept at uncovering new dimensions to those thought to be well established, household names such as Cadence Weapon on “Sunrise,” Montaigne and Bertie Blackman on “Sweetest Love” and Ngaiire on “All For You;” as she is seeking out and breaking new ones including Thelma Plum on “Ticket To Heaven,” Odette on “I’ll Find It” and more across thirteen tracks. 

Reflecting on “Ticket To Heaven,” Alice Ivy reveals: “Ticket To Heaven is a very special song. I’d rented out an AirBnB in Sydney and set up a little makeshift studio in the living room. Although we have mutual friends, Thelma and I had never actually met prior to this session, so I was genuinely really nervous because I’m such a big fan of hers! Thankfully, we clicked! “Ticket To Heaven” is about bereavement, in part relating to the sudden loss of a close friend of Thelma’s and someone who was much-loved within the Australian music community. I can’t think of a better way to honour someone’s memory than this utterly beautiful song. When I was tracking Thelma’s vocals I was almost tearing up due to the raw emotion in her voice.” 

Thelma Plum shares: “Alice and I worked on this song shortly after the loss of a close friend, a musician I’d shared many stages with. I hope we’ve done his memory justice.” In the years between the release of Ivy’s Australian Music Prize nominated 2018 debut I’m Dreaming, the curator has grown into one of Australian electronica’s most prominent advocates for female producers, putting her instep with tireless voices such as Grimes, Alison Wonderland and beyond. Now with the release of Don’t Sleep, with all four singles added to high rotation on triple j, and the title track the #1 most played song on the station in April, Alice Ivy’s position alongside respected contemporaries Mark Ronson, Jamie xx and KAYTRANADA is solidified, and her status as a revered collaborator confirmed.

LISTEN TO NEW MEDICINE HERE.

Mondo Cozmo – the chart-topping brainchild of alternative singer-songwriter Josh Ostrander – shares his upcoming album, NEW MEDICINE, today via Last Gang Records. NEW MEDICINE features album highlights  “Come On,” “Black Cadillac,” “Generator,” which was recently featured on ABC’s hit drama, The Good Doctor and his latest single “Upside Down,” which is on current rotation on SiriusXM’s Alt Nation. Each video is  joined by cinematic companion videos streaming now via his official YouTube channel HERE. Along with the album release, a live performance of “Upside Down” has been shared by the band, watch HERE.

“When ‘Shine’ took off at radio, the next year was spent on the road,” Ostrander says. “Playing every show, doing every meet-n-greet, every morning radio show, every podcast, interview, and after party. And why not? It was the first time anyone wanted to talk to me about music. I loved it, but by the end of the year I was pretty beat down and tired. It came to head during a video shoot in which I just completely lost it. I found myself in a situation where I lost control, and in front of the band, label, management I punched a glass door and destroyed my hand. I would spend the night in the emergency room watching them put my hand back together.”

“But I began writing,” he continues. “The tunes just poured out. I was put on medication after the hand debacle. I assumed that’s where the songs were coming from. That’s where the NEW MEDICINE title came from. But I couldn’t play guitar, enter Peter Hayes from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. He guided me. He pushed me to get the record done. As did Butch Vig, who would help me make sense of the demos I was sending to him on the daily.”

“This album sums up a lot for me. Coming to terms with the weird guilt of success, navigating a new American experience. With a numb hand.

Mondo Cozmo plans to celebrate NEW MEDICINE with a wide-ranging headline tour in 2021. In the meantime, Ostrander has just begun a series of home studio performances, dubbed the “Live In Exile Sessions.” The first installment – which sees him and members of his touring band linking together for a stirring rendition of the PLASTIC SOUL fan favorite, “Chemical Dream” – is streaming now via YouTube HERE.

Stream / save “Better Man” here

Today marks the release of “ Better Man (ft. Benjamin Joseph) ” from Don’t Sleep , the sophomore album from Melbourne’s celebrated electronic pop producer Alice Ivy . Don’t Sleep is due for release July 17 on Last Gang Records . “Better Man” was written in collaboration with Benjamin Joseph from popular Australian electronica act SAFIA. 

As Alice Ivy puts it: “I was super nervous going into because I’m unashamedly a massive SAFIA fan. I remixed them a couple years back but it never came out so when the opportunity came to write with Ben I jumped on it. Ben is an incredible writer, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He can literally play anything so we were moving around the room picking up as many different instruments as we could and putting them on the track. Ben’s writing style is different to mine, we focused A LOT on the groove and feel of the instrumental before even touching the vocals, I kind of like to focus on getting the song as vibey as possible including the vocals from the get go. When we were writing the hook we were listening to references and we got onto the Bee Gees and Ben goes ‘ I haven’t pushed my falsetto that high before’, so we gave it a crack and it stuck! So this song is really special! There aren’t a lot of male voices on the album and while that wasn’t totally deliberate I’ve just found myself gravitating towards female and non-binary singers and songwriters in the past few years. But Ben’s voice is so singular, in my estimation he’s one of the only Australian male vocalists out there who can do justice to Soul.” 

With the release of “Better Man” comes the video featuring Alex Dyson , a household name in Australia having notably served as a triple j radio personality, and most recently the host of chaotic ZOOMba classes during quarantine. The video for “Better Man” similarly showcases Dyson’s dancing chops, following him while he does a series of grandiose interpretive movements, reinventing himself as he solitarily moves throughout an empty building. 

Pre-order Don’t Sleep HERE

Next up, Alice Ivy will be performing this Saturday, May 30th at 10pm AEST/8am EST as part of “Jägermeister Presents… Iso -Late” festival streaming live at www.isolaidfestival.com

Rhye — the project of LA-based musician Michael Milosh — presents a new video for his “slinky, understated” (Stereogum) Beautiful, released earlier this month on Last Gang Records in Canada. Rhye debuted the track with a hypnotic 72-hour back-to-back stream hosted on his YouTube channel. The video was directed and produced by Milosh and filmed using telephoto lenses to ensure social distancing.

Featuring intertwining clips of people moving throughout a vibrant desert landscape, it evokes the song’s message – finding beauty in everyday life. As with the single art created by Milosh, the Beautiful video, awashed in a gauzy filter, maintains Rhye’s distinctive, dreamlike aesthetic. Milosh discussed the creation of the video,  other Rhye visuals, and more with Vanity Fair. Read the article here.

LATEST SINGLE “UPSIDE DOWN” ON CURRENT ROTATION SIRIUS ALT NATION

“LIVE IN EXILE SESSIONS” WITH FULL-BAND PERFORMANCE
OF “UPSIDE DOWN,” STREAMING HERE

PRE-ORDER NEW MEDICINE HERE

Mondo Cozmo – the chart-topping brainchild of alternative singer-songwriter Josh Ostrander – has announced the pre-order and track listing of his upcoming album, NEW MEDICINE, out June 12 via Last Gang Records. NEW MEDICINE features album highlights  “Come On,” “Black Cadillac,” “Generator,” which was recently featured on ABC’s hit drama, The Good Doctor and his latest single “Upside Down,” which is on current rotation on SiriusXM’s Alt Nation. Each video is  joined by cinematic companion videos streaming now via his official YouTube channel HERE.

STREAM/DOWNLOAD “UPSIDE DOWN” HERE

“When ‘Shine’ took off at radio, the next year was spent on the road,” Ostrander says. “Playing every show, doing every meet-n-greet, every morning radio show, every podcast, interview, and after party. And why not? It was the first time anyone wanted to talk to me about music. I loved it, but by the end of the year I was pretty beat down and tired. It came to head during a video shoot in which I just completely lost it. I found myself in a situation where I lost control, and in front of the band, label, management I punched a glass door and destroyed my hand. I would spend the night in the emergency room watching them put my hand back together.”

“But I began writing,” he continues. “The tunes just poured out. I was put on medication after the hand debacle. I assumed that’s where the songs were coming from. That’s where the NEW MEDICINE title came from. But I couldn’t play guitar, enter Peter Hayes from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. He guided me. He pushed me to get the record done. As did Butch Vig, who would help me make sense of the demos I was sending to him on the daily.”

“This album sums up a lot for me. Coming to terms with the weird guilt of success, navigating a new American experience. With a numb hand.”