Check out our full photo gallery of MØ & Elliphant here
I’ll admit it: having been repeatedly exposed to the music video for the MØ-featuring Major Lazer and DJ Snake’s Lean On, which features MØ singing and dancing in a variety of culturally inappropriate outfits, I was under the impression that she was rather one-dimensional. Adorned in bindis, kohl and little else she became in my mind the poster girl for white women trying to access their ‘exotic’ side. This image that I had couldn’t have been more wrong.
Walking down the stairs into OAF the excitement is tangible. The crowd is mostly sober. They aren’t here to get fucked up, they’re here for their girl. When she finally does come on stage, MØ is refreshingly low-key, so much so that I initially mistake her for one of the band members. Dressed in a t-shirt adorned with the words ‘DEATH METAL’, a tight, utilitarian bun and not a scrap of makeup, MØ looks more like the androgynous member of a metal band than one of the biggest up-and-coming names in pop electronica.
Devoid of any pretence, MØ connects with her audience instantly. She is raw, authentic, completely unassuming. It isn’t often that a female artist stands on stage and just doesn’t give a fuck what she looks like. She lets her face distort into absurd shapes, she allows her forehead get sweaty and her bun get messier as the night goes on. All in all, these physical touches somehow accumulate to build an incredible sense of honesty.
I find myself becoming completely lost in the sound, such is her power to truly feel her music and convey that feeling to her audience. The barriers between audience and artist truly are non-existent. MØ spontaneously jumps into the crowd two or three times during the evening. You can tell that she feeds off the energy of the crowd just as we feed off hers.
What strikes me most about MØ, and perhaps what I was most wrong about, is the incredible influence she takes from other musical genres. She’s no simple pop/electronica artist. In 2007 MØ and her friend Josefine Struckmann formed the punk duo MOR, which lasted until 2012. As a child MØ got into music via the Spice Girls, but was heavily influenced by punk music as well as anti-fascist movements in her teens and early twenties. Bands such as Black Flag, Nirvana and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are heavily present in MØ’s gutsy sound alongside more recent electronic influences.
For their part, Oxford Art Factory do a really good job of keeping the crowds in line. Whilst waiting for my friends on the staircase I am told to wait somewhere else. Standing in line for drinks my friend and I are told to move further along the bar. Standing pretty much anywhere that isn’t right in front of the stage gets some kind of reprimand.
With two strikes to their name and a fascist state government keeping tabs on their every movement, its no wonder things are a little strict. Music venues have been under an incredible amount of police surveillance since the lockout laws, and with The Imperial Hotel receiving their second mandate to shut down for 72 hours this month, the threat of OAF losing their liquor license is very real. They didn’t let it taint the night though. That in mind, nothing could take away from MØ’s incredible performance, she is fucking awesome.
Despite the fact that Vic Mensa has been lending bars to a lot of work by others, one could argue that he has never been so sure of his own sound. With his debut album Traffic imminent, Mensa has released a cheeky freestyle, Heir to the Throne, before he heads off on tour.
Mensa has worked on several projects by other artists this year, including a re-imagining of Future’s Codeine Crazy, as well as a homage to his new boss in the form of freestyling over Just Blaze’s Roc Boys beat from Jay Z’s American Gangster album. And how can we forget his collaboration with Kanye West, U Mad, which provoked mixed reactions. Despite not being creatively responsible for the entire songs, he has developed a voice over the year that is strong and incredibly provocative.
Heir to the Throne, is a nod to Biggie’s classic Who Shot Ya, and pulls punches, declaring a new hierarchy in the hip-hop world. In a few liberating lines, Mensa completely sheds his old skin as an artist dictated by the opinions of others.
“I don’t wanna do no photoshoots. No articles. This is the new beginning of a new dynasty… You should be very scared.” (ed note: fair enough, Vic, man, no more articles – good thing we spent some time with you earlier this year then. Check it out here.)
He goes on to poke fun at rappers who reject the reworking of their own beats.
“ASAP gave me some game he said I’m iller than any of these rap niggas who will try to revise me. That’s why I never listen. I don’t respect tradition.”
Mensa has proved time and time again that he is an artist to watch out for. We can only wait in avid anticipation for his full album.
Kendrick Lamar: Alright
This one actually came out a few weeks ago, but it’s worth mention. Kendrick Lamar’s new music video for his track Alright, which comprises part of the How to Pimp a Butterfly album is incredible. Raw, tactile and deeply moving, it is as much a protest piece as a work of art. The clip begins with a two minute intro, black and white, high definition shots reveal San Francisco in a darker, much more haunting light. High-rise city buildings are portrayed alongside the poorer areas, where street fires, graffiti and violence take the forefront. Lamar was nominated for a VMA for the music video this year, which conveys just how strong the piece was. Containing lyrics like “I rap I’m black, on track so rest assured” and “And we hate po po, wanna kill us dead in the street for sure” Alright definitely one of the more controversial tracks to be nominated for an award.
Hudson Mohawke: Warriors ft. Ruckazoid, Deveaux
HudMo has delivered a very exciting new music video to go with their track Warriors, which portrays Clipses’ Pusha T as a futuristic warrior, fleeing authorities in the near future. The song is uplifting, combining soaring electronica with warm, gutsy vocals. What better aesthetic to pair with it than a modern day superhero running through the streets at night. The film itself has a beautiful faded quality to it, black and white shots of HudMo are blurred and distorted with a pumping strobe. All in all its quite fab.
Thundercat: Them Changes
Thundercat’s latest track Them Changes is a smooth, soulful reminiscence on loss and heartbreak. Carlos Lopez Estrada, the amazing director behind its awesome music video spoke about creating a film to explore the songs unique take on suffering.
““Thundercat’s take on heartbreak is so atypical that I figured the video for the song should be anything but a classic relationship-gone-wrong story,” notes Estrada. “Stories like athletes’ careers ending after injuries or artists losing their site/hearing/ability to perform; these concepts are truly heartbreaking. I also know that Thundercat has a thing for samurais – so I saw an opportunity to make everyone happy here. Or everyone sad, I guess.””
Coin Banks: Cursive
From looking at his music videos, the way they capture the hustle and bustle of New York’s streets you’d assume Coin Banks was a local. He’s actually from Perth. This latest music video is a modern day love story, following the journey of two young kids as they cross paths. The kids are quite adorable, and the idea works well. My only criticism is the big cartoon words that flash across the screen. In some ways they add to the juvenile charm of the film, but they also make it seem slightly like an advertisement. Coin Banks has done an incredible amount in the last twelve months, dropping two EPs as well as multiple international tours.
Slum Village ft. Bilal and Illa J: Love Is
A few months ago Slum Village released their epic album Yes. It was truly groundbreaking in the way that it tied their smooth, old-school hip hop sound with themes and social commentaries that were inherently modern. You can read more about the album here. Love Is is the first track on the album, featuring a thumping beat and a gorgeous sexy hook by Bilal, it sets the tone of the album. Slum Village’s music video is classy, combining handheld shots of themselves with footage of the streets of San Fransisco. The shots are often lagged, kaleidoscoped or have completely enhanced colours, emphasising the upbeat, chaotic nature of the song.
Jack Garratt: Weathered
I’m going to put myself out on a limb here and say that Jack Garratt is destined for big things. Potentially to become the next big thing. His latest single Weathered has already had over 150k plays on Soundcloud and huge support from the media all over the world. A couple of days ago he released this beautiful music video to go with it. Documenting the journey of three real-life brothers as they explore the canyons in Georgia, USA, the clip evokes powerful feelings of nostalgia and familial bonding.
To be honest, Weathered as a track could have done a little more for me. It starts with this gorgeous choir-esque moaning and a sharp, thumping beat. But after that it kind of mellows out into a reflective ballad, containing none of the power or sexiness that we fell in love with Garratt’s first single The Love You’re Given. Garratt may still be fine-tuning his sound, but once he does shit’s going to get real. Trust me.
Oscar Key Sung: Brush
Oscar Key Sung has released a music video to go with his smooth, sexy track Brush, which comes straight off his latest EP Altruism. The clip is low-key, fashionable and effortlessly cool… everything that we could have expected from Key Sung plus a little more. Two dancers bounce around in front of a white screen in different outfits, sometimes all white and sometimes all black. Their movements are so in sync that the clip is able to cut effortlessly between the outfits. The idea is simple but it somehow comes together perfectly to create a music that is so subtle and joyous. We had the incredible opportunity to chat with Key Sung about the album a couple months ago, which you can read about here.
R.W. Grace: Shell
R.W. Grace must be the master of making people cringe. Her latest single Shell is dark, reflective and, unsurprisingly, rather disturbing. R.W. Grace exploded onto the music scene with her first single Pluto, receiving praise in the alternative music world, and heaps of support online. Containing lyrics such as:
“Desperate like a bottom feeder/ drain the tank until it’s weak/
and I bleed for it/ and I bleed for it”
Grace instantly made a name for herself as a powerful, liberating female figure, revolting against the typical expectations that the industry has of female solo artists. In her latest single Shell, R.W. Grace cries out against the internal and external conflict of her world. She depicts herself undergoing a series of violent experiments, including having a syringe inserted into her neck and an arm amputation. Be warned it’s fairly graphic.
Gilligan Moss: Choreograph
Such is the maturity, and sophistication of Gilligan Moss’ sound, you’d think he’d been around for a while. But Choreograph is in fact the New York artists’ first ever single. The song is awesome, combining electronica, eerie vocal loops and gentle beats with sound effects that you could almost imagine in a horror film. Moss pairs it with a music video that is equally sophisticated. The clip uses jump cuts, time loops and split screen to create an indefinite cycle of family life. While a child sits at the breakfast table listening to music on his headphones, his family whiz around him, completely caught up in their daily routines. It is a powerful commentary on taking notice of your surroundings.
Coda Conduct: Paint it Gold
Since the release of their first EP Butter Side Up in March, Canberra girl-duo Coda Conduct have been absolutely smashing it. Their ballsy not-shits-given attitudes ring through in their music in a way that is unique and incredibly refreshing. Paint it Gold is their first single since the EP, blending disco, rap and trap in a way that is effortless and incredibly effective.
The music video starts out strong, with each half of the duo rapping one on one with the camera and taking ownership of their lines. However is we get to the chorus it kind of… slumps. Just a little bit. I think the anticipation built up in the rapping segment led to the expectation that the music video would take off at the chorus. Instead it goes to slow motion shots of things being smashed. The cuts are effective, but they really slow down the pace of the song. Regardless, Coda Conduct offer a unique and incredibly promising take on hip-hop.
Knxwledge: Flyinglizrds
There are good music videos, and then there are fucking good music videos. This belongs to the latter category. Knxwledge has created an animated piece to go with 1 minute and 40 seconds of sound that is absolutely mind boggling. Words really can’t describe the amount of time and effort that must have gone into creating such a deeply layered animation. The visuals are absolutely stunning, combining bold lines, strokes and images to create a powerful supplement to the music. Knxwledge already proved that he was an artist to watch out for when he dropped his debut Hud Dreems earlier this year. Here he’s demonstrated his genius yet again. Catch him at Splendour In The Grass this year.
Jarryd James: Give me Something
Jarryd James exploded onto the music scene earlier this year with his fabulous single Do You Remember. His unique beats combined with intense, mesmerising vocals instantly warranted huge success. Now he’s at it again.
The music video is subtle but incredibly effective. Set in the desert, it simply features the artist staring out the window at a blonde lady who walks around the pool outside. Using rewind/replay techniques, it wobbles two and fro with the beat at every chorus, distorting the idea of the film as a linear narrative piece about unrequited love. James has some exciting stuff lined up, including working with Malay, the Grammy-winning producer who’s responsible for Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange.
Jack Grace: Hills
Jack Grace is another Australian artist who has been using time and repetition in a really interesting way. In his first single Hills, which will be featured on his forthcoming debut album, Grace loops fragments of sound that you wouldn’t normally hear in the underlying beat of a song. The result is awesome, simultaneously beautiful and slightly unnerving. He continues this notion in the music video, using footage that he took whilst driving between NYC and Vermont. The footage is repetitive, almost like a continues montage, but he combines it with shots of his own head to create a powerful, distorted video. The artist said he wanted the clip to reflect the track and encapsulate the unspoken separation often felt from those closest to us.
Big White: You Know I Love You
Big White have dropped their first official single, and released a lovely self-directed music video to go with it. The clip is filmed in their spacious Art Deco share house, and even features a special appearance from their cat Cleo. The clip’s joyous 80’s nostalgia ties in perfectly with Big White’s sound, which guitar heavy and grungy, ever so slightly reminiscent of The Cure or The Smiths. Big White have been scoring heaps of airtime on Triple J for You Know I Love You, and have a big line-up of support roles for shows along the East Coast.
Dornik: Drive
Dornik has just released his soulful new single Drive, from his self-titled upcoming album. The song is smooth, sexy and crooning, evoking old-school funk and modern electronica simultaneously. Dornik’s storytelling prowess is extended even further with the music video, which speaks almost stronger the song at some points to reminisce on teenage lust, sneaking out late and drinking alcohol. Drive is a love story, combined with the underling threat of violence, trouble from parents, essentially everything that we glorify a teenager’s life to be like.
Yesterday Dev Hynes, otherwise known as Blood Orange released an 11 minute song via Soundcloud, titled Do You See My Skin Through The Flames?. With it, he posted one of Robert Mapplethorpe’s famous portraits of a black male, and the caption, “This is not from my forthcoming album, just some things on my mind.”
The song, if you could call it that, begins with a soulful musical intro, before progressing to Hyne’s own lyrics. He speaks of feeling exhausted and alienated in his attempts to speak out against social injustice.
“I have nothing left to give when you don’t notice what’s wrong.”
“Charleston left be broken down but it’s just another day to you.”
Hynes has been known to speak about racism and white privilege on his social media accounts, but this is the first time he has expressed these feelings so blatantly and so concisely through his music.
Midway through the track changes in tone, as the piano and synths are paired back to reveal Hynes speaking about personal experiences of racism. He talks of being treated badly by cab drivers in Paris, when he was staying in the Marée,
“They proceeded to humiliate me and say that I was suspicious. It was pretty shitty. So I understand what you’re going through. Surrounded by friends of privilege who don’t get it.”
He also describes discovering that his last name was Irish, and that not only was it a slave name, it literally translate’s to servant.
“It’s a weird thing to have to carry around. I’m proud of my name. I’m proud of my Dad, I’m proud of my family. But it’s very strange to carry that every day. We all carry that, every black person carries that.”
In contrast to Hyne’s social media presence, Do You See My Skin Through The Flames? is looking to incite a reaction. Hynes seems has had enough of pointing out the obvious injustice that he sees around him, only to be received with surprise, or skepticism, The song is more of a personal exploration, lamenting the environment that he grew up in and reflecting on how that has impacted his identity. It is pensive, mournful and incredibly powerful.
Beach House have just released their newest single Sparks, off their upcoming fifth album Depression Cherry, which will come out on the 28th of August this year. The song marks an important moment for duo, Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally, as despite working together for over ten years, they have never felt like they were being more true to themselves.
Beach House have been on a bit of a musical roller coaster throughout their career. From humble beginnings in dream pop they began to develop a sound that was bolder and much more confronting. They later admitted that this was partly due to their rise to fame. With the success of Teen Dream and Bloom, the artists began to draw a bigger crowd and naturally started creating music with louder, more aggressive instrumentals. While at the time the changes were organic, the pair explained in a recent press release that in doing so they were pushed further away from their natural musical tendencies. In Sparks and the rest of Depression Cherry, Beach House lets go of public expectations.
The instrumentals in Sparks are paired back and mellow. The grainy guitar feedback is still there, but it’s far softer on the ears. Vocals are sweet and synthy, gradually building to an incredible intensity. It’s ironic that while most artists would be starting to fade after ten years and five albums of collaboration, Beach House, in some ways, is only just beginning.
Disclosure: Holding On ft. Gregory Porter
Disclosure actually released their latest single Holding On, which is featured on their upcoming album Caracal a little while ago. Fair enough, it’s damn catchy. Now they’ve finally put out a music video to go with it. The film is shot entirely in Mexico City, and comprises Part One of a four-video series that will provide a visual accompaniment to the album. Set in the near-distant future, it follows the life of a gorgeous young lady who deals with hardcore parties, familiar pressure, native lore and modern censorship. To be honest I was left a little confused. But hey! Maybe by part four it’ll make a little more sense.
Golden Vessel: Borrowed Time ft. Tiana Khasi
Australian producer Golden Vessel has done some marvellous things. But this music video for Borrowed Time, directed by Grimbleism, is probably his best achievement so far. The film is clean, refined, and beautifully put together, toeing that border between film and art. Each shot is perfectly composed so as to capture the binaries of light and shade, black and white, industrial and organic. Tiana Khasi, who lends her gorgeous vocals to the track is featured in the film. As the song increases in pace so to does it’s visual counterpart. Khasi’s face is cut into a kaleidoscope, and the shots become darker and more complex. The film and the song work together perfectly.
Bree Tranter: More Sex & Love
Bree Tranter wrote More Sex & Love with her roommate in in their Paddington studio apartment. The song is gentle and powerful, building on a simple beat with Tranter’s beautiful, ethereal vocals. The concept for the music video came from Tranter’s time at Secret Garden Festival in February, where she was captured by Scott, the man who dances in the clip, who was swaying to the tunes of Donny Benet. His movements are exaggerated with lighting and slow motion. Soft pink and purple lights, as well as billows of smoke recreate that sense of enchantment that Tranter probably felt at the time.
Ayla: Waiting
Ayla slammed herself onto the music scene in 2014 with her debut single Wish I Was. She was soon discovered by Triple J unearthed, and was later labelled the most played female solo artist on Triple J for that year. With a voice much more powerful than you’d expect from a 20-year-old, Ayla has been doing some amazing things. Waiting is her latest single, coming off her upcoming EP which will be out later this year. The track is searching and powerful. It’s accompanying music video is perhaps a little cliché, but it really works to establish the artists’ image. Featuring lots of rose petals and stormy oceans it is commanding and inherently feminine.
Mìo: Back to You ft. Erik Lindestad
Back to You is one of those songs that immediately gets under your skin. Somewhat reminiscent of Mad World, but with awesome synths and harmonies, the track conjures feelings of isolation and loneliness. The music video that goes with it is stunning. Perfect cinematography captures two young teenagers (I want to call them boys..?) who go to the skate park, and after a while of watching the adults end up getting invited back to one of their parties. The film has an underlying sense of yearning and loss, it isn’t established whether the kids have run away from home but they try to set up a bed at the skate park. It’s an emotional journey.
When you think of festivals what comes to mind? Big crowds, sunshine, drugs and booze… Not exactly an elderly person’s paradise. But four Americans; Neil, Anne, Isolde and Denny, decided to break the stereotype that old people can’t boogie by attending Bonnaroo.
The friends were filmed by Funny or Die, and were treated to a rather VIP version of the festival, which hosts about 80 000 people every year. They got to chat with bands such as Mumford and Sons, who called up their grandkids to tell them that they were wasted! Enjoying backstage seats to all of the performances, the crew also walked around the camping areas, even receiving a gold sticker tattoo. Judging by the video it looks like they had a fabulous time, particularly at the silent disco, which they were able to skip the line to.
Cameras followed them for the entire day, as they ate dinner with Houndmouth, rode the ferris wheel and spoke to various bands such as Rubblebucket. They were even able to get up on stage for certain acts, and watched Kendrick Lamar from the soundboard above him.
It’s comforting to know that the yolo life doesn’t necessarily have to end when you reach seventy. I know I’ll certainly want to continue partying and going to festivals until I can physically no longer dance. Like this amazing man at an electronic music festival in Amsterdam!
Check out the Funny or Die clip below.
JMSN – Bout it
JMSN has released what is possibly the most hilarious music video of the year, for his latest single Bout It. The clip features the artist singing his heart out in various windy places looking forlorn, reflective and terribly dramatic. I personally got Jesus vibes… It’s been a sweet run for JMSN lately, he’s had vocals on Kendrick Lamar tracks as well as on Ta-Ku’s latest album. He’s also set to do a live Boiler Room set with Ta-Ku tomorrow night in Perth, in which Ta-Ku will be debuting his new album. You can also catch him at Splendour!
Lianne La Havas – What You Don’t Do
Lianne La Havas is one of those artists you just know is going to be big. She is absolutely stunning, and her songs are both charming, uplifting and incredibly honest. The music video for her latest track What You Don’t Do is simple and tasteful. Directed by Leila and Damien De Blinkk, it follows a bit of a jungle theme, using a really beautiful colour scheme of greens, pinks and blacks. The film plays with lighting to highlight La Havas almost as if she’s in a spotlight. La Havas’ eagerly anticipated second album Blood is set to come out on July 31st.
Japanese Wallpaper – Forces ft. Airling
Melbourne based songwriter, producer and instrumentalist Japanese Wallpaper (who is on tour next week) has released a gorgeous video for his latest singe Forces, and it is absolutely uplifting. The film is directed by Jacques Poluleuligaga, and features a girl walking around a big rainforest. It seems simple, but Poluleuligaga captures that incredible peaceful feeing of being completely surrounded by the forest. The track itself is beautiful, featuring vocals by Airling. For more Japanese Wallpaper, check out our review of his latest record here.
Eska – Shades of Blue
One of the UK’s most loved, yet little known singers, has finally taken the centre stage with the release of her new self-titled album. Shades of Blue features on the record, and it is absolutely adorable. Eska has been well-known as a go-to collaborator for years, working with artists like Grace Jones, Cinematic Orchestra, Ty, Tony Allen and Bobby McFerrin. Here she comes into her own. Eska conveys her warm humorous personality effortlessly, both through the lyrics and in her sassy performance. The clip itself is really effective, using patterns with ink to highlight the different emotional impact of various colours.
HOWQUA – Her
HOWQUA has released a fabulous song and video in celebration of women! The song initially started out as a celebration of the artists’ sister, but soon grew to encompass all of the women in his life. The music video features a series women that mean a lot to the artist personally, dancing in front of the camera. It starts out incredibly cute. Everybody’s a little bit awkward but in a nice way.They aren’t actors, they are family and friends so the film has a really nice honesty to it. My only criticism is it doesn’t really move on from that.. as empowering as this track may be, it gets a bit old watching people dance uncomfortably for over three minutes.
Requiem – Louvres
Watching this, I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or take it seriously. The track features vocals by singer/songwriter David Crowe, and gives a rapper’s documentation of the artists’ relocation from Melbourne to Darwin. He talks of adjusting to the different way of life, of eating pawpaw salad, sharing a sunset of orange and pink and waiting up for the monster rain. I think a lot of Australian hip-hop and rap artists try to sound like something they’re not, and become part of this bigger Aussie hip-hop narrative, resulting in a sound that is generic and inauthentic. It’s nice to have an artist rap about what he’s really experiencing.
Seth Sentry – Hell Boy
Seth Sentry’s been killing it lately. His latest track Hell Boy has made number one on Aria Charts, and his most recent album Strange New Past was featured as Triple J Album of the Week. The music for Hell Boy is humorous, if not slightly creepy. It features an angrier, more aggressive side to Sentry that we haven’t really experienced before. He speaks about letting that bad side of you shine through, and the clip features a naughty child who goes around doing just that. Sinister lighting highlights the shadows and lines of Sentry’s face, turning that cuddly guy that we’re so used to into someone much scarier. The clip’s actually really effective. For more on Seth, read our feature interview here!