Alt-Rock

Terminal Sleep is about being a bad bitch. A heavy hardcore band shaped over the pandemic from Naarm (Melbourne), the five-piece writes fierce music with substance. Terminal Sleep approaches themes of self-empowerment, gender equality, animal rights, and mental health while taking no prisoners.

The band features recent Philippines transplant Dustin Santos in their lineup. Dustin was heavily involved in the Philippines hardcore punk scene playing in bands such as ArsonSmith, Magnum and Killratio. Dustin moved to New Zealand and is now living in Australia – no matter where he’s lived, he’s always been involved in the hardcore punk scene and attributes a lot of that to his early days in the Philippines.

‘Death Therapy’ encapsulates true disgust of human overconsumption and destruction of the earth as we know it. The song is fast and heavy – complete with a self-labelled ‘ignorant’ breakdown and dual pit call. ‘Death Therapy’ is accompanied by a music video filmed by Two Crooks Creative.

Their impressive debut is accompanied by the official announcement that the band have joined beastmode – an artist development & creative enterprise founded earlier this year by Candace Krieger and Joel Martorana.

“With no music out and no shows announced, we put Terminal Sleep on a show in Sydney purely from word of mouth. On the night, we knew we wanted to work with them before they’d even finished playing their first song.” says Krieger.

https://www.instagram.com/terminalsleep

Using only the finest ingredients, sourced directly from the rich history of popular music, Red Liquorice serve their unique brand of groove-infused rock with a nod to the past, an eye to the future, and a light dusting of that sweet sweet sugar.

Writing team Juan and Mendoza were brought together in the unlikely place of an iconic Aussie boot shop, where they worked as sales reps.

Once they realised their passion for music, it quickly became more about songwriting and less about selling, often closing shop to create songs.

The Melbourne-based quintet have only recently debuted on the live circuit, yet their decades of combined experience would suggest otherwise. Co-produced by the band and Ben Edgar (Gotye, Angus & Julia Stone, Matt Corby, Boy & Bear, Dope Lemon), their first single Evermore was released in June of 2024.

"Our jam room looks over a sweet ass beach," Marlin's Dreaming frontman Semisi says, hinting at the origins of the sparkling, laid-back music he's been cooking up with his charismatic New Zealand bandmates.

Mixing bits and pieces of indie, psychedelic, and surf rock, Marlin's Dreaming is making the kind of music that's chilled-out and calming, while incorporating enough flashes of energy to keep you moving. True to the band's name, I imagine this stuff sounding the best after a nap on the beach.

Their debut single "Cheeky Kids" is an immediately enjoyable slice of summer-ready psychedelic pop that feels as fluid and unforced as its inception. "We sort of just jammed this one a lot over the summer before recording," Semisi explains. "Nothing fancy. Just jammed it ‘till it felt like it was at a vibey point."

​After meeting at a surf shop in Dunedin, New Zealand where Semisi worked for years, the group's founding members got to work on their debut album, Lizard Tears. And they got help from a couple industry veterans to shape their ideas into reality. Lizard Tears was produced by Justyn Pilbrow (The Neighbourhood) and mixed by Jeff Ellis (Frank Ocean, SWMRS, Kali Uchis).​

"It was really cool to work with humans that have achieved so much in their careers," Semisi says. "Definitely puts everything into perspective. We are just plankton in a big sea of big fishes."

What came out from the process was a consistently solid project from top-to-bottom, dotted with sneaky gems like the blissful one-two punch of "Danish Girl" and "Sally and the Tyre" waiting at the back half of the album.

Describing a thoroughly New Zealand experience as the ideal setting to hear this thing for the first time, Semisi says, "You just got home from a huge day of laying drains in South Dunedin, and you’re just ready for some feet up and a Speights (New Zealand beer). Jump onto Apple, Spotify, or whatever platform you listen to music on, and flick on Lizard Tears. It'll lift the spirits and also mellow you out."

Watch their new video for "Floating" below and continue for our email interview with singer/songwriter Semisi. Lizard Tears is available to stream on Apple Music and Spotify (or find it at the bottom of this page).

Joyce Prescher is a Melbourne based singer-songwriter originally from the Netherlands. Slowly but steadily, Joyce has been making a name for herself in the Americana and folk scene.

With her carefully crafted lyrics, haunting melodies and rich velvety vocals she takes you back to days long gone. Her words are delivered with such honesty and melancholy, you cannot help but be roped in and left mesmerised.

In 2020 Joyce joined the line up of a show called Keep the Circle Unbroken, curated by Delsinki. With the show she has performed at the Memo Music Hall, the 2022 Port Fairy Folk Festival and as part of their regional Victoria tour in 2021. She shared the stage with many Australian favourites, including Tim Rogers, Kylie Auldist, Mick Thomas, Debra Byrne, Sarah Carroll, Kerryn Fields and XANI. Joyce Prescher also features on the Keep the Circle Unbroken album, which was recorded live in July 2020 at the Memo Music Hall in St Kilda, between the two Melbourne lockdowns.

In November 2021 she performed as part of three sold out shows paying tribute to the late Justin Townes Earle at the Brunswick Ballroom.

More recently, Joyce completed a tour as part of the Sing a Song of Sixpence line up, with artists including Abby Dobson, Freya Josephine Hollick, Charm of Finches, Van Walker, Grim Fawkner and more.

Joyce Prescher released her debut album Home in 2017, which was praised by PBS and listed in their top 10 albums upon release. She has finished recording her sophomore album, which is to be released in the second half of 2022.