Melbourne alt-rockers Slowly Slowly have released Race Car Blues (Extended Edition), a sequel to last year’s album.

The new instalment completes the story that began on Race Car Blues, almost exactly one year since the original record was released.

It features 12 new tracks, which brings Race Car Blues to a whopping 24-track record.

Stream Race Car Blues (Extended Edition) here.

Native Tongue Music Publishing has today announced the signing of Mark Perkins (pka Merk), coinciding with the news of his second album Infinite Youth.

Merk is the musical moniker of Auckland, New Zealand artist, multi-instrumentalist, screen composer and producer, Mark Perkins, who began his career as a touring member of Tom Lark and Fazerdaze before releasing his debut album Swordfish in 2017. Swordfish went on to win Best Debut Album at the Taite Music Prize (New Zealand’s equivalent of the Mercury or Polaris Prize), and led to tours with Cub Sport, Marlon Williams and Julia Jacklin in Australia and NZ, as well as signing to Australian-based management company Heartstop Music, which is home to Marlon Williams, Julia Jacklin and The Weather Station. Mark has also recently worked with Williams, composing the score for feature film Juniper.

Mark Perkins said of the signing: “After having been adjacent to Native Tongue for many years playing in other bands who worked with them, it feels really great to officially be adopted into the family. I’ve known the team for a long time and so working together feels like a very snug, natural fit. I’m looking forward to seeing what we get done!”

“Having known Mark for many years, it’s a pleasure to be working together in an official capacity. We look forward to helping Mark achieve great heights as a songwriter, producer, artist and screen composer,” added Native Tongue’s Managing Director Jaime Gough.

On Infinite Youth, Merk examines the blurry line between adolescence and adulthood, and all the clarity and mess that accompanies that blurring. This is a record that thrives on a certain simplicity of rhythm, melody, and lyric, and is compelled by contrast: pop songs influenced by art music, an album about adulthood that reflects heavily on what it is to be young, and a sonic world that is both expansive and deeply intimate.

Infinite Youth is out April 9th 2021 via Humblebrag Records/AWAL, pre-order here. New single ‘Laps Around The Sun’ is out now – watch the video or stream here.

The second instalment of LANKS’ 22-track double album, SPIRITS, is out now.

He created and finished SPIRITS during lockdown in his new home in Brooklyn. Working with collaborators as diverse as RY X, HWLS (a regular Flume collaborator), and Alice Ivy, SPIRITS PT. 1 featured all guest vocalists and SPIRITS PT. 2 sees LANKS return to lead vocals.

His work is mostly self-produced, but since his 2016 EP, Viet Rose, he has worked with Andrei Eremin (G-Flip, Chet Faker, Hiatus Kaiyote, Tash Sultana) on additional production (Andrei also mixes and masters his work).

Stream SPIRITS PT.2 here.

Mass was made in true collaborative spirit, between friends and family, and it comes at a time when collectivity has never been more relevant.

At its core, Mass is about resilience, about making your voice heard, even if it seems the world isn’t listening.

This EP establishes a stronger connection between Terrible Sons and the world at large, while also signifying a more cohesive sound thanks to their more connected writing partnership.

While the music they’ve made in the past has reflected the intimate and bucolic warmth that wraps around their family, Terrible Sons has never shied away from revealing the more vulnerable feelings that define us all: heartbreak, loneliness, exhaustion.

Stream their Mass EP here.

Self recorded and produced, Hit or Miss is the stunning debut album from Alexander Biggs.

The album serves as a map, documenting a relationship throughout all its stages.

With distinctly gentle vocals, stinging lyricism, and melodic ingenuity, this record encapsulates the themes of loneliness and distance.

They’re quiet songs that cast a spell, providing a few moments of calm in the chaos of the real world.

Listen to Hit or Miss now.