8 Australian Artists You Should Be Listening To

Mallrat

Grace Shaw, professionally known as Mallrat, was born in Brisbane and has continued her music career in Australia. She is known for her dreamy, mellow synth-pop melodies and youthful lyrics. Riding on the back of the success of her first three EPs, the singer and rapper is now working on her debut album. Her nostalgic music has attracted over one million monthly Spotify listeners who find solace in her songs, which tend to focus on the quieter moments of life. She's a frequent collaborator of fellow Aussie artists Allday and Cub Sport.

Allday

Allday, born Tomas Gaynor, was raised in Adelaide, South Australia - a location that is sometimes mentioned in his music. Though he established himself as a rapper, Allday has since turned to other genres. He describes his upcoming album as guitar-focused. His debut album "Startup Cult" is a bleak but accessible insight into his outlook. Three years later, he released "Speeding", a more emotional and lingering album. It features the dreamy single "In Motion" with Japanese Wallpaper, another Australian artist, and two songs with Mallrat. In 2019, Allday's album "Starry Night Over The Phone"

Cub Sport

Cub Sport's new album LIKE NIRVANA is as transcendental as its title suggests. The Brisbane-based group is known for their vulnerable, emotionally fraught lyrics that transport listeners to another world. Set against intimate, cinematic, and delicate production, the band's music is certainly distinctive, which is why they've been able to so successfully transition from a local indie phenomenon to a global pop sensation.

Vancouver Sleep Clinic

This music group is led by Brisbane-born Tim Bettinson, whose music is known for its ambient production and tender lyrics. Vancouver Sleep Clinic's latest releases have broadened in their emotional scope, becoming less tangible and tending towards the transcendental. The project's name perfectly describes its gentle sound and feel. The all-encompassing quality of the music makes listeners feel like they're living in their own personal film soundtrack.

Tame Impala

Tame Impala is the brainchild of Sydney's Kevin Parker. He writes, records, and produces the psychedelic music himself, but tours as a band, which may lead to the misconception that Tame Impala is a permanent group act. The alternative-indie artist is best known for his smash hit, "The Less I Know The Better", but he's got plenty more catchy tunes in his discography, and plenty that deal with deeper issues. His new album, "The Slow Rush", showcases the artist's range of sound, style, and emotion.

Geowulf

This dream-pop duo finds its origins on Queensland's Gold Coast, but they've traveled the world since the project's conception. Geowulf (Geo + Beowulf) is rooted in the sounds of the ocean, and every track from this two-piece feels like something that one can bathe in. Contemplative, dreamy, sun-drenched, and retrospective, listeners can both savor the music and allow it to wash over them like saltwater.

Stella Donnelly

Born in Western Australia to a Welsh mother, Stella Donnelly released her first EP in 2017. Her debut album "Beware of the Dogs" premiered in 2019, further showcasing her authentic style of sarcastic, raw, and honest story-telling. Her song "Mechanical Bull" was featured in USA Network and Netflix's Dare Me, where it serves as a perfect sampler of her controlled image and biting wit.

Hockey Dad

This rock duo hails from the beaches of Windang, New South Wales, where Billy Fleming and Zach Stephenson grew up surfing. Their first EP, "Dreamin'", premiered in 2014. Since then the band has released three albums, the most recent being 2020's "Brain Candy". Hockey Dad's raw-energy music is not without its pleasant nuances, found in tracks like the dreamy "Eggshells".