logo
Bliss N Eso head to the moon, Flume & JPEGMAFIA team up and more: What to listen to in May

Bliss N Eso head to the moon, Flume & JPEGMAFIA team up and more: What to listen to in May

Have you recovered from the election? Wondering how else to obsessively spend your time? How about diving into some new music.
Here are five new releases worth investigating, ranging from Aussie rap and electronic royalty to a tender country collaboration and satirical Swedish post-punk.
Bliss N Eso — The Moon (The Light Side)
The Moon (The Light Side) is Bliss N Eso's fourth ARIA #1 album, following on from Running On Air (2010), Circus In The Sky (2013) and Off the Grid (2017).
(
Supplied: Mushroom Music
)
If you'd told the young Jonathan 'MC Bliss' Notley, Max 'Eso' MacKinnon, and Tarik 'DJ Izm' Ejjamai their
Bliss N Eso's eighth studio album, The Moon (The Light Side), has already topped the Australian album charts. So, is it just fan loyalty that's put them on top? Not quite.
The record is stronger and more consistent than its 2021 predecessor, The Sun, balancing some nostalgic joints with chart-friendly fare and, running at a tight 38 minutes over 11 tracks, it doesn't overstay its welcome either.
Following a cinematic scene-setter that samples a
'Party On The Moon' comes next, with Bliss N Eso granted permission from the legendary DJ Premier to rework 'Full Clip', by 90s boom-bap favourites Gang Starr, with a modern flavour. Similarly, 'The Ultimate' is a barrage of tongue-twisting rhymes paying homage to genre greats. The chorus nods to A Tribe Called Quest, Biggie Smalls, and the iconic '
Elsewhere, 'Hoops' flips The Rubens' Hottest-100-topping hit of the same name to creative effect, while 'Vacation' samples Dirty Heads' viral TikTok hit, complete with gen Z lines like "f**k around and find out is my 9 to 5."
Having recently toured behind the 15th anniversary of their breakout 2008 album, Flying Colours, there's energetic cuts written for the stage, just in time for a 30-plus-date national tour kicking off later this month. That includes 'Feeling Fly', which successfully injects some gritty funk into the group's sound, and the call-and-response hooks of 'Money Money'.
'Been Through Hell' is a posse cut that complements a feature from viral rapping sensation Masked Wolf with a candid verse from 360 waxing about persevering in a business where it's easy to fall off. It's demonstrative of how The Moon (The Light Side) bridges past and present.
The album is unlikely to expand the group's fanbase but proves consistency is key and, decades after helping transform homegrown hip hop from an underground concern into a mainstream phenomenon, Bliss N Eso are still putting in the work to keep things fresh.
For fans of:
Hilltop Hoods, Drapht, Illy
Al Newstead
Loading YouTube content
Flume & JPEGMAFIA — We Live In A Society
Flume and JPEGMAFIA have teamed up before, on 2019 track 'How To Build A Relationship' and 2024's 'New Black History' and 'Cult Status'.
(
Supplied: Future Classic
)
Flume's latest project — a four-track collaborative EP with US rapper and producer JPEGMAFIA — begs to not be taken too seriously.
The title and album cover are both meme references, the track list includes 'The Ocean is Fake' and 'AI Girlfriend', while 'Track #1' is an exercise in aural trolling. Set up as a raw file from a studio session, we hear Peggy mercilessly shred the
"I'm going to have to call Fred Again.., bro, I don't know about this one," he says, before one groove finally takes his fancy four minutes in. "Now we're getting somewhere, you must've had your Vegemite this morning!"
It's funny, but it's hard to imagine listening more than once or twice — especially since the complaining will annoy Flume fans enjoying the beats.
Feeling more like a throwaway experiment, We Live In A Society is a fun and fascinating listen, but it's just not the most exciting work we've heard from either artist. That said, there are glimmers of genius in here, such as the digitised bird whistles at the end of 'Track #1' or the submerged vocals on 'The Ocean Is Fake'.
The exception is 'Is It Real', which has potential to be a breakout single thanks to Ravyn Lenae's feature via a crystalline Mariah-Carey-esque melody – a delightful tension against Peggy's hard bars and Flume's glitchy, dystopian production.
For fans of:
SOPHIE, Death Grips, Denzel Curry
Jared Richards
Loading YouTube content
Viagra Boys — viagr aboys
Viagra Boys' fourth studio album, viagr boys comes 10 years after the Swedish band's formation.
(
Supplied: Shrimptech Enterprises
)
Your mum's OnlyFans, an Italian greyhound's story of visiting the vet, smoking cryptocurrency and being jealous of a pretty corpse: Welcome to Viagra Boys' fourth album, as wild and wonderful as ever.
viagr aboys — no, that's not a typo — sees the Swedish post-punk band rescind from the raucous political satire of 2022's Cave World: There are no songs about conspiracy theorists or anti-vaxxers here. But frontman Sebastian Murphy is no less volcanic, instead focusing on the ridiculousness of everything in 2025, tearing through the nonsense with nonsense.
'Man Made of Meat' starts us off strong, with Murphy burping halfway through a lyric about goblins working in a factory, as the song builds to instant-classic lyrics in the chorus. ("If it was 1970, I'd have a job at a factory/I am a man that's made of meat/You're on the internet looking at feet").
From there, we have an Auto-Tuned Reddit preacher ('Best in Show Pt. IV'), gooning ('Store Policy') and men so gross they're born out of mud ('Dirty Boyz', which features a synth line reminiscent of Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love', of all things).
It's a wild ride that inspires double-checking the lyric sheet, but it would all be null if not for the musicianship. The six-person band, now a decade strong, are sounding better than ever, having honed their skills touring relentlessly over the past two years, delivering a fun, frenetic and, at times, surprisingly introspective listen.
For fans of:
IDLES, Amyl & The Sniffers, Parquet Courts
Jared Richards
Loading YouTube content
Press Club — To All The Ones That I Love
Press Club will be taking their newest album on the road around the country through July and August.
Debuting in 2017 with explosive single 'Headwreck', Press Club established themselves as one of Australia's most exciting punk acts, led by vocalist Natalie Foster — a powerful presence who holds her own against a wall of propulsive drums and glorious guitars.
To All The Ones I Love, the band's fourth album (and follow-up to 2022's
Take the energetic title track's expert melodies and moving, sweet lyrics: "To all the ones that I love/I don't say it enough." Other highlights include the all-in thrash-around 'No Pressure', energetic ode to angst and joy 'Wasted Days' and the teetering breakdown of 'Tightrope'.
On 'Vacate', Foster channels her feelings about friends becoming parents while she has no urge to join them down that path, set to riffs and arpeggios inspired by New Order and LCD Soundsystem.
"All my friends are heading in the same way/I just wanna vacate, feel it in my belly," Foster bellows, capturing the lonely confidence of going your own way. On To All The Ones That I Love, Press Club make it sound easy.
For fans of:
Royal Headache, Bad//Dreems, Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers
Jared Richards
Loading YouTube content
Julien Baker & TORRES — Send A Prayer My Way
The Tennessee twosome began writing their collaborative country record before the likes of Beyoncé and Post Malone dug into the genre.
(
Supplied: Matador Records
)
]
After meeting backstage at a gig a decade ago, solo indie-rock musicians Julien Baker and TORRES (Mackenzie Scott) began working on a collaboration back in 2020, after realising they both grew up in the South on a steady diet of country.
Then, Baker's other project —
Across its dozen tracks, Send A Prayer My Way alternates between light country touches and all-in honky tonk, as evident from the album's first two tracks. Opener 'Dirt', led by Baker singing about sobriety and ending off the wagon, is only turned country by a pedal steel; 'The Only Marble I've Got Left' is silly strums and affected twang.
Where the album's more effective is when the duo offers their own perspective more clearly as two queer women making country music.
'Goodbye Baby' is a sweet ode to how much both love their partners; 'Sugar in the Tank' is a passionate and sweet ballad backed by banjo and a Hammond organ.
At a time when many artists are turning to country, with cynical takes on the genre, Julien Baker and TORRES clearly have a lot of reverence for the genre's unique storytelling more than sound.
Jared Richards
If you like:
Lucinda Williams, Linda Ronstadt, boygenius
Loading YouTube content

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom's relationship is on the rocks, source says
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom's relationship is on the rocks, source says

News.com.au

time11 minutes ago

  • News.com.au

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom's relationship is on the rocks, source says

There are rumours bubbling that Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom's relationship is on rocky ground. 'It's over,' one source told Page Six. 'They are waiting till her tour is over before they split.' Perry is currently in Australia on her Lifetimes tour, which began on April 23 and runs through December 7. The pair first met in 2016 at a Golden Globes after-party. They got engaged on Valentine's Day in 2019, and welcomed daughter, Daisy Dove, in August of 2020. Sources have told People that stress over the poor reception of her new album, 143, has caused 'tension' in the stars' relationship. 'Katy was deeply frustrated following the reception of her new album,' a source told the pub. 'It made her very stressed. Orlando was understanding, but it did cause some tension.' Another source told the magazine, 'She was also disappointed in some of the tour reviews. It's put stress on their relationship.' Spies tell Page Six that Bloom was spending time in Miami, Florida, last month. The couple previously split for a year in 2017. Perry addressed the past break on Call her Daddy, in 2024, saying, 'We weren't really in it from day one. He was because he had just done a huge time of celibacy, and he had set intentions. I was fresh out of a relationship, and I was like, I can't do this anymore. I need to swim in a different pond, but I had to do a lot real work.' That same month, the pop star told People, 'Orlando and I, when we argue, we argue kinda hot and fast and then cool really quickly. It's like, 'La la la la la, I love you. Alright, let's move on.'' 'We are fire, fire, fire, and so [Daisy] sees all of that,' she continued. 'He's a real sage. We both have parts of ourselves. There's two parts of us, our highest good, and then our carnal, material self. Ego. When the ego is running the show, then it's like, 'Whoa.' But when that's in check, then we're both something else.'' The couple have previously said that they've turned to couple's therapy. In 2023 the Pirates of the Caribbean actor opened up about their challenges in Flaunt magazine, saying: 'We're in two very different pools [for their work]. Her pool is not a pool that I necessarily understand, and I think my pool is not a pool that she necessarily understands.' He added: 'Sometimes things are really, really, really, challenging. I won't lie. We definitely battle with our emotions and creativity.' 'I think we're both aware of how blessed we are to have uniquely connected in the way that we did at the time that we did. And there's definitely never a dull moment,' he continued. Bloom and their daughter attended the Dark Horse singer's recent 11-minute trip to the edge of space on the all-female Blue Origins flight where she kissed the ground upon landing. Page Six have reached out to the couple's rep.

ABC announces plan to discontinue Q+A, boosts news documentaries and Your Say
ABC announces plan to discontinue Q+A, boosts news documentaries and Your Say

ABC News

time30 minutes ago

  • ABC News

ABC announces plan to discontinue Q+A, boosts news documentaries and Your Say

Wednesday 11 June 2025 The ABC has today announced a plan to discontinue Q+A after an outstanding 18-year run and look to new ways to facilitate discussion and elevate voices from around the country. Q+A was a groundbreaking program that had made a significant contribution to Australian society, said ABC Director, News Justin Stevens. 'We're very proud of Q+A 's great achievements over the years. The team has done a terrific job, including a strong performance during the federal election campaign,' he said. 'Discontinuing the program at this point is no reflection on anyone on the show. 'We always need to keep innovating and renewing, and in the two decades since Q+A began the world has changed. It's time to rethink how audiences want to interact and to evolve how we can engage with the public to include as many Australians as possible in national conversations. We'll be working on how we can continue to foster engagement of this nature in an innovative way.' New projects from ABC NEWS include embedding Your Say as a permanent initiative to drive audience engagement in communities throughout Australia. During the federal election campaign Your Say received almost 30,000 online submissions, 36 per cent of them from outside the capital cities, plus thousands of talkback calls on local and regional radio. Hundreds of Your Say contributions were used by News teams and its insights informed the questions put to politicians and the topics for the ABC's leaders debate. " Your Say ensures we have a strong framework for putting the public's views, concerns and questions at the heart of our journalism, complementing our daily commissioning and reporting,' Stevens said. 'We're keen to see what else we can do with this.' ABC NEWS is also investing in producing more news documentaries. Building on the success of individual high-end programs such as Killing Season and Nemesis, it will soon advertise for the new position of Executive Producer, Documentaries & Specials. 'We're excited about being able to produce additional high impact, premium news documentary programs to complement the ABC's strong factual slate,' Stevens said. Q+A , which is currently off air, launched in 2008 under Executive Producer Peter McEvoy and host Tony Jones. 'Many extremely talented and dedicated people have worked on Q+A , as presenters and behind the scenes,' Stevens said. 'I sincerely thank them all, and everyone who has contributed as audience members and panellists. 'I want to call out current Executive Producer Eliza Harvey and presenter Patricia Karvelas. They are hugely talented journalists who have done an outstanding job with Q+A in recent years. 'On top of hosting Afternoon Briefing , presenting the popular Politics Now podcast and writing analysis for the ABC NEWS website, Patricia also recently reported for Four Corners , and we've now asked her to do more for Four Corners as time permits.' Karvelas said she had immensely enjoyed being part of the program. 'Spending time with the audience members who came to Q+A late on a Monday night has been the best part of this job,' she said. 'They have always been the reason for this show and I'm forever grateful to them for coming on national TV and having the courage to ask questions of powerful people.' Media contact: Sally Jackson | ABC Communications

ABC to discontinue Q+A after panel show's 18 years on air
ABC to discontinue Q+A after panel show's 18 years on air

ABC News

timean hour ago

  • ABC News

ABC to discontinue Q+A after panel show's 18 years on air

The ABC will discontinue its weekly panel show Q+A after 18 years, the public broadcaster has announced. The show, hosted by Patricia Karvelas since 2023, will not return after its hiatus, which started last month. The ABC's news director, Justin Stevens, said Q+A had made a huge contribution to the national public discussion. "We're very proud of Q+A's great achievements over the years. The team has done a terrific job, including a strong performance during the federal election campaign," he said. "Discontinuing the program at this point is no reflection on anyone on the show. "We always need to keep innovating and renewing and, in the two decades since Q+A began, the world has changed. "It's time to rethink how audiences want to interact and to evolve how we can engage with the public to include as many Australians as possible in national conversations. "We'll be working on how we can continue to foster engagement of this nature in an innovative way." Karvelas will continue hosting Afternoon Briefing and the popular Politics Now podcast along with writing her column for the ABC News website. "Patricia also recently reported for Four Corners, and we've now asked her to do more for Four Corners as time permits," Stevens said. The Q+A proposal would result in some redundancies, Stevens told ABC staff in an email. The ABC also announced it would invest in producing more news documentaries, with a new position of executive producer, documentaries and specials to be advertised soon. It will also make the Your Say project — launched during the recent federal election — a permanent initiative to drive audience engagement in communities around the country. "Your Say ensures we have a strong framework for putting the public's views, concerns and questions at the heart of our journalism, complementing our daily commissioning and reporting," Stevens said. "We're keen to see what else we can do with this." Launched by founding executive producer Peter McEvoy and host Tony Jones in 2008, Q+A was an agenda-setting program that pushed politicians beyond their standard talking points. Then-prime minister Kevin Rudd appeared solo on the first episode, before the second episode introduced the regular format of five panellists, including politicians from across the spectrum and others in public life. What made it stand out from other panel shows was the role of the audience, who led the questioning in the studio or via video and social media. McEvoy said in 2019 that the audience was the show's biggest challenge and its strength. "An ordinary panel program just has to wrangle four or five guests," he said. "Q&A has to manage 300, 400 — up to a thousand audience participants — recruiting, registering, checking identities, keeping them informed, generating and choosing questions." With the audience asking the questions, the conversation could go in unexpected directions, giving a platform to people who were not being heard in other areas of public life. But not every question took the conversation forward, earning Jones's signature line, "I'll take that as a comment". When Jones left the show in 2019, Hamish Macdonald joined as host for 18 months, before resigning. He was replaced by rotating hosts David Speers, Virginia Trioli and Stan Grant, before Grant took the role on solo. Grant resigned from the program in May 2023 after sustained racist abuse and trolling, saying on his last show: "To those who have abused me and my family, I would just say — if your aim was to hurt me, well, you've succeeded." Stevens paid tribute to the many people who had worked on screen and behind the camera over the show's 18-year run. "I want to call out current executive producer Eliza Harvey and presenter Patricia Karvelas. They are hugely talented journalists who have done an outstanding job with Q+A in recent years," he said. "Many extremely talented and dedicated people have worked on Q+A, as presenters and behind the scenes. "I extend our sincerest thanks to them all, and to everyone who has contributed as audience members and panellists." Karvelas said she had immensely enjoyed being part of the program. "Spending time with the audience members who came to Q+A late on a Monday night has been the best part of this job," she said. "They have always been the reason for this show and I'm forever grateful to them for coming on national TV and having the courage to ask questions of powerful people." The news comes in the same week Channel Ten has axed its long-running nightly panel show The Project, after almost 16 years and 4,500 episodes. The show's hosts, Waleed Aly, Hamish McDonald and Sarah Harris, will leave Channel Ten after the final episode airs on Friday, June 27. The network announced a new national "news, current affairs and insights" show that will air for an hour from Sunday to Friday.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store