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Music Wrap: A playlist to soothe your female rage plus the best new releases

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JORDAN DRYSDALE
WORDS BY ELIZA SHOLLY

The best of the best.

Earlier this year, I made a Spotify playlist called ‘Angry women like me’. I was listening to the Courtney Love episode of You’re Wrong About and it prompted a lot of feelings about the portrayal of female emotion in music.

The You’re Wrong About podcast was created by Sarah Marshall and Michael Hobbes in an attempt to reconsider a person or event that’s been miscast in the public imagination. In many cases, the historical lens they use examines how women have long been mistreated in the wider public consciousness.


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Princess Diana, Nicole Brown Simpson, Anna Nicole Smith, Monica Lewinski, Tonya Harding, and in this case, Courtney Love. How would these women be treated differently if they were rising to prominence today, with a contemporary (and perhaps more objective) lens examining them?

The subtle injustices made me angry. Research has consistently found that women experience anger as frequently and as intensely as men, and yet, men are given concessions to express vexation in a way that women never have been.

It comes as no surprise that women have spearheaded musical movements (punk, rock, rhythm and blues) that have allowed them to wax lyrical about their justified irritability (and in a way where their first-person emotions cannot be used against them).

As women, we have a million reasons to be angry right now. Inequality, violence, degradation, dehumanisation, misogyny – the bingo card is brimming. Macro and micro factors push me to the edge on a daily basis, and screaming alongside another angry woman vilifies me. So listen to the playlist and scream into the fucking void.

Also, join me next month when I count down my album and songs of the year. It’s going to be a good one. In the meantime, these are my favourite new releases from the last month.

Juno Disco – House of Juno EP



Contemporary music will always reference the past in one way or another. In the same way that fashion trends have a resurgence in an almost infinite loop, so too does music.

Juno Disco – the synth-nerd duo from Naarm – are clearly influenced by sounds of the ’80s. On their latest EP, House Of Juno, the pair do well to subtly celebrate their muses while executing a sound of their very own. It could be that the musical ‘trend’ pendulum is swinging in their favour right now, or perhaps talent just works that way.

Over six buoyant tracks, House of Juno grants a clear introduction to a sophisticated production style, while providing some new songs to rinse on your summer playlist. Start with ‘Two Streets Over’ (featuring a spicy mid-track voice memo) and the early Presets-esque ‘Neon Lights’.

Megan Thee Stallion – Something For Thee Hotties


Before Meg Thee Stallion was the Grammy-winning college graduate we know her as now, she was notorious in rap circles for her unparalleled, breathless approach to freestyling. In Houston, she needed no introduction.

And now for her new release, Something For Thee Hotties. It’s fucking incredible for a woman to be able to release a commercial collection of loosies like this one, and this gift of tracks will leave you wondering why they didn’t make it to an album. ‘Megan Monday’ is a favourite.

Loure – Memories In Strobe EP



The intersection of house and jazz will always be one of my favourite genres. I may be extremely biased, but that’s the point of a personal column, no? I’ve been waiting a hot minute to write about Loure. Like Cassettes For Kids, this Naarm-based producer is doing heaps for the local dance music scene. He’s a real joy to listen to, particularly when he comes out with EPs like this.

According to the man himself, Memories In Strobe was made through “the ducking and weaving of lockdowns”.
“Personally I missed playing shows, seeing friends and just being in the thick of it. I wanted to make something that was reminiscent of moments of togetherness. For me, that’s usually found with friends, seeing music and hanging together under a blanket of strobe.” Chef’s kiss.

Sleeping On Gems Instagram account

This is a bit of a random one but I love recommending things that are musically adjacent. Many people (no one) ask me how I remain abreast of new songs, releases, playlists, covers, artists and the like. The answer is uninteresting, however one of my favourite accounts to follow on Instagram is this one, Sleeping On Gems.

Sleeping On Gems and its sister account, This Joint Is Wavy are a collective of taste aficionados. I say collective but it could be one person. The account posts new releases, old archived gems, memes, industry-happenings, and all things related to good music.

Music taste is subjective; something that gatekeeping people often forget. There is no right or wrong way to engage with the medium. But if you’re a little nervous and keen to find some cool new stuff, follow this account and you’ll be bloody good to go.

@sleepingongems

Pink Pantheress – To Hell With It



Pink Pantheress is one of my favourite humans to come out of my 2021 music discoveries. And while TikTok may have made her, a recent glowing album review on The New York Times proves she is much more than just teen hype and algorithmic listens.

The album’s title, To Hell With It, could be a reference to all this. The main-character syndrome that encapsulates her generation (PP is just 20) is all about romanticising the boredom and sulkiness of modern life. And while the unpolished nature of garage/drum and bass music soundtracks the album, it’s her brooding, soprano bedroom vocals that grounds its anarchy.

Peach PRC – ‘Heavy’



People really love Peach PRC. I get it. She’s cute, emotionally transparent and leans so far into the manic-pixie-dream girl aesthetic that she’s basically horizontal. As far as her songs go, the jury is still out. Yes she’s been praised by publications like Paper and TikTok essentially falls at her feet, but I’ll need a full length project to be convinced by the power of her musical prowess.

This song, ‘Heavy’, is a slow, ballad-esque examination of the baggage she brings to a relationship. “It’s all I’ve been told, I’m heavy to hold,” is a poetically plaintive insight. I’ll be interested to see how she executes her debut project.

Kaytranada – Intimidated



Traditionalist Kaytranada fans might be a little disappointed with this new three-track mixtape. The production is a little less dancey, instead becoming a place where he experiments with low-fi sound, really allowing the features to shine.

H.E.R. delivers airy vocals on ‘Insatiable’ and Thundercat does his very predictable thing on ‘Be Careful’. The clear standout track, ‘$payforhaiti’ features Haitian Mach-Hommy, who interweaves Creole and English flows alongside Kaytra’s signature energetic backing.

Other notable mentions:

‘Ezinna’ – B Wise ft Sampa The Great and Milan Ring

‘Message In a Hammer’ – Obongjayar

‘I Deserve’ – Smino

‘Boundary Queen’  Sweetie

‘Heather’ – Sarah Saint James

Unfazed – Mossy

‘Big Bidness’ – Young T & Bugzy

‘Shygirl’ – Cleo

‘Resting Power’ – Dirty Versachi

‘Wig Split’ – Pouya ft Denzel Curry

‘Write A List Of Things To Look Forward To’ – Courtney Barnett

‘Smooth’ – BJ The Chicago Kid

‘Power (Floorplan Remix)’ – TSHA

‘Santé’ – Stromae

‘Fue Major’ – Kali Uchis feat. SZA

30 – Adele (obviously)

You can follow Eliza here.

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