EP Review: The Night Packers’ ‘Invisible Ink’ shines with a pop sensibility and a wry humour. The Night Packers are literally one of those The Marrickville Sound bands I always go on about - based around the very same inner city suburb of Sydney and still creating an enormously satisfying brand of jingle jangle indie pop after a few years in the industry. They have today released their new EP 'Invisible Ink', a little over two years since 'Loose Carry' (see my review here) and it's business as usual for this creative unit. Opening track 'Death Spiral' is a sprightly punk pop sonic missile with charging guitars and singer David Wilks urgent yelping voice.

EP Review: The Night Packers' 'Invisible Ink' shines with a pop sensibility and a wry humour.
@thenightpackers
#thenightpackers #epreview #backseatdownunder #themarrickvillesound #indie #pop #eora #sydney #news

Obsidian’s own Pillars Of Eternity.

Happy anniversary to one of my favorite games and series of all time 🎂❤️🙏🏾
Please Obisidian and Josh Sawyer, i need to know how all this story ends #PillarsOfEternity #Eora #Abowed

Track: Warmer (solo project of Sydney singer-songwriter John Encarnação) goes on a ‘Pitchfork Barndance (feat Dave Carter)’ Sydney singer-songwriter John Encarnação is a pillar of the indie music scene in Australia, known for his involvement in one of our favorite institutions The Nature Strip. Under the guise of Warmer, he has just released the hoedown jollity of 'Pitchfork Barndance': a boogie-woogie toe tapping slice of melodic chaos that exudes joy with an arched brow. Encarnação admits the track is about as country as Warmer ever has, or is likely to (be) and features New Zealand producer Dave Carter with whom he has recorded five tracks in anticipation of a later release.

Track: Warmer (solo project of Sydney singer-songwriter John Encarnação) goes on a 'Pitchfork Barndance (feat Dave Carter)'
@halfacowrecords
#warmer #backseatdownunder #eora #sydney #track #video #video #news #thenaturestrip

Album Review: Fabels create a mystical sonic storm in their new album ‘Ophera’. The sounds of Fabels have always been wrapped up in a sort mystical pagan fugue, mysterious, raw and, incongruous given the electronic delivery, organic. Fabels are Hiske Weijers from Berlin and Ben Aylward from Sydney and together they produce dreamy, hazy vignettes, heightened by an air of mystery and a chemically-induced fugue in their music: transformative and ambulant. The duo has an uncanny knack of producing the most ethereal and at times psychedelic music, the sort that creates those feelings you get after waking from a particularly lucid dream, when you try and relive it endlessly to recapture that beautiful essence.

Album Review: Fabels create a mystical sonic storm in their new album 'Ophera'.
@fabels_music
#fabels #backseatdownunder #indie #dreampop #electronica #pop #eora #sydney #news

News: Indie aficionados everywhere rejoice as the legendary Crow announce new album ‘Hold Sway’ and tempt us with the single ‘You Can’t Turn Away’. It's off their forthcoming first album in 15 years, but on the strength of the new single 'You Can't Turn Away' from the legendary Crow, it's clearly business as usual. And a jolly good business it is too. 'You Can't Turn Away' blasts off with jagged buzzsaw guitars, trembling and shuddering, before Peter J Fenton's urgent vocals enter, swaggering and assured like a pirate on a rollicking ship in a thunder storm. The vocals are furnished with delicate harmonies as an anthemic thrum takes over in the chorus. It's an ambulatory sonic hurricane that is thoroughly satisfying and ultimately so very cathartic.

News: Indie aficionados everywhere rejoice as the legendary Crow announce new album 'Hold Sway' and tempt us with the single 'You Can't Turn Away'.
@crow_australis @cheersquadrecords
#crow #cheersquadrecords #eora #sydney #backseatdownunder #indie #nineties #track #news

Album Review: ‘Men Are A Luxury Item’ but The Petrov Affair prove their immeasurable worth with their debut album. We've been closely following the magnificent The Petrov Affair for a few years, enticed by their brand of jingle jangle shimmering pop. It is a great pleasure therefore to listen to their debut album, 'Men Are A Luxury item', which collects a few past singles and some fresh new tracks to create something very satisfying. Singer/Keyboard player Murray Lee says of the album: The album unfolds as a loose song cycle exploring romantic and intimate relationships—and the insecurities that often accompany them. At its core, it’s a reflection on human flaws—a half-serious, half-playful commentary on the human condition…

Album Review: 'Men Are A Luxury Item' but The Petrov Affair prove their immeasurable worth with their debut album.
@thepetrovaffairband
#thepetrovaffair #backseatdownunder #albumreview #news #indie #pop #eora #sydney

Live Review: Pulp bedazzle at the Sydney Opera House forecourt, 6 March 2026 There are certain places in the world where pop music feels faintly mischievous. The Sydney Opera House forecourt is one of them. With the harbour glittering behind the stage and the Opera House sails looming overhead like giant architectural handkerchiefs, it’s a setting more accustomed to refined cultural pursuits than songs about awkward sex, chemical misadventures and the sociology of British class resentment Which, naturally, makes it the perfect place for Pulp. Cocker and company arrived on stage to a roar from a crowd that looked like a multi-generational gathering of indie disciples.

Live Review: Pulp bedazzle at the Sydney Opera House forecourt, 6 March 2026
@welovepulp @sydneyoperahouse
#pulp #sydneyoperahouse #backseatdownunder #live #gallery #eora #sydney #tour #britpop

Premiere: After a lifetime away, psychedelic pop icons The Crystal Set exclusively reveal their stunning new single ‘Critical Mass’. The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long - one of my favourite quotes from one of my favourite movies (Blade Runner) - is an apt description for late eighties/early nineties Eora/Sydney band The Crystal Set. Disbanding almost immediately after the release of their epic second album 'Almost Pure' - an album that is still on my regular play list - The Crystal Set produced melodic jingle jangle psych pop of the highest order: enigmatic, anthemic and very cool. Signs of a pulse emerged when the band reformed in 2024 supporting The Ups & Downs, and they later headlined last year on a tour down the the East Coast of Australia to sell out venues.

Premiere: After a lifetime away, psychedelic pop icons The Crystal Set exclusively reveal their stunning new single 'Critical Mass'.
@crystal_set_band
#thecrystalset #premiere #backseatdownunder #indie #pop #track #video #eora #sydney #psych #dreampop #shoegaze

Sydney City streets on Gadigal land. Specifically the Rocks area. #gadigal #eora Bujari #therocks

Start of Wugulora ceremony in Sydney on the 26th Jan 2026 #wugulora #eora #gadigal #onemob #burriburri #operahouse

Premiere: Eora/Sydney band Postcards from Pluto return with a thumping, stomping single ‘Arcade’ ahead of headline gig. We've been following the upward trajectory of Eora/Sydney band Postcards from Pluto for a little over a year now and thoroughly impressed by both their singles and live performances (see our reviews here). We are therefore overjoyed to be able to premiere their new single 'Arcade', which indicates things are only getting better. Since their last release, Postcards from Pluto have supported the legendary eighties band The Crystal Set on their lauded return tour, and undergone some personnel changes. There is a fuzzy muscular thrum to 'Arcade' with a thundering beat and an incessant drive.

Premiere: Eora/Sydney band Postcards from Pluto return with a thumping, stomping single 'Arcade' ahead of headline gig.
@postcardsfromplutoband
#premiere #backseatdownunder #postcardsfrompluto #indie #eora #sydney #pop #newwave #postpunk

Premiere: oWo exclusively unveil new rock anthem ‘Cause Way’ ahead of new EP and launch date. Eora/Sydney post punk and noise rock trio oWo have announced their new EP 'Emerger', due out in February 2026, and we are honoured to bring you an exclusive early listen to the first single off the EP, 'Cause Way'. 'Cause Way' launches with crystalline guitars that create a buzz-saw bedrock to the yearning vocals. There is an antipodean blush to the delivery that hints of icons such as Spy Vs Spy and Midnight Oil: guitar-based rock that is authentic and visceral, passionate and born from the hallowed dingy pubs across the sunburnt land.

Premiere: oWo exclusively unveil new rock anthem 'Cause Way' ahead of new EP and launch date.
@owodoesphotos
#oWo #premiere #backseatdownunder #indie #track #news #eora #sydney

Premiere: The superb The Nagging Doubts exclusively unveil their luscious new single ‘All To You’ with launch date announced for debut album. Signed to Wayne Connolly's prestigious Scenic Drive Records, we at the antipodean outpost of Backseat Mafia have long been fans of The Nagging Doubts, admiring their post punk/new wave sound that has an antipodean flavour and a genetic code that, despite their tender age, goes all the way back to Velvet Underground. We are therefore thrilled to premiere their new single 'All To You' in anticipation of a debut album on the way. 'All To You' combines a visceral edge with sweet melodies delivered by bassist Ruby King. According to the band, it is:

Premiere: The superb The Nagging Doubts exclusively unveil their luscious new single 'All To You' with launch date announced for debut album.
@naggingdoubts @scenicdriverecords
#thenaggingdoubts #premiere #backseatdownunder #indie #eora #sydney #scenicdriverecords #track #video #news #wayneconnolly

Portavoce Giani e futuro candidato Prime scintille in vista del voto regionale con il Comitato promotore della Lista civica "È ora!" per Tomasi presidente...

➡️ Leggi l'articolo: #Eora

Track: Lily Jupiter debuts her single sparkling ‘Stamp Alphabet’ and gives notice of a prodigious, creative talent emerging. For an emerging artist who is only 16, Lily Jupiter displays an incredible assurance and prodigious ability in her debut single 'Stamp Alphabet', released today. There are detectable elements of Lorde and Olivia Rodrigo for sure with the electronic thrum, driving pace, wry lyrics and velvet vocals. Jupiter adds George Michael as an influence and you can certainly detect this in the instrumentation and melody. Added to this is a remarkable level of swagger and attitude that threads throughout the track. Above all there is a commercial pop sensibility which has enough grit and steel to avoid any day-glo shallowness and lyrics that are cool with just a touch of an arched eyebrow and a hand on hip:

Track: Lily Jupiter debuts her single sparkling 'Stamp Alphabet' and gives notice of a prodigious, creative talent emerging.
@lilyjupitercreates
#lilyjupiter #backseatdownunder #track #debut #indie #sydney #eora #news

News: Sydney’s SXSW makes a major announcement on the 2025 program, including local icon Holly Hebe, with tickets on sale now. The Sydney transplant of the iconic SWXW Festival continues to gather life and momentum after two successful years with the preliminary announcement of the program for 2025. With 62 new international and domestic artists (including our much beloved Holly Hebe) and a host of new speakers joining the lineup, along with the reveal of the first Music conference sessions, this promises to be another amazing event. As always, the program is a cornucopia of stunning musicians that cover a wide range of genres along with some fascinating presentations and sessions. Check out our coverage of previous years…

News: Sydney's SXSW makes a major announcement on the 2025 program with tickets on sale now.
@sxswsydney @TEG_live
#SXSWSydney #backseatdownunder #indie #festival #sydney #eora

(Not so) friendly reminder My feral devotees x

#tour #sydney #eora #domme

Premiere: Moderate Lovers unveil a passionate paean to things that have passed in the stunning debut ‘Lost City’. With an onslaught of fuzzy rumbling guitars that has a buzz-saw edge, the debut single from Eora/Sydney trio Moderate Lovers is a poignant reminder that change and evolution aren't always for the good. It's a debut single we are honoured to premiere, giving you a first taste of something quite special. Firmly grounded in a nineties-style velvet glove over a steel fist, with a sound redolent of fellow compatriots You Am I or, from further afield, Dinosaur Jnr or Pavement, 'Lost City' hides within its impassioned melodic delivery and wall of sound a glimmer of hope and resilience.

Premiere: Moderate Lovers unveil a passionate paean to things that have passed in the stunning debut 'Lost City'.
@moderatelovers
#moderatelovers #premiere #backseatdownunder #themarrickvillesound #eora #sydney #indie #rock #track #video

Album Review: An aural delight ‘By Design’ – With yet another landslide of impeccable songwriting, The Electorate unveil their new album. The Electorate are finally back with a follow-up to their magnificent 2020 album 'You Don't Have Time To Stay Lost' (see my review here). 'By Design', out tomorrow, puts on full display what has been missed during the intervening five years since their last album. Masterful songwriting with intelligent lyrics and a pop sensibility combine to deliver a tour de force.

Album Review: An aural delight 'By Design' - With yet another landslide of impeccable songwriting, The Electorate unveil their new album.
@theelectorate @loveasfictionrecords
#thelectorate #loveasfictionrecords #backseatdownunder #themarrickvillesound #indie #rock #eora #sydney #albumreview

Premiere: The Vors raise their profile with the blistering single ‘Hi Vis Low Res’, with debut album and live dates on the way We are very pleased to premiere the zany new punk pop single 'Hi Vis Low Res' from Eora/Sydney band The Vors, which has all the heat and blistering effects of a footpath baking in the hot summer sun. With a sound that recalls The Chats or Amyl and the Sniffers, it's a thrilling surf ride on a plank of guitars that is a example of that unique antipodean self-deprecatory sense humour: a paean to indolence and lethargy brought on by the humidity and desire for the weekend we all know so well down under.

Premiere: The Vors raise their profile with the blistering single 'Hi Vis Low Res', with debut album and live dates on the way
@thevors__ @cheersquadrecords
#thevors #premiere #backseatdownunder #bondi #eora #sydney #track #news #indie #punk #pop

Emerald Stair 🌌
Avowed. 📸
Got rid of HUD, photo mode coming this Fall feel so far away.. 😭

#avowed #pillarsofeternity #eora #obsidianentertainment #xboxgamestudios #unrealengine5 #xbox #gaming #videogames #virtualphotography #vpgamers #photomode #screenshot
www.instagram.com/p/DKDegxcosF...

Makes finishing and experiencing the first game so worth it. #PoE2no #Eora #Avowed #thaos

Track: The Petrov Affair make a welcome return with the silken melancholy of ‘White Out’, with launch date announced. There is a crystalline delicacy to the new single 'White Out' from the enigmatic The Petrov Affair who make a welcome return after an absence of a few years. The track is threaded with a poignant melancholy but a soaring chorus bursts through like a ray of sunshine through the clouds. Indeed there is an Antarctic chill to the delivery that reflects its genesis.

Track: The Petrov Affair make a welcome return with the silken melancholy of 'White Out', with launch date announced.
@thepetrovaffairband
#thepetrovaffair #backseatdownunder #themarrickvillesound #indie #eora #sydney #track #video #news

Premiere: It’s prime time for a reflective ‘Midnight Song’ as indie rocker Iain T. McKelvey returns with a shimmering new single. Indie rocker Iain T. McKelvey is back after a year's absence with his new evocative single 'Midnight Song', and we are humbled to bring you an early listen. 'Midnight Song' as a hint of an alt country twang with its crystalline guitars and McKelvey's velvet, yearning tones, augmented by delicate harmonies and an indelible melody. Threaded throughout is a self-deprecatory sense of humour delivered in a melancholy blush. The tone is reflective and the subject matter reflects the local environment and the drowning of sorrows(the inner Sydney suburb of Camperdown and a brown paper bag).

Premiere: It's prime time for a reflective 'Midnight Song' as indie rocker Iain T. McKelvey returns with a shimmering new single.
@iaintmckelvey
#iaintmckelvey #premiere #backseatdownunder #indie #eora #sydney #rock #altcountry #track

Premiere: It’s prime time for a reflective ‘Midnight Song’ as indie rocker Iain T. McKelvey returns with a shimmering new single. Indie rocker Iain T. McKelvey is back after a year's absence with his new evocative single 'Midnight Song', and we are humbled to bring you an early listen. 'Midnight Song' as a hint of an alt country twang with its crystalline guitars and McKelvey's velvet, yearning tones, augmented by delicate harmonies and an indelible melody. Threaded throughout is a self-deprecatory sense of humour delivered in a melancholy blush.

Premiere: It's prime time for a reflective 'Midnight Song' as indie rocker Iain T. McKelvey returns with a shimmering new single.
@iaintmckelvey
#iaintmckelvey #premiere #backseatdownunder #indie #eora #sydney #rock #altcountry #track

Premiere: ‘Spit It Out’ – GRXCE return with a visceral, anthemic pop blast ahead of launch dates. The glorious Eora/Sydney band GRXCE are back with the soaring anthemic track 'Spit It Out', which we are inordinately proud to premiere today. The single features a passionate melodic delivery seething with anger and a thumping percussive drive, replete with an eviscerating guitar. The track seems to represent an evolution of the band's sound into something nuanced and powerful: a full blown sonic eruption.

Premiere: 'Spit It Out' - GRXCE return with a visceral, anthemic pop blast.
@grxcetheband
#GRXCE #premiere #backseatdownunder #indie #grunge #pop #eora #sydney #news #track #video

Album Review: Party Crashers’ self titled debut album is a glorious indie pop delight. Party Crashers features singer songwriter Robert F. Cranny who has a long history in the industry as one of the main architects of Sarah Blasko’s debut album ‘The Overture And The Underscore’, and its follow-up ‘What The Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have’. Cranny co-wrote and co-produced both albums, the latter winning the ARIA award for Best Pop Release in 2007 and both achieving platinum status in Australia.

Album Review: Party Crashers' self titled debut album is a glorious indie pop delight.
@meetthepartycrashers
#indie #backseatdownunder #eora #sydney #themarrickvillesound #albumreview

Avowed is pretty. ✨

#avowed #pillarsofeternity #eora #obsidianentertainment #xboxgamestudios #xbox #gaming #videogames #virtualphotography
www.instagram.com/p/DIxR8BYo3y...

Premiere: Big Heavy Stuff exclusively reveal limited edition split single ‘Birthday’/’Hibernate ’97’ package ahead of re-issue of classic debut EP ‘Covered in Bruises’. We are very honoured to bring you an exclusive early listen to a limited edition split single package including 'Birthday' and 'Hibernate' from iconic nineties band Big Heavy Stuff, off the reissue of the band's classic debut EP 'Covered in Bruises' due out soon. Remixed and mastered by the legendary producer Wayne Connolly and released through the precious Love As Fiction Records…

Premiere: Big Heavy Stuff exclusively reveal limited edition split single 'Birthday'/'Hibernate' package ahead of re-issue of classic debut EP 'Covered in Bruises'.
@bigheavystuff @loveasfictionrecords
#bigheavystuff #backseatdownunder #premiere #loveasfictionrecords #eora #sydney

Memories....
#ocean #waves #australia #photography #eora #memories #notmygarden