New Noise: Yuko Nishiyama, Dylan Michél, Yon Yonson, Mighty Boys

Cheeky punk, oddball pop, head-trip sprawl and genre-crossed layers make up this week’s roundup of new music.

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– How much diverse terrain can a pop song cover without losing its sense of self? Well, in the case of ‘Parade’, the new single from Melbourne’s Yuko Nishiyama, an incredible amount. Over exactly four minutes, the song incorporates sparse alt-rock, anxious handclaps, kitschy synth horns, otherworldly harmonies, full-blown R‘n’B vocals, encroaching noise, folky twang and blown-out drums. The fact that Nishiyama can span all of that and still bring off an emotional song anchored with the simple refrain “Don’t you know/You are wasting time” is very impressive, to say the least. ‘Parade’ is the title track and closer of her first album, out now digitally and on CD. Having done time in Ballarat since relocating from Tokyo as a child, Nishiyama recorded the album mostly in Melbourne bedrooms with producer Joshua Barber (Brightly). Also check out previous single ‘Heart of Daisies’, which is more R‘n’B-focused. Nishiyama is launching the album from tonight in four cities; see below, with more info here.

Thurs, Aug 14 – Karova Lounge, Ballarat, VIC [w/Mark With the Sea + Josh Haire]
Fri, Aug 15 – The Workers Club, Melbourne, VIC [w/Dear Plastic, Al Parkinson + AViVAA]
Fri, Aug 22 – Brighton Up Bar, Sydney, NSW
Sat, Aug 23 – The Front Gallery, Canberra, ACT

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– You may know Dylan Michél from his work as Wooshie and his recent team-up with Galapagoose as Gill Michell, but his new EP under his own name is something different altogether. Burbling and droney, it recalls the head-trip instrumental sprawl of James Holden. It’s been described thusly: “Pervaded with acids of ghetto house and nihilist minimal wave, Michél’s meticulous biological rhythms robustly jenga at footwork.” If that’s too tricky to parse, then just head straight for the single (and video) ‘If U Want 2’ … or the bizarro synth love-in turned ominous bog that is ‘Smelling Salts’. All in all, it’s every bit as weird as that cover art. The six-track Touched by an Angel is out now through This Thing as a name-your-price download, with the 30-run companion tape Hello? available on Michél’s current run of launch dates, which kicks off in Sydney tonight.

Thurs, Aug 14 – Freda’s, Sydney, NSW [w/Chunyin + Corin]
Fri, Aug 15 – 107 Projects, Sydney, NSW [w/Mannheim Rocket]
Sat, Aug 16 – Ferdydurke, Melbourne, VIC [w/Galapagoose, Mannheim Rocket + Wade Gilmour]
Sun, Aug 17 – Display Home, Melbourne, VIC [w/Shortfuture]

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– After their unpublicised free-download debut LP Hypomantra walked away with a glowing On Rotation review back in January, we’ve been hanging out for new material from Sydney duo Yon Yonson. And here it is: new single ‘No Enemy’ starts out as a stark piano ballad marked by distinctive crooning and a wealth of quotable lyrics (“I’m way too sentimental for 25/After the gold rush I just felt like getting high”) before eventually adding in all the genre-crossed layers we’ve come to expect. It feels very current, but not at the expense of sincerity. ‘No Enemy’ comes out next Friday (Aug 22), teasing a second album reportedly due out this summer.

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– Mighty Boys are a gutter-minded Melbourne punk band valuing cheekiness just as much as adrenaline. They’ve just released a seven-song debut album called Dole Cheque and Kabana, which you can pick up for $5 download. The vinyl edition launches tomorrow (Aug 15) at The Tote, with support from MOD, Mutton and Loons. It’s super scrappy and has a lot of fun with lyrics (see “Bad Pornography” especially), but there’s nagging experimentation and melody beneath the crusty surface. And man, is it ever catchy.

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To nominate new music for this column, email us at news@messandnoise.com.