New Noise: Sui Zhen, La Bastard, Banoffee, Lisa Mitchell

Female artists (and vocalists) rule this week’s roundup of new music.

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– ‘Infinity Street’ is the latest in a steady line of evolutionary leaps for Melbourne’s Sui Zhen, from the winsome singer-songwriter-isms of 2012’s Two Seas to her tropical-holiday mode as half of Fox + Sui to May’s ultra-laidback, self-produced Female Basic EP. The airy, dub-flecked new single feels like a culmination of all that, teasing out the elastic possibilities of pop while standing comfortably out-of-time. It’s the lead single from her next album, Secretly Susan, due next year through Two Bright Lakes/Remote Control. Also a current member of NO ZU and Hot Palms, Sui Zhen DJs as DJ Susan and will play in her band Sui et Sui at the first of the free FL/M+N Lunchbox gig series at QVM for Melbourne Music Week. It’s Monday, November 17 from 12:30pm.

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– La Bastard swaggered away with the #5 spot in our 2013 Readers Poll for their album Tales From Beyond, which might have been surprising to anyone who hasn’t seen them live. For everyone who has, it’s the kind of blinding live show that sends you straight back to the album re-energised. Following the recent ‘Promise Me’/‘In Deep’ 7” and an 18-date European tour, the Melbourne surf-garage quartet have released a limited tour LP rounding up remastered tracks from their four releases thus far. Released on vinyl and CD through French label Beast Records, it sports cover art from Australian-Spanish artist Lluis Fuzzhound of Fuzztoon Studios. Led by powerhouse singer Anna Lienhop, La Bastard quickly transcend the usual throwback limitations of surf, garage and rockabilly tropes and come out with something raw and rewarding. They’re launching the new record in Melbourne and Tassie; dates below.

Fri, Oct 17 – The LuWoW, Melbourne, VIC [w/The Creeping Bam + DJs Sye Saxon and Barbara Blaze]
Fri, Oct 31 – The Royal Oak Hotel, Launceston, TAS [w/Guthrie]
Sat, Nov 1 – Day of the Dead Party @ The Winston Hotel, Hobart, TAS [w/The Sin and Tonics]

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– ‘Let’s Go to the Beach’ closes out Banoffee’s sterling self-titled EP, which puts it in the company of singles like ‘Ninja’, ‘Reign Down’ and ‘Got It’. It’s Martha Brown’s most unabashedly dancey moment yet, pairing layered vocals with a pulse that suddenly steps it up from ghostly to gurgling. Like the other tracks, it’s at once vulnerable and empowering. Brown (ex-Otouto) is doing a run of local gigs and festivals between now and the end of the year, while presumably working away on Banoffee’s debut full-length.

Sat, Oct 11 – Hugs and Kisses, Melbourne, VIC [w/Oscar Key Sung]
Mon, Nov 17 – Melbourne Music Week @ QVM, Melbourne, VIC [w/Guerre + Milwaukee Banks]
Sat, Nov 29 – Mon, Dec 1 – Paradise Music Festival, Lake Mountain, VIC
Sun, Dec 7 – Semplesize Block Party @ Howler, Melbourne, VIC
Wed, Dec 31 – Beyond the Valley, Phillip Island, VIC

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– You can’t really talk about Lisa Mitchell without talking about her perfectly poised and fragile voice, which on the demo-ish new single ‘Wah Ha’ recalls Camera Obscura’s Tracyanne Campbell. Written on the back of a receipt last summer, the song is up for free download via Soundcloud for a month. Beside being a meekly lovely pop song set mostly to acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies, its lyrics have a welcome trace of defiance to them: “I’m not your average suffering girl with a pencil in her hair.” Co-produced by Mitchell and Tim Harvey (Team Harvey, Spiderbait), the song precedes a few London gigs next month and the recording of her third album in country Victoria after that. Mitchell’s last LP was 2012’s Bless This Mess; before that she released the AMP-winning album Wonder in 2009 and the Spiritus EP, also in 2012.

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