Lucky Stars – Mikaela Cougar

Mikaela Cougar is a force to be reckoned with, releasing three killer singles this year alone. Her latest feat is the cosmic Lucky Stars EP, which she hopes will “shoot people through moonbeams, landing them amongst the stars”. Dude. You gotta hear it.

The EP slaps from the get go, starting with nostalgic “grrl rock” single Lucky Stars. The track is moody gold, and it took me straight back to watching 10 Things I Hate About You in the early 2000s. There’s a certain No Doubt energy to the song, but it’s definitely that little bit edgier. It builds through the use of classic palm muting, distortion and layered vocals. It’s a good time.

I Don’t Wanna Be In Love is one of my absolute favourites. It was great to listen to the track again; it impressed me just as much this time. From there it moved into Stupid Love Drunk, which gave me major Lorde vibes. Mikaela’s pop alto shined in this track as her vocals walked the edge of spoken word in the verses. I can picture Stupid Love Drunk being s o m u c h f u n live as the audience yells the words with her. Don’t be fooled by the groovy rhythm section and fun chorus though; the song has secret lyrical substance.

The fourth track See Straight is the single that made me fall in love with Mikaela’s music earlier this year. It was just as eerie and mesmerising this time, and nice to hear it in the context of the rest of the collection. The final track Scared begins a little more sultry than the earlier tracks. It’s cool to see Mikaela experimenting with different sounds and topics. It launches into her iconic “grrrl rock” sound before long. Overall the Lucky Stars EP is a really well balanced set of tracks. Mikaela has managed to develop a distinct and coherent sound while still delivering a diverse set of songs; a feat worthy of recognition.The full Lucky Stars EP will be available to the public this Friday, and Mikaela will take to the stage with her band at Wine Cellar. If her live performance is anywhere near as epic as her discography then the crowd will be in for a super fun night. Get your pre Halloween boogie on, and maybe I’ll see you in there!

You can find Mikaela Cougar and her music on Instagram, Facebook and Spotify.

Into Into You – Geoff Ong

Pop, pop rock

Self proclaimed “pop star for dorks” Geoff Ong has released another single, and it’s insanely catchy. I first heard the track on release day, and the optimistic hook line has been rattling around in my brain ever since. The icing on the Into Into You cake is the fun and professional music video choreographed by Anton Pulefale and Victoria Villapol, and directed by Geoff Ong himself.

The music video starts with Pulefale and Villapol standing back to back in a studio with a light directed at the camera. Ong asks the question “is it weird to think we could have been just strangers passing by in the street?” before wondering about the universe and its plans. It’s a feel good song, all about revelling in the magic of new love.

The dancers capture the mesmerising nature of a new relationship by moving in slow motion together. They snap into an energetic chorus while the movement of the editing aligns with the rhythm section. It’s a carefully considered video, but it still feels charming and genuine; the dancers look like they had a lot of fun filming it.

Tastefully filmed and edited by an artist with countless strings to his bow, Into Into You is infectiously groovy. The next time you need a slice of optimism load up the video and get smiling. Don’t miss Geoff Ong when he next plays live – his shows are outrageously dynamic, and so much fun.

Stay – Max Earnshaw

INDIE, pop rock

Max Earnshaw’s latest single Stay has an infectious feel good groove that has you bopping and toe tapping right in your seat.
The track is chocka with tight grooves from reknown Adam Tobeck, juicy guitar tones from Christo Karadjov, James, Fistonich and Max Earnshaw himself, all wrapped masterfully together by a Luan Meaker Mix.
Max brings the same fun and positivity to his tracks that you’d expect from Jet or Franz Ferdinand. We can’t wait to hear this track live when Aunty Cindy lets us play again!

Stay is a Bandcamp exclusive! So find it here.

Make sure to follow Max for future bops. Facebook, Instagram, Spotify.

Down Down – Screams From The Sun

Electro Rock, INDIE, Indie Rock, pop rock

Down Down from Screams From the Sun is one of the most fresh tracks we’ve reviewed at Kiwi’s Listen. Unable to be held back by the pandemic, they recorded this pop-rock banger in isolation. The duo blends “emo feels” and “80s Hollywood Blockbuster” into what we hear as a darker Twenty One Pilots. The soundscape is quite electronic and alt-pop reminiscent of groups such as Everything Everything and Linkin Park’s ‘A Thousand Suns’. However this group undeniably has the energy of 2000s emo rock groups driving it. A heavy distorted sliding synth unapologetically supports the chorus line “Down Down”, but really helps provide the key hook to the track making use of the empty space around it.

The Duo Mimi and Francis originally met in 2017 when busking, they paired their skills and spent a year writing and busking around London, getting established with venues and unsigned festivals. Screams From the Sun has successfully got themselves on Rolling Stone France and even played with Jared Leto during a performance outside the BBC Radio1 in 2018.

We’re excited to hear what new music comes from the dynamic duo! Make sure to follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Spotify.

Higher than the Sky- Jarni Blair

pop rock

Self proclaimed “geek pop” artist Jarni Blair has captured the sound of the sun with Higher than the Sky. A skilled instrumentalist and songwriter, Blair’s music is consistently well crafted, and his latest single is no exception to this rule. As a performer he exudes a sense of peace, and genuine excitement for sharing his work with the world.

Higher than the Sky is the summer jam we were all waiting for. Blair’s sound is reminiscent of John Mayer, featuring maestro guitar lines and feel good lyrics. Having said this, he continues to impress with his ability to get creative with his words, dodging overt cliches. One line that I found particularly charming was “she’s got no trouble tying a guide rope around the sunshine for me”. This sentiment captures the promise of a happy relationship.

The production on Higher than the Sky is tasteful, resulting in a full sound with momentum. The addition of half a line through a vocal filter gives the tune personality. From the studio to the retro themed music video, it’s clear to see that Blair had a lot of fun recording this song.

Higher than the Sky does remarkably well at holding its audience for four and a half minutes in a world with a two minute attention span. It’s a classic summer bop. One listen had me pining after a beer on K Road— and I don’t even drink beer. Keep up with Jarni on Facebook and instagram.