What’s new this month? Here are 10 Australian release picks for August 2021

Debuts from MAY-A, Gretta Ray and Youngn Lipz, plus fresh, confident statements from Ngaiire and Liars

Geoffrey O’Connor returns with his first record in seven years; 5 Seconds Of Summer frontman Luke Hemmings makes a statement of his own; NME Australia cover star Youngn Lipz unveils his debut ‘Area Baby’ – and those are just three notable releases August has to offer. Gear up for an exciting month ahead and read on.

Carmouflage Rose 2021 EP A Night With No Moon

Carmouflage Rose

‘A Night With No Moon’

Never one to shy away from introspection, the latest from Carmouflage Rose bottles the passion and pain of late nights in equal measure. Distinguished by an intoxicating backdrop of smoky, dancehall-inspired beats, ‘A Night With No Moon’ feels simultaneously crafted for the bliss of the club floor and the bittersweetness of the big comedown. Alex Gallagher

Carmouflage Rose’s ‘A Night With No Moon’ is out via Sony Music Entertainment Australia on August 6.

Geoffrey O'Connor album 2021 For As Long As I Can Remember

Geoffrey O’Connor

‘For As Long As I Can Remember’

For his first “solo” album in seven years, Geoffrey O’Connor returns with a collection of smouldering duets featuring the likes of HTRK’s Jonnine Standish, Sarah Mary Chadwick, June Jones and more.

These perfectly paired collaborators add considerable colour to the desperate, yearning characters that inhabit O’Connor’s nostalgic synth-pop gems. The result feels like last call at a bar filled with people ready to share their most private aches at the slightest provocation. AG

Geoffrey O’Connor’s ‘For As Long As I Can Remember’ is out via Chapter Music on August 6.

Liars Angus Andrew 2021 album The Apple Drop

Liars

‘The Apple Drop’

They’re our Liars now: after two decades in New York, Angus Andrew officially relocated to his native Australia at the end of the 2010s.

A collaboration with prolific drummer Laurence Pike, multi-instrumentalist Cameron Deyell and lyricist Mary Pearson Andrew, Liars’ 10th album revels in darkness, atmosphere and rough textures. It’s yet another resplendent reinvention. David James Young

Liars’ ‘The Apple Drop’ is out via Mute on August 6.

MAY-A EP 2021 Don't Kiss Ur Friends

MAY-A

‘Don’t Kiss Ur Friends’

Wunderkind pop star Maya Cumming continues her upward ascent with her debut EP, ‘Don’t Kiss Ur Friends’, its beautifully blunt title capturing the fact that half of its songs were written about Cumming’s first girlfriend, whom she dated for a whirlwind year.

Already responsible for some of the last year’s catchiest songs, including ‘Swing Of Things’ and the inescapable ‘Apricots’, expect MAY-A to deliver more state-of-the-art production and a bait-shop amount of hooks to boot. DJY

MAY-A’s ‘Don’t Kiss Ur Friends’ is out via Atlantic on August 6.

Youngn Lipz debut album 2021 Area Baby

Youngn Lipz

‘Area Baby’

It’s been a while since Australia has delivered a certified R&B star, and 22-year-old Youngn Lipz could be the very man to change that narrative.

His debut LP ‘Area Baby’ promises stellar collection of melodic, introspective tales from his upbringing in South-Western Sydney. A perfect blend of street-smart grit and effortless, velvety smoothness. DJY

Youngn Lipz’s ‘Area Baby’ is out via Biordi Music on August 6.

5SOS 5 Seconds of Summer Luke Hemmings solo album 2021 When Facing The Things We Turn Away From

Luke Hemmings

‘When Facing The Things We Turn Away From’

You might know Luke Hemmings from his day job. You might not. All you really need to know is he’s held a captive audience since adolescence.

Now 25, he’s plotting a Harry Styles-esque reinvention on solo album ‘When Facing The Things We Turn Away From’, ranging from earnest arena-rock to rose-tinted pop. It’s worth well more than five seconds of your time. DJY

Luke Hemmings’ ‘When Facing The Things We Turn Away From’ is out via Sony Music Entertainment Australia on August 13.

Tropical Fuck Storm album 2021 Deep States

Tropical Fuck Storm

‘Deep States’

Few bands are making work that so viscerally captures the anxious paranoia of modern times like Tropical Fuck Storm, who push their idiosyncratic noise-rock to even weirder sonic depths on album three.

The abstract experimentations, the freak-boogie jams and feedback-soaked slow burners on ‘Deep States’ belie the frank, snarling interrogations of fascism and surveillance they foreground. TFS know real life provides the most unsettling source material of all. AG

Tropical Fuck Storm’s ‘Deep States’ is out via TFS Records on August 20.

Gretta Ray 2021 album Begin To Look Around

Gretta Ray

‘Begin To Look Around’

After years of honing her craft, Gretta Ray takes centre-stage with ‘Begin to Look Around’. The Melbourne singer’s debut studio album is a heady rush, a coming-of-age record that soundtracks the freedom and heartbreak of youth.

It’s a collection of songs that swerve between euphoric pop gems and open-hearted ballads, blending the two on standouts like the David Le’aupepe-featuring ‘Worldly Wise’. AG

Gretta Ray’s ‘Begin To Look Around’ is out on August 27.

Ngaiire album 2021 3

Ngaiire

‘3’

Though she has never shied from drawing from her own experiences and convictions in the past, Ngaiire’s third studio album may well be her most personal yet. The neo-soul artist has crafted an immersive and heartfelt record that touches upon issues of intimacy, diaspora and motherhood. A remarkable, self-assured effort. DJY

Ngaiire’s ‘3’ is out via Dot Dash Recordings on August 27.

Snowy Band album 2021 Alternate Endings

Snowy Band

‘Alternate Endings’

The second album from Liam Halliwell and his collaborators in as many years serves as a kind of sequel to 2020’s ‘Audio Commentary’.

Fittingly, the LP builds on the best element of that debut, seamlessly coalescing its intimately affecting folk with its off-kilter pop sensibilities to make one coherent, deeply rewarding work. AG

Snowy Band’s ‘Alternate Endings’ is out via Spunk Records on August 27.