Kim Deal opened up to Richard Kingsmill in 1993 about the making of The Breeders triumphant second album Last Splash. The album came six months after the sudden and surprising announcement of the end of her other band, Pixies. Kingsmill wanted to also get Kim’s take on the split of that seminal band, and how she felt about now leading another succe…

In 2001, PJ Harvey finally made it to Australia, off the back of her award-winning Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea album. The English artist had thrilled music fans all the way through the ‘90s, right from those blistering early singles ‘Dress’ and ‘Sheela-Na-Gig’. Her albums ranged from the austere Rid Of Me through to the gothic textu…

On their OK Computer tour of Australia early in 1998, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke gave just one interview while he was here. Richard Kingsmill spoke to the illusive singer about their landmark 3rd album, how he felt about his band getting snubbed by The Grammys that year, and also five songs that changed his life.…

In December 1994, Nick Cave spoke with Richard Kingsmill about the five songs that changed his life. Cave reflected on the influence artists like John Lee Hooker, The Saints and Bob Dylan had had on him as a writer and performer. He also spoke about the lengthy Lollapalooza tour he and The Bad Seeds embarked on that year after the release of their …

In October 1995, a few months after the release of the Foo Fighters debut album, Dave Grohl gave his first Australian interview since the death of Kurt Cobain. He spoke to Richard Kingsmill about now being the frontman of his own group, where all these songs of his had come from, and what plans he had for the future. He also reflected on the three …

In September 1993, Robert Smith of The Cure spoke to Richard Kingsmill about the five songs that changed his life. They spoke about Jimi Hendrix, Nick Drake, David Bowie, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band and Sex Pistols. They also spoke about the state of play within The Cure following their massive Wish tour of 1992.…

In February 1997, on the release of his 21st album Earthling, and just a few weeks after he celebrated his 50th birthday with a huge concert at Madison Square Garden, David Bowie spoke to Richard Kingsmill. They spoke about his ever-changing career, the weirdness of ‘80s, what it felt like turning 50, and his then passion for Drum ‘N’ Bass.…

With her debut album, the Sydney singer/muso/producer Milan Ring has emerged happy and hopeful after some dark times. Milan Ring is a highly regarded talent on the Sydney music scene as a singer/musician and producer. After years of single and EP releases, as well as working overseas with the likes of SZA, The Social Experiment and BJ The Chicago K…

Butchulla MC Birdz has delivered a powerful second album, full of purpose, and one that focuses on the importance of family. Birdz has lead up to the release of his second album with a series of powerful singles, including the Hottest 100 hit ‘Bag-la-m Bargan’. The entire Legacy release now shows his strong sense of purpose as a rapper, sharing his…

Parcels have always had ambition. But they’ve gone sky high with the vision for their epic second album. With their new album Day/Night, Parcels wanted to reach for the stars. Keen to avoid any second album syndrome, they went bigger, wider and more extreme than they’ve ever gone as a band. Exploring the duality of the band, the darkness and light …

Since arriving on the scene at the start of 2020, Sydney’s Azure Ryder has continued to impress. Three from three. That’s pretty much it in a nutshell. Riding high since arriving on the scene at the start of 2020, Ladder To The Moon is the third EP from the Sydney talent Azure Ryder, and it continues the upward trajectory of the singer. Despite the…

At 24, with eight Grammy’s and a game-changing working relationship with his sister Billie Eilish, FINNEAS now has his own debut album. We know FINNEAS has worked alongside sister Billie Eilish every step of the way. It’s resulted in two huge and game-changing albums, as well as numerous awards for the writer and producer including eight Grammy’s. …

The London 20yo has blown up on TikTok with her updated take on jungle and 2-step. PinkPantheress had a few fears about launching her music on TikTok. Would people get it, she wondered? But those fears soon vanished when the positive reactions started flowing. The London 20yo is working off the nostalgic sounds of ‘90s and early noughties jungle an…

Sam Fender’s debut album signalled the arrival of a voice readymade to inspire festival singalongs. On his second album, he now shows his considerable skills as a songwriter, tackling both the personal and political with equal measures of insight and heart. Seventeen Going Under is Fender’s follow-up to 2019’s Hypersonic Missiles. From the working …

With Shadows and Shinings, Drapht is back with one of his best and most cathartic albums to date. With five Hottest 100 hits to his name, as well as the platinum selling 2011 album The Life Of Riley, he’s managed to stay in the hip hop game across two decades now. On Shadows and Shinings, his seventh album, he’s never sounded stronger. Centred arou…

In 2018, a new Melbourne band arrived featuring ex-members of The Smith Street Band, The Bennies and Apart From This. With the self-deprecating name of LOSER, they hit the ground running with their debut single immediately added to triple j. Signed to Domestic La La, the label of Violent Soho’s James Tidswell, a debut album from LOSER at the start …

An album centred around someone’s introversion is the unlikeliest of themes for a hip hop release. Yet, with her fourth album, the UK rapper Little Simz has turned those deepest personal thoughts into one of the most exciting and outward looking albums of the year. Following on from her Ivor Novello winning Grey Area, Little Simz worked closely aga…

The London duo talk about the new mindset and overall positivity behind their 3rd album. If you’re after an album to escape the times, look no further than Jungle’s latest. Born in the pre-COVID bliss of 2019, Loving In Stereo is a strongly positive and upbeat album. One that captured a fresh personal outlook for the London group. The two guys behi…

To mark the 10th anniversary of Gotye’s global smash Making Mirrors, we rewind it back to when Richard spoke with Wally De Backer for the premiere of the album. Gotye’s third album Making Mirrors turned the Melbourne musician Wally De Backer into an international star. After going #1 here and selling double platinum, winning numerous ARIA’s, the J …

WILLOW is the 20yo daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. With her 5th album, she continues to expand her own path in music. In 2010, a nine-year-old dazzled the world with a song called ‘Whip My Hair’. Many saw it as just a novelty, but it was actually the start of a music career that’s now five albums deep. WILLOW is Willow Smith, the now…

In the lead up to his second EP, the Brisbane-based rapper travelled back to his homeland of Zimbabwe. He found himself in the process. The Zimbabwean-born/Brisbane-based rapper Carmouflage Rose hit the ground running with the single ‘Late Nights’ back in 2017. As he watched the streaming numbers increase million by million, he then dropped ‘Wildfl…

Built On Glass was the acclaimed and award-winning debut album for the Melbourne artist Chet Faker. A couple of years after its release, Chet retired. Any new music that followed would be released under the artist’s birth name Nick Murphy. For many, it was a confusing and potentially career damaging decision. But in the years in-between, Murphy cam…

It’s a complete understatement to say the last two years for Tones And I have been extraordinary. When her debut single ‘Johnny Run Away’ was released early in 2019, Mornington Peninsula’s Toni Watson was a busker on the streets of Byron Bay, living out of the back of her van. Today, she’s a worldwide star, breaking all manner of records, winning a…

Early in 2020, at an APRA song writing workshop in Melbourne, the three members of Telenova met for the first time. Joshua Moriarty and Edward Quinn had been playing for years in their respective groups, Miami Horror and Slum Sociable, and singer Angeline Armstrong had been pursuing work across both video and music. But none of them had ever met ea…

She’s keeping tight lipped about what’s to come, but Holly Humberstone looks certain to keep building on the quick start she’s had on the music scene. The 21yo is from the small English town of Grantham. Encouraged by her parents and inspired by the likes of Damien Rice and Radiohead, Humberstone found an audience quickly with her debut EP in 2020.…

Even though it’s only a five track E.P., K.Flay’s latest release requires plenty of unpacking. The American artist has worked with some legendary figures like Travis Barker (blink-182) and Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine) on her Inside Voices E.P. But it’s what she reveals about her own life that really captures your attention. She’s never re…

With a mix of indie, hip hop and jazz, the English five-piece called easy life have released their debut album after four years of singles and mixtapes. They’ve built a sizeable following at home, but Australia has also picked up early on the band’s charms and knack for catchy song writing, with Sydney rated as one of their top five cities for list…

In the late ‘90s, the New York rapper DMX (born Earl Simmons) came to define the sound of hip hop with his run of chart-topping albums. With that rough growl in his voice, he stood apart from the pack, and sounded every bit as tough as the upbringing he had endured. DMX’s successful career though didn’t make life any easier for the man. Prison, dru…

Ashe studied at the renowned Berklee College Of Music in Boston. A big fan of the likes of Brian Wilson, Carole King and The Beatles, she fed off those classic writers when creating the impressively grand sounding debut album titled Ashlyn (which is her real first name). In the lead up to its release came the sleeper of a hit called ‘Moral Of The S…

Over the past four years, since first uploading his songs when he was just 14yo, Alfie Templeman has impressed with his growth as an artist. After getting turned onto music at the age of seven when he came across the ‘70s prog legends Rush and the drumming prowess of the late Neil Peart, he started teaching himself different instruments. Today, wit…

KUCKA has finally released her debut album. Titled Wrestling, it hears the singer/producer openly tackling some very personal issues. Born in England, KUCKA (real name Laura Lowther) moved with her family to Perth during her teen years. It wasn’t an easy move at that stage of her life, but eventually she explored music making and started making a n…

Sixty Summers is a solo album few expected from Julia Stone. While we were enjoying Angus & Julia Stone’s popular 2017 album Snow, which itself broadened the traditonal sound of the duo, Julia had already been long at work writing and recording ideas for her next solo release. Teaming up with American Thomas Bartlett, who first worked with Julia ba…

The seven long years to his second album is now over. American Porter Robinson talks more with Richard Kingsmill about Nurture. Find out how his side-project Virtual Self as well as his collaboration with Madeon influenced his latest music. And hear how he explored singing and lyric writing in a much bigger way on this album.…

In 2014, American musician Porter Robinson was riding high on the EDM wave with his acclaimed debut album Worlds. The momentum continued with a successful Madeon collaboration in 2016, and then his side-project Virtual Self in 2017. However, when it came time to focus on his second album, things started falling apart for Robinson. A combination of …

A new talent called Budjerah launched on the music scene towards the end of 2020 with the single ‘Missing You’. Hailing from Bundjalung country in far north NSW, he impressed everyone immediately with that pure and soulful voice. Singing has been his whole life. Raised on gospel music at church, he says he sings every day, and has for as long as he…

For three years, the Californian group Peach Tree Rascals have been attracting fans worldwide through a succession of singles. Their biggest hit so far is ‘Mariposa’ which exploded worldwide in 2019 via social media. It currently is sitting at well over 200 million streams. The biggest fanbases for them are a lot of Asian countries too, such as Ind…

Following the release of twentyseven, Melbourne artist LANKS (aka Will Cuming) decided to take a break from the project, even though the debut album spawned plenty of successful tracks. What followed was zero downtime. A couple of new music projects, a move to New York, as well as studying for a Master of Data Science were just some of his new plan…

MAY-A has given us three great singles across the past year. But how did she get her start on the music scene? With part of her childhood spent in Byron Bay, and the rest moving constantly around Sydney, MAY-A got interested in music through hearing her dad playing Bob Dylan songs on the guitar. Once she got to Sydney by the age of 14, the music bu…

For four years now, Jesswar has been shaking the ground with her bass-heavy and savage hip hop. With the release of her debut EP called TROPIXX, the Meanjin-based rapper speaks here to Richard Kingsmill about her music and Fijian background. Having won over the likes of Thelma Plum, Briggs, Miiesha, B Wise and DZ Deathrays – all of whom have collab…

After growing up in the tiny WA coastal town of Denmark, Maaike Kito Lebbing (better known as just Kito) emerged out of the Perth dance scene in the mid-noughties. Travelling has always been a calling for her, having spent years in London before heading to Los Angeles where she’s currently based. Her work out of Los Angeles has been especially frui…

It was January 1998, and only one half of Daft Punk had made it to Australia for their first visit. Reportedly struck with a fear of flying, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo never made it on the plane. Left carrying the record cases for their first DJ’ing appearances here was his secondary school friend and the other half of Daft Punk, Thomas Bangalter.…

He’s been one of the most respected MC’s on the UK grime scene. After fifteen years of mixtapes, singles and studio albums, the East London rapper Ghetts now has a major label (not to mention a revolving door of big-name collaborators) backing him. Known for his intricate wordplay, Ghetts has also been open about his life through his music. In and …

From winning the Unearthed J Award in 2012, to topping the Hottest 100 in 2016, The Rubens have now reached another milestone. With 0202, the band have taken control, self-producing the first of their four albums so far. After working with overseas producers, the decision to do so this time was encouraged by the success of 2019’s ‘Live In Life’. Th…

Shame arrived on the London post-punk scene in 2018 with an impressive debut album. With all the acclaim that followed the release of Songs Of Praise came a ton of international touring; and then the inevitable emptiness that followed such a hectic schedule. On top of that, singer Charlie Steen faced up to the end of a personal relationship, which …

Arlo Parks arrived on the music scene two years ago. Since then, she’s impressed as a lyricist, tackling issues centred around mental health and the various struggles facing those around her. Always with an underlying message of hope and positivity, songs like ‘Eugene’, ‘Black Dog’ and her debut single ‘Cola’ have also seen her worldwide fanbase ri…

Since the release of her second EP towards the end of 2018, Gretta Ray has been pretty quiet on the new music front. However, behind the scenes there’s been a lot of work going on. Exploring new collaborations, and growing as a person herself, the now 22yo Melbourne singer has been refining her sound and song writing. With a lot more new music to c…

This year, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are celebrating their 10th anniversary. To mark the occasion, they were all set to do some of their biggest shows ever. Instead, the Melbourne band couldn’t even be in the same room to make their 16th album. Not ones to withdraw from a challenge, King Gizz devised a new game plan. It was a working arrange…

Two years ago, in her first year out of school, BENEE dropped ‘Soaked’. It was only her second single, but it’s effortless charm flagged her as a talent to watch. The Auckland artist only built on that interest with a succession of hits that saw her score three songs in the 2019 Hottest 100, including ‘Glitter’ which is now streaming in the hundred…

After the success of her award winning 2018 debut album Thick Skin, Tia Gostelow changed her home base, her producer and ultimately her sound for Chrysalis. In 2016, Tia Gostelow was finishing high school in Mackay, Queensland. The confidence of her early songs like ‘Vague Utopia’ attracted the interest of our Unearthed team, which led to her being…

Kwame is one of our past J Award winners, taking out the Unearthed Artist of 2018. Since then, he’s been exploring different sides of his musical personality, and on his latest EP Please, Get Home Safe, he’s stretching the rulebook like never before. Richard Kingsmill speaks to the 23yo Sydney rapper/producer about working with CLYPSO, Phil Fresh a…