Adelaide’s best new music
We’ve rounded up Adelaide’s best new music for August, including Kurralta Park, The Tullamarines, Tommy Marsh and more.
erasvey – ‘muddy waters’
Sharing its name with a legendary blues performer, ‘muddy waters’ by erasvey is short but sweet, clocking in at just one minute and 52 seconds. The gentle song begins with an ambient synth sound before erasvey launches in with his echoey vocals, which are accompanied by an acoustic guitar. ‘muddy waters’ appears on erasvey’s debut solo album, eyestothemoon – a folk project he wrote, produced and recorded by himself. The album features local vocalist Jujue, while dancer Isaiah Fong appears in the music videos.
“I began writing this album three years ago. In quiet collapses, unexpected shifts, it’s caught life I wouldn’t claim and handled it with care. Fucking love this thing,” says erasvey.
GONE MAGIC – ‘Salt N Sexy’
The latest release from house producer GONE MAGIC pulls us into Summer with thumping low-end sounds and sassy vocals. It sounds the way a salt-rimmed margarita tastes, and would make the perfect beach club dance track after one too many.
It’s his fourth single of 2025, and GONE MAGIC keeps raising the bar, playing with classic house structures and innovative ways to produce. On ‘Salt N Sexy’, the result is a fresh dance track that feels new, yet familiar – ripe to add to your favourite dance house playlist between Motez and FISHER.
JesseMelancholy – ‘cranium’
‘cranium’ by JesseMelancholy begins with the sound of gentle strings, which quickly give way to a danceable beat and booming bass. Described as “alt-pop”, the upbeat instruments contrast with the yearning lyrics.
“You’ve been looking at your phone screen for half of the night/I’ve been hiding in the one place that you’ll never find/Is that feeling we left coming around again? I’ll be the ache in your cranium at half past ten,” sings JesseMelancholy.
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JesseMelancholy will release his second EP, Bending Over Backwards, later in 2025.
Kurralta Park – ‘In Murdoch We Trust’
The one-minute-long track from the suburban band is short but punchy, spewing venom on mainstream media outlets. The song is primed to be an anthem for the disenfranchised, sick to death of churnalism.
Singer/guitarist Bindi McCallum’s thick Aussie accent makes the opening all the more fun to sing along to in the pub: “In Murdoch we trust, ashes to ashes, and dust to dust // The news we consume, it’s not sitting well in my guts.”
As an independent Murdoch-alternative, we must agree.
Ms Chipeta – ‘Composure’
The soulful sophomore track from Ms Chipeta is romantic with an old-school feel, as the artist declares “DMs are out”.
“There is nothing sexier than hearing your lover’s voice,” Ms Chipeta says. “To lose any self-consciousness and just say ‘I need you now’– that’s the art of verbal seduction. I wanted to write a song that captures those early days of a relationship when you can’t get enough of each other.”
The sultry vocals and playful lyricism achieve her intention tenfold and certainly set the mood. Let this track be your sign to be a little bolder and lose your composure.
short snarl – ‘Self Noise’
short snarl, a music project by Adelaide-based violinist Thea Martin, has become a fixture of CityMag‘s Best New Music column and for good reason.
Last month, we included their single ‘Year End Poem’ – our first taste of Thea’s EP Self Noise. After listening in full, our pick for August is the titular track, which draws you into the sweet world of introspection that Thea achieves across the EP.
The lyricism has a literary tilt over dreamy instrumentals. It’s a soothing listen which we’re enjoying as a soundtrack to the work day, though we’d much prefer to listen to it while sprawled out on the grass on a sunny autumn day.
THE FUSS – ‘Lay It Out’
This CityMag reporter saw THE FUSS perform one of their first shows at the Arthur Art Bar a few years back, and was instantly hooked. The self-described “hot chip enthusiasts playing on Kaurna Land,” have released their latest track, ‘Lay It Out’. With contrasting tender and heavy moments, the song features effect-laden guitars and beautiful harmonies. Lyric-wise, the song appears to be about vulnerability.
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“Tell me I look better than I feel/Tell me I’ll find a way to think clear/Tell me I’ll come round to the idea/Tell me something I could say sincere/Lay it out/lay it out/lay it out/lay it out,” the lead vocalist sings.
The Tullamarines – ‘Idiot’
The Tullamarines themselves say their latest song, ‘Idiot’, is about “the quiet heartbreak of growing apart from those you once felt inseparable from”.
“The guilt of unanswered messages and missed milestones can make it feel like an endless battle between ambitions and staying connected,” the band say.
“This song delves into the bittersweet reality of losing friendships, not out of conflict, but through distance, self-doubt, and the tunnel vision of trying to get your life together in your 20s.”
Although we understood and took in the deep messages of drifting away from those you once loved, we couldn’t help but bop our heads around in the office and sing along to the catchy tune when we had our first listen. This will definitely be making it onto our ‘Spring 2025’ playlists as the sun begins to peep out earlier and the days get warmer.
Tommy Marsh – ‘I Don’t Want Your Love’
Inspired by TLC’s 1999 R&B hit ‘No Scrubs’, ‘I Don’t Want Your Love’ by Tommy Marsh is best described as Australian hip-hop, with reference to local locations like Hindley and Rundle streets. According to Tommy Marsh, the track, which features fellow hip-hop artist TommyyTerror, is a “raw verse born from real-life pain”.
“The song is a punch ode to emotional detachment,” says Tommy Marsh. This theme is evident in the recurring chorus, sung to the tune of ‘No Scrubs’.
“I don’t want your love/Your love is a game that played me/That’s my fault/Hanging with my brothers outside/And my best friend’s ride/Make a sign like a HSV,” sings Tommy Marsh.
“Hot when we come around corners/Make it bounce and my and record it/Looking for a better disguise when I’m with my guys/Try not to spill the beans.”
Zara Chantelle – ‘When The Weekend Ends’
Zara Chantelle’s latest track, ‘When The Weekend Ends’ explores the unnerving feeling of imposter syndrome as she grapples with feeling like other people are more deserving of her life than she is.
She sings: “Why is it me? / I feel undeserving / like someone else more worthy / Should have the privilege I do”.
Though the song is a slower ballad, it not only touches listeners’ heartstrings through its lyrics, but also through its slower melodies and acoustic backing.
ZAV-E – ‘Love Again’
Despite being entirely sung, the rapid-fire vocals of ‘Love Again’ by ZAV-E have a hip-hop quality to them. ZAV-E plays with tempos and rhythms throughout the song, including a slowed-down outro at the two-minute 21-second mark. Lyrically, the song deals with the subject of longing.
“I’m not ready to love again/I’m not ready to feel this pain again/I think that I’m losing my mind/Can we leave the past behind?,’ sings ZAV-E
The man behind ‘Not Enough’ is 20-year-old, Adelaide-based Indo-Australian singer-songwriter Eshan Zaveri. According to his Spotify bio, ZAV-E “shapes his lyrics to hold the weight of his emotions”.
“Music to ZAV-E is not a product, but a form of therapy, with each song born from personal moments of vulnerability,” the Spotify bio says.
