Hunz

There was an excellent show on at the Judith Wright Centre that was to be one of instrumental enigmas Mr Maps' final shows for some time. Unfortunately I missed it - I had been commissioned to cover a different band at the time - the trials and tribulations of the job. Also playing that show was electronic wizard Hunz (aka Hans Van Vliet), another act that I have yet been able to catch live. But due to missing that performance, I heard that the two acts had a split 7" picked it up, loved Hunz's 'Owl Highway' track, picked up his new EP Penny Time, and found it well worth my time. Im really falling for a lot of 8-bit instrumental work - another act in Brisbane, Green Nose, blew me away when he played the Tiny Spiders album launch last week - but Hunz's work is also steeped in a frenetic pop realm. The album's title comes from the music's original genesis, with Van Vliet intending it to score an iPhone skating game that his motion design company created. Yet it stands well on its own, and creates other visuals worlds away from the videogame.


The 7" is out through boutique label Lofly (who put out the excellent Nova Scotia album last year), and you can hopefully still get yourself a clear vinyl copy (with great artwork too) here. Otherwise have at the EP below. He is also playing tonight at X&Y with The Slow Push - it's free, so get there!

Tenzenmen Terrorists Take 1 (Brisbane Roars)

Shaun Tenzenmen keeps whipping out the releases, and here are two more to sink your teeth into - and they are both from Brisbane!


Little Shadow are offering what is their first release in Possessions, a six-tracker that welds melodicism, math-oriented compositions and some angular grit. Evoking the likes of Cursive and The Nation Blue in their penchant for honest storytelling (courtesy of To The North's Cam Gillard, dialling down the throat tearing for more melodic vocals) and brutal musicianship, Little Shadow are attempting to temper their hardcore edges to achieve something new. There is a lot of promise here.

Little Shadow - Balancing Act


A band that is NOT tempering anything is IDYLLS. A co-operative split label release with their own Monolith Records and tenzenmen, Farewell All Joy intensities in ten cities, man! 20 minutes of bristling fury. These guys are monster musicians too, so to hear such vitriol and despair rip through the ether into you headspace is incredibly confronting - and exciting.

IDYLLS - Funerals In Queensland
IDYLLS - Bombs Reign Youthless

Both bands have great shows lined up. IDYLLS will be launching Farewell All Joy this Friday night at Fat Louies alongside Marathon, Jurassic Penguin (NZ), Capeweather and Wallow, followed by a support slot to Nikko at the Waiting Room Saturday June 23. Little Shadow will be supporting Closure In Moscow on Thursday 28th June at X & Y.

Grab both albums here.