Melbourne-centric hip-hop blog The Local Frequency always has the city’s latest releases on lock, so we asked for their top picks coming out of burn city.
The Local Frequency gave us five of the most promising Melbourne artists to keep a close eye on in the coming months.
BARO SURA
“After landing a guest spot as the only feature on the late Mac Miller’s posthumous album ‘Circles’, Baro Sura has already had an enormous start to 2020. However, it seems this was only the beginning as he recently shared two new singles that are part of a forthcoming collaborative project with fellow Melbourne-based tastemaker SilentJay. What’s more, Baro also announced he’s currently working on his debut solo album, which means there’s plenty of more music on the horizon. If you’re a fan of genre-bending sonics that sway from Alternative Hip-Hop/Rap, Jazz, and Soul, you’re going to want to keep an eye out for Baro!”
OLIVE AMUN
“Steadily releasing an array of singles/videos throughout 2019 and 2020, Olive Amun is one of Melbourne’s most versatile acts. His ability to blend exuberant melodies with explosive wordplay has quickly solidified position within the local scene. Maintaining a prominent work ethic, Amun’s immeasurable drive is bound to pay off sooner rather than later. He deserves way more recognition. This should be the year!”
PANIA
“With just a small number of releases under her belt, PANIA has rapidly become an eminent artist within Melbourne’s music scene. Her latest single ‘CARLO’ presents mesmerising vocals, combining elements of Jazz and Neo Soul to create a bluesy love ballad. There’s really no one else who’s doing it the way she is, her sound is unmatched. Considering it’s been a minute since we’ve heard any new music from PANIA, perhaps this could be the year we’re finally blessed with a full-length project.”
BRANDON STONE
“Two words, ‘Northside Lullaby’. Brandon Stone has been teasing his debut album for what feels like years now. Therefore, the project has gained an enormous amount of hype, but after hearing snippets of unreleased songs it certainly feels like the LP could even surpass fans expectations. Stone has spent years manifesting his craft and it’s all about to pay off. Australia is about to become familiar with the bearded ruler of Melbourne’s North.”
NEW WAVE INFINITY
“Creative collective New Wave Infinity is comprised of 13 unique artists who are taking over the scene here in Melbourne right now. For the first week of January, the group hosted an open studio space for artists and creatives alike to come through and work on a collaborative not-for-profit album. Much like Dreamville’s ‘Revenge of the Dreamers’ project, the behind the scenes process was also captured for an accompanying documentary to coincide with the album’s release.
After getting a glimpse on Instagram at the number of local artists who pulled up and got involved, there’s no doubt this project is about to represent a historical time in Melbourne’s (if not Australia’s) music scene.
Honestly though, any artists who I’ve left out in the making of this list will be featured on New Wave Infinity’s collaborative album anyway. It’s going to be HUGE!”