Matt Corby

EVERYTHING’S FINE

Album Reviews by Bryget Chrisfield

After his home was engulfed by flood waters in early 2022, Matt Corby watched anxiously as his heavily pregnant partner and young son were rescued by a neighbour in a small inflatable dinghy. This occurred on the same day Corby had intended to start recording this album, but instead the whole family relocated to his Rainbow Valley studios in northern NSW. Recorded a week later, lead single Problems – with its fuzzy opening synths that bring Chet Faker to mind – contains flood-referencing chorus lyrics: “Just take all you can carry/ Take all you can hold.” case you needed another reason to obsess over this song, For Real is actually Corby’s tribute to friend and bandmate Rohin Jones, who he describes as “a beautiful person” – aw, we do love a bromance.

In 2020, Corby had a benign tumour removed from his bowel and has said that the agonising week spent in hospital –awaiting his results – gave him plenty of time to reflect on his life choices thus far. Following this health scare, Corby penned the understated and classy, piano-driven Better Than That (“I said I wasn’t ready to die/ Nowhere near it”). Largely unadorned, Corby’s airy vocals are showcased to perfection here; soaring like a seagull surfing a slipstream.

Mo’Ju Oro, Plata, Mata

“I want what’s rightfully mine/ I think it’s finally time” – time’s up, alright! And Midas (feat. Ryo & Waari) – with its minimal bass throb, sustained keys and squelchy beat – reclaims Mo’Ju’s true power: “Take your seat at the table/ I don’t want what you’re serving/ I don’t need your appraisal/ Yes I know what my wooooorth is.”

Reelin’ – the brass-enhanced second single – documents a tiff within a committed, long-term relationship. Corby’s third album utilises crisp, R&B-style production and is also psychedelic in parts. Let’s not forget Corby’s been spending a lot of time in the producer’s chair of late (Genesis Owusu’s track Black Dogs!; Budjerah’s award-winning debut EP), which has further sharpened his melodic instinct and harmonic flair.

“Your dad sold his guitar/ To make you understand/ No matter what would happen/ Music holds your hand...” – such beautiful, meaningful lyrics! And just in

Woozy and Tame Impala-esque, Big Smoke takes flight with weightless strings and an uplifting repeated mantra: “There’s not enough time to be so sad.” The hip hop-flavoured Reruns sounds like a roller skating Saturday: looking cute in your hotpants as you cruise along the esplanade on a bright, sunshiny day. Mainies incorporates idyllic field recordings, captured by Corby on his iPhone while sitting on the front porch of his aforementioned family home. An absolute swoonfest, Everything’s Fine is a timely reminder to cherish the gift of life. We thoroughly recommend you listen out for the golden lyrical affirmations scattered throughout as well (eg. “Don’t freak out ‘bout the future, it’s beyond us”).

Label: Island Records Release date: March 24

Following their grandfather’s passing, Mo’Ju has said that writing music helped. Becoming a parent during these tumultuous times also shifted their perspective (“You are only one, please don’t be scared about the future”).

The fourth studio LP by this Naarmbased musician, songwriter, storyteller and third culture kid (Filipino/Wiradjuri) – which shares its title with a 1982 historical war drama that Mo’Ju’s late Tito (uncle) Peque Gallaga directed – is separated into three chapters by brief introductory interludes narrated by Mo’Ju’s Tita (aunt) Madie Gallaga.

During lead single Change Has To Come, which implores listeners to stop doomscrolling and reconnect with community IRL, Mo’Ju’s powerful vocals evoke The Weeknd. “Aaaaaaah/ Ah-ah-ah/ Aaaaaaah” – we’re powerless to this standout track’s insistent siren song. Ngaiire’s guest vocals throughout Something To Believe In make us feel airborne on fluttering butterfly wings. Nuanced percussion, fingersnaps and harp glissando elevate the closing Swan Song (feat. Meklit).

Oro, Plata, Mata – Mo’Ju’s magnum opus – is an important work, laced with hope: “I believe in us, rising above hatred…”

Label: Virgin Music Release date: March 24

Tex Perkins & The Fat Rubber Band Other World

“I loved making this record so much,” Tex Perkins has said of Other World, “because fucking magic happened.” And it sure as hell sounds like it!

Much like Tex Perkins & The Fat Rubber Band’s striking self-titled debut, this follow-up album took shape while Perkins and co-writer/guitarist Matt Walker traded song ideas “like a game of demo tennis”. Perkins’ opening serve became the bluesy, Bill Withers-inspired Pretty Damn Close, which features distant harmonica and casual bongo rhythms. Then Walker’s guitar-bones return volley grew into Brand New Man, with the song’s lyrical inspo striking while Perkins drove over to meet his grandson Ernie for the very first time (“I’m off to meet/ A brand new man…”).

Written by (and featuring) Lucie Thorne, standout track Around The World is elevated by Charlie Barker’s ghostly saw playing – such a forlorn-sounding instrument. Elsewhere: irresistible saloon-piano stomper The Devil Ain’t Buying – with its jangly tamba accents – gives us Stones vibes; Perkins’ 12-yearold son Louie scores a songwriting credit on The Last Drop (it was inspired by a riff he was practising at home); and the matchless unison singing throughout closer Words Fall gives us goosebumps. Each musician brings four decades of experience to this record and every single syllable, note and percussive flourish is essential. With Other World, this self-described “bunch of hairy blokes in their 50s” have created something out of this world.

Label: Source Music

Release date: February 10

Martin Frawley The Wannabe

Martin Frawley’s celebrated solo debut Undone At 31 (2019) chronicled the imploding of both his band (Twerps) and a long-term romance. Throughout follow-up The Wannabe, we find Frawley in love again and feeling hopeful for a better future while gazing fondly in the rearview mirror. He’s also learning how to navigate the world outside the shadow of his late father: legendary musician-songwriter Maurice Frawley. The sweet father-andson cover photograph actually makes our heart hurt: they’re touching noses and looking so adoringly at one another!

“It’s a hard act to follow/ Holding your name/ I want you to be proud/ Of the man I’ve become” – circular, metallic, almost-taunting riffs skip through the poignant Proud. Boppy-paced lead single This Is Gonna Change Your Mind is stacked with shiny, happy melodies. The Wannabe (“a half-arsed musician who nobody wants to see”) brings the LOLs: “There’s no point in paying me/ Apparently your bar’s making very little money…”

Released on Valentine’s Day, second single Heart In Hand explodes with ebullient drumming before prowling bass and winking riffs guide us onto the dancefloor. “Never thought I’d be doin’ this well again, my love “ – the softly strummed Lola marks a turning point; time to let love in.

Frawley’s band of mates is actually a supergroup – Dan Luscombe, Steph Hughes, Nik Imfeld and Dan Kelly. And The Wannabe is an endearing, wistful, incandescent pop gem.

Label: Spunk Records Release date: March 24

Jen Cloher I Am The River, The River Is Me

This album’s cover photograph captures Jen Cloher immersed in their matrilineal ocean, Whangaroa Harbour on the northern coast of Northland, New Zealand. Cloher has previously spoken about not feeling worthy of speaking their mother tongue. Hearing them sing in Te reo Māori throughout album number five – clearly overcoming this fear – we share in the triumph (see: penultimate track He Toka-Tū-Moana – a waiata, sung as a duet with Te Kaahu – in particular).

Wow. Being Human (feat. Te Hononga o ngā Iwi), this record’s second single, is formidable: “I was born on Wurundjeri land/ Everything I know/ Everything I have/ Is because of what they lost/ Our ‘common wealth’ came at their cost” – be sure to check out this song’s empowering music video stat (brace yourselves for the haka).

Kylie Auldist releases her astonishing vocal agility into The Wild, proving, yet again, that she’s the uncontested High Priestess Of Melbourne Soul.

Many of I Am The River, The River Is Me’s songs flow with a sense of curious self-discovery, while others challenge: like initiating difficult convos and welcoming discomfort as an opportunity for personal growth.

“What I achieved was all that defined me,” Cloher reflects during closer I Am Coming Home. We get a sense that, through reclaiming Māori culture, Cloher’s stepping into their power.

Label: Milk! Records

Release date: March 3