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 Kid, she’s only now released her debut album.

The title I’m Feeling Hopeful suggests there’s been a less positive backstory to get to this point. Milan opens up to Richard Kingsmill about that, how she’s managed to reach a more peaceful place now, and the influence of everything from Jimi Hendrix to mudras in shaping who she is.

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 stories from the generations of family around him.

Richard Kingsmill speaks to the Naarm-based/Butchulla MC about how fatherhood has shaped his outlook, his tough upbringing in Katherine, and working on the album with the help of Trials, Missy Higgins and cousin Fred Leone.

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 within the group, they arrived at an epic double album called Day/Night. Self-produced at the La Frette studios in Paris, drummer Anatole ‘Toto’ Serret and Richard Kingsmill go into how the album progressed through an ominous Australian summer, then months of separation during a worldwide pandemic,  as well as playing cover versions for weeks on end.

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 lack of travel and writing opportunities she had pre-COVID, this year has still had plenty of highlights, including a recent performance with the Bangarra Dance Theatre. Ryder speaks with Richard Kingsmill about that, some of the new EP’s key songs, and her love of great backing vocals and Kate Bush.