By 
Good morning, internet!
I’ve been waking up at ~6am every morning for the past week, which may seem pretty benign to most people, but has been a struggle and a half for me. I’m typically the polar opposite of a ‘morning person’ – even if I go to bed at, like, 10pm, waking up before 10am and not feeling like total shit is the epitome of miraculous. But over the years, I’ve come to realise that when I have been forced to wake up early (or y’know, in the morning at all), my productivity has thrived. I don’t know how to explain it, but for some reason I do my best work in the morning, and whenever I wake up early, by the end of the day I’ll have wound up with waaaaaay more done.
So for my first proper month as a news writer for NME Australia, I’ve been taking all morning shifts. I’m definitely still getting used to having a “normal” routine and adjusting my body clock to that routine (it has only been a week, though, so I can’t expect to have it 100% down-pat all of a sudden), but I think it’s been really beneficial. And I am loving this new job. People have always found it weird when I say I really enjoy writing news – including my new boss – but I genuinely do! It’s a cool thought that someone might see a news piece I’ve written about an artist they like, read it, and get excited over what that artist is up to. I like being able to have a hand in that narrative. I used to get in trouble all the time when I was in high school because I’d be aimlessly browsing Music Feeds instead of studying.
TLDR: Music news is awesome. Big fan.
I bundled all of my NME pieces from May in my last post dump, but came to realise after it went live that including them in those posts going forward might clutter them a bit too much. I did six shifts in May and wound up with 35 articles – I have a total of 22 shifts in June, so if I stuff them all into the next post dump, it’s going to be, like, 95% NME news articles. So I figure it’s a better look for the blog (and easier to manage) if I do these dedicated news roundup posts, and let them breathe on their own a little bit.
Also, I think I’ve come to the decision that every post on this blog (that doesn’t already have its own piece-appropriate header) is just going to lead with a photo of Bruno. His inclusion instantly makes the post 500% better by default, and really, how could you not want his adorable face to be the first thing you see every time!? The photo above is currently the wallpaper on my iPhone, and has been since the day I bought it (it was one of the first photos I took on it). The yellow lab he’s chilling with is my sister’s dog Louie – he’s a little shit, but I love him anyway. He and Bruno are inseparable – especially when there’s a pool and/or ball involved.
Anyway, here’s all the news I reported on at NME over the past week!
TUESDAY, 01/06/21
Watch Second Idol’s lo-fi new video for ‘Out Of Time’
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard release ‘Live In Sydney ’21’ album and concert film
Watch King Stingray perform ‘Hey Wanhaka’ and ‘Get Me Out’ for triple j’s ‘Live at the Wireless’
Watch the video for Bukowski’s emotive new single, ‘Elevator Song’
Watch The Rubens perform their single ‘Muddy Evil Pain’ live from The Bunker
WEDNESDAY, 02/06/21
Khalid and The Killers lead the lineup for virtual Splendour In The Grass spin-off
Listen to Chasing Ghosts’ “challenging” new single, ‘Dig’
The Million announce ‘Why We’ll Never Be Together’ tour dates
Listen to Mia Wray’s innuendo-packed new single, ‘Needs’
The nominees for the 2021 AIR Awards have landed
THURSDAY, 03/06/21
Denzel Curry channels his inner Batman on new song ‘Bad Luck’
Lady Gaga links up with Versace for a new Pride-honouring capsule collection
Listen to Boy George celebrate his 60th birthday with ‘The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread’
Midnight Oil confirm their 13th album will be launched at Bluesfest 2021
FRIDAY, 04/06/21
Watch Ball Park Music put a bold acoustic spin on Holy Holy’s ‘Sentimental And Monday’
Gang Of Youths are teasing a new release titled ‘The Angel Of 8th Ave.’
Listen to the late MF DOOM remix The Avalanches’ ‘Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life’
Not A Boys Name dips into disco on his thematically dark new single, ‘Psychopath’
Listen to Thandi Phoenix’s flirtatious new single ‘Overdrive’
Listen to Death By Denim’s vibe-heavy new single, ‘Small World’
SUNDAY, 06/06/21
Tom Morello and The Bloody Beetroots team up for blistering new single ‘Radium Girls’
Dave Chappelle’s poignant ‘8:46’ special is being pressed on limited-edition vinyl
Listen to Blood Red Shoes’ true crime-inspired new single ‘A Little Love’
Listen to Fangz tackle racism on their ripping new single ‘Prove Me Wrong’
I think the highlight this week was that King Stingray performance for Triple J – those four new songs are fantastic, and I truly cannot wait to see them live for myself. And, of course, “Hey Wanhaka” and “Get Me Out” (the two songs they’ve released as singles thus far) sound incredible in their live versions. Fingers crossed thrice over for a proper, full-on headline tour when the plague dies down.
Also, I’ve heard that new Gang Of Youths single, and it is fucking phenomenal. Y’all are not ready.
