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What You Need to Know About Gambling Culture in Australia

Australia has a unique gambling culture; it has been forming for centuries. The Australian way of gambling is called “the way we play.” With this as a starting point, it would be impossible for anyone to ever learn about the gambling culture in Australia through books, academic studies, or other sources. So, rather than telling you about this by saying “just like here,” this article focuses on telling you what the Australian way of gambling is about. It goes unsaid that we will talk here about gambling only at top-rated online casinos like the ones featured on OnlineCasinoGo ratings

Key Features of Gambling in Australia

In Australia, gambling is a big industry and a big business. It is estimated that approximately $70 billion of gambling money are spent in casinos and betting agencies in Australia. This says a lot about how popular gambling is and how much locals love to gamble. A lot of gambling options and a variety of games advance the market further.

With casinos located across the entire country, Australia has one of the highest per capita gambling rates in the world. And with that comes a uniquely Australian sense of aversion to taking risks. While Australians spend over $20 billion on gambling each year, over $10 billion of that is spent on poker. A third of all poker tournaments are held here. And the government takes close to half of all gambling income.

Although gambling is extremely popular in the country, not all Aussies feel the same way. In fact, just under a third of the Australian population takes part in their fair share of gambling. It’s interesting to note that this same proportion of Australians also supports the government’s attempts to reduce problem gambling. This isn’t necessarily a contradiction – just be aware that many people who don’t have a problem with gambling also support government interventions that help people not to have issues with this type of activity.

For many people, gambling can be a source of entertainment and fun. That’s one of the reasons why gambling is far from a social pariah in this country despite the fact that the majority of Australians support government interventions to reduce problem gambling. In fact, as Australia develops as a nation, you’ll find the country’s gambling industry continuing to grow with it. This is an overview of what you need to know about the gambling culture in Australia. But it can’t cover everything. If you’re thinking about getting into the local gambling industry, we recommend you check casino reviews for gamblers from Australia for further reading.

Gambling in Australia

If you’re hoping to make any money out of your gambling in Australia, you’ll be happy to know that there’s gambling in just about every nook and cranny of the country. This means you can gamble online, at a local bookmaker, at a casino, at a government-run lottery, at a private club, and on a beachfront in the sunshine.

That’s a good thing, given that Australians spend over $20 billion on gambling each year. According to government figures, people spend over $10 billion on poker in Australia. That’s more than their total spends on the lottery. And more than the total spend on all forms of gambling in the United Kingdom. In fact, the government estimates that around $10 billion is spent on casino games and only about $3 billion comes from betting on sporting events, horse racing, and lotto.

Gambling Laws

If you’re planning on making any money out of gambling in Australia, you’ll need to know what the legal requirements are in this regard. One of the first things to know about Australian gambling laws is that they’re unique to this country. That’s because Australia is one of the few countries in the world with a form of legal gambling.

When you look at it, it makes sense. Australia has a very strong relationship with the gambling industry. Most of their gaming machines have been produced by manufacturers based in Australia. And most of the gambling games found on the poker machines used in casinos around Australia are Australian-made. One of the other laws you need to know about is that Australian gambling laws are fairly strict. That’s because they’re based on the principle that you can’t win anything of value without losing some. And that’s very true of Australian gaming laws.

The government has a duty to protect people from the risks associated with gambling. Part of that is to ensure that players aren’t being misled into playing games that are far more complex than they expect. A player who knows their limits is more likely to keep their gambling to a relatively low level, which can be good news for the government. It’s better for all of us if players are spending their money on low-risk products. That keeps the risk of people gambling in such a way that makes them problem gamblers in the future at a very low level. The very same can be said about gambling in New Zealand, where every aspect of the industry is regulated so that players’ interests are fully protected.

The other big aspect of gambling law is the requirement for transparency. This is something that you’ll quickly understand as a player in Australia. There’s a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy involved in getting set up as a casino business. However, you’ll need to know that there are no exemptions from this requirement.

How to Start Your Band Dirt Cheap

We’ve all been there. You’re itching to get out and make some music that matters to you—but music is not cheap, and you’re dead broke. When thinking about starting a band and cash is not your friend, you might feel you’re all out of options.

However, making music doesn’t mean spending too much cash right away. There are easy, cheap ways to get started, such as busking, street performing, or just starting a garage band. It’s easy to find a way to get yourself playing music without breaking the bank!

Here’s how to start a band for dirt cheap and still have a complete musical set-up:

Drums

Of all the instruments you are likely to lose most of your money on, the drums will undoubtedly get you—but there are ways to save your bucks. Some bands even find a way to get down to a single drum and a pair of sticks.

If you’ve ever spent time around the subways in any big city, you may come across a bucket drummer. This instrument is precisely as it sounds! Can’t afford a bass drum? A big bucket or empty oil drum could do the work. Need a cymbal? Why spend your last dollar when a trashcan lid can do the work for you?

The only thing that most bucket drummers will still bring along is a snare. Save your bucks, and keep looking for any of the best snare drums to complete your bucket set.

Vocals

Getting vocals going is your most vital free resource, and it might cost you just the price of a pen and notepad!

Try and make up for your lack of budget by showing off your singing talent and letting your creative energy flow wherever you are. A microphone can cost you less than $100, but for now, you might want to see how you can fare without one.

There are plenty of free lessons on YouTube for those favoring a melodic touch, and for those that not blessed with an angelic singing voice, try working on your lyrics instead. Make up for your lack of fancy gear with memorable words that stick in the brain of your future fans.

Guitar

To close off your band, you’ll need someone on guitar. While this feels like it could cost you big bucks, there’s the right way to do it, and then there’s the cheap way.

Guitar enthusiasts will tell you that a cheap guitar is not worth the money. With just a little more saving, you can afford something that will sound good and last the test of time. These naysayers are right—but don’t listen to them!  Your dirt cheap band needs to get off the ground first.

The best piece of advice, focus on acoustic. Digging through every flea market, garage sale, and online marketplace, you’re bound to find something for less than $20. It might not stay in tune, but it’s all you need to build to something better for your first band.

Conclusion

When looking back through musical success stories, you’ll find endless examples of people who started from nowhere. That busker on the subway, the punk band stuffed in a garage—many of the great started from very little. Money might make the world go around, but you should never let it get in your way!

Creating an Online Casino from Scratch: Factors to Pay Attention to

Online gambling is flourishing and ever-growing: currently evaluated at $75 billion, the global market of online gambling is expected to triple by 2030 and continue its growth into the decade to follow. Hundreds of online casinos pop up on the market annually, bringing lots of new opportunities, such as live casino games, mixed realities, provably fair gambling, crypto payments, and more.

Both renowned sites – PolskieKasynoHEX.org/, Vulkan Vegas, Energy Casino, etc. – and aspiring ones are fighting for the place under the sun. Speaking of which, for a true gambling aficionado with a tad of entrepreneurial spirit, it’s never too late to start an online casino business and beat the competition with an innovative approach and top-notch services.

What exactly should you do? Seems like Anna Rosak, a gambling expert from KasynoHEX, knows some crucial factors to creating a successful online casino business. Without further ado,  let’s jump on it.

Preliminary Research

You have to research the market through and through before taking action. Here are the basic things to check:

  • Status of online gambling in the country of registration.
  • Licenses you are going to get and countries you are going to cater to.
  • Software providers you are going to incorporate.
  • Bonuses, VIP offers, tournaments, affiliate programs, and other marketing tricks to attract customers.
  • Payment providers.

The research may take weeks or even months, but you can’t move further without it.

Gambling License

If you’re willing to operate in a regulated market, which is the only legal way to act, then you will have to find out the types of countries you are going to cater to:

  • Countries allowing third-party casinos.
  • Countries with a full/partial monopoly on online gambling.
  • Countries prohibiting some forms of online gambling.
  • Countries with an unregulated online gambling market.

Based on this, you can understand what licenses you need. There are over a dozen popular license issues – the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority, the Kahnawake Gambling Commission, the Government of Curacao, etc. – each one with a unique set of licensing rules, license duration, and price.

At this point, you should also think of whether you want to get your software verified by a testing agency – for example, eCOGRA – and thus get some extra trust from customers. Or you can jump on the bandwagon of blockchain-based casinos. In this case, you won’t need any external testing since all the gambling history will be stored in a blockchain and everyone will be able to verify the fairness of the outcomes of his games.

Games and Software Providers

Some casinos focus on a single software provider, but that’s not the way to go for a new site. The more games and software providers you can offer, the better. In addition to slots, which is an absolute must for any casino, it’s highly recommended to include all popular table games, card games, wheel games, and maybe some less popular games for those hunting for non-conventional experiences.

Not all brands are equal, though: Microgaming, Evolution Gaming, NetEnt, and Playtech are arguably the four leading brands that most players would like to see at an online casino. The rest brands are kind of less important than those top-4, so keep this in mind.

Perks for Players: Bonuses, VIP Offers, Tournaments, and Elaborated T&C Webpage

Without a shadow of a doubt, you won’t be able to pull it off without providing welcome bonuses and deposit bonuses. Online gamblers are pampered, and they want at least a decent registration bonus to continue, especially from a new and unexplored casino.

The two bonuses that will help you stand out and get more attention are:

  • No-deposit bonus – a small reward granted for the very fact of signing up for your casino.
  • No-wagering bonus – a reward that can be cashed out without completing the wagering.

On that note, any bonus with a low wagering requirement would do. Low wagering is key to attracting players, and it might even be better to not offer the bonus at all than apply exorbitant wagering to it. 35x might be the reasonable maximum, but 20x or 10x would look much spicier.

Secure Payments

To lure players into depositing real money into their accounts, you have to open as many payment gateways as possible, including traditional wire transfers, credit & debit cards (VISA, MasterCard, and Amex), electronic and mobile wallets (Neteller, Skrill, Interac, PayPal, Trustly, etc.), prepaid cards (Paysafecard, Neosurf, Astropay, etc.), and cryptocurrencies. Both deposit and withdrawals should be free of charge, instant, and with reasonable minimum and maximum cashout limits, preferably $10 or $20.

The Bottom Line

Creating an online casino is a challenge itself, and creating an in-demand one is even harder. However, being determined, patient, and entrepreneurial, you can overcome all the obstacles to attain your goal. Good luck in your endeavors!

Simple Steps To Help You Relax & Unwind After A Busy Day

Experiencing the havoc generally associated with a super busy day can leave you feeling exhausted, so it’s absolutely vital that you can take the time to relax and unwind when you finally return to the comfort of your home. Fortunately, figuring out how you can master the art of relaxation so that you can avoid becoming emotionally and physically overwhelmed doesn’t have to be as difficult as you might initially imagine, as there are several simple steps that you can follow today to start relieving some pressure in no time at all. So, if you’re interested in learning more, then keep on reading! 

Cook Yourself A Tasty Meal 

One of the best ways to chill out and unwind after a long and stressful day is to cook yourself a tasty meal. Choosing to avoid eating so that you can instead just slump into bed or onto the sofa will make you feel far worse than you already do, as you need a healthy, balanced meal to provide you with the energy and nutrients needed for your mind and body to thrive. No matter even if you have the lowest energy levels or least amount of time, there’s always a tasty recipe online or even on a cooking show that will suit your wants and needs which you can follow with ease! Identify a cuisine or dish that you know you would enjoy, as this activity should be about meeting your own expectations rather than attempting to seek approval from elsewhere. You could choose to prepare a big bowl of hearty chilli, or even whip up a quick batch of chicken curry or noodle soup, it’s totally your choice! Cooking can be such a therapeutic activity, as it can be a real stress reliever that will help you to relax and unwind no matter how stressful your day has been. 

Get Comfortable!

When your meal is bubbling away nicely, it’s time to make sure you can get as comfortable as can be to maximize your relaxation efforts. Start by getting changed into the comfiest loungewear that you own, as a pair of sweatpants and a fluffy jumper will make you feel as though you are wrapped up in a warm hug rather than the discomfort and irritation you can expect to experience when wearing skinny jeans or something similar. Don’t forget a pair of super soft winter socks or some slippers to keep your feet warm, as this can make masses of difference when you’re laying down attempting to unwind during the colder months. Set up your sofa or bed with a variety of extra pillows and blankets that you can utilize to form the most comfortable and inviting space ever, and you will no doubt begin to feel relaxed and stress free before you know it! 

Learning how to relax and unwind after a particularly busy day has never been such a simple task when you can take the time to utilize some of the excellent ideas that have been carefully described above!

Eurovision 2022 Preview

The most popular song content in Europe, Eurovision, will be making its return on the 10th of May. Many countries, alongside the current odd favourites, Ukraine will be participating in hopes of winning the coveted prize that lets them host the content in the subsequent year.

Here are the favourites to win the Eurovision contest, according to the odds and offers by the major British bookmakers, a noble music contest that has been running his 1956.

Ukraine

With the ongoing invasion and conflict with Russia, it’s been a challenging year for the people of Ukraine. However, on a positive note and a statement of solidarity, a powerful song by Kalush Orchestra, a rap band, is being favoured to win the competition, with odds hailing them as clear winners even before the contest starts.

The last time the country won the contest was in 2016 with a politically-driven piece by Jamala named ‘1944.’ They hosted the contest the following year in the Capital, Kyiv.

Italy

Italy is one of the most beloved countries in the song contest, having won it last year with their top-rated rock band Måneskin. The country which is now hosting the contest will also be among the favourites with their new song by Mahmood & Blanco. They are beloved in their home country and one to please the crowds in Europe with their catchy tune Brividi.

Sweden

Sweden has won the contest a total of six times, lately in 2015 with their piece ‘Heroes’ by Måns Zelmerlöw, a Pop-singer who last released an album in 2019 named Time, peaking 18th in the top 30 charts in Sweden. The Swedish are known for producing great songwriters and singers and have rarely disappointed within the contest and are looking to cause a wave of excitement in 2022 again with their song ‘Hold Me Closer’ by Cornelia Jakobs. The song itself has over 1.8 million streams on YouTube alone and has been heralded by music fans as a “beautiful” piece bringing out goosebumps with each play.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is no joke when it comes to winning the contest, but sadly the last time they’ve won, most contestants were still in school or weren’t even born — that was in 1997 with Katrina and the Waves with their song ‘Love Shine a Light.’

Now United Kingdom’s Eurovision odds are exciting, first because they are in the top five to win, having finished dead last the prior year. Their song by Sam Ryder, a musician notably known for his songs such as Tiny Riot and Whirlwind, will be entering the contest with SPACE MAN. This song already has over 2 million streams on YouTube and will surely fetch the UK a positive result in the competition.

Best of the Rest

Other countries like Spain, Poland and Greece will also look to compete for the top spot. But in all honesty, this will unlikely challenge any of the favourites, especially Ukraine, with the current political climate and understandable stance that Europe is standing with to send Russia a message about how they feel about their aggression on Ukraine.

Miya Folick Returns With New Song ‘Oh God’

Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Miya Folick has shared ‘Oh God’, her first new music in three years. Lifted from a forthcoming EP due for release on Nettwerk, the track was co-produced and co-written with Mike Malchicoff. Check out a video for it, directed by TK with creative direction by Sportscar, below.

“‘Oh God’ is that moment of sudden remorse/panic/fear: when you put your palm to your forehead and wonder what you have done with your life,” Folick explained in a statement. “You know that something needs to change, and for the first time, you’re willing to try anything.”

Miya Folick’s debut album, Premonitions, arrived in 2018. Last year, she shared a cover of Natalie Imbruglia’s ‘Torn’.

Hayley Williams Announces New Podcast ‘Everything Is Emo’

Hayley Williams has announced a new emo-themed podcast as part of BBC Sounds’ Back to Back series. Everything Is Emo will delve into the history of the genre from its origins to the present day, including a first-hand account of fronting Paramore, one of the most popular bands to emerge from the scene. You can listen to the first episode of the 20-part series here.

Speaking about the project in a statement, Williams said:

Not long ago, people started calling me a “veteran” of my scene and of the music industry. It sounds so funny to me because most of the time I still feel like a fan. The serious truth is I have, in fact, grown up in this scene for the last two decades. I guess that’s a pretty long time. I’m really excited to have the opportunity to publicly nerd out about bands and songs that make my favourite subgenre feel like home to me. And while it will be fun to take some trips down memory lane, I’m just as excited, if not more, to play music from new artists I’m discovering all the time.

Everything is Emo is meant to feel like a conversation with other fans of the genre, young and (ahem) old. There’s going to be plenty of interaction, which I hope will feel somewhat reminiscent of the message boards and forums I used to frequent as a teenage scene kid.

More than anything, I hope music fans and artists alike will be psyched to hear a highly considered spectrum of “EMO” in all its forms. And yeah, of course you’ll hear some Paramore.

Last year, Williams released her most recent solo LP, FLOWERS for VASES / descansos. She recently joined Billie Eilish to perform Paramore’s ‘Misery Business’ at Coachella.

Album Review: William Basinski and Janek Schaefer, ‘“ . . . on reflection ”’

William Basinski is an esteemed documenter of gloom. In his earlier works like The Disintegration Loops or Melancholia, he repurposed his personal archive of tape loops, lingering on the breakdown of sounds lost in time. The Disintegration Loops, which records a gradual deterioration of looped tapes, was finished on the rooftop of a Brooklyn apartment on September 11th, 2001. The album’s bleak, slowly collapsing sound became emblematic of the harrowing future which followed 9/11. Consequently, the project found a cultural relevance rare for an ambient album. Yet Basinski’s body of work is far more varied than the pure moroseness he’s often associated with. In their new work “ . . . on reflection ”, Basinski and his collaborator Janek Schaefer, the avant-garde composer and a fellow master of repurposing bygone sounds, return to ideas of retrospection with results that prove unexpectedly bittersweet.

“ . . . on reflection ” is a minimalist assembly of sounds extracted from both Basinski and Schaefer’s musical archives. The album, crafted long-distance between L.A. and London over an eight-year span, structures around fragmented piano melodies. Over the course of five tracks (essentially one piece broken into five movements), the piano glides along, more romantic and less atonal than typical Basinski projects. The melodies themselves are unstable, with no coherent structure. Yet they remain central to the track: an omnipresent voice. In the background, a variety of disparate field recordings waft in and out. They simmer quietly, sometimes gaining prominence and rising to the same volume as the piano. The sounds range from gentle birdsongs to the roar of vehicular engines. Basinski and Schaefer use field recordings to situate the spaceless sound of the heavily reverbed piano in transient physical environments. Sounds recorded over a long span of time in an array of distinct places merge into one work based around the tension between unity and disconnect.

However, unlike with The Disintegration Loops, the re-interpretation of a personal music archive doesn’t result in a bleak portrait. Basinski and Schaefer produce a tranquil ambient work, reminiscent of new age artists like Yutaka Hirose. Unlike recent Basinski albums like Lamentations or On Time Out of Time, there’s an ease to “ . . . on reflection ” and its archival sounds. On those previous records, the music’s spacelessness feels burdensome. Bassy reverberations echo endlessly into a sphere of infinite disquiet. With “ . . . on reflection ”, Basinski and Schaefer situate their archival sounds in soothing environments; the persistent call of bird tweets almost feels cliché in its pleasantness. Ultimately, the timelessness of the music isn’t a gateway to existential doom but, rather, to something more peaceful and meditative.

“ . . . on reflection ” is dedicated to Harold Budd, the seminal ambient artist (though he’d reject the category of “ambient”) and pianist. Budd’s influence on Basinski and Schaefer is undeniable. “ . . . on reflection ” shares a similar approach to soft, piano melodies: notes soaked with reverb, until the space of their recording feels abstract. The album is a humble tribute to a master who passed away a year and a half ago and also a spiritual exercise, prompting us to find pleasure in becoming unbound from space and time.

Siv Jakobsen Returns With New Single ‘Most of the Time’

Siv Jakobsen has returned with a new single called ‘Most of the Time’. It marks the Norwegian singer-songwriter’s first new material since the release of her sophomore LP A Temporary Soothing in 2020. Listen to it below.

“Most of the Time’ is about not being able to forget a particularly difficult relationship from my past,” Jakobsen explained in a press release. “When left undealt with, the memories seemed to heighten in my sleep, in my subconscious, day and night, almost as if I was being haunted. It’s about how our past affects our future, how it can affect our personalities morphing into someone slightly different. Being back in this place again after such a long time was a much greater shock to my system than I would have ever thought it could be, and it forced me to unbox a lot of things I thought I had safely stored away in the back corners of my mind. In the end, it’s about reminding myself that I am feeling better now, most of the time.”

Revisit our Artist Spotlight Q&A with Siv Jakobsen.

Albums Out Today: Future, Tomberlin, Let’s Eat Grandma, Melody’s Echo Chamber, and More

In this segment, we showcase the most notable albums out each week. Here are the albums out on April 29, 2022:


Future, I Never Liked You

Future has dropped his new album, I Never Liked You. His ninth solo album following 2020’s High Off Life, the record spans 16 tracks and features guest appearances from Kanye West, Drake, Young Thug, Tems, EST Gee, Gunna, and Kodak Black. “I’m putting myself out there, sharing my lifestyle with the world,” Future said in a GQ cover story. “Sharing my lifestyle with the world. Sharing my pain with the world. Sharing my ups, sharing my downs with the entire universe. I believe in the energy of the universe and manifestation. That’s why I’m giving myself, because I’m willing to correct myself. I don’t want to just… be wrong. I’m willing to give you all of me, so you can tell me how to build on me, and make me a better me.”


Tomberlin, i don’t know who needs to hear this​.​.​.

i don’t know who needs to hear this​.​.​. is the sophomore album by Tomberlin, following her 2018 debut At Weddings and 2020’s Projections EP. Out now via Saddle Creek, the 11-track LP includes the advance singles ‘happy accident’, ‘idkwntht’, ‘tap’, and ‘sunstruck’. “My first record, I made it without knowing I was making it,” she said in press materials. “I was writing songs to process stuff from my personal life as it was happening, and then suddenly everything was happening really fast. Record label, tour, press, all this momentum and a lot of advice about my career, which, you know, I never even expected to have. So I think when I started to write the second record, I felt a lot of pressure to make it sound collected and profound, almost like a book—chapters, a narrative, everything nicely wrapped up.” Read our track-by-track interview with Tomberlin.


Let’s Eat Grandma, Two Ribbons

Let’s Eat Grandma, the project of Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth, are back with their third album, Two Ribbons, out today via Transgressive. The follow-up to 2018’s I’m All Ears was co-produced with David Wrench and includes the previously released singles ‘Happy New Year’, ‘Hall of Mirrors’, ‘Levitation’, and the title track. The LP grapples with feelings of grief and uncertainty following the death of Hollingworth’s boyfriend, the electronic musician Billy Clayton, as well as the changing nature of the duo’s relationship. Read our review of the album.


Melody’s Echo Chamber, Emotional Eternal

Melody’s Echo Chamber has released her third album, Emotional Eternal, via Domino. Like 2018’s Bon Voyage, the LP was initially recorded in the outskirts of Stockholm with Reine Fiske Fredrik Swahn of The Amazing. The singles ‘Looking Backward’, ‘Alma’, ‘Personal Message’ preceded the record. “I hope the record has that uplifting quality,” Melody Prochet said in a statement. “I wanted to be more grounded and mindful through the process. I guided the sessions with simplicity—a contrast with the maximalism of Bon Voyage and the wilderness of my delusions. I made some big and impactful decisions and changes to my life. It took me to where it is peaceful, and I think the record reflects this. It’s more direct.” Read about the inspirations behind the album in our interview with Melody’s Echo Chamber.


Girlpool, Forgiveness

Girlpool – the Los Angeles–based duo of Avery Tucker and Harmony Tividad – have followed up 2019’s What Chaos Is Imaginary with a new album called Forgiveness. Out now via ANTI-, the record was previewed with the tracks ‘Dragging My Life Into a Dream’‘Faultline’ and ‘Lie Love Lullaby’. “A lot of my songs on this record are about relationship dynamics where I experienced frustration and pain, and struggling to hold a lot of complexity in my emotions,” Tucker said in press materials. “Writing Forgiveness helped me fit all those pieces into an acceptance: that my fate pushes me exactly where I need to go.” Tividad added: “A lot of life feels like unavoidable experiences to me. To me, Forgiveness is about accepting that concept. It’s about forgiving reality for having to be exactly what it is all the time.”


Kelly Lee Owens, LP.8

Kelly Lee Owens has returned with her third album, titled LP.8, out now via Smalltown Supersound. Following 2020’s Inner Song, the British producer’s latest is a collaboration with noise artist Lasse Marhaug, who is known for his work with Merzbow, Sunn O))), and Jenny Hval. It includes the previously unveiled songs ‘Sonic 8’, ‘Olga’, and ‘One’. “For me, 8 meant completion — an album that will ripple infinitely with me personally,” Owens explained in a press release. Read our review of the album.


Lou Roy, Pure Chaos

Lou Roy’s debut album, Pure Chaos, has arrived via Balloon Machine Records. Co-produced with Sarah Tudzin of illuminati hotties, the record was promoted with the singles ‘Valkyrie’, ‘Uppercut’, ‘Down Since ’07’, and ‘U.D.I.D’. Speaking about the process behind the album, Roy said in our Artist Spotlight interview: “Acknowledging the trauma and giving it its moment of attention, that was important. But the way that I was writing about it, it didn’t end there. I always make it into a joke because it’s easier for me to process – acknowledge it in full, but then also kind of wink at it and make it a joke. Because that gives me my power again. If I can make fun of it a little bit and just be silly, it empowers me and it makes it easier to deal with and grapple with.”


Dana Gavanski, When It Comes

Canadian-Serbian artist Dana Gavanski has issued her sophomore full-length, When It Comes, via Flemish Eye. The album follows 2020’s Yesterday Is Gone and was preceded by the singles ‘Letting Go’, ‘Under the Sky’, and ‘Indigo Highway’, and ‘I Kiss the Night’. “In many ways this record feels like it is my first,” Gavanski explained in a press statement. “When I could use my voice, I had to focus so there is an urgency and greater emotional trajectory than before… it’s very connected to vocal presence, which extended into an existential questioning of my connection to music. It felt like a battle at times, which I frequently lost.”


Toro y Moi, Mahal

Toro y Moi has returned with a new record called MahalIt marks Chaz Bear’s seventh LP under the moniker and first for his new label home Dead Oceans. Completed mostly last year in his Oakland studio, the album features the tracks ‘Déjà Vu’, ‘The Loop’, and ‘Postman’ as well as collaborations with Sofie Royer, Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s Ruban Neilson, Neon Indian’s Alan Palomo, and the Mattson 2. “I wanted to make a record that featured more musicians on it than any other record of mine,” Bear explained in a press release. “To have them live on that record feels grounded, bringing a communal perspective to the table.”


Kehlani, Blue Water Road

Kehlani has put out her new album, Blue Water Road, via Atlantic. The follow-up to 2020’s It Was Good Until It Wasn’t is executive produced by Pop Wansel of production duo Pop & Oak and includes the early singles ‘Altar’ and Little Story’. “Blue water road is a destination in my mind,” Kehlani said in a press release. “I’m giving everyone access. It’s an emotional journey, a sexual journey, and a spiritual journey. To me, the album is like a glass house. It’s light, transparent, and the sun is shining right through it.”


Röyksopp, Profound Mysteries

Röyksopp – the Norwegian electronic duo of Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland – have a new record out titled Profound Mysteries, their first since 2014. Billed as “an expanded creative universe and a prodigious conceptual project,” it features the previously released singles ‘(Nothing But) Ashes…’, ‘The Ladder’, ‘Impossible’, ‘This Time, This Place’, and ‘Breathe’. Guests on the album include Alison Goldfrapp, Beki Mari, Susanne Sundfør, Pixx, and more. “As human beings, what we don’t know vastly overshadows what we do know,” Röyksopp said in a statement. “As teenagers, we would discuss our own fascination and preoccupation with the infinite and the impossible – the most profound mysteries of life.”


Hey, ily!, Psychokinetic Love Songs

Hey, ily! have dropped their debut full-length, Psychokinetic Love Songs, via Lonely Ghost Records. The follow-up to last year’s Internet, Breath EP was led by the single ‘Intrusive Thoughts Always’. Speaking to Brooklyn Vegan about the track, the Billings, Montana band said: “We wanted this song, as the first full band song on the album, to perfectly encapsulate the personality of the rest of the album. Catchy choruses, pummeling drums, and bizarre left turns. We’ve always wanted to write a thrash metal song, so with this song we thought: why not just put a thrash metal song in the middle of this seemingly regular emo song? That thought perfectly wraps up our process when writing this album. What would it sound like if we took out the traditional emo songwriting rules?”


Bloc Party, Alpha Games

Bloc Party have issued their latest album, Alpha Games, via Infectious/BMG. The band’s sixth LP and first since 2016’s Hymns was produced by Nick Launay and Adam Greenspan. Ahead of its release, Bloc Party shared a series of singles, including ‘If We Get Caught’, ‘Sex Magik’, ‘The Girls Are Fighting’, and ‘Traps’. “These last few years have felt like a morally bankrupt time,” Kele Okereke said in press materials. “It really felt like we were in an episode of House of Cards. That definitely bled into what I wanted to say. I feel like in all of the songs on this record there are people in extreme situations, making extreme choices; that’s what I wanted to capture. But what happens to our humanity when we prioritise success at all costs?”


Other albums out today:

Miranda Lambert, Palomino; MJ Lenderman, Boat Songs; Mall Girl, Superstar; William Basinski & Janek Schaefer, “ . . . on reflection “; Willie Nelson, A Beautiful Time; Julie Doiron & Dany Placard, Julie & Dany; Frog Eyes, The Bees; Rammstein, Zelt; Organ Tapes, 唱着那无人问津的歌谣 / Chang Zhe Na Wu Ren Wen Jin De Ge Yao; KMRU & Aho Ssan, Limen; Action Bronson, Cocodrillo Turbo; Dälek, Precipice; Sofi Tukker, Wet Tennis; Lola Kirke, Lady for Sale; Coach Party, Nothing Is Real; Loose Fit, Social Graces; Chelsea Jade, Soft Spot; Shilpa Ray, Portrait of a Lady.