Tag: Winston Surfshirt

New Audio: Introducing the Synth-Led Funk of Sydney’s Winston Surfshirt

With the release of their full-length debut Sponge Cake, which featured their recently gold-certified debut single “Be About You,” the Sydney, Australia-based sextet Winston Surfshirt was championed by Beats 1 Radio host Zane Lowe, KRCW’s Jason Bentley, BBC Radio 1’s Huw Stephens and Phil Taggart, BBC Radio 6’s Lauren Laverne and Elton John, thanks in part to a Australian sextet’s unique and slickly produced blend of synth funk, soul and hip-hop. Adding to a growing profile, Sponge Cake was named a Triple J feature album. 

Building upon a growing national and international profile, the up-and-coming Sydney-based act end 2018 with a new track, the chilled out yet swaggering funky synth-led “For The Record,” which pairs a sleek hip hop-tinged production of thumping beats, arpeggiated synths, crooning horns and neo-soul like vocals. Sonically, the song brings a number of different artists — Thundercat, Timbaland and Dam-Funk immediately come to mind. “‘For The Record’ is a song written for anyone from the perspective of their loved ones, family or friends,” the members of the band explain in press notes. “When you’re feeling down there’s always people who love you and would do anything to make you feel better and be there when you’re in a bad headspace.”

With the release of two previous EPs and “Sly,” featuring Winston Surfshirt, the first single off the soon-to-be released Friends EP, Sydney, Australia-based production and electronic music artist duo Polorgaphia have gained a rapidly growing national profile; in fact, the duo’s latest single “Feels Alright,” a collaboration with psych pop act Looks Fade was released as the duo announced a national tour to support their third EP.  Interestingly, the duo’s latest single will further cement the duo’s burgeoning reputation for thematically focusing on wistful nostalgia, growing up and rapid passing of time while sonically the sound was inspired by 90s R&B ballads and 80s synth pop as the duo pair lush and shimmering synths and piano with, plaintive falsetto vocals, old school home-inspired percussion and a wobbling bass line. And while nostalgic, the song manages to be anthemic and hopeful for a bright future.