What Have Our Indie Artists Been Up To?

Last Wednesday, Senior International Label Manager Stu Harvey confirmed his departure from Shock Records, the veteran's resignation coming after the recent appointment of Craig May as the General Manager of Music and the resignations of three other staff members.

The Coopers Amp goes to… Hermitude, the Aussie beats duo winning the $30,000 prize for his 2012 record HyperParadise, beating formidable opponents such as Tame Impala, Flume and The Presets – who have all had a fantastic year. The band's Luke Dubber told theMusic: “I think what gave myself a little bit of hope was the way they judge it – as a full album – and the Amp crew are really about the whole experience of the record and we put a lot of love into the whole, and not just a single.”

Speaking of, according to founder of Glassnote Entertainment Group and highly regarded independent executives Daniel Glass, three of the finalists for The Coopers Amp are about to make it big in the States, also revealing that The Temper Trap have been writing as new record back home in Australia.

Sydney psych outfit The Laurels are launching an assault on the US market. Their 2012 LP Plains is set to be released there and they will be hitting the road for a number of American shows.

In an interview with theMusic last week, rapper Drapht admitted his rapid rise to fame after his breakout single Jimmy Recard was released wasn't always a positive thing. Speaking about the short attention spans of society nowadays, he said, "It's a tough market but you just need to adapt to the instant society we have at the moment.”

Melbourne singer/songwriter Jordie Lane has signed a booking deal with Canada's Paquin Entertainment and will look to tour the region in July and August to coincide with festival slots. Nice international breakthrough for the busy muso.

Mondays suck - an opinion we all share as do the guys from Sydney band Creo. They've just released the video for their single Monday Mourning. It's off their debut EP The Memo, which they'll be showcasing on some upcoming shows.

A new, intense video was dropped last week by House Vs Hurricane and they've also announced ten national tour dates. The guys are set to make a quick trip to Europe for some gigs before they return.

The soulful act that is Saskwatch also released a new track this past week. I Get Lonely is quirky little ditty, showing off a slightly different sound for the band. They also unveiled some more show dates.

Emma Louise is gearing up for a mammoth run of shows, kicking off in May in Tassie. Her album Vs Head Vs Heart is out this Friday.

And wrapping or rapping up this week's news is young hip hop artist Allday, who dropped a new single Girl In The Sun. He's playing a handful of gigs throughout March and April.