The AvalanchesThe Music chooses one song every week as its Power Pick, shining a light on ONE Aussie song that we think has the potential to be the next big Australian chart hit.
Our Power Pick committee consists of Richard Kingsmill (consultant and former triple j Group Music Director), Maddy Rowe (Nova nights announcer), Nic Kelly (Hit Network nights announcer), Ash McGregor (host of Listen Up with Ash McGregor), Kent “Smallzy” Small (Host of ‘The Smallzy Show’ on the Kiis Network), Irene Hulme (radio consultant and host of Game Changers Radio podcast), Matty Morris (Super Radio Network nights announcer), and Matt O’Gorman (Triple M Homegrown host).
You’d have to have a heart made of stone not to be excited about new music from The Avalanches. After all, close to three decades into their storied career, the beloved Melbourne outfit still find themselves spoken about in revered tones thanks to their 2000 debut Since I Left You, an album still considered one of the greatest of all time.
16 years passed before Wildflower arrived as a textbook example of how to deliver a stellar follow-up, and in 2020, fans counted their lucky stars we didn’t have to wait quite as long for We Will Always Love You. Now, following a string of new releases, The Avalanches will be releasing their fourth record, No Bad Memories, in October.
With the group – now a trio comprising Robbie Chater, Tony Di Blasi, and Andy Szekeres – having revisited “imagery and jingles from childhood” and utilising these profound pieces of nostalgic sounds as a protest against the corporate framework to deliver their “own kind of joyous pop music,” the latest taste of this forthcoming release comes by way of the song Can't Get Over Losing You.
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A collaboration with US musician Portraits Of Tracy, it’s a wonder we’ve received this stellar piece of work, especially given Tracy’s admission that they rarely collaborate with others.
“Tracy is an hilarious, brave and tender human being who Tony and I have become very close to over the years we’ve been making music together,” Chater explained. “Almost weekly another song arrives... ‘I made something new... what do you guys think!?‘ And they’re always SO good.
“Every single song! Tracy’s production and mixing is insane but it’s her voice and songwriting that break my heart time after time, truly a generational talent! We feel very fortunate to make music together.”
“I've been super excited to hear all the songs The Avalanches have been dropping this year,” enthuses Richard Kingsmill. “They've never lacked inspiration (well, except maybe across those 16 long years after their debut), but it feels like they've had an extra injection of creativity of late with the quality of what they've given us.
“Collaborating with Portraits Of Tracy makes sonic sense. The Avalanches were early champions of the Louisiana producer/artist. The match is pretty heavenly. It starts with the soulful sounds of the late Wilson Williams and a song he recorded in 1971. It keeps the slight Japanese tinge from his obscure recording, and adds Portraits Of Tracy's sunny vocal across the top. All the ingredients are totally infectious.
“Is the well running dry for The Avalanches? I think not. If I see right, the new album will have no less than 31 songs on it!”
The Avalanches’ No Bad Memories is scheduled to arrive on October 16th, with pre-orders available now.
CHART UPDATE
As both Alex Warren and Taylor Swift hold steady at No. 1 and No. 2 on the Radio Monitor Hot 100 chart with Fever Dream and I Knew It, I Knew You, respectively, there’s a new local act near the top, with G Flip taking out the No. 3 position with Bed On Fire.
It’s a one-spot rise for G Flip, who now occupies the spot which last week was held by Josh Fawaz and his controversial rework of Madonna’s Like A Prayer, which attracted attention thanks to the artist’s recent admission of AI usage.
There's more Aussies in the top ten thanks to Sonny Fodera’s Let Me Be In Your Arms, which sits one place higher than last week, at No. 9. Fodera is himself the next Aussie in the chart, sitting at No. 24 with previous chart-topper Think About Us.
Tame Impala's enduring Dracula sits at No. 35 after a previous high of No. 7, while last week's Power Pick – Ninajirachi & Porter Robinson's WannaCry – debuts at an impressive No. 38.
There's only a few other Aussies in the top section of the chart, with DMA'S' Killing Time at No. 43, Tkay Maidza's Jenevieve-featuring Romanticize holding steady at No. 46, Spacey Jane’s East Village entering the top 50 at No. 49, and The Kid LAROI's previous silver medal-holder Girls closing out the top 50 in the titular position.
Over on the singles chart, the highest Aussie is the only Aussie, with Tame Impala's Dracula sitting at No. 16 (down four spots from last week) following an all-time high of No. 4.
