Liam Apter, Journalist

A dollop of southern soul and a dash of gospel mixed into some rock.. Leon Bridges hails from Fort Worth, Texas and fuses together elements of Southern soul and gospel into a rock 'n' roll framework. With the rolling drum beat and choral elements in the back of the track it re-creates that Southern America (USA, that is) landscape with the deltas, dust bowls and stretches of green. Bridges' soulful voice then kicks against a repeated, suddenly stopping guitar lick that really emphasises the raw but soothing nature of Bridges' voice. Southern soul may not be for everyone but it's the perfect genre to kick back if you're looking for a change in sonic scenery.  Follow Leon Bridges: FACEBOOK

10 December selections from our resident intern - Liam Apter.. Liam Apter is the current editorial intern at the Pilerats office in Perth. I've previously worked at adamNOTeve, Music Feeds, The Brag and I run my own blog which the Guardian picked up last year and chose as blog of the week. I've also covered some of Australia's biggest festivals including Laneway, Listen Out and Splendour In The Grass at the ripe age of eighteen. I've got a keen passion for just about anything except hardcore and dubstep.  1. Young Fathers (pictured) - Soon Come Soon Young Fathers came to my attention at the beginning of the year through Elizabeth Rose posting about their then new album Dead which went onto later win the Mercury Prize in the UK. Live these guys are a powerhouse, with their drummer snapping sticks throughout the show and denting them cymbals from his force. And that's before you get to the energy of the rest of the group, it's hypnotic. And while Soon Come Soon isn't the vicious sonic ho

A cracking new compilation from psych-rocker Ty Segall..

Future Classic drop a 2014 compilation, featuring this new jam from Touch Sensitive.. Future Classic have announced that they're putting out a compilation titled Teen Idols which is a snapshot of their releases in 2014. The full tracklist is listed below and will feature unreleased tracks from Hayden James, 123MRK, KOA and Touch Sensitive. The title track off this compilation has just been released and it's house gem made by none other than bass strummer Touch Sensitive. Considering the length of time between each release it's always exciting when Touch Sensitive releases a new track. Featuring some heavily chopped vocals against a backbed of bass before breaking down into a well-canned drum beat it's comforting to have him back. The full compilation will be released 19 December.  01. Touch Sensitive - Teen Idols02. HWLS - 004 w/ Noah Breakfast03. Basenji - Heirloom04. Chet Faker - Gold05. Seekae - Test & Recognise06. George Maple - Talk Talk07. Karma Kid - Bird Of Prey08. KOA - All My

We're back with another awesome compilation, can you guess who will be on it?. At the end of last year we launched our own label, Pilerats Records and to celebrate the formation of it we brought together some of our favourite artists together in one epic and free compilation. It was called Rat Pack #1 and it featured unheard tracks from Trippy Turtle, Ryan Hemsworth, Esta, Odesza and more! We later brought Ryan Hemsworth, Odesza and Esta down for Circo 2014 which went down a treat. Over this year we signed on Perth bass lord Sable, the aurally stunning Willow Beats, lo-fi jammers Hamjam and Phoenixesque Cabana. So after a killer year for Pilerats we thought why not do another compilation? And on that note we're happy to announce the arrival of Rat Pack #2. Well, not just yet. It's coming Monday 8 December but we've got a monolithic wordsearch for you to try and figure out all the artists before it's released. Can you find out who will be on there? Artwork by us. #Madeinthepile

After nearly two years of silence Purity Ring return with a single titled Push Pull.. Purity Ring have released their first track, Push Pull, in nearly two years and it reflects a shift towards a more pop-orienated sonic direction in place of chopped vocals and twilight-infused synths. This decision to move away from chopped vocals could reflect a growing confidence in Megan James' voice and more elemental tracks in comparison to their instrumentally dense debut album Shrines. Purity Ring's sonic shift reflects a decision to push their creative boundaries as they have with the bouncing drums and the playful piano keys that appear in the track. But what remains the same is the dulcet toned voice of James as it soars over the track. Whether this piece is their first single on an upcoming release or a stand alone track we don't know but it's good to have them back. Click HERE to head to their website to see the lyrics and more. Follow Purity Ring: FACEBOOK

Highasakite's latest video for Leaving No Traces is a conceptual release focusing on relationship but culture and nature..

The Avener's latest single, Fade Out Lines, is as if Darkside decided to embrace deep house.. French producer The Avener's track Fade Out Lines, a deep house majesty, has finally become available in Australia and it's ticking all the boxes for a slow-burning hit. Indeed, it takes the proggier elements of Darkside with the throbbing bass lines and adds some vivacious guitar licks. And while it doesn't have the long drawn out builds that Darkside excel in, the coltish choruses add a summery feel that is lost on Darkside and other deep house producers. And that mashing of a dark throbbing bass throughout the build with playful guitar chords in the chorus sees The Avener become more than just another French producer making deep house. Grab it from iTunes HERE. Follow The Avener: FACEBOOK

Twin Peaks have a baseball battle in their newest video for I Found A New Way.. It seems fitting with the recent return of Twin Peaks (TV Show) that the band who took their name from the show bring out a new music video to announce their album is being released in Australia too. For those who don't know Twin Peaks, they're from Chicago and they make scuzzy, lo-fi rock with a care-free attitude. They were also friends with Chance The Rapper at school and had their own posse called Dudes On Chief or the DOC Squad.  I Found A New Way has that rough jaggling guitar sound throughout it mixed in with different members of the band, something that they do on all their songs, which gives the band the ability to change the mood of song straight away. Indeed, at the beginning there are this near baritone driving the track as it slowly builds to the chorus. As the chorus hits a rough ragged voice jumps into the mix seeing all sense of control give way to an all-out guitar jam. I Found A New Way is

A dreamy summertime ballad from Lost In Tundra.. From the group formerly known as Tundra, Lost In Tundra return with the other A side single of their double A side release and it's titled Photograph. Photograph is a mellow, blissful cut of a summer by the beach where the sun is shining and the sea salt infused wind is wafting onto you. It's all there in the track, the tingling guitars is the sun glinting on the water and the vocal cuts are the wind gently blowing over your body. And while often music is subjective as to what means what and why that chord is there it seems almost undeniable that this song recreates that sense of peace that comes by the beach in summer. Definitely something to listen to on a drive by the ocean this summer. Follow Lost In Tundra: FACEBOOK