Start Together are Gerard, James, Emma & Demetry. While clearly influenced by genre pioneer bands like Sonic Youth, The Cure and New Order, the Meanjin (Brisbane) four-piece Start Together create their own unique brand of shoegaze/post-everything/guitar wonderfulness. In 2018 Start Together released three singles independently; Xmal Inveigle, a post-rock slow burner, Being Born, an almost obnoxious, high-energy post-punk assault to the ears, and 9617 Graham Chapman, a comparatively more sedate and reflective shoegaze track. 2019 saw the release of their single Az Nem Verhat to complement a run of highly anticipated live shows, including supporting local favourites Hatchie and Sweater Curse on their respective tours.
Emerging from the post-COVID blues with a full-length release that has been in the slow-cooker, Start Together are now ready to present their first offerings from their long-awaited debut album. Released in June, Separate Beds is an intricately weaved tapestry of pop hooks and call-and-response choruses blended to create a dark, gorgeous guitar-driven soundscape. On the new single, Skeptics – a gorgeous instrumental – the quartet once again demonstrate their knack for weaving pop hooks with more intricate songwriting ideas to create a glistening, guitar-driven journey. Both songs are early tastes of their long-awaited debut album (due early September).

Since 2016 Grand Drifter is Italy-based Andrea Calvo’s musical project (voice, guitar,
instruments). Sometimes as a band, sometimes him alone.
In 2018 the electroacoustic debut Lost Spring Songs (Sciopero Records): Here a gentle, delicate and introspective songwriting, ranges between emotional coordinates linked to a sort of unquiet Simon & Garfunkel, to the Beatles’ White Album and some glances over pop-rock. In 2021 the more electric Only Child (Subjangle) still follows that wistful and intimate path, adding strong reminds of some Sarah Records albums, Belle and Sebastian popness, Grant McLennan’s melody.
The new album Paradise Window will be released on CD and digital on September 8th, 2023 via Subjangle (UK).

“Radio is a sound salvation
Radio is cleaning up the nation
They say you better listen to the voice of reason
But they don’t give you any choice
‘Cause they think that it’s treason
So you had better do as you are told
You better listen to the radio“
(Elvis Costello – Radio, Radio)

Riflettendoci con un po’ di calma, è stato nel momento esatto in cui la televisione ha invaso il campo della radio che è iniziato il declino.
Certo, ci sono stati, per un po’, anni di vacche grasse: Mr. Fantasy, Videomusic, MTV (soprattutto MTV 120 Minutes, naturalmente), ma i Buggles ci avevano visto benissimo e sono stati, purtroppo, profetici. Il video non solo ha assassinato la star della radio, ma ha finito per contaminare tutto, annacquando (definitivamente?) anche la forza dirompente della musica per standardizzarla ai gusti della massa (nel contempo facendo provare a quella stessa massa, con un paio di tatuaggi sulla faccia e qualche innocua volgarità, anche il brivido di una falsa trasgressione).