Little May are back and burning up the Amrap Metro Chart

Community radio shows a huge amount of support for Australian music, with almost 40% of music played coming from local artists. Taste-making presenters excel at giving airtime to an incredible spread of what Aussie artists have to offer. The Amrap Metro and Amrap Regional Charts provide insight into what’s getting airplay and attention on community radio each week. Here’s the lowdown on some tunes charting this week.

Little May – #1 Amrap Regional (Pictured above)

The popular Sydney duo return with ‘Lover’, announcing a bolder, tougher sound into their trademark atmospheric pop. Mixed by Grammy-winning US producer John Congleton – known for pulling some majestically immense sounds for the likes of Explosions In The Sky and The War on Drugs – Little May sound bigger than ever before with any of their indie-folk origins gone without a trace. Little May seem primed to take a leap and make a very different mark in 2019 with their next album – hitting number one on Amrap’s Regional Charts this week shows their aim to be well on track. NSW’s Yass FM, Byron Bay’s Bay FM and Fraser Coast FM in Queensland are but a few community stations leaping onto ‘Lover’.

Collarbones – #2 Amrap Metro 

Collarbones return for the first time in two years with new music – the future-facing electronic pop of ‘A, I’. Mixing a thumping club sensibility with the kind of yearning vulnerability you might hear in a classic R n’ B ballad gives the euphoric feel of ‘A, I’ a strangely alluring magnetism. Collarbones are working a dynamic taking hold all over the world where the dark feeling is getting more crucial to the modern club mindset. The pair and their production skills have come a long way since trading files after meeting on a post-rock forum more than a decade back. Soon after ‘A, I’ dropped, Radio Adelaide, Sydney’s FBi Radio and Brisbane’s 4ZZZ FM dived right in, helping the track go right near the top of the Amrap Metro Charts this week.

The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra – #4 Amrap Metro

Last week we shined a light on Cookin’ On 3 Burners as one of the bands out of Melbourne leading the way in groove for the entire country. Melbourne seems limitless in bands forming in pursuit of reaching funk nirvana and The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra are another highpoint. Delivering the Afro-beat sound pioneered by the great political provocateur Fela Kuti, The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra hew a similar spirit in sound and vision with ‘Fight So Hard’, a socially-conscious mover recorded in Africa with African hip-hoppers sharing vocal duties. Set to simmering, ‘Fight So Hard’ is getting heavy love from Canberra’s 2XX, Sydney’s 2SER FM, Radio Adelaide and Brisbane’s 4ZZZ FM.

Skyscraper Stan – #10 Amrap Regional

Skyscraper Stan Woodhouse is hard to miss, standing six foot six and stick thin. However, his presence as a performer is what’s truly unmissable as he delivers characters and narratives in a powerful baritone, flanked by his long time band, The Commission Flats. Stan’s latest offering, ‘Tarcutta Shade’, vividly reflects the troubadour existence he lives. You can almost feel the heat of the Riverina truck stop he depicts. It’s a long, sweaty day laid out by Stan’s poetic use of language and a meandering bassline before the mercury rises in a flurry of electric guitar. Spend some time with Stan in the shade by tuning into Brisbane’s 4ZZZ, The Barossa Valley’s BBB FM in SA and Mountain District Radio in Victoria.

Alex The Astronaut – #2 Amrap Regional

It’s been a productive 2018 for Alex The Astronaut, selling out a co-headline national tour alongside Stella Donnelly and hitting the festival circuit in Europe twice this year. The Sydney songwriter never fails to impress with her thoughtful lyrics and catchy melodies. ‘Happy Song’ is the latest such track from Alex, perfectly blending melancholy and optimism with an infectious chorus that aims straight for the heart. It’s a break up song, but one sung from the early stages when the ache is coupled with relief and the approach of summer just around the corner. Radio Adelaide in SA, Perth’s RTR FM and Sydney’s 2RRR are currently singing along to ‘Happy Song’.