Mabali take over the community radio charts

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.

Lime Cordiale – #3 Amrap Regional

Lime Cordiale offer up a pastiche of the past with a modern twist on their latest single, ‘Money’. Immediately glittering with funk driven licks and a buzzing bassline, the track is something the Arctic Monkey’s might have put out if they’d had a disco faze. The Sydney based brothers have found rightful recognition for their hook-laden jams recently and ‘Money’ is no exception; booming trumpet echo a catchy chorus to the end, weaving a sunny disposition throughout. Brisbane’s 4ZZZ, Sydney’s 2RRR and Bay FM in Byron Bay, NSW are already drinking the Cordiale.

Gooch Palms – #8 Amrap Metro

Professional party starters Gooch Palms return to their unique and infectious brand of good-time garage rock on their raw new single ‘Are We Wasted.’ Full of pounding drums, fuzz-filled chords and an upbeat, catchy melody the track captures the best of the Newcastle duo’s notoriously wild live show and is sure to be dancing around in our heads for days. ‘Are We Wasted’ will feature on their third album out via their fresh new label Ratbag Records and follows on from poppy, feminist punk tune ‘Busy Bleeding’ and ode to the supernatural ‘Marfa Lights’. With such blistering anthemic tunes flowing freely from the pair, 2019 is lining up to be a big one for the Goochie’s. Radio Adelaide in SA, Perth’s RTR FM and Hobart’s Edge Radio are already all over this banger.

Robert Forster – #2 Amrap Regional

It’s time to get on that old road with Robert Forster’s cruisy ‘Inferno (Brisbane In Summer)’. The prolific Go-Betweens co-founder showcases his song writing chops on this one with relentless, playful piano stabs, deliciously gritty guitar tones and his unmistakable vocals. Forster twists the lyrics – half spoken and vivid – into something melodically familiar yet wonderfully new. The fondness Forster has for the likes of Bob Dylan shine through on ‘Inferno’, but there’s something else at work here too; an 80s post-punk flavour sprinkled amongst the bluesy black keys. Fraser Community Radio in QLD, 5GTR in SA and Brisbane’s 4ZZZ have already filled up the tank and ready roll.

Olympia – #8 Amrap Regional

2019 is lining up to be a huge year for Olympia, following on from the highly acclaimed album ‘Self Talk’ and arresting live shows across Australia and the UK, Olympia is set to globetrot with fellow songstress Julia Jacklin over the next few months. ‘Shoot To Forget’, is fresh, light and loose, the sound of a relentlessly original artist coming into her own. This second single from the highly anticipated sophomore record balances Bartley’s force, melody and masterful use of imagery, while also showcasing the rock leanings introduced in lead single ‘Star City’. ‘Shoot To Forget’ is a powerful statement of what we can look forward to from this intriguing artist in the year ahead. Once again, community radio is on the front lines with Olympia getting plenty of airtime on Melbourne’s Inner FM, Triple B FM in SA and Hobart’s Edge Radio.

Mambali – #2 Amrap Regional & #10 Metro (pictured above)

Emerging in force from the remote coastal community of Numbulwar in the Northern Territory, Mambali are a fresh and exciting band bringing sounds from the edge of the Gulf Of Carpentaria to a wider Australia. Mambali have been performing for the last few years at festivals around the Northern Territory and are now ready to release their debut single ‘Fish Hawk’ ahead of their debut album later this year. Their traditional songs are about country, culture and the Dhumbul Dance (Devil Dance) but are performed with contemporary arrangements, edge and energy. The six piece primarily perform in their first language, Nunggubuyu with the intention of engaging young people through positivity and empowerment. ‘Fish Hawk’ has stormed both the Regional and Metro charts this week, gaining plenty of attention from the likes of Radio Adelaide in SA, the Macleay Valley’s Tank FM in NSA and 4ZZZ in Brisbane.

See the full Amrap Charts at www.airit.org.au