New Signings at EMI, Mushroom, Double Drummer and More

DACY Join EMI Music Australia

Melbourne-based multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriters DACY have joined the EMI Music Australia roster, with debut single “She Wants To Be Loved” showing off a pop flavour.

Jack and Ruby Dacy grew up in a musical family, listening to the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Crosby Stills & Nash and later Ed Sheeran, Fleetwood Mac and Coldplay.

The act is managed by Harness Management, set up by Keith Ridgway and ARIA-winning record producer Pete Dacy (Taxiride, Androids).

Dacy co-produced “She Wants To Be Loved” with Grammy-winning producer Jack Joseph Puig (Rolling Stones, U2, Hole, Black Crowes).

Mushroom Roster Adds Sam Tompkins

UK breakout act Sam Tompkins assigned his publishing to Mushroom Music for ANZ.

Starting out busking at the age of 16 and mentored by Justin Bieber, his last three UK tours sold out, and his “Lose It All” single on Island Records clicked 12 million global streams.

“Sam is an incredible artist and hugely talented songwriter whose storytelling hits straight to the heart and we can’t wait to support his growth and help realise his creative vision,” said Erol Yurdagul, head of A&R and Creative at Mushroom Music Publishing.

Double Drummer Dials In Radio Free Alice

Double Drummer’s latest addition is Melbourne-based indie pop band Radio Free Alice.

Double Drummer managing director Tim Prescott noted the 21-year-olds “stand out in the current landscape, you can hear the reference points and the rich history of guitar pop in their sound,” citing their influences range from ’80s titans the Smiths and Sunnyboys to Parquet Courts, Ought and The Strokes.

New single “I Gotta (Fall In Love)” initially got aired on triple j First Play.

Joe Matera At Possum Records

Australian singer/songwriter/guitarist and instrumentalist Joe Matera’s latest album “The Lone Runner” will be released worldwide on March 17 through Phil Israël’s Possum Records.

Better known musically for his guitar-driven pop-rock music, “The Lone Runner” delves into electronica, beats, guitar and synths to create an ambient and chilled effect.

Track “Brick By Brick” was voted #12 of the Top 100 Chilliest Tracks of 2023 by SBS Chill Radio.

“It’s great to find a home for my music, and one where my music will be given it’s due with support and belief, something that Possum Records CEO Philip Israël firmly established from the moment my music caught his ear,” said Matera, also a music journalist and author of Backstage Pass: The Grit and The Glamour.

Coterie Get Massive/ Sony Push

Coterie, a band of New Zealand-born Maori brothers who grew up in Western Australia, struck a deal with Massive/Sony Music NZ.

Massive is the imprint set up by NZ’s biggest band SIX60, who provided A&R and mentoring to the brothers and appear on their new single.

Dinosaur City Open Gates To Shallowhalo

Naarm/Melbourne-based Dinosaur City Records inked Brooklyn, New York City synth-pop duo Shallowhalo.

Single “Crystal Ball”, inspired by helping a friend through their break-up, was composed around the driving beat of a vintage Roland CR5000 and bubbling SH101 and made in Allyson Camitta and Ezra Tenenbaum’s home studio.

Dinosaur City, set up in 2017, has released Body Type, Workhorse, Punko, REBEL YELL, Solo Career, e4444e, Gauci and Alice Cohen.

Children’s Act for ABC Music

ABC Music’s latest children’s act, Whistle & Trick, is made up of childhood friends-turned-music educators Esther and Maddy.

Debut single “Bananas and Other Delicious Things” celebrates three different foods that kids know and love (also beans and eggs) and is inspired by the little songs Esther would create for her young daughter at breakfast.

Natalie Waller, head of Music and Events at ABC Music, said, “Whistle & Trick bring an abundance of enthusiasm to ABC Music with their fun, energetic children’s songs.”

Multiple Deals for Dust

Newcastle/ Awabakal Land post-punk quintet dust set up international touring with a slate of new business partners.

These include US label Kanine Records (Grizzly Bear, Chairlift, and whose Kay Quartararo shares “It took exactly two seconds to know we wanted to sign dust”), Rad Music Management (Hockey Dad, Bad//Dreems), Select Music for ANZ and X-Ray Touring for UK/Euro.

The band, which formed in 2020, tours Europe in April with Hockey Dad.

UK Act for UNFD

UNFD signed Aberdeen-via-Brighton alt-pop-rock trio The XCERTS to a worldwide deal.

They describe their new single “Gimme” as “our most bombastic piece of work, sonically and musically, so it felt like the perfect introduction to the new era.”