The Teskey Brothers and Denise Le Menice top 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.

The Teskey Brothers – #1 Amrap Regional (pictured above)

The Teskey Brothers come through with another taste of raw, authentic soul. The Warrandyte four-piece were hiding in plain sight for a decade, honing their craft at the local pub before making serious waves with their debut album, 2017’s Half Mile Harvest. ‘I Get Up’ is a previously unreleased groove from the upcoming deluxe version of that album. It’s a reminder of the singular, era-defining sound The Teskey Brothers are celebrated for. The song is driven by Josh Teskey’s powerful voice, a husky thing that belongs more to the Mississippi Delta than rural Victoria. He’s accompanied by some gorgeous brass, gospel keys and sweet blues guitar, plus some cheeky backup vocals from the rest of the band. Get down with this one by tuning into Radio Skid Row in Sydney, Noosa FM in Queensland and the Barossa Valley’s BBB FM in SA.

Denise Le Menice – #1 Amrap Metro

Ali Flintoff has already made a name for herself as the razor-tongued lead singer of punk outfit, BOAT SHOW. Now she’s channelling her pop sensibilities as Denise le Menice without losing any of her trademark wit. ‘Heart’ is a breakup song, devoid of lament or regret; it takes on the anxiety of reintroducing one’s self into the dating game with sunny, sugary delight. Flintoff’s dreamy vocal harmonies blend seamlessly with the hazy production on this one, sitting on the edge of shoegaze and mid-90s pop-rock. It’s fuzzy and charming with a slight bite – the perfect showcase of Flintoff’s dynamic talent and stylistic range. Fade away with Denise le Menice on Perth’s RTR FM, Hobart’s Edge Radio and Inner FM in Melbourne.

LOSER – #7 Amrap Metro

Despite the name, LOSER have been killing it this year, gaining plenty of attention after dropping only two singles. That’s not a huge surprise considering the members are all well versed in the Melbourne music scene having variously played in The Smith Street Band, Grim Rhythm and The Bennies. ‘Phase Me’ is their latest offering and apparently the first song they wrote as a trio; the track that formed the band. It’s one of those familiar feeling tunes, led by heavily distorted guitar riffs that circle around anthemic vocals and a big, catchy chorus. This is alt-rock at its purest, stripped back and delivered with an earnest enthusiasm bursting with 90s nostalgia and slacker vibes. The LOSER EP, Restless Noise, will be out on October 26, so no doubt we’ll be hearing plenty more from them. Get on board by tuning into Brisbane’s 4ZZZ, FBi Radio in Sydney and KCR FM in WA.

Meg Mac – #4 Amrap Regional

Meg Mac has remained consistently sincere and heartfelt in her songwriting over the last few years and her latest release, ‘Give Me My Name Back’, is no exception. Poised to be a rallying call for empowerment and solidarity, the track is expertly produced, sharp, bold and holds a timely message. This is uplifting pop delivered through the veil of dark, bassy synths and electronic drums. Mac’s layered harmonies carry the weight of the song and tie the minimal verses together with a crunchy, powerful chorus. In her own words, the track is one “for everyone who has lost an important part of themselves, which they need to reclaim in order to move forward with their lives.” No doubt we’ll be hearing more about the importance of this track soon, but get on it now by switching to Fraser Coast Community Radio in Queensland, Radio Adelaide in SA and Melbourne’s Inner FM.

Planète – #2 Amrap Metro

Dion Tartaglione AKA Planète explores the art of subtlety on his latest offering, ‘Invisible Cities’. The Melbourne-based electronic producer has enjoyed plenty of recognition as a staple on the festival circuit supporting the likes of Machinedrum and Jon Hopkins on their recent Australian tours. 2018 is shaping up to be his most prolific year to date, already dropping the Continuum EP accompanied by a stunning video created by artist Tristean Jalleh. ‘Invisible Cities’ builds as an intense piece of melodic house, moving from the insignificant to the significant through tiny alterations and beat inclusions. Planète establishes a soundscape worth exploring here, an intelligent take on the dance music genre. Switch on and switch off with Perth’s RTR FM, FBi Radio in Sydney and Radio Adelaide in SA.

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

The Amrap Charts show the Top 10 tracks ordered for airplay by community broadcasters through the Amrap’s AirIt music distribution service. Amrap is an initiative of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia which distributes new Australian music to community radio stations nationwide & empowers broadcasters to promote new Australian music on air & online.