Charli XCX: ‘Labels are desperate for artists to be liked, otherwise you’re bad, evil and wrong’
Straddling the underground and the mainstream, the pop star long felt like an outsider. She talks about finding her crowd, her ‘blunt’ new album, and complicated female friendships
May 2024
The funniest things on the internet
Tseba: the 10 funniest things I have ever seen (on the internet)
‘It’s a hallucinatory experience!’: musicians on the awesome creative power of motherhood
Air at Sydney Opera House review – space-age pop as exquisite as its venue
‘When things dry up, we can’t just call daddy’: Elefant Traks, the DIY label that changed Australian music
Australian critic's picks
Critic’s pick: Haai, the DJ making euphoric electronica with Kylie, Fred Again and Jon Hopkins
‘I’m super excited, but it’s bloody expensive!’ Australia’s Eurovision megafans gather to cheer on Electric Fields in Sweden
Kamasi Washington: Fearless Movement review – the sax star dials up the tempos
April 2024
Club culture
‘We handed out raw fish to clubbers’: the mind-bending acid house tour of London
Club culture
MC Conrad, acclaimed drum’n’bass vocalist, dies aged 52
Justice: Hyperdrama review – an uncertain return to the dancefloor
‘People think I hate pop’: super-producer AG Cook on working with Beyoncé and honouring his friend Sophie
Porij: Teething review – dance music without drama or daring
Regurgitator: Invader review – the new stuff is as good as the old stuff
‘Gender and sexuality on a spectrum – I started to unravel all of that’: musician Claire Rousay on dating, depression and Jeff Tweedy
Other lives
George Newson obituary
Vegyn: The Road to Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions review – steely relentlessness and glossy melodies
March 2024
Kelly Moran: Moves in the Field review – the pianist duets with her augmented self
Written on a programmable piano, the US musician’s new album remains graceful and accessible – in spite of her non-human playing partner
One to watch
One to watch: Glass Beams
The enigmatic masked trio from Melbourne hypnotise with a psychedelic fusion of Aussie surf rock and traditional Indian music
Contemporary album of the month
Michelle Moeller: Late Morning review – sparkling, ethereal sound manipulations
The US artist’s debut album mixes prepared piano with programmed synth effects in woozy harmonic compositions that soar and thrill
