Artist Making Waves: Szymon [indie rock / folktronica]

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Szymon Borzestowski was a talented young singer/songwriter/musician from Newcastle, Australia who lost his battle with depression at age 23. When he was 19 years old he struck a deal with EMI but never got to release his music, so following his tragic passing his family got together with some record industry people to see that the music he had recorded in his home studio got released. More often than not, tragic backstories such as this one tend to be what carries posthumous works of art to a certain level of success or notoriety, but Szymon's debut LP Tigersapp speaks for itself, seeing as I was hooked on the album before ever hearing anything about the artist.

Drawing from the indie rock, folk, and electronica genres, Szymon employs his smooth vocal harmonies, intricate guitar melodies, ambient electronics, and catchy songwriting to make Tigersapp a truly unique album that is sure to live on, both as a celebration of an artist's life and talents, and as an extraordinary record in and of itself.

Listen to two of Tigersapp's singles below, the upbeat "Medusa" and dreamy "Golden", and order the full album here.

Just Rolled In: Pepa Knight - "Eventually" (Tame Impala Cover) [indie folk / dream pop / acoustic]

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One of holaOLA's mainstays, Australia-based Jinja Safari front-man Pepa Knight, never ceases to amaze. Here he is again in all his dreamy folk-pop glory taking on one of my favorite songs of 2015 so far, "Eventually" from Tame Impala's arguably impeccable third LP Currents.

In his own words, this is the bonfire-n-chill version, and I can't agree more. His complex acoustic take on the powerful song marries his beautiful vocal harmonies and other-worldly instrumentation including flutes, lutes, glockenspiels, resonator guitars, synths, and light percussion, leaving us with a new song just as great as its predecessor, only more suitable for a peaceful night around a glowing campfire with close friends.

Be on the lookout for Pepa Knight's second solo EP, Hypnotized, Vol. II, expected for release in early 2016. And if you haven't heard his debut EP released last year, enjoy that here.

Just Rolled In: Redspencer - "Ride It Out" and "Happy Slow Riverbends" [jangle pop / indie rock / lo-fi]

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Based in Melbourne but originally from New South Wales, the jangly indie rock trio Redspencer have shared two catchy singles this month in anticipation of the June 1st release of their debut EP.

The first single, "Happy Slow Riverbends", is the sunnier of the two and gives off a sort of Darwin Deez or Spoon vibe with its bouncy rhythm, punchy guitar riffs, and distorted vocals, while the newest single, "Ride It Out", is a more introspective cut, allowing the restless guitars to do most of the talking, much like summery guitar-pop poster boys Real Estate and Mac DeMarco.

Stream Redspencer's two new singles below and be sure to buy the debut EP coming out June 1st via Deaf Ambitions! And if you're in Melbourne, hit up their EP launch show at Bar Open on Friday, June 5th with Tourist Dollars and Head Clouds.

holaTUBE: Pepa Knight - "Coyote Choir" [world / indie pop] ***FREE EP STREAM***

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Previously featured on holaOLA twice in mid-2014 following the releases of his enrapturing singles "Rahh!" and "Clams", sitar-wielding Pepa Knight, from Central Coast, New South Wales (and of Jinfa Safari fame), is back with an official video for the vibrant third single, "Coyote Choir", from his six-song debut EP Hypnotized Vol. I, which was released this past November.

This psychedelic music video was shot on 8mm film over a period of two weeks in Australia and New Zealand by filmmaker Sam Kristofski, with extra footage recorded by Pepa Knight percussionist Jozef Oldfield and trippy watercolor animations provided by Daniel Foothead. After the video, stream the entire EP for free before buying it here.

Just Rolled In: Pepa Knight - "Clams" [world / indie pop / tropical]

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After making a big splash with his euphoric single "Rahh!" a few months ago, Central Coast, Australia's Pepa Knight is back with another catchy-as-hell single, "Clams", littered with his spirited lead vocals, tribal percussion and chants, Indian-influenced guitar/sitar plucking, and melodic backing vocals, which altogether, make it easy to understand why he describes his uplifting brand of worldly indie pop as 'tipi pop'.

If you're in Australia, you can catch Pepa Knight in concert August 1 in Sydney or August 7 in Melbourne. If not, enjoy the music on his SoundCloud until his debut Hypnotized is released later this year.

Artist Making Waves: Pepa Knight [folk pop / world / dream pop]

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Cameron "Pepa" Knight is a musician and vocalist from the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia and is known as the co-frontman of tropical dream pop band Jinja Safari. Now, as Pepa Knight, he is releasing solo tracks, as part of an upcoming collection called Hypnotized, which were written and originally recorded (then accidentally deleted from his computer) during several trips to India from 2011-2013. On these trips he fine-tuned his sitar-playing skills, learned a handful of other Indian instruments, and recorded various samples, all of which play an integral part in crafting his dreamy brand of worldly folk pop.

'Rahh!' is the first original Pepa Knight single to be released in support of Hypnotized, which is being recorded in his backyard tipi studio. According to Knight, "it was originally written on [his] first trip to India and all [he] wanted to do at the time was to escape everything and become a sadhu [hermit]." That's essentially what drives this euphoric song, the desire for change, or something more.

Watch the extremely fun video for 'Rahh!' below, followed by a beautiful Peter Gabriel cover and a recent track by the young Melbourne electronic musician Japanese Wallpaper on which Pepa Knight lends his ethereal vocals.