October in WA Music: A Sly Withers takeover feat. Noah Dillon, Tanaya Harper + more

Here, we typically give a massive shoutout to the West Australian musicians doing a lot of great things at the moment, taking the time to shine a light on those who otherwise, might be lost with the influx of music coming out from around the country every single week. This time, however, we're switching things up slightly. Today, we hand the keys over to Sly Withers, who off the back of releasing some damn great music of their own - their Gravis EP back in September - now walk through some of their favourite music from the local live scene, and their picks are gold.

Noah Dillon – Everything Melts EP

It’s pretty established in the Perth music scene that Noah Dillion is one of the best songwriters around. Now that this EP is out, the prospect of the rest of the country starting to cotton on to Noah’s talents is super exciting. We were lucky enough to catch his final set at BIGSOUND in Brisbane this year and watching Noah, Claudia, Sam and Jack do their thing that night absolutely captivated us. Noah’s voice is incredible and the band are all at the absolute top of their game when it comes to the role that each of them play in taking these amazing songs and somehow making them even more impactful and perfect.

This EP is bursting at the seams with all of the feels. Jersey St in particular hits hard and the production on it does an outstanding job of making this tune all the more beautiful. The spoken word verses in Disappear are the coolest thing ever and as they snowball and build momentum suddenly the chorus hits and next thing you know you’re wondering how you ever lived in a world pre-Noah.

Tanaya Harper – Crash Pad

One of my favourite things about Tanaya’s songs is that they have a very distinct and recognisable “Tanaya” sound. From the get-go I feel like it’s important to highlight the fact that there is absolutely no filler in this song. Those are the best songs, right? Every section has something that grabs you and gets stuck in your head. The “la la la…” sections have been stuck in my head since the first listen and I don’t feel like that’s gonna change anytime soon. The way this track builds from the soft and sweet beginning to the ending section where Tanaya starts pushing the vocal really hard into more of the yell-y vibe with the band parts kicking off into that real intense high gear, makes Crash Pad all the more captivating.

Pot Plant House Party – Here A While

Admittedly, Pot Plant are our boys and we also share a member with them (Jono), but this is Sam writing so I feel like I’m allowed to tell you how great I think they are. We were super lucky to be able to hear this song develop from its inception, right through the recording process and the final product is really something special. Special shout out to Matt Templeman for his production wizardry on this track. The way they split the lead vocal between Dan, Seb and Jono is really well done and also something that sets them apart from other bands out there doing the big catchy rock song thing. Also the riffs. Those god damn tasty riffs. Wowee.

Muscle Club – Scary Movie 5

Muscle Club are ones to watch for sure. These young guns found their way together through the Rock Scholars band program which holds a special place in our hearts as it was where Sly spent our first 12 months getting our shit together as a band. Scary Movie 5 throws all of the sweet melodies at you that you’d expect from the likes of Stella Donnelly, and the lead guitar parts are some of the most soothing and tasteful this side of the Mississippi. This crew haven’t even finished high school yet. Do not sleep on Muscle Club or else you will have big regrets.

Sly Withers Tour Dates: 

Thur, Oct 31 – Stay Gold, Melbourne
Sat, Nov 9 – The Foundry, Brisbane
Thur, Nov 14 – Crown & Anchor, Adelaide
Fri, Nov 15 – The Lansdowne, Sydney
Fri, Nov 22 – YMCA HQ, Leederville
Sat, Nov 23 – Badlands, Perth

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