This Week’s Best New Music: ixaras, renforshort, 3% & More

It’s been a HUGE week for new indie, hip-hop and EDM releases – not only did we get fresh new tunes from some of Australia’s finest up-and-comers, like ixaras (who just dropped Fresh Figure), 3% (who blessed us with Coming Home) and Chanel Loren (whose new cut Ring Ring is destined to be a hit), but the international heavyweights were out in full force: renforshort came in hot with her wicked new banger Getting Over You, for example, while Childish Gambino delivered another instant classic in Little Foot Big Foot (featuring Young Nudy), and Peggy Gou got her fans going absolutely mental with Lobster Telephone.

With all of that in mind, now seems like as good a time as any to remind you – or clue you in, if you didn’t know already – that we have our very own playlist dedicated to bringing you the best new music from the underground and beyond, fittingly named Purple Sneakers’ Best New Music. We update it every Friday with more than a dozen of the brand new tracks we simply can’t get enough of, giving you the ultimate soundtrack to power your weekend.

You can listen to Purple Sneakers’ Best New Music on Spotify (here) and Apple Music (here) – and make sure to hit us up on Instagram or Facebook to let us know what songs you’ve been loving!

Here are just a few of our personal favourites from this week’s update to the playlist...

ixaras – Fresh Figure

WHAT SHE SAYS: “I wanted fresh figure to be that fuck you track people would listen to, to help them feel validated after being messed around. I wrote it at the start of this year after being stuck in a situation I didn’t want to be in. Even though I’ve grown past what the song meant to me. It felt important to have it out because I saw so many people relating to it and connecting with the lyrics which was really special to see.”

renforshort – Getting Over You

WHAT SHE SAYS: “The younger you are, things feel a lot heavier. Your hands feel dirty with something someone said to you once that you think will never go away or a direction that your life is taking that you feel you don't have any control over... But you do. You can wash your hands. Charcoal's not that hard to get off. You really could have a fresh start if you wash your hands.”

3% – Coming Home (ft. Calula Webster)

WHAT ANGUS FIELD SAYS: “When writing this song I touched into a place in my soul that I've rarely been able to explore and talk about. This song is about mental health, missing your loved ones and wanting to get home. To me, the song is simple enough to let the message shine loudly through the soundscapes... hit you where it hurts and give you hope to rise up. If you've ever had a battle with mental health, this song is for you. TURN IT UP.”

WHAT NOOKY SAYS: “As a kid, Nan would play Jimmy Little’s Royal Telephone religiously in her car and I always told myself that one day I’d do something with it… I used to spin out when Nan would say Jimmy Little was from Nowra. I was thinking to myself, ‘What if I did have a line to the big fulla upstairs?’ I’d be asking about family and if I could talk to my uncle who had recently passed away. I started to think about the phone being like a helpline for me to confess troubles I was having – again losing my uncle and feeling weird talking about it with my brothers, I wanted to acknowledge this because I haven’t ever heard it spoken about in a song, especially a Blak man doing it.

“Around this time I was having real bad depression, anxiety and having a low sense of self-worth. I kinda found an old lifestyle I’d turned my back on creeping back into my thoughts. I’d be having flickering moments of wanting to self-sabotage all the good things I’ve got going on, mainly my family, which would make me feel even worse about myself… so I was having a lot of internal conflict because I’d go home and my family would love to see me and it’s all smiles as soon as I walk through the door. But in my head, half an hour ago, the darkness was calling me not to come home to them. It was a real moment of battle for me.

“This song is very special to me as I feel like this was the first song where I began to show my vulnerable side... [and is] the first time I’ve mentioned my family on a song. While make it, I was walking around the house singing the original a lot – one day my daughters said we should make a “Royal Telephone” song. So I asked if they wanted to sing it for me, and Calula said she would... now she’s on the song which is something I’m super proud of and hold very dear to my chest.

“It’s also the song that brought 3% together, Angus came down to Sydney to do his final vocals for this track while me and Dallas [Woods] were working on the other songs. 3% was formed in that moment. I think someone did call back on that royal telephone and gave us the words and way forward we need, to not only show ourselves but the generations to come.”

Also featured in this week’s update to Purple Sneakers’ Best New Music:

• Peggy Gou – Lobster Telephone

• YNG Martyr – GUAPANESE

• Moss & Nooky – Storm

• Ninajirachi & Kota Banks – Ice u out

• SAHXL – DO ME WRONG

• CXLOE – Shiny New Thing

• Shygirl, Danny L Harle & Club Shy – encore

• Childish Gambino – Little Foot Big Foot (ft. Young Nudy)

• Chanel Loren – Ring Ring

• Troye Sivan – Honey (Mura Masa ‘Euphoria’ remix)

• Pat Lok – thru 2 u

• Nemzzz – ATM

Listen to the full playlist on Spotify below – or head here to save/follow on Spotify, and here to save/follow on Apple Music.