Fresh Music Friday: The Buoys, MuftiDay_Project, Chuey, The Kicks

THIS WEEK IS A BIG ONE FOR SURG’S FRESH MUSIC FRIDAY AS WE’RE DELIVERING A BONUS TRACK FOR YOU! READ AHEAD FOR ZOE BIGGS, ANNA SHEIKH AND ARCHIE WIERUM’S REACTIONS TO THE NEWEST RELEASES FROM THE BUOYS, MUFTIDAY_PROJECT, CHUEY, AND THE KICKS!


After a killer performance at the USU’s Welcome Fest, iconic Aussie alternative rock band, The Buoys are back with a brand new single about the reality of situationships!

i Want You – The Buoys

Amna: This song was made for all the angsty 2000s film fans out there. I’m not a huge rock listener, but I loved this song. It’s energetic and feminine energy emulates loudly. Lyrically, ‘I Want You’ seems to carry similar sentiments to The Buoys past songs, but the pace is much faster than any of their previous work– radiating an empowering vibe that makes me want to get up and dance.

Archie: The crunchy sound of this song has me feeling all kinds of rock ‘n’ roll emotions. The guitar riff is super fun and upbeat and kept me captivated the entire way through, reason enough to listen to this grungy love song again and again!

Zoe: The instrumental on this one HITS. The riff in the intro might not quite be an interpolation of Greenday’s ‘American Idiot’ but it’s close enough that it’s nostalgic and instantly has me hooked. It’s just classic alt-rock – I desperately want to jump around at a pub gig. This an anthem for situationships and jumping (“head first”) into new relationships. Zoe Catterall‘s vocals are clear as always, and the chorus is reminiscent of og Paramore, but is still quintessentially The Buoys. The icing on the cake for me is the gritty outro and lead guitarist Hilary Geddes‘ short (but ever so sweet) solo. I’m never getting over how good this track is.

‘Open Up My Eyes’ is the first instalment for Callan Andrews-Arabi’s hugely ambitious MuftiDay_Project, which aims to unite Sydney’s music scene. ATARI Y is the first collaborator in what is set to be a long and exciting roster of artists.

Open Up My Eyes – MuftiDay_Project

Archie: This song truly hit the nail on the head as a medley of artists and genres. ATARI Y’s rapping was superb, as always, and the instrumental parts provided by Callum and the Mufti ensemble converged into a fantastic and funky track. Of course I have to comment on the sound bites laced about the song, which are always a personal favourite. To answer ATARI Y’s rhetorical question in the epilogue of the song: that sounded so good.

Zoe: This was cool! It’s so different to what I usually listen to. The sound bites punctuating and echoing some of the lines was a very fun touch, and the verses led into an honestly triumphant chorus. Sax has to be one of my favourite additions to hip-hop tracks, and it works so perfectly in ‘Open Up My Eyes’. There are also samples (for the purpose of my terminology being limited I’m going to go with samples) which remind me of classic video-game sounds as well throughout which I love. They add to the laidback atmosphere of this track. Overall, this is a sick collab between very talented artists.

Amna: This song is a really fun soundscape! ‘Open Up My Eyes’ is breaching an entirely new genre of music that very much reminds me of Dijon’s beautiful style. MuftiDay_Project’s genre-ambiguity works to their favor to create a rare and quite emotion-filled musical experience while also carrying a strong rhythm. Containing piano, saxophone, drums and strong vocals, the piece is complex, collaborative and one of a kind. It’s clear that this song is very much a labor of love and that it’s an amalgam of strong, intense and loud emotions.

RUNNIN OUTTA TIME – Chuey

There’s no stopping Chuey in the road to his sophomore EP, Diptych. ‘RUNNING OUTTA TIME’ is the second single from the upcoming release and Chuey’s personal favourite.

Zoe: Our SURG President Niamh’s article (read it here) absolutely captures my feelings better than even I can, but this track is genre-mashing heaven. I’m not a clubbing person, but RUNNIN OUTTA TIME has me wanting to dance with strobe lights flashing in a boiler room club. Chuey manages to convey a sense of mischief and fun that just bleeds through this song – something that reminds me of the ever-innovative rap crew 1300. Between smooth vocals (with just the perfect amount of grit), twinkling jazz-inspired piano, and big electronic breakdowns, this track is a whole lot of GOOD sound. Overwhelming at first, but it in the absolute best way.

Amna: This one’s a classic Pop and EDM mix with a potent, catchy rhythm. The fills and breaks of this song are so fun and loud. While it’s not for every occasion, I can see this being an energetic concert track to dance to.

Archie: It is always a pleasure to listen to Chuey’s voice on his music, and this change of musical tone and style really suits him! The electric feel of this new song was a really great change of pace for Chuey, and was definitely worth the risk of venturing into new music!

time – The Kicks

‘Time’ is the debut single from young, independent UK band, The Kicks, all the way from Brighton!

Amna: This ones a pretty tame indie-rock song that caters to a number of moods. While the drumming and guitar create a fast tempo, the vocals maintain a controlled pace. Something about the fast backdrop paired with slow vocals reminds me of David Bowie’s arty rock.

Archie: This song had a really great, almost vintage vibe to it. The instrumentals really defined this track as a song that is sonically mellow and yet musically upbeat.

Zoe: For a first single for a young indie band, this song is a sure promise of good things to come. With a classic alt-rock instrumental (for a reason – I have no complaints here) and vocalist Zac Robson’s tenor drawl over cleverly repetitive lyrics, it’s clear that this band draws inspiration from the greats. More experience in the studio will really help with getting the mix right and more seamlessly blending each band members’ track – at the moment there’s a flatness to the verses which I can imagine isn’t a problem when playing this song live. My favourite part of this track is the soaring (almost frantic – but good frantic!) vocals of the bridge (see the 3min mark) – Robson’s vocals click into place perfectly and the intensity of the band’s arrangement overall is perfect.