You gotta stay up to date with local tunes but, we get it, it’s hard. There’s so much out there. How can you keep up? Don’t sweat it everybody, we got you. Victor is back for another month with the best tracks of March 2022. Kick back, scroll through, add your faves to your playlists. Easy done.
Menace, "Harvey Dent"
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Death, taxes and Menace barring the fuck out is all that’s certain in life, and this track is not proving that wrong. Western Sydney’s Menace has put out the bat signal to any joker still snoozing on him with his 2022 return, “Harvey Dent”. Here we get Menace proving there’s nothing two-faced about him by spitting straight from his soul, with the most authentic & immediately recognisable deliveries. Keys sent directly from heaven set the foundation of the 808-riddled drill beat supporting this track. If Menace keeps delivering this quality, he will become the bane of the entire scene’s existence.
Gold Fang feat. Danté Knows, "Make It Snow"
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Gold Fang & Danté Knows are having a laugh here, naming this song “Make It Snow”, knowing damn well this track is the definition of the flame emoji. “Make It Snow” is energetic and refreshing, giving it that “sonic Red Bull” feel, fit for anyone fighting demons in the gym. The hyped up dancehall-inspired production is the only type of energy that can match Gold Fang’s wild and charismatic flows. Danté’s verse comes in at the perfect time, allowing listeners to catch their breath and take in what he’s saying, before we’re given that ‘dancefloors not safe’ hook one more time.
Chanel Loren, "Playlist"
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South-East London-born, Sydney-based artist Chanel Loren has burst onto the local scene with her debut single “Playlist”, and I thank any and every god for such a gift. Bless your ears, and sooth your broken heart with this soulful offering, which sees Chanel deliver heavenly melodies over a UK garage-house inspired beat. Chanel’s crystal ball told us this song would be stuck in our head daily, and those premonitions were correct. “Playlist” should only be handled by professionals, due to its highly addictive nature, it could pose a threat to you never listening to another song again.
Dallas Woods, "Moonboot Freestyle"
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Dallas’ debut project Julie’s Boy is stacked full of bangers, so much so I had a mini anxiety attack trying to pick a single track to highlight. At the end of the day, “Moonboot Freestyle” was the track that kept calling my name. The dusty boom-bap production from JUJO sets Dallas up perfectly to let all hell break loose with over 2 minutes of pure rap, no cap. Dallas delivers clever wordplay, insane flows and high levels of steeze throughout, even throwing in an advanced transformation, going full Super Saiyan at the 1:50 mark. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
A.GIRL, "Getting Older"
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Western Sydney’s A.GIRL is like a fine hot pot meal. You’re blending together a variety of raw elements, but the result always ends up in Guy Fieri’s flavour town. A.GIRL gives us “Getting Older”, a track that incorporates R&B & Hip-Hop, with splashes of pop and reggaeton for some spice. The topic of maturity serves as the main course of this track, with A.GIRL providing the positive and often all too forgotten rhetoric to ‘live in the moment’. Simmering vocals, hard-hitting verses and the “I don’t give 2 ucks” attitude A.GIRL displays, all boils down to yet another hit.
1300, "Rocksta"
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I am one more 1300 banger away from quitting my job, selling my belongings and becoming a full time groupie for them, traveling city to city just to get a glimpse of perfection. “Rocksta” is a techno-inspired bass-heavy cut that sees the group apparently return from the future with a style of music no one else is putting out right now. Intense, high-energy verses weaving Korean and English together, proving once again you don’t need to understand the lyrics to understand this is something special. 1300 will continue to deliver the unexpected, so my advice would be to expect that, and that alone.
Babyface Mal, "BADMIND"
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Listening to Babyface Mal is exactly like taking candy from a baby. Except there’s no candy, no actual baby, and all you’re taking is another lesson on why Mal is in a league of his own. “BADMIND” is the type of heat only Mal can provide and yet another example of why this baby ain’t to be messed with. Mal decided to go straight demon time on this track, not holding anything back, with his in-your-face delivery and explosive flows. The bouncy drill-inspired beat with addictive 808s accompanying Mal’s vocals was a great production decision, allowing this track to hit, and hit hard.
Triple One, "Gunshow"
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The fantastic four of Australian Hip-Hop, Triple One, are in full flex with their latest single “GUNSHOW”. This track gets added to the group’s ever-growing catalogue of experimental bangers, with all four members pulling their own weight on this one. The production from Billy Gunns is a wild mashup of trap, drum & bass and rock, which sets up a frantic & unpredictable ride. Distorted verses from Obi & Marty are heavy and compliment the production, but the MVP on this track is Lil Dijon. His haunting, floating, vocals transition into his powerful, speaker-exploding, hook which is sure to set mosh pits ablaze across the country.
MUNGMUNG, "Main Character"
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Sydney-Based artist MUNGMUNG has powered on, skipped the loading screen and taken us straight into the action with her debut EP, and title track, “Main Character”. First and foremost, MUNGMUNG must be applauded for seamlessly switching between English & Mandarin while keeping up one hell of a flow. This track screams fun from her creative, powerful & charismatic songwriting, to the humorous and cheeky visuals. Video game-inspired production adds to the playful nature of the track, incorporating phat 808’s and distorted bass for all you head-bangers. I recommend you skip all the side character quests, and jump straight into MUNGMUNG’s “Main Character”.
