The fortnightly five - 1 September 2026

A rundown of five fresh items on my headphones from the last fortnight

Not For Radio - Kitten (Official YouTube Channel)
Not For Radio is the solo project of María Zardoya, lead singer of The Marías. Kitten is my favourite track from her latest album 'Bloom'. Not for Radio is all dreamy vocals draped over lo-fi shoegaze and cascading arpeggios. A girl-pop revisiting of late 90's aesthetic, think an airier blend of the Sneaker Pimps, the Cardigans,⁠ Morcheeba, or that orchestral moment The Cranberries had.

Sadly, Zardoya has signalled that this is the last release from this project for a long while. So lap it up while you can.

Back Pocket - Quiet in My Head (Official YouTube Channel)
Full of funk and ready to be unleashed, Back Pocket is one of Wellington’s freshest bands on the scene. So fresh that their first ever gig is this Wednesday 2nd September at Valhalla. High-energy and tight, with a well-stacked brass section, delicious bass grooves and ripping guitar, this is going to be a slapping night out. I have a feeling they are going to pop up in a lot of places very soon.

WAAX- Ur A Rat (Official Site)

Quick back-story. WAAX started in 2013 in Brisbane, fuelled by Marie "Maz" DeVita’s extremely emotional and personal lyrics as well as dynamic frontwomanship. The band went gangbusters made it to SXSW, won a bunch of awards and spent time on the US circuit. But things don't always last, and they disbanded in 2023, much to their fans' dismay.

However, Maz is back with a new lineup for WAAX and pushing this baby into new directions. Still powered by the same adrenaline and rage, she's taking a more fun and pop-leaning approach. Despite the heavy content, there is more pace for levity and nuance. "Ur a Rat" is a banging lead single and catchy piece of pissed-off songwriting.

Fling ii - 3 (Bandcamp)

This one is for all the modular synth nerds out there. I've run the songs through the spreadsheet and can confirm there is a mathematically correct ratio of bleeps to bloops that the bleep-bloop machines are making.

In terms of texture, it's a bit post-kraut with a leaning to vapour wave. It's like stepping into a portal and taking a trippy lo-fi journey across a cosmos of empty carparks, abandoned malls and spaces that reality forgot.

Ninajirachi - Fuck My Computer (Bandcamp)

Rounding off this week, and cementing the filth-list spot, we have
Aussie DJ, Ninajirachi. With a track so PG that YouTube has age-restricted sharing, what the heck! She bills herself as 'Girl EDM'. A sound built on dancefloor beats, Y2K leanings, and glitchy tones that could almost be dial-up clones or video game snippets. I'm a little late to this party, considering Ninajirachi won three Arias in 2025 last year for 'I love my computer', (the album this song came from). Clever, fun and funny; I can see why she is so beloved.

Thank you again to all my readers. Remember that listening to new music is good for the brain and soul. If you have a fresh tune you wish to share, please email me: waxonandonandon@gmail.com.