The fortnightly five - 18 August 2026
Ft. Grace Cummings | Marlon Bianco | Tiger Lotiss | XYZZY | Ardon England
A rundown of five fresh items on my headphones from the last fortnight (plus some bonus recommendations)
Grace Cummings - BloodHorse! (Linktree)
An astounding fourth album from Melbournite Grace Cummings. It is unlike anything I have heard recently. Somewhere ethereal, above and beyond the machinery of pop and rock anthems, Cummings floats. Plucking polished gems that cut any mainstream song to its knees. Her world is fervour, rawness and explosions of lushness. The audacity to make something this layered and fierce! Absolutely gorgeous.
Marlon Bianco - Magnitude (Bandcamp)
Retro, laid back and reminiscent of hazy nightclubs. Magnitude leans into psychedelic spacetronics with a dash of gloomy jazz. Italian-born, and now London-based, Bianco effortlessly oozes charm and cool. Heavily drawing on French electronica and noir, this will perfectly complement your next cocktail hour.
Tiger Lotiss - Tiger in the Garden (Linktree)
A spicy, jazzy romp from independent R&B/soul artist Tiger Lotiss, 'Tiger in the Garden' is a good indicator there are more tricks up his sleeve. Relatively new to the scene, Tiger Lotiss has been turning heads. It's easy to see why, with his upbeat swagger and catchy lyrics.
Various artist (Stef Animal, Luke Rowell, Lachlan Anderson, Andrew Clarke) - XYZZY Soundtrack (Bandcamp)
The original soundtrack for the fulldome planetarium film, XYZZY, has just been released. Designed specifically for planetariums, XYZZY is a visual feast that leads you on a psychedelic musical odyssey. This was designed by Jess Johnson & animated by Simon Ward. The soundtrack features some of New Zealand's most exciting electronic composers. Even if you haven't been lucky enough to see the full feature, the soundtrack is a cinematic journey for your ears.
Ardon England - Whai mai rā (Official Site)
Unapologetically queer and Māori (Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Āti Awa, Kahuranaki Marae), Ardon commands the dancefloor with his theatric flavour of electonica. He self-describes his work as "camphouse" a mix of house, dance, and rap. It's bold, defiant and uncompromising. Ardon says that "Whai mai rā" translates to "Follow Me" — a call to move forward together, to celebrate who we are, and to find courage in being seen." I'm obsessed!
BONUS RECOMMENDATIONS
Seeing as the last newsletter was a mild aberration from fresh content. Here are some bonus albums to wrap your ears around:
· King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard have just gone off-piste and delved deep into EDM territory on their 28th Album with Alien Metal. It’s a wild new direction, and I haven’t had the chance for a full listen yet. But let me know what you think!
· If you’ve got young ones in your life, or you just like making friends with bugs, then Tāmaki Makaurau band No Doggy might be a hit in your house. Their recently released Picnic Lunch, is guitar-driven, jangly fun.
· Opus Kink have finally released 'The Sweet Goodbye', which I raved about in a previous newsletter. I am elated that they worked with the New Eves on this one. But, oh Lordy! I was not ready for those last two songs. The absolute cheek to pull off a B-side like that. I required a whiskey and lie-down after that.
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.
