Take some time out, put on the headphones, drop the needle on the record, or queue up the latest releases on your phone.
Here’s four recently released albums that we’ve been playing at OUTinPerth HQ including new discs from Tina Arena, Ruby Gill, Claud and Total Tommy.
Way of the World
Tina Arena
★ ★ ★ ★
Tina Arena has released her new EP, which features an eclectic mix of covers, including songs originally recorded by New Order, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran and a sadly forgotten gem from short-lived Australian band Max Q. The collection also includes a song by Frank Ocean and an Italian classic.
The new EP arrives ahead of the premiere of a feature documentary about the singer’s life and career on Seven and 7plus later today. Arena has also announced a residency at Melbourne’s Crown with her new 5.0 show, celebrating five decades in the entertainment industry. Twelve Australian dates for 2027 have been announced and will go on sale later this week.
Arena’s interpretation of New Order’s True Faith sets the tone for the collection. It is restrained and contemplative, transforming the electronic classic into an emotional plea while retaining much of the coldness and detachment that defined the original.
A similarly mellow and foreboding atmosphere is created on Depeche Mode’s Enjoy the Silence. The song has been covered by a wide range of artists, including Tori Amos, Lacuna Coil, Keane, Carla Bruni, Hybrid and Susan Boyle. While stripping the track back to its raw elements brings the emotional lyrics to the forefront, the loss of the original’s distinctive drums and guitars means Depeche Mode’s version remains the definitive recording.
One of the highlights of the EP is the revival of the title track, Way of the World. The song was the debut single by Max Q, a side project formed by INXS frontman Michael Hutchence and collaborator Ollie Olsen. The group’s sole album has long been out of print and remains difficult to find. The song, which explores themes of oppression and conflict, continues to resonate in today’s politically turbulent world.
Duran Duran’s Ordinary World is widely regarded as one of the band’s finest songs and helped spark a revival of their fortunes in the early 1990s. Arena’s version features emotive strings and a beautifully plucked harp, while her crisp vocals shine throughout.
Arena also demonstrates an awareness of contemporary music with a graceful interpretation of Frank Ocean’s Cayendo. The EP concludes with a rendition of the Italian classic Torno Bambina, reconnecting the singer with her cultural roots. The song was the B-side to Ada Mori’s Mare, Mare, Mare, Mare, which was a minor hit in Australia in 1973.
Fishing is not about fishing
Ruby Gill
★ ★ ★ ★
Ruby Gill returns with a new album just 18 months after her acclaimed Some Kind of Control record. The queer folk singer presents a new collection of songs that showcase her clever lyrics and personal storytelling.
The album opens with Lord, Let Me a Pastry Chef, a tender, piano-backed song that harks back to folk classics through its device of sharing stories across a progression of days. Running at more than six minutes, it is the longest song on the record, but it serves as an effective introduction to Gill’s world.
Carol / Not Carol is laconic and understated, with layered vocals, loose electric guitars, and a story of a road trip through the Australian outback. The pace picks up on Jacaranda, a song about summer and family reunions that takes listeners to the Melbourne-based artist’s South African homeland.
If there were awards for great song titles, A Crush on a Firefighter at an Inappropriate Time would be a contender. It’s a moody, marauding song that tackles thoughts about body image and unfulfilled desires. Absent parental connection is explored on the title track, a theme Gill revisits throughout the album.
Porchlight is delightfully sublime and features a sing-along chorus. Fans will likely have already embraced the song ahead of the album’s release.
Shrimp With My Girl covers a lot of territory, reflecting on reading The New Yorker and using that experience as a doorway to a myriad of topics. Definitely take a listen to Errands in Heaven, which opens with the dilemma of discovering your favourite item is not on a diner’s menu before quickly spiralling into an existential crisis on multiple levels. It’s comical, yet remains deeply meaningful.
Me and the Music
Claud
★ ★ ★ ★
Claud Mintz is back three years after their last record, and this time around, things are much more light-hearted than the performer’s previous output. The non-binary singer’s third record is a collection of catchy and buoyant bedroom pop.
It opens with Gay Witchcraft, a song that drifts between indie pop and moments of wide-open, slide-guitar-infused country. The pace picks up on the sprightly Just Kidding, which sees Claud asking someone to consider a proposal of marriage. It’s romantic and completely charming.
The Legend sees Claud reunite with producer and collaborator Dan Nigro, who has worked extensively with Chappell Roan. The new track is atmospheric and pleading.
She Doesn’t Love Me is a song that should prove to be a highlight when performed live, thanks to its chant of “beers in the air”. It’s only halfway through this song about a dysfunctional relationship that listeners realise Claud may not be talking about a girlfriend at all, but the USA.
Other highlights on the record include the folky Spells and Fortune Tellers and the electronic-heavy I’m Too Sensitive. The album closes perfectly with Let’s End on a Good Note.
Trapezoid
Total Tommy
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
For their second album, Total Tommy has gone for a heavier sound, and it’s an absolute riot.
We ease in gently with Girl, Interrupted, a song built on raw guitars and thumping drums. These are balanced by quieter moments of restraint. It’s the first of two tracks on the album that reference screen star Winona Ryder.
Things crank up with Pretty Little Mouth, which showcases a wide range of emotion conveyed through singer Jess Holt.
The title track, Trapezoid, growls with restraint, while Holt reflects on relationship difficulties. Things get loud on Gutterball, a track with a huge chorus that feels tailor-made for a mosh pit.
Winona Forever, a song that name-checks the 1990s film Reality Bites, is reminiscent of the rock tunes that once dominated Triple J. It’s a welcome throwback to a sound that deserves a resurgence.
The album continues with a steady stream of rock tunes, including Tearjerker, Nosedive and Out of Frame.
The closing track, Tailgate, was inspired by an Uber driver Holt encountered who turned out to be a medium, giving them an unsolicited reading about their future and family. It provides a big, rocking crescendo to bring the album to a powerful conclusion.
