Who's who in the last two? June 11, 2025

Yeah, it's a couple of days late. What are you gonna do? Call the Homebrewed police? Try your best, nerd. Anyway, here's our favourite releases of the last fortnight (and a bit). Cheers.

Shacked! - Live at The Grove EP

We usually feature individual songs for these articles, but the latest offering from Central Coast psych surf punks, Shacked! means we're gonna bend the rules. The band have just dropped a live EP recorded at The Grove Studios and you need to listen to it in full.

This EP is an absolutely emphatic first offering for 2025 from Shacked! Across three full length tracks plus a dizzying intro and outro, the hi-vis clad five piece bring heaving walls of fuzzy, shouty psych beauty. This EP will have you moving no matter your mood.

The Shacked! Live at The Grove EP is gonna make you want to see the band live. To satisfy this demand, the band have teamed up with fellow Central Coast psych rockers Madam Sandler for a six stop tour across NSW and Victoria. Catch the details for those shows via the Shacked! socials.

Boy Soda - Blink Twice

Boy Soda has spent the last few years brushing aside the tag of 'up and coming' and very much cementing his place at the pointy end of Australian R&B and Hip Hop. His latest offering, Blink Twice only reinforces this.

From the first few seconds ofBlink Twice, you know exactly what you're in for. This track is oozing with funk and soul, with Boy Soda's silky smooth lyricism weaved amongst sea of horns and gentle percussion. Finbar Stuart's production on this track is as impressive as Boy Soda's delivery. If you don't enjoy Blink Twice then someone somewhere needs to eat a hat.

It's been a joy to watch Boy Soda's journey from making music in his bedroom in Terrigal to now. Keep an eye on the next steps of that journey via his socials.

Cousin Tony's Brand New Firebird - My Ghost & Its Crawling

Cousin Tony's Brand New Firebird have continued their very welcome return to releasing with My Ghost & Its Crawling. This is the third taste we've been gifted from of their upcoming fourth album Rosewater Crocodile.

My Ghost & Its Crawling is a raw, slow burning ballad from CTBNF. The track beautifully elevates the vocals of frontman Lachlan Rose as he explores the "haunting nature of memory" from the perspective of a spirit lingering in someone's psyche. "In some ways I think people from our past live inside us as very real, living, breathing entities. They can be talked with, argued with, listened to and loved, for better or for worse", Rose said of the release.

Rosewater Crocodile is due out July 10th and keen Homebrewed listeners will note it's getting an exclusive, limited vinyl run via Impressed Recordings. Less than 40 LPs remained available for pre-order last time we checked. We caught up with Impressed Recordings founder Luke Bevans a little while back - catch that conversation here, and keep up with CTBNF here.

Jess Humphries - Somebody's Strange

Darkinjung indie pop starlet Jess Humphries has continued her strong run of releases with the experimental new single, Somebody's Strange.  This track shows a side and sound to Jess Humphries that is both familiar and foreign at the same time

Soaked in expertly placed auto tune (its not a dirty word anymore), the first half of Somebody's Strange deviates from the folk pop stylings we've come to know from Jess Humphries before bursting into familiar territory. It's a unique and cathartic recounting of an abrupt end to a relationship, showing new range to an artist who has been turning more heads with each release.

There's no word on upcoming live shows from Jess Humphries at the minute, but stay glued to her socials for any updates and news on new releases.

Barkaa - Ngamaka (feat. Leroy Johnson)

In one of her most compelling releases to date, Barkaa has teamed up with Barkindji elder Leroy Johnson to highlight the worsening plight of the Murray Darling Basin. Ngamaka - which translates to 'Mother' in Barkindji - is a rallying cry for the natural wonder that has supported Barkaa and Leroy Johnson's culture for generations.

Ngamaka points to inaction on climate change, corporate water siphoning and environmental abuse as critical threats to Australia's largest river system. Johnson's soaring vocals compliment Barkaa's pointed delivery in this track, while the gentle, minimalist production completes the sound perfectly. It's an emotional and stirring listen.

To experience this track and its message properly, make sure you watch the video above. For more form Barkaa, keep your eyes on her socials.