ORCHID FINDS THE BEAUTY IN BREAKING DOWN

On “Beach Gothic”, heartbreak has a soundtrack, paradise has a dark side, and the road to becoming a pop star begins with learning how to turn pain into something entirely your own.

After years of writing, rewriting and figuring things out, Culture Wars have finally released their debut album: “Don’t Speak”. Frontman Alex Dugan talks about growing up, learning from mistakes, the band’s surprisingly wild reception in Poland and why he thinks the music industry has become too obsessed with going viral.

Talia Mar has always had a talent for turning the messier parts of life into something you can sing along to. On her latest run of releases, that instinct has become impossible to miss. “A Bitch Always Knows,” “Lady” and now “Psycho On A Couch” all come from distinctly personal places, but none of them is interested in wallowing. Among those singles, Talia has now released her long-awaited EP “Not Worth The Wait” that beautifully sums up her hiatus from music.

For BEKS, that instinct has been there long before TERF WERK became an unexpected internet phenomenon. Growing up in Bundaberg, Australia, she moved through ballet, country music, guitar, drums and eventually punk, becoming the drummer and frontwoman of the all-female band RACKETT.

Back in London with their second album, Lovesick Sentimental, Pacific Avenue are learning how to turn Australian pub-rock energy into something big enough for the other side of the world.

For Buzzkill Joy, nothing is off limits. Mental health, politics, identity, social issues — even the artist’s own dramatic political transformation — all find their way into his music. The result is deliberately chaotic: hard-hitting lyrics, huge hooks, genre-hopping melodies and a healthy dose of humour.