INTERVIEWS

Sophie Ryder is the sort of organiser who makes a town feel like a band — quietly coaxing lineups out of basements, turning community halls into front bars, and insisting that music stay messy, urgent and for everybody.

The Naarm-based indie outfit return with ‘Eggs in a Kettle’, the final single before their highly anticipated debut LP (due early 2026), and it’s a tender, nostalgic breakup track that simmers between love, loss, and self-awareness.

Sharp, sardonic, and caked in suburban dust, The Peep Tempel swing between pub talk and poetry - tales that’ll make you laugh before they swiftly punch you in the gut. The Peep Tempel have got that larrikin streak and a way of turning the bloke next door into a myth and a legend: a drifter, a dreamer, a danger to himself and anyone within arm’s reach.

Since moving to Meanjin, Charlotte has been building her own sonic canvas alongside bandmates Lily Wade (bass), Karissa Liu (piano), and Alex Smith (drums). Together, they’ve created something both intimate and expansive — a live-tracked piece that captures the warmth of being in a room with people you trust.

Cutting through their coalescence of grunge, post-punk, and most recently shoegaze, is a polish which is testament to their passion and authenticity.