2024 is coming to a close, and to end our monthly Austrian Music Highlights series for this particular journey ’round the sun, we are bringing you a compilation of some of our favorite recent releases (and boy oh boy are there many) this season, from the ever-growing, evolving and booming Austrian music scene we know a bit about and love a lot. And with that, we wish you happy holidays and happy listening, to all of you from all of us at Austrian Music Export! Till 2025!
UCHE YARA – honey,
To start, our sweetheart, force-to-be-reckoned-with: UCHE YARA. She released a surprise super-limited edition EP vinyl entitled, “honey,” just a week ago, with 5 beautiful, hard-hitting, magnificently multifarious songs. Looking for a last-minute holiday gift for someone special (like, ehem, yourself?). The artist announced: “ATTENTION, only the amount of orders placed by the 22nd of December will be produced! After that, this special edition will never be available again. no restocks, no reprints.” Act fast, dance slow, and catch her at Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS) in January, not only as a performing act, but a Music Moves Europe Award nominee.
Dorian Concept – Music From A Room Full Of Synths
Dorian Concept has done it again. The artist released his latest EP, ‘Music From A Room Full Of Synths’ on the 6th of December 2024 via OUS/SMEM. As a versatile “synthesizer virtuoso,” he seamlessly blends experimental electronic sounds with elements of jazz, ambient, and club music. His distinctive sound and unique live performances have made him a highly coveted artist. Throughout his career, he has worked with renowned musicians and producers like Flying Lotus, Thundercat, and Kenny Beats. Check out the EP here.
YVONNE MORIEL – SWEETLIFE II
An EP planned as a cross-genre experiment laid the foundation for Yvonne Moriel‘s 2022 live project sweetlife, in which she combines jazz with dub and electronics. The Tyrolean saxophonist, who was voted Newcomer of the Year at this year’s Austrian Jazz Awards, studied both classical and jazz saxophone. She has already played with internationally successful bands such as Shake Stew, the Swiss Jazz Orchestra, Christian Muthspiel’s Orjazztra and numerous other formations and was a monthly member of Christoph Cech and Ralph Mothwurf’s Porgy & Bess stage bands from 2022-2024. Before a full album is released next year, she has released another extremely successful EP with sweetlife, entitled “sweetlife II”, which is as simple as it is logical. (Translated from the German original by Marcus Deisenberger/mica – music austria.)
Sophie Royer – Young-Girl Forever
Sophie Royer’s “Young-Girl Forever” came out on November 15th on Stonesthrow records. This new release showcases her signature new-wave style, but with more impact than ever. A stronger focus on disco and synth-pop brings her most accessible, high-quality songwriting to date. Listen to the whole album here.
SCHMUSECHOR – EVERYTHING IN ITS RIGHT PLACE
The Schmusechor has existed for a good decade under the artistic direction of conductor Verena Giesinger and made history at the beginning of the year: The Schmusechor’s performance at the New Year’s Concert marked the first time that the concert, which has always been conducted by men, had a female conductor. Over time, this special ensemble has developed from a small private group into a 40-strong queer performance collective. Now the group is reviving the cult song “Everything In Its Right Place” by Radiohead as part of Ink Music’s “Death To The 00s” cover sampler. The track was arranged by Michael Wedenig, and the colorful video shows the eclectic group breathing new life into the well-aged song in front of the Wotruba Church in Vienna. The new release, which is well worth listening to, was released together with cover songs by artists such as Sophie Lindiger, Culk, RAHEL and many more. Anyone who would like to experience the Schmusechor live can do so at the upcoming New Year’s concert on January 3rd at the Vienna Volkstheater. (Translated from the German original on mica – music austria’s Release Radar.)
SLOWKLANG – MINDSCAPES
If Slowklang – that’s Amina Bouroyen (voice), Robin Gadermaier (electric bass, foot organ) and Robert Unterköfler (saxophone) – were a pop band, they would probably be labeled “slowcore”. But they don’t play pop, they play jazz, and they do it quietly and slowly. Their first album “Mindscapes” offers unorthodox, decelerated soundscapes between song form and advanced improvisation. (Translated from the German original by Markus Deisenberger for mica – music austria.)
lukas oscar – the fun never ends
Potentially one of the best albums of the year? Yeah, we think so. What joy, what depth, what freedom, what breath to life this young and rising musician brings to the table, and the courses just keep coming. But luckily at the end of the musical feast, one feels lighter than ever. If you haven’t listened to the debut album “The fun never ends” by Lukas Oscar, you’ve been missing out. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Dive in here, or catch him live at Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS) in January!
MAJA OSOJNIK – doorways
“Doorways was born from a longing to escape the city and everyday life – and the problematically fast pace thereof, a pace of production that accelerates the erosion of attention. In seeking to arrive in a quiet place, to linger there with an observational unprejudiced eros, to become completely aware of being alive. In line with Pauline Oliveros’ practice of deep listening, Maja Osojnik’s album explores the involuntary nature of hearing and the conscious nature of listening. It raises the question: How attentively do we perceive, recognise and internalise the ever-changing (aural) environment?” – Maja Osojnik
Listen to and purchase Osojnik’s latest masterpiece, DOORWAYS, released in mid November, here.
KÄSSY – Milk
The new solo artist KÄSSY keeps the singles coming. “Milk turns into cream. Patience turns into greed… ” are some of the lyrics you’ll hear in the latest banger by KÄSSY. Listen to “Milk” and all of her other very danceable songs, on all the usual streaming platforms, or catch her live at the start of the year at Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS) in January.
MWITA MATARO – SCHWARZER HASE
In “Schwarzer Hase” (“Black Rabbit”) by Mwita Mataro, a variety of musical associations are evoked within the first few seconds, but one thing is immediately clear after the first note: this song has power. In the video, the musician takes aim at Austria – or rather the cornfield. The Salzburg native uses it to address his complicated life circumstances, which have their origins in merely the color of his skin. “We have to imagine the Black Rabbit as a mixture of Black Sheep, Black Peter, Black Rapper and Black Worker,” explains Mwita Mataro. He has also made a film on the subject, called “Austroschwarz”, which will be released in cinemas in 2025. A full album and tour are being planned – to be continued! (Translated from the German original on mica – music austria’s Release Radar.)
GARDENS – Flaws
“‘Deep inside my mouth is where dark treasures can be found / Would you like to find out?’ Viennese group GARDENS present a scaled back view with their debut album, ‘Flaws’, captivating – with uncanny clarity – warmth and confidence, along with some darker tones. The quartet, consisting of Luca Celine Müller, Peter Benedikt Mathis, Patrick Stieger and Laura Keiblinger, gained notoriety with their first two singles, “Talk” and “Waves” – and were immediately voted into the annual chart by Radio FM4.” – Translated from the German original on Siluh Records
Bibiza – bis einer weint
BIBIZA’s latest album “bis einer weint” (“till one cries”) came out this November. It’s a compilation of songs that are uniquely personal to the artist, offering a wide range of experiences ready to take on new life in the masses of listeners (and dancers). Bibiza has shared his latest stories with us, now it is our turn to make them our own. Listen to “bis einer weint” here.
DIVES – happier
The band DIVES, consisting of Viktoria Kirner, Tamara Leichtfried and Dora de Goederen, is no longer an insider tip in Austria. With their new single “Happier” (released on Siluh Records, Nov. 29, 2024), the trio addresses the fear of standing in front of the changed self and entering into a self-dialogue: “How do you look at yourself when you no longer recognize yourself in the mirror? How do you talk to yourself when you suddenly realize that you can no longer be the same person you used to be? When you have to admit that you haven’t been well for a long time?”. With producer Jakob Herber (Bilderbuch, AZE, Culk, Flut,…), DIVES focuses on the musical realization of melancholy, which is intended to provide comfort. They have definitely succeeded with this single: Pure indie bliss. (Translated from the German original on mica – music austria’s Release Radar.)
Little Element – Trippy moon
Innsbruck-based musician, producer and multi-instrumentalist Lisa Aumaier, aka Little Element, takes her audience on a journey through diverse soundscapes with her new album “Trippy Moon”. The album combines neo-psychedelia, dub, global sounds, trip-hop and indie to create an atmospheric sound that expresses feelings such as nostalgia, longing and euphoria in a haunting, profound yet accessible way. (Translated from the German original by Michael Ternai/mica – music austria.)
Soap&Skin – Torso
“TORSO” is a great example of how music can happen to some artists. Sometimes the songs come to you and force themselves on you, sometimes you desperately search for them yourself and work hard on them. Soap&Skin is a master at covering, because she makes the songs completely her own in her unique arrangements with her ensemble – with timpani and trumpets, so to speak. Anja Plaschg (Soap&Skin) dared to tackle David Bowie’s last album “Blackstar” (released in 2016, just two days before the anniversary of his death) and made the song “Girl Loves Me” her own: “I was never a big David Bowie fan, but this album really hit me and touched me and stayed with me for a long time. I felt the need to make the song even more fossilized in terms of sound and to draw it even more into the darkness, so that this Gaganess meets something dark.” – Excerpt from our FM4 Soundpark Recommends article by Michaela Pichler, translated from the German original.
GRANADA – AUGENBLICK
Granada’s single Augenblick was released on Sony Music end of September. You look back over the past few years and wonder where the time has gone. While we spend about a third of our time on this earth sleeping, we want to spend the remaining hours living as much as possible – and that’s what the sparkling new single “Augenblick” by Granada feels like. In the video, the five-piece enter a movie theater and review countless concerts using photos. The energy-filled song addresses the fast pace of our time, in which you sometimes wish you could stop and take in the moment for a change. (Translated from the German original on mica – music austria’s Release Radar.)
INgrid Schmoliner – I AM ANIMAL
Ingrid Schmoliner has released the organ work in November 2024: I AM ANIMAL. The new organ composition is a striking blend of fragility and overwhelming intensity. Vast, profound, and enigmatic, the work gives the church organ a life of its own, allowing it to breathe and resonate like a living entity. With its commanding presence and delicate nuances, I AM ANIMAL defies easy comprehension. The piece premiered at the artacts ’24 festival in a Tyrolean parish church and unfolds in two movements, each approximately 20 minutes long. Listen to it here.
SIMSA FÜNF – DEZEMBER
The band SIMSA FÜNF has just released the album “December”, which deals with Christmas songs. In an interview with Jürgen Plank, band leader SEBASTIAN SIMSA tells us which songs he chose and why “Silent Night” didn’t make it onto the album. “December” rethinks famous pieces of the genre, presents lesser-known songs and adds his own compositions. (Translated from the German original by Jürgen Plank.)
Arianna Alfreds