MICHAEL BEACH + EXPIRY + CAROLINE NO

MICHAEL BEACH is a Melbourne-based and Californian-born musician. On his fifth LP, Big Black Plume, Beach reveals the vitalizing power of connection in an often hostile world. Equally informed by the songwriting of Bill Fay and Peter Laughner, the minimalism of Tony Conrad and Terry Riley, and the rock and roll heart of the Goner Records roster, Big Black Plume provides deliberate compositions adorned with genuine madness. The songs on this album range from spare, textural ballads, to spiraling psychedelic overtures connected to a propulsive cosmic pulse.

The songs here aren't stick-and-poke songs that will dry and fade on the skin, aimless prayers for jams; Beach has been making deliberate things for decades. Big Black Plume is a record about connections, mercurially curated, transforming individual contributions into something strikingly communal. For years, Beach has been carefully fostering musical connections - for Big Black Plume is out July 25th, 2025, on vital independent labels Poison City (Australia) and Goner Records (US / Rest of World). Beach will support Big Black Plume with headlining tour dates and festival appearances in Australia, the United States, and Europe, including Gonerfest in Memphis, TN, Rising in Melbourne, Dark Mofo in Tasmania, and Binic Folks Blues Fest in France.

https://michaelbeach.org/

EXPIRY are a 5 piece band based in London. Centred around the songwriting of Australian expat Louis Forster (formerly of The Goon Sax) the band began as a two piece with Sonny Barrett (Adulkt Life) in 2022. From early shows that featured primitive drum beats played off phones the band has evolved slowly into a roaring five piece complete with duelling guitars, piano and brothers.

https://www.instagram.com/expiry__/

CAROLINE NO is a psychedelic-folk project based in London and built around the songwriting of Caroline Kennedy. Recordings of the group have been described as commanding in their nonchalance, allowing the listener to feel like they are living within the open boundaries of the song. A “unique, beguiling sound sits somewhere between archetypal Dunedin pop and languorous, textural improvisation” (Students of Decay) and “no-fi, anti-folk ditties that channel an anarchic spirit” (Chris Cobcroft 4ZZZ). Caroline No have released three albums No Language (World News / Students of Decay), Swimmers (King Crab) and Caroline No (Grapefruit Record Club).

https://carolinenohello.bandcamp.com/album/no-language