Sydney music

grentperez: “When Christmas Comes Again”

If there are two genres that are grossly misunderstood by masses (and frankly abused) through pop culture soundtracks…they’re Christmas music and Bossa Nova. For the former, we’ve been conditioned to expect schmaltzy exchanges or comic Griswold-esque catastrophe. For the latter, it’s typically a toss-up between elevator music and sexy-yet-playful moods. But of course, both can offer much more heart and soul than we’re exposed to.

However that requires a certain caliber of creativity…like that of grentperez. In the short year since sharing his debut original, this Sydney singer-producer’s assortment of DIY pop has soared to the top of Spotify and YouTube, turning grentperez into a household name internationally. Back in February grentperez cemented his delicate vocal delivery and propensity for softer, expansive arrangements on his debut EP Conversations with The Moon, a trend that’s continued with a subsequent string of singles.

grentperez’s final gift of the year is classy atmosphere, Bossa seduction, and seasonal excitement all wrapped into a neat three-and-a-half minute package. Amid swirling strings, Hallmark-moment harmonies, and dynamic pop percussion, “When Christmas Comes Again” is a snowglobe you’ll want to keep out year-round.

merci, mercy: “Sick To My Stomach”

You hear a lot of Australian music on 98.9, so much that you may wonder, “is this supposed to be the Aussie music experience?” But despite how well the continent’s handled quarantine, they haven’t stopped sharing great music, and we’re just trying to keep up. As of yet, though, we don’t have Sydney’s merci, mercy in rotation, but that may soon change.

This composer made her debut right at the beginning of the pandemic with her 2020 EP no thank you, no thanks, and has since garnered 12 million streams with her luminous vocals and immaculate sense of pop songwriting. merci, mercy’s set to share her sophomore EP later this year, and released one of its singles just yesterday. With a synth-heavy, retro-percussion groove, “Sick To My Stomach” could easily become one of your favorite bops of 2022, but don’t let that head-bobbin’ beat overshadow the earnestness of these habit-kicking lyrics.