Below Dawn – Bryony Jarman-Pinto

Below Dawn, Bryony Jarman-Pinto’s second studio album, is fearlessly personal and filled to the brim with sentiment. Blending ethereal jazz vocals with a distinctive neo-soul backbeat, the singer entrances us with a soulful deliverance of love and hope. As is the case with any well-crafted work of art, Below Dawn is able to capture deeply personal and intimate feelings in a way that is also ubiquitous and relatable. On ‘Feel Those Things’, over a classic soul groove and mellow R&B vocals, Jarman-Pinto grapples with her journey into motherhood through a timelessly resonant declaration of life: “I long to feel those things / to know what it means / feel a heaviness in my arms / and know where life begins”.

Dakar Bamako – Ausecuma Beats

Much of music’s beauty lies in its ability to make us feel like we’re part of something greater than ourselves—it brings peoples together and unites them in grief and joy alike. This idea is the driving force behind Dakar Bamako. The latest album from Melbourne-based worldbeat ensemble Ausecuma Beats transcends culture and language, infecting our hearts with radiant afro-rhythms and vibrant melodies from across the globe. Featuring a total of fourteen musicians from three different countries, Dakar Bamako deftly toes the line between embracing diversity and maintaining a consistent sound. This balance is perhaps the album’s unifying theme: the shared humanity that lies beneath all our differences.