Father’s Day Gift Guide 2021: Wines, Spirits & Beers To Get Dad This Sunday

You know what’s coming around this Sunday 5th September, and by now you should know what kind of last-minute gift you want to pick up for the old man. Yep, Father’s Day is going to be an important one this year. If he’s like most people in Australia right now, Dad is locking down amongst…

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Sennheiser CX True Wireless Review: Big sound and battery on a budget

Sennheiser’s pedigree when it comes to superior sound cannot be denied. Their Momentum 2 earbuds are still some of the best on the market, despite being released a few years ago. They’ve since started playing around on the lower end of the price spectrum, attempting to provide value that stretches beyond the price point. The…

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JBL Charge 5 Review: Incredibly rugged and a powerful performer

JBL’s Charge series has always justified popularity, and no more was that true than for the Charge 4. It’s still one of my favourite portable, durable speakers to take on a short trip away. The Charge 5 is a meaningful improvement over its processor, edging that out and reiterating JBL as a company that really…

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Kengo Kuma: From the Japan National Stadium to public toilets, good design is universal

The creator of the 2020 Olympic/Paralympic centrepiece is building stylish public toilets and looking at the city like a cat. With the Olympics and Paralympics proving a welcome distraction from the current issues impacting our daily lives right now, Kengo Kuma, is a man you should know. He’s the Japanese architectural icon behind the Japan…

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Film Review: Vacation Friends is a familiarly-minded comedy elevated by the wild energy of John Cena

Over the least few years John Cena has proven himself surprisingly adroit when it comes to executing comedy.  And a film like Vacation Friends, helmed by Silicon Valley executive producer Clay Tarver and featuring co-writing credits from Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (Game Night), feels like the perfect vehicle to continue showcasing his wild,…

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Interview: Australian director Lara Köse and choreographer Zoee Marsh on collaborating for their short film, Red Passion

Created in partnership with Campari as part of its dedication in supporting local artists, Red Passion is a short film exploring the intersections of dance and film.  A trio of dancers expressing their evolution through solo, duet and ensemble pieces, the creative project from emerging Australian director Lara Köse and choreographer Zoee Marsh is now streaming…

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Tsushima Director's Cut

Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut Review: The unbearable weight of compromise

Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut marks the second time this game has come along at the right moment. Originally arriving at the end of the PlayStation 4 era, it was an amalgam of the ways game design had changed since the console’s inception. It was the last hurrah, a way to bring the PS4 era…

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No More Heroes 3

No More Heroes 3 Review: A good time gone bad

Since the original, No More Heroes has provided its fans with competent combat, expressive visuals and a consistent sense of humour that allows characters with names like Travis Touchdown to remain memorable and relevant. It is with No More Heroes 3 that Travis returns to a world of intergalactic assassins, fourth-wall-breaking jokes and a combat…

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Stella Farnan

Track By Track: Stella Farnan takes us through her debut EP Come Stay At Mine

Stella Farnan is an artist that caught our eye back in early 2020. With thoughtful lyrics, an adroit turn of phrase and superb vocals, we had her pegged as an artist to watch in 2020. Obviously that was a year to write off, but Stella popped up again early this year and we were delighted…

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Film Review: Don’t Breathe 2 is morally foul and unapologetic in its B-grade gratification

To say there was a certain amount of resistance when it came to the notion of Don’t Breathe 2 would be something of an understatement.  The idea that the original film’s villain – Stephen Lang‘s Norman, aka “The Blind Man”, who emerged from Fede Alvarez‘s tense 2016 thriller Don’t Breathe as a vile shut-in with…

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Overwatch to rename McCree, no future characters to be named after staff

Activision Blizzard will rename Overwatch character Jesse McCree in a future update. The announcement came via a social media post on official Overwatch channels. A message from the Overwatch team. pic.twitter.com/2W3AV7Pv6X — Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) August 26, 2021 “As we continue to discuss how we best live up to our values and to demonstrate our commitment…

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Interview: Gretta Ray on Begin To Look Around, music departments and London.

Australia was introduced to Gretta Ray when she was in her final year of high school, singing with her guitar at assembly as triple j breakfast hosts Matt Okine and Alex Dyson crowned her the winner of their Unearthed High competition in 2016. Her single “Drive” went on to gain nation-wide popularity, with the song currently…

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Father’s Day Gift Guide 2021: From home cinema essentials to grooming greats and kitchen gadgets

For many Aussies this year, Father’s Day will be spent in lockdown. And while that’s unfortunate, there’s still plenty you can do to make your dad, or dad figure, feel like a billion bucks on Sunday 5th September. If you’re in Sydney CBD, you should definitely be ordering up one of those Man Tea boxes…

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Saints Row

Saints Row Reboot Explodes In New Trailer

The Saints Row franchise is being treated to a welcome reboot. The zany antics and humour the series is known for appear to be back in full force. In a fresh trailer shown at Gamescom 2021, this reboot will simply be titled Saints Row. The trailer is centred around a group of four friends, scouting…

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Experience a New Tactical RPG With Marvel’s Midnight Suns

Marvel Madness continues with a new trailer, featuring a combination of some of Marvel’s most popular superheroes, including Wolverine, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel and Ghost Rider. This is Marvel’s Midnight Suns. Based on the Midnight Sons comic run, the game is touted as a tactical RPG at heart. This cinematic trailer showcased the depth and…

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Call of Duty Vanguard

Escape Stalingrad in Call of Duty Vanguard’s New Gameplay Trailer

The recent reveal of Call of Duty Vanguard left fans excited for a return to World War 2. However, it wasn’t until this morning’s Gamescom 2021 gameplay walkthrough that we were treated to a much more impressive look at the upcoming campaign. Editor’s note: Covering video games produced by Activision Blizzard is fraught at present….

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Book Review: Zoe Deleuil’s The Night Village shows us cousin Rachel, but not as you know her

Simone moved to London to become a journalist, but then she met Paul. Now, she’s about to have his child, and nothing is turning out quite like she planned. Having a small human completely dependent on her for survival is terrifying to Simone, whose family are halfway across the world in Perth. Though he’s her…

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Film Review: Candyman is an intelligent horror film that’s as politically charged as it is unnerving

When it comes to cinematic boogeymen, the creation of Candyman is undoubtedly a frontrunner.  Since first becoming the stuff of unnerving urban legend in Bernard Rose’s 1992 classic Candyman, the character itself has remained a figure of terror and now, just shy of three decades later, has been summoned once more for a new generation…

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Fujifilm X-E4 Review – Big Power, Small Camera

It’s little, it’s classy and it’s full of features – the Fujifilm X-E4 packs a punch, but it’s not without a few small drawbacks. New to the market as of March 2021, the X-E4 is a 26-megapixel APS-C sensor camera. It has a tilting touch screen, high-speed burst mode shooting and 4K video capability, and…

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Gretta Ray

Album of the Week: Gretta Ray – Begin to Look Around (2021 LP)

It honestly feels like Gretta Ray has been releasing music for the past decade. Only now releasing her debut album, Begin to Look Around, the Melbourne artist has been in and around listener’s ears for so long you’d be forgiven for thinking she’d surely be onto album three by now. Taking the time to formulate…

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Interview: Allison Ponthier on Faking My Own Death, tornados and Twilight

Fans of Kasey Musgraves, Lana Del Ray, Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers need to meet Allison Ponthier. The Texan-born New York-based artist has dropped her debut EP with Interscope Records, Faking My Own Death – a deeply personal and coded collection of self-discovery and otherness accompanied by Ponthier’s zany intergalactic cowboy world. At 20-years-old, Allison moved…

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Far Cry 6 Gamescom

Far Cry 6 gets Gamescom 2021 trailer, Giancarlo still chewing the scenery

Ubisoft has unveiled yet another cinematic story trailer for Far Cry 6 during the Gamescom Opening Night Live broadcast. The trailer is heavy on character, and once again placed Giancarlo Esposito’s villain Anton Castillo at its centre. The trailer provides yet another glimpse of his young son, brutally and strictly trained to follow in his…

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Dying Light 2

Dying Light 2 Keeps the Action Moving With a New Trailer

It’s safe to say that Dying Light 2 has had a lengthy development run leading up to the next generation of consoles. An indefinite delay has turned itself into one of the most promising zombie titles in recent memory, packed with tense action, incredible set pieces, and that smooth parkour that made the first Dying…

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Flight Simulator World Update 6

Microsoft Flight Simulator‘s World Update 6 to expand world again

The hotly anticipated Flight Simulator DLC, World Update 6, is coming in early September. With Microsoft Flight Simulator releasing on Xbox’s next-generation consoles last month, a whole new group of enthusiasts have been sinking their teeth into one of the best iterations in the long running series, with incredible visuals and clever controller functionality. But…

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Sea of Thieves mayhem

Sea of Thieves Embraces Mayhem With a New Borderlands Event

Sea of Thieves is no stranger to mayhem, nor a good crossover event. The game’s recent resurgence, thanks to Xbox Game Pass, is drawing in more players than ever. So much so, that Pirates of the Caribbean wanted in, bringing Jack Sparrow, the Black Pearl and a range of new and exciting content. If that…

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Baby Velvet

Track of the Week: Baby Velvet “Call Me” (2021)

Baby Velvet is the new project for singer/songwriter Hannah Crofts. You might also know her as Hannah Marjorie, or as one-quarter of the ARIA award-winning group All Our Exes Live in Texas. Hannah has launched her debut single as Baby Velvet, the beautifully rich and emotive “Call Me”. This is the first track from her…

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Imperial Broads

Exclusive Single Premiere: Imperial Broads “Another Planet” (2021)

Sydney band Imperial Broads have been teasing out tracks from their forthcoming album, Counterpart. We are thrilled today to be premiering the third single; the swirling psychedelic “Another Planet”. In keeping with the title of the song, the track opens with a moody celestial feel to it.  Throw in the 60s-style harmonies and then finishing…

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Win a Evovacs Deebot Ozmo T8+ Robotic Vacuum Cleaner worth $1,299

The modern smart home has plenty of essentials. A smart security system, maybe a few voice assistant enabled speakers, some smart lighting for the backyard, and app-connected kitchenware. Although perhaps none has become more of a must-have than a good, high-end robot vacuum cleaner. The technology behind these nifty little things has come a long…

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The Liquid Land

Book Review: Raphaela Edelbaur’s The Liquid Land is uncanny and thought-provoking contemporary fiction

After her parents die in a car accident, physicist Ruth Schwarz sets off for their hometown of Greater Einland to begin preparations for their funeral. But Greater Einland is a stubborn sort of place, determined to remain hidden from outsiders, with even Austrian officials denying all knowledge of the place. But Ruth is stubborn too…

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How to Prepare Healthy Meals for the Family When You Work Full-Time

Balancing a family and a full-time job is no easy task. It can often leave you feeling frazzled, exhausted, stressed and just plain frustrated. You get home after a busy day at work, everyone is starving and wants dinner, but likely the last thing you feel like doing is making a big, huge meal. This…

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