Alex Cameron rewrites the rules of intimacy. Whether it be as a photographer, songwriter, or performer, the Sydney-native spins unflinching truths through singular fictional narratives, chameleonic as he slips in and out of the mindsets of contemporary villains, the people we hold at arm’s length (for good reason).  His minimal debut Jumping the Shark offers a synth-driven understated exploration of deadbeat parents, failing showmen, and all that comes with the dark, seediness of show biz. 2017’s Forced Witness, produced by Jonathan Rado and including collaborations with The Killers’ Brandon Flowers, zeroes in on the alpha male. Plush, glimmering ‘80s pop, all synths and sax, skitters over the dark underbellies of Bad Men, the toxic masculinity lurking in corners of the internet or in pubs, and the feeling that even if you want to, you can’t look away. And why would you? Across his work, Cameron inhabits the darkness effortlessly -- his solution to the mayhem is a danceable and dangerous earnestness, vivid portraits of misfits’ views of the world. Known for a red-hot live show, thanks to both Cameron’s dancing chops and his chemistry with business associate and sax player Roy Molloy, Cameron and associates have spent the better part of the last several years touring globally, both as headliners and as support for the Killers, establishing themselves as bonafide road dogs and building up a die-hard fan base. Because in these chaotic times when we aren’t able to look away, Cameron is offering us a pure account as he’s seen it.

At sixteen, Lola Kirke discovered Gram Parsons and the Cosmic American genre he defined. In spite of being a New Yorker by the way of London, Kirke felt a strong connection to his Country-Rock sound. “For whatever reason, I thought I could resolve all my problems by just becoming him.” Kirke is no stranger to shape shifting—as an actress with a steadily ascending star, she’s had major roles in David Fincher’s “Gone Girl” and Noah Baumbach’s “Mistress America,” as well as the Golden Globe-winning Amazon show “Mozart in the Jungle.” While less in the fore, her passion for music has stayed constant, with her guitar following her from dressing room to dressing room. Born to a musical family (her father is Simon Kirke, drummer of Bad Company and Free, and her sister is singer-songwriter Domino Kirke), Lola embarked on her own musical journey with her four track EP released in 2016. Tracked live to tape in East Los Angeles and produced by frequent collaborator Wyndham Garnett (Elvis Perkins in Dearland, WYNDHAM) her debut LP, Heart Head West, asserts her as part of the artistic tradition she holds so dear: delivering her own heart, laid bare for someone else to hear as theirs. “It’s a really personal record about basically everything I thought about in 2017–time, family, loss, social injustice, sex, drinking, longing—essentially everything I’d talk about with a close friend for 40 minutes.”   The opening track, “Monster” delves into themes of self esteem and alienation, a lyrical narrative that reappears through the album. Says Kirke, “I wrote ‘Monster’ while I was watching someone I love struggle with self love and care, but in the process of writing it, I realized that I hadn’t exactly mastered the delicate balance of those things either.”   Her more upbeat second single, “Supposed To,” features searing guitar licks from Lilah Larson (Sons of an Illustrious Father) while attempting to weed through the expectations we create for ourselves and the expectations others have of us. Heart Head West will be released summer 2018.