It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these roundups, and honestly, the reason is good: there’s been so much happening in Melbourne’s independent music scene that picking five feels almost unfair to the dozens I’m leaving out. But these are the five acts that have been stuck in my head this month, and I reckon they deserve to be stuck in yours too.

1. Batts

Tanya Batt has been making music under the Batts name for a while now, but her new record — due out in March on Spunk Records — is a genuine evolution. I got an advance listen last week, and it’s darker, more electronic, and more confident than anything she’s done before.

The single “Particulate” dropped two weeks ago and it’s this gorgeous, swirling thing that sits somewhere between Bjork’s “Homogenic” era and the more textured end of Australian electronic music. There’s a warmth to it that a lot of electronic artists miss — like the machines are breathing.

She’s playing the Northcote Social Club on March 14th, and if the live show translates even half the energy of the recordings, it’ll be one of the gigs of the autumn. The vinyl pre-order for the album is already up — 180g black vinyl with a limited transparent blue pressing of 300. I’ve got both on order because I have no self-control.

2. Civic

Post-punk is having a moment globally, and Civic have been riding that wave better than almost anyone in Australia. Their sound is all angular guitars, barked vocals, and a rhythm section that refuses to sit still. Think Wire meets the Birthday Party, filtered through a Collingwood warehouse at 2am.

Their latest 7-inch, “Rat Race” b/w “Pressure Drop” (not the Toots cover, before you ask), is the kind of record that makes you want to start a band. Both sides are under three minutes, both are relentless, and both sound incredible loud. The pressing on Flightless Records is predictably gorgeous — screen-printed sleeve, coloured vinyl, limited to 500 copies.

If you haven’t seen them live, fix that. They’re doing a run of shows through March with a couple of inner-city dates that’ll be small-room intense. The last time I saw them at the Old Bar, the room was so packed the bartender couldn’t serve drinks. That’s the kind of problem you want.

3. Kee’ahn

Kee’ahn is a Kuku Yalanji and Jirrbal singer-songwriter whose debut album “Sacred Seeds” last year was one of the most important Australian releases of 2025. I don’t use “important” lightly — it’s a word that often signals “worthy but boring.” This isn’t that. It’s beautiful, genuinely affecting music that happens to also be culturally significant.

Her voice does things that make you stop whatever you’re doing and just listen. There’s a track called “Returning” that’s built on looped vocals and minimal instrumentation, and it’s one of the most powerful pieces of music I’ve heard from any Australian artist in years. The vinyl pressing sold out instantly on release and is already commanding $80+ on Discogs. If you can find a copy at a fair or in the wild, grab it.

She’s been announced for Golden Plains next month, and I suspect that set is going to be a defining moment. There’s something about hearing her music outdoors, connected to the land, that feels right in a way that’s hard to articulate without sounding corny. Trust me on this one.

4. Good Morning

Good morning to Good Morning, who continue to be one of Melbourne’s most delightfully unclassifiable bands. Stefan Blair and Liam Parsons make music that’s simultaneously lo-fi and lush, sad and joyful, meticulously crafted and charmingly ramshackle.

Their latest release is a cassette-only EP called “Afternoon Tea” — four songs, twenty minutes, available from their Bandcamp page and a handful of Melbourne record stores. Yes, I know this is technically a vinyl column and I’m recommending a cassette. Sue me. The music is too good to ignore based on format.

If the cassette thing bothers you, their back catalogue on vinyl is well worth exploring. “Glory” and “Basketball Breakups” are both excellent and still available from Polyester Records. Good Morning are one of those bands that reward deep listening — every album reveals more on repeat plays.

5. The Stroppies

The Stroppies have been building their reputation as one of Melbourne’s sharpest indie pop outfits for several years, and their forthcoming album (details still scarce, but spring release is rumoured) has people who’ve heard early mixes very excited.

What I love about The Stroppies is their restraint. In a scene that often defaults to noise and volume, they play with dynamics. Quiet verses that build to choruses with just enough urgency to raise your pulse. Guitars that jangle without being retro-pastiche. Vocals shared between members in a way that keeps songs feeling conversational.

Their existing vinyl on Upset The Rhythm (UK label, but distributed in Australia) is consistently well-pressed and worth owning. “Levity” is my favourite — it’s a record that sounds better every time I play it, which is the highest compliment I can pay.

The Bigger Picture

What connects these five acts — beyond geography — is that they’re all doing things on their own terms. None of them are chasing algorithms or trying to go viral. They’re making music they care about, pressing it on formats that serve the music, and building audiences through live shows and word of mouth.

That’s what Melbourne’s independent music scene does at its best. It creates space for artists who don’t fit neatly into categories, gives them venues to play and labels to release on, and builds communities of listeners who actually care about what they’re hearing.

Get to some gigs. Buy some records. Support the scene that makes this city worth living in.