TOPNOTE’s Monthly Picks: August 2026. Image credit: TOPNOTE

Sibling duos are en vogue for August’s Monthly Picks.

…from the Kiwi-born Balu Brigada boys to the ‘basically brothers’ of Fletchr Fletchr – and quite literally in the case of Wasia Project’s new single. We’re visiting Australia, America, New Zealand, Ireland and the UK in this ultra-diverse selection of Monthly Picks.

Let’s jump into it below.

Wasia Project — VOGUE

Wasia Project's final single before the release of the sibling duo’s debut album ‘Nocturne’ next month, ‘Vogue’ brings a classic club vibe. The track deposits you straight into a hazy, pulsating warehouse, with passionate vocals from Olivia Hardy cutting through the smoke and into euphoria. It’s the final tease of a confident new era, with nostalgic callbacks to 70s dancefloor classics, most audibly Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’.

Balu brigada — BedHead

Recently returning from an international tour, ‘BedHead’ is Balu Brigada’s ‘Heroes’-esque introduction to what’s next, post last year’s ‘Portal’ album release. The duo’s familiar use of a long instrumental is intertwined with groovy electric guitar riffs, a slight departure from ‘Portal’s preference for synths. The single’s music video ends with the Kiwi siblings walking into a blue light, in neat contrast to the reds of their debut record’s palette. If this is the start of a new album cycle, then ‘BedHead’ is a great precursor for what’s to come.

DMA’s — DMA’s

It’s taken Aussie trio DMA’S a decade to release a self-titled album. Perhaps the band were waiting for the right collection of songs – or life experiences – to do the title justice, as the opening track suggests: ‘I'm looking in the mirror / it just seems so surreal / that the man I see before me / has not told his proper story’. Across the record, ‘DMA’S’ treads towards optimism, summed up in string-filled ‘Dancing Luck’, a beautifully uplifting song about squeezing every last drop of hope, and the soul-searching ‘Concrete’.

Fontaines D.C. — Marianne

A brilliant psychedelic music video and inspiration from the psychological thriller ‘Ripley’ all build on the ‘cinematic feeling’ curated in Fontaines D.C.’s eerie new single, sounding almost like a blurred consciousness directed at an unknown ‘Marianne’. Part of what makes the track so compelling is its undefined purpose… is it supposed to be romantic or creepy? Listen 15 times and you’ll still be wondering, in the best way possible.

Fletchr Fletchr — ON The Island We Call Home

‘On The Island We Call Home’ is laden with anxieties of the zeitgeist. It opens with the eerie ‘Passenger’ which takes aim at blind political leadership, and morphs seagulls into sirens in a clever nod to Fletchr Fletchr’s Cornish origins. The group’s second EP also features the long-distance pining of ‘For You’ plus previous single ‘F***ing With My Head’, a moving display of tormented anxiety; and a further showcase of an emerging band’s ability to pummel emotion through their music, across a broad and pertinent range of song subjects.

Surprise Chef — Leg Day

We’re hopping down under with the first single off Surprise Chef’s freshly announced ‘Frogs In A Pond’, an album composed of mostly live recordings across nine consecutive days. ‘Leg Day’ leads with a bass-driven groove that sounds equal parts cheeky and mysterious, before opening up to a soothing piano… as though the somewhat-nefarious subject of the song has been weaving through a crowded city and suddenly wandered into a peaceful open space.

Dominic Fike — Wallflower

‘Wallflower’drops as the first single following a surprise album announcement, with ‘How To Quit Smoking’ out for release in October. The track is a Dominic Fike special – combining silver-tongued verses and a smooth, airy chorus with jangly, rhythmic guitar — a natural and confident progression of a signature style refined over eight years. There’s a looseness to the song that’s instantly likeable, sifting breezy vocals over tight strums in lazy end-of-summer fashion.

The Amazons — 21st Century Fiction: Epilogue

‘21st Century Fiction: Epilogue’ rounds off The Amazons’ latest era, following on from their standard album last year and the first release since the formal addition of Ella McRobb and George LePage to the band’s line-up. The deluxe release comes alongside new single, ‘Kickin’ In’, described as ‘the darkest exploration of… desire that’s not being met’ by frontman Matt Thomson; an expansive slow-build that erupts into a statement-making outro.

TOPNOTE’s Monthly Picks: August 2026