Looking back at these past few years of Art As Catharsis, I can’t help but feel proud of our humble little label.
We’ve managed to work with some of the most interesting and creative artists working in Australia today — from the lush Nu-Jazz of Zeitgeber and COAST, to Jazz/Metal fusionists Mad Vantage, the ambient works of Claire Cross, to one of my all time favourite songwriters, Brian Campeau.
To that list we could add the Drone worship of The Grey Men, the Cinematic and Eastern inflected Doom of Black Aleph, the frenetic Free-Jazz of Milton Man Gogh, the Gypsy Rock of The Crooked Fiddle Band, the lush Psychedelia of Turtle Skull, the cavernous Sludge of Ghostsmoker — and hey, why not acknowledge that I myself make a few appearances?
We love local music, and we love to see artists exploring the strange, the vital, the Experimental. And we want to share music that musicians feel is urgent and necessary, rather than calculated or cut down to size.
At the opening of 2026, we are profoundly optimistic about the state of Australian music. Sure, the financial side is a flaming dumpster fire, but we are endlessly inspired by the incredible musicians in this country. We hope you feel the same.
Thank you for supporting the artists, our work, and the Australian underground. We’ve been doing this for fifteen years now. Here’s to another fifteen.
Purchase and Stream “Art As Catharsis 2024-2025 Sampler” via the Bandcamp player below:
Tracklist:
01. Zeitgeber – Innenwelt – perceptions as heuristics 04:24
02. Brian Campeau – Waves 05:10
03. Black Aleph – Descent 04:24
04. COAST – Ember 07:12
05. Milton Man Gogh – Ill Man (On Plane Flight) 04:06
06. Slung – Collider 03:05
07. Turtle Skull – It Starts With Me 02:58
08. The Crooked Fiddle Band – Deadly Nightsnakes 03:40
09. Mad Vantage – Matriarch 06:16
10. Zeitgeber – Echolocate – seeing with sound 10:18
11. Lachlan R. Dale – And I am struck by the light (feat. Brendan Clark) 04:04
12. Ghostsmoker – Elogium 05:59
13. The Grey Men – Witness 09:35
14. Black Aleph – sepideh-dam (live at Small Pond) 06:29
15. Joseph Rabjohns & Lachlan R. Dale – Oleeae 04:43
16. Claire Cross – Alpha 07:51