QR codes and masks were not a feature at my last Forum gig, but they were firmly ingrained in the standard routine as the crowds began to line up on a warm January Wednesday. After sitting empty for months, it was the injection of humans needed to bring music back to live (pun intended). 

It’s your typical story- girl meets boy, girl takes boy home to a party where boy is loved and accepted and boy no longer wants to return to outer space because he is no longer an outsider. 

During times of isolation, many have turned to self-help books, podcasts, and Youtube videos to use this down time for introspection, to come out the other side a new version of ourselves for those sweet, sweet post-iso moments of freedom. Few turn to music for self-help lessons, and with the release of Sydney’s pop-rock outfit Lime Cordiale’s sophomore album, 14 Steps To A Better You, maybe it’s time we should?

Figures’ debut album, ‘Operating In Unsafe Mode,’ delves into themes of “...dehumanisation, isolation, oppression and mass media manipulation.” Having previously released two EPs and one single, the five-piece from Melbourne, Victoria, are no strangers to exploring political issues.