Mirador was an independent record label that operated between 2011(ish) and late 2017. As well as an incredible amount of learning, we were able to be a small part of artists achieving some incredible things with 5 artists winning Triple J Unearthed competitions to play major festivals, 6 going on international tours and countless write-ups and radio play for all of them.

I’m immensely proud of all that the label achieved; with many of the artists I had the absolute honour of working with moving on to bigger things and a new wave of local labels appearing, I thought it was time to let others carry the torch further down the road.

• Bad//Dreems

I put out their debut EP Badlands back in 2013, they were still learning how to be a band and we were most definitely still learning how to be a label. They’ve since released a handful of some of the best Australian rock albums and toured the world but this EP was the result of a lot of hard work and excited phone calls with guitarist Alex Cameron, it’s full of pounding drums and sprawling riffs and spawned the bonafide hit Hoping For.

• Banjo Jackson

Cutting his teeth for years in Jimmy & The Mirrors, when Banjo showed me his demos I knew I had to be involved with his solo work. Bringing a full band to the recording the result is one of the most beautiful, dark and vivid folk albums of the last decade. I’m biased but I think it’s one of the best too. Banjo has since taken this down from Spotify so one of our few remaining vinyl copies is the only way to hear this (email us at miradorrecords@gmail.com if you’re keen).

• Battlehounds

Full of grungy, meaty riffs and tough hooks, the energy of this band still draws me back for a listen and damn I miss seeing them live. I was lucky enough to release their EP and 2 singles and watch this band grow tighter and more captivating as the years went on.

• Horror My Friend

Mainstays of the Adelaide scene, I couldn’t say no when I heard the track Mazes. The dynamic of the band is something special, we were talking about making this a split seven inch but it never eventuated so it was just this single I helped with before getting signed by a bigger label.

• Jimmy and The Mirrors

I’d had my sights set on this band for a while. Known for their legendary shows on the Adelaide scene I’d had two of their EPs on rotation for some time. While running to their songs one day I decided to see what new music they had in the works and next thing we were making plans to release a bunch of songs they were recording in Byron Bay. Still a bunch of legends, the main single Hailstorm found a life of its own.

• Problems

Justin Walden and Shane Lock, through various projects have filled the Adelaide music scene with vibes since the mid-2000s. Vibes is really the only way to describe the sound of Problems too, just incredible sounds apes with a pop tinge. A few of these songs really took off in the blogging world, but these guys were pure magic with the tunes to boot and really should have been so much more.

• Red Light Sound

Such emotion and raw energy, meticulous and beautiful yet incredibly powerful. I had watched these guys on the rise so was really keen to help plan the release of their absolutely epic second EP.

• Snapdragons

I had to start Mirador somewhere, so I did so with some tracks I put a lot of effort into crafting. The PR campaign was built around piggybacking on some remixes that went pretty well in the blogging world. It wasn’t much, but it was the spark that ignited the flame.

• Streetlight Symphony

Another personal connection that helped get the ball rolling. I played bass and managed the band for a while but Steve is one of the most talented and versatile songwriters I’ve ever known. There were a few Streetlight songs that built interest but we were never really able to convert it into sustainable momentum.

• The Aves

The Aves were the first artist I released that I didn’t already know personally. They sent me a track and I thought: “it’s alright”, then they sent me another one and I was sure it was a hit. That track got them some excellent Triple J airplay and allowed them to play the (last) Big Day Out and do a run of shows overseas.

• Violet Swells

At first I was really keen to focus mainly on Adelaide-based talent, but when Violet Swells sent me one of their songs I was hooked. The synths, the guitars and the sensation was a perfect combo. The buzz from the track we released Here Comes Yesterday was a pretty wild ride.

• West Thebarton

When I came across the one track they had online Chemotherapy, I was floored. I started talking to the band and we ended up putting out one of the best punk/rock records of 2015 in the form of a 10″ which we were always keen on. Back then they were titled West Thebarton Brothel Party and that record was only the very beginning of a massive journey for incredibly talented seven-piece.