EP.12 March 24, 2025.
Conversations about songs from PEPTALK, Moody Joody, Forest Claudette, Satya and more...
episode 3 with JOY 94.9 Radio
LA based DJ and KCRW radio presenter Raul Campos is joined by Triana Butler (she/they) who is a Radio Trainer at JOY Academy and JOY 94.9 Presenter/Producer of The Sound of Now in the third of five episodes of Sonic Dialog.
Raul and Triana, continue to go back to back selecting and discussing tracks from the US and Australia, in this third episode, showcasing songs from artists PEPTALK, Moody Joody, Forest Claudette, Satya, Sarah Wolfe, and Cassandra Jenkins.
LISTEN BACK TO THE FULL EPISODE OVER AT: joy.org.au/thesoundofnow/2025/03/24/tracklist-24-mar-2025/
About Joy Media: As Australia’s not-for-profit LGBTIQA+ media organisation, JOY Media represents the people, stories, news, music, and lived experiences of Australia’s LGBTIQA+ community and our allies. From our on-air presenters, to support teams, producers, newsreaders, podcasters and everyone in-between Joy aim to represent their listeners. You can hear and see stories from the LGBTIQA+ community and our allies on JOY 94.9 Radio (FM and DAB+), online at joy.org.au via livestream, in podcasts, YouTube channel and on social media.
About KCRW: KCRW belong to Los Angeles, connecting diverse perspectives and the sounds of Southern California with curious communities around the corner and around the world. They are NPR’s flagship member station in Southern California and a community service of Santa Monica College.
PEPTALK
PEPTALK is made up of Jay-Lee Kwan, Lara Frew, and Phoebe Sinclair and Figure It Out features Brisbane based singer-songwriter Jeremy Neale from the band Velociraptor.
PEPTALK are your wholesome friends giving unsolicited advice. Boasting two thirds queer, two thirds POC and all female, PEPTALK is determined to be the positive representation they longed for growing up. Made up of Jay-Lee Kwan (keys), Lara Frew (bass), and Phoebe Sinclair (lead vocals), PEPTALK’s presence has a comfort and confidence that only time and genuine friendship can bring.
Each songwriters at their core, they’ve written for artists and producers in the USA, Canada, Sweden, South Korea, France, New Zealand, UK and at home in Australia. Their collaboration with Aussie platinum-selling artist LDRU on his track “Alone Again” has garnered over a million streams. The group also self-produce, with Lara and Phoebe under their moniker 'Middleman’.
In 2023 Lara and Phoebe were hand-selected by Troye Sivan and Lucas Keller to participate in APRA AMCOS’ pride songwriting camp, in partnership with World Pride and Sydney Lesbian and Gay Mardi Gras.
Moody Joody
Hailing from Nashville, TN, a “girl group” — plus one guy — Moody Joody is a perfect mixing and mingling of the trio’s eclectic experiences and tastes. Kaitie Forbes (guitar, vocals) brings the indie edge; Hall comes from a country/classic rock background; and the lone dude, Andrew Pacheco (producer, keys) loves the Counting Crows, Tegan and Sara, Dashboard Confessional, and Carly Rae Jepsen in equal measure.
At first, they were on a mission to become 'a girl Bleachers,' according to Forbes, before finding their signature, ‘80s-tinged, super-fun sound with help from Shawn Mendes collaborator Scott Harris. Equal parts swoony, sexy, and, well, moody, the trio is all about 'owning your humanness,' according to Kayla Hall (lead singer, keys). “For us as women, it’s about the good, the bad — everything that comes under that feminine archetype.”
Forest Claudette
The song takes on an even deeper meaning as Forest's parents contribute strings to the track, a testament to their unwavering love and support, infused with coming-of-age themes and a deep rhythmic pulse, showcases a new chapter in Claudette's artistic evolution. "Ain't no room when I was young, I was hooping, I was fitting right in," they croon over a backdrop of guitar strums and tropical percussion. The chorus erupts with raw honesty as Claudette declares, "I been thinking 'bout moonlight, I been thinking 'bout the boys in my life again / it's not like me to be keeping quiet, no silence." This vulnerability, woven into undeniable melodies, is a hallmark of Forest's captivating songwriting.
"Four years ago, I saw the film Moonlight for the first time, and it changed my life. Afterward, I picked up my guitar, and this idea sort of poured out of me. I’d never felt like I had the space to hold that side of myself before, and even still, it's taken all this time to feel comfortable, safe, and secure enough to share it with the world."
For Claudette, music has long been a tool for self-discovery. Born to classically trained musician parents, they grew up in a small town in the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria, Australia, where they spent years trying to perfect their craft at an alternative-learning-focused high school. By 25, they had already won two ARIA Awards and received high rotation support from triple j for their future-facing mix of neo-soul, alt-R&B, and hip hop-shaded pop.
Satya
The name Satya means "truth" -- and that's exactly what 24 yr-old Oakland artist Satya delivers on her first two EPs Deep Blue (2022) and Flourish Against Fracture (2019), and her forthcoming debut album, "Yellow House", due later this year.
Fusing Folk, Soul, and R&B this genre-bending project is guided by Satya’s soft vocals, stripped down production, and decadent prose to showcase the vulnerability that comes with relationships.
Sarah Wolfe
Sarah Wolfe is a multidisciplinary artist testing the limits of pop sensibilities. Having been featured in Rolling Stone, honoured in NME’s Global 100 Emerging Artists, and collaborating with multiple video game studios, Sarah has made a name for herself by bringing the Hannah Montana energy to the creative industries; by day, Sarah works in video games bringing digital creations to life and streaming on Twitch. At night she’s immersed in her music - writing, performing, and doing the occasional hyperpop DJ set.
"I felt like i lost so much of myself as a person and an artist when i got sick, and i really struggled with the fact that everyone else around me was going forward in their lives while i felt so stuck. but while this song was born out of a really rough time in my life, the meaning behind it grew over time into being a song about accepting where i am, and accepting how the past has shaped me to be the person i am now, and i wouldn’t change that path for anything." - Sarah Wolfe
Cassandra Jenkins
Clams Casino is lifted from Cassandra Jenkins full length album My Light, My Destoryer. Like the night sky itself, the world of My Light, My Destroyer is always expanding. Cassandra Jenkins’ third full-length cracks open the promise of reaching the edge of the new, with a wider sonic palette than ever before—encompassing guitar-driven indie rock, new age, sophistipop, and jazz.
At the center of it all is Jenkins’ curiosity towards the quarks and quasars that make up her universe, as she blends field recordings with poetic lyricism that is at turns allusive, humorous, devastating and confessional—an alchemical gesture that further deepens the richness of the album.
Cassandra shares, “I became even more interested in words, translation, and the malleability of language. I’m becoming better at letting myself explore ideas before self-editing; while I was writing, I wasn’t afraid to laugh at my own jokes, which makes the process of sharing these songs that much more free and fun.”