Angie McMahon

Australian singer/songwriter Angie McMahon crafts guitar-driven music that blends folk and indie rock with lyrics noted for their candid, relatable quality. Her breakthrough arrived via the 2017 single “Slow Mover,” which earned strong radio play and listener support. After several years of growing attention and scattered follow-up releases, she issued her debut album, Salt, which reached number five on the Australian charts; its more atmospheric successor, Light, Dark, Light Again, arrived in 2023 and peaked at number six.

Raised in Melbourne, McMahon began performing as a teenager with a reserved contemporary-folk style. Her first significant opportunity came in 2013 when she won a contest to open for Bon Jovi on the Australian dates of the Because We Can tour. Although she valued the exposure, she stepped back to refine her songwriting before joining the nine-piece soul group the Fabric, with whom she played shows and recorded an EP. Eventually returning to solo work, she shifted toward a more indie-rock orientation and released “Slow Mover” in 2017. The track quickly gained national airplay, leading to support slots alongside the Shins, Father John Misty, and Angus & Julia Stone, plus sold-out headline performances across Australia and the U.K. Early in 2019 she issued the single “Pasta” and earned nominations for Song of the Year and Rock Work of the Year at the APRA Awards. Later that July, Dualtone put out her first full-length, Salt, which climbed to number five in Australia; the acoustic rework Piano Salt EP followed in late 2020 and entered the Top 20.

McMahon returned in October 2023 with the reflective Light, Dark, Light Again on Gracie Music/AWAL. Working in Australia with Alex O’Gorman, who had produced Salt, and in the U.S. with Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Snail Mail), she integrated field recordings, piano, and additional synthesizers while retaining a guitar-centered indie-rock foundation. The album nearly matched her debut’s chart placement, reaching number six in Australia.