This week's PBS Feature Album is NYAA WA by Naarm/Melbourne duo Charlie Needs Braces.
NYAA WA means 'take care' in Charlie's mob’s GuriNgai language, and the songs on the album emphasise the importance of taking care of lands, waters, and wildlife, and the need to keep culture alive, tell stories, and preserve sacred sites from development.
The sophomore album from Charlie Needs Braces, NYAA WA opens with the album's first single 'Dyarrubin', a message and reminder to protect and take care of Country. The album continues its theme with the second half of the album diving into the album feature track 'Woy Woy', meaning ‘water’ in the GuriNgai language. "At night the stars and Milky Way reflect over the water and you can hear and sometimes see the fish jumping in and out of the water in the moonlight. The last time we were there we were making a film clip and there were flatheads, bream, snapper, whiting, barracuda, and crabs. It was delicious and suited the adventures we were having whilst filming’ - Charlie Needs Braces.
NYAA WA closes with 'Kariong Lands', a track about ‘Kariong’, a GuriNgai meeting place. Like many other areas nearby and across Australia this site is under threat of being cleared and developed into residential housing which will affect the native wildlife, damage the grandmother tree, and interfere with songlines and the passing down of cultural knowledge.
Tune in all this week to hear tracks from Charlie Needs Braces, and PBS Members have the chance to win a copy of the album on vinyl: simply email your name and membership number to before midnight Sunday March 16.
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TOP TRACKS WE'RE LOVING THIS WEEK
Djrum - 'Three Foxes Chasing Each Other'
Don Glori - 'Brown Eyes' feat. ML Hall
KNEECAP - 'H.O.O.D' (2025 Mix)
Teether & Kuya Neil - 'BLUSH'
Mess Esque - Let Me Know You
GROND - 'Alien Slug Butt Juice'
CLAMM - 'And I Try'
Alison Krauss - 'Looks Like The End Of The Road'
Perfume Genius - 'No Front Teeth' feat. Aldous Harding
Marlon Williams - 'Kāhore He Manu E' feat. Lorde
