Australian producer Adam Kyriakou is a pop maximalist, a songwriter in the vein of mid-2010s shapeshifters like Bullion, Painted Palms, and Wise Blood. Kyriakou dropped his debut EP as Department in 2023, and the self-produced, self-released project managed to gain some traction on the web—a rather stunning feat for any artist putting out their own stuff with no connections, co-signs, or press conglomerate behind them. Now, Kyriakou is using some of that momentum in the lead up to his second project, Audacity Files, which is out this week. The new collection builds on the styles he introduced on that first project, but showcases an even bigger sound than before—it’s a bit like Girl Talk remixing a Fred again.. remix of a Beach Boys song.
The influences that play a role on Audacity Files reflect this rather eclectic examination of pop music’s long, thrilling history. Kyriakou cites Burial, Phil Spector, and Bach as chief influences, but also makes sure to shout out The Beach Boys, J Dilla, Three 6 Mafia, and plenty more. Department makes pop music for the internet age, with Easter eggs and throwbacks littered across truly delightful original compositions. Below, check out all the music that helped turn Audacity Files into an unexpected gem of 2026.
Burial, “Come Down to Us”
I still remember this changing my life in real time when I first heard it. My production ethos traces back to hearing this, as it completely opened my mind as to how you could write “pop songs” with vocal samples, building verses, choruses, and bridges out of other people’s voices. I’d never heard anything even remotely like it before. It’s also some of the most emotionally cathartic music ever made. If this doesn’t move you, then you’re dead inside.
The Checkmates Ltd., “Love Is All I Have to Give”
Incredible 1969 production from the greatest record producer of all time, Phil Spector. Spector understood better than anybody that you shouldn’t be able to hear every single element in songs. He created these colossal, cacophonous-sounding records that were, and remain, so distinct. I could have picked a million different Spector tunes for this list, but here he’s pushing the wall of sound to its breaking point and it’s a big influence on my attitude toward production.
J.S. Bach, “Kyrie Eleison” (1984 John Eliot Gardiner Recording)
The most awe-inspiring music you’ll hear. Alongside Brian Wilson, Bach was the closest anyone has come to creating the music of God. It gives me chills every time I hear it, as does all of “Mass in B Minor.”
The Beach Boys, “Heroes and Villains”
The Smile Sessions might be the single most influential piece of music on my entire life. Every time I listen to these songs I learn or hear something new. Like how Burial unlocked a new part of my brain, so did The Smile Sessions. As Brian Wilson started to experiment more in the studio and in his personal life, his songs became untethered from traditional rules about pop song structure. I picked “Heroes and Villains” because it’s emblematic of what’s so brilliant about this album: patchworks woven together into a whole which is greater than the sum of its parts. Brian Wilson’s death affected me in such a strange way; I never met him, he never knew I existed, but it hurt me deeply. No one else’s music has impacted me so profoundly. He’s the greatest musical mind to ever exist and he will be until the end of time.
J Dilla, “Two Can Win”
Dilla taught me everything I know about sampling. Like with Spector, I could’ve picked so many different Dilla songs, but this one blew me away as a kid and therefore probably left formative marks on me. Listen to how he chops the sample, and how it’s pumping underneath the weight of the kick—it's just perfect.
Three 6 Mafia, “Mask and da Glock”
Three 6 Mafia is our generation’s The Velvet Underground: 20 to 30 years ahead of everyone. The Eno quote that only 10,000 people bought the first VU record when it came out and every one of them started a band rings true here, too. Almost every single rap producer around today owes themselves to what DJ Paul and Juicy J were doing here in the early- to mid-’90s.
Joe Meek & the Blue Men, “I Hear a New World”
Recorded in 1959, this song ushered in the era of the record producer as de facto director and creative leader. It resonates today because it still sounds more off-the-wall than anything coming out now. Meek was already sampling, pitch shifting, running signals well into the red, compressing sounds to a pulp. He was the first mad production genius and the art form would not be the same without him.
Madlib, “Left on Silverlake (Ride)”
Madlib, like Dilla, taught me so much. But this one really widened my scope in regard to what you could sample. He’s working with a Van Dyke Parks record here, and it showed me how different genres and musical eras can actually coexist if you’re inventive enough.
Mariah Carey, “Always Be My Baby”
I love Mariah Carey so much. She’s got the perfect voice, an incredible songwriter, great producer, and has all-around perfect pop sensibilities. I just love how her voice feels. it’s like angels are singing through her.
Aaliyah (prod. Timbaland), “Don’t Know What to Tell Ya”
The hardest thing to do musically is make pop songs that are commercially satisfying and still off-the-wall wild, and Timbaland is one of the all-time greats in that regard. It’s obviously a great song, but imagine it being produced by anyone else—it’s not possible. That’s what a great producer is. I’ve never related to the idea that the producer is only there to serve the artist. You should have a distinct vision as a record producer. That’s what I’ve always respected.
Loski (prod. M1OnTheBeat), “Money and Beef”
This period of UK Drill was so exciting. The production—in terms of how hard the kicks were and the sliding basses—influenced me a lot. This felt so raw and exciting when it dropped.
Disco Inferno, “It’s a Kid’s World”
Very possibly the most underrated band ever. They invented a new way for a band to work based around the sampler, and they still sound incredible today. It's unfortunate when a band is too ahead of its time, because it often means they don't get the sort of contemporaneous audience they deserve. But what those unique bands do achieve is this unspoken legacy where you hear their influence on later generations. Case in point here: I see Disco Inferno as hugely informing what Animal Collective and Panda Bear (two other big touchstones for me) did between 2007 and 2009.
