These New South Whales
Australian punk royalty These New South Whales today release their eagerly anticipated new album, TNSW, via Damaged Records with the announcement of a national tour in 2023. LISTEN TO CHANGES HERE + THE FULL ALBUM HERE + SIGN UP FOR PRE-SALE TICKET ACCESS HERE.
A set of songs that finds the quartet leveling up immeasurably, it’s already received support across The FADER, DIY, NME, The Line of Best Fit, and MOJO, the latter of whom wrote in their 4/5 review of the record that “it’s not even funny how comprehensively they kick the ass of most other contemporary punk-leaning ensembles.”
In honour of the album’s release, the band shares new single ‘Changes‘. Behind its towering walls of guitar that nod to everyone from Dinosaur Jr. to Placebo, ‘Changes‘ strikes a suitably celebratory note, coming as it does on the day that These New South Whales release their most definitive album to date. The band’s Jamie Timony explains that “‘Changes’ speaks to the idea of healing from the past and struggling towards new heights in order to be best version of yourself” – a lofty target that TNSW nails and then some.
TNSW marks a refined new era for the band, their most sophisticated body of work yet: a 14-track tome of barrelling punk rock that polishes its heavier moments – heavier than ever – with sing-along choruses, sharp arrangements, and plenty of trademark irony and self-awareness. For every ’90s alternative reference, there’s a blast beat; for every big radio moment, a cursed instrumental aside.
It’s an album that finds them honing in on These New South Whales – the serious punk band – more closely than ever before, a far cry from the more tongue-in-cheek approach of their acclaimed Comedy Central mockumentary series, their talk show-style comedy TNSW Tonight! and their exalted podcast, What a Great Punk, which has seen them chat to guests including Tame Impala, Adrian Grenier, Shame, Amyl and The Sniffers, and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard.
Over the years, the band’s music has developed rapidly, evolving out of the realm of distinctly Aussie basement punk into a more sprawling, international space. Following the trajectories of bands like Ceremony and Turnstile from nuts and bolts basement punk to a more genre-defying sound, TNSW encompasses a broader range of influences. Blending the dark energy of their debut album You Work For Us and the CBGB’s heyday of its follow-up I Just Do What God Tells Me To Do, TNSW is both downtrodden and uptempo.
A post-punk record at heart, full of sonic depth and dejected storytelling but equally it embraces their ’90s alternative, hardcore and metal influences. Guitarist Todd Andrews found himself using references for certain guitar parts that he would never have touched on in the past (among them: Pixies, The Cure and Placebo), while Timony’s lyrics take a turn towards the poetic. “I feel like they’re honest songs,” says Timony. “I feel very connected to them, and that’s probably a result of not trying too hard to force the album’s hand.”
Before ‘Changes‘, three further singles were released from TNSW: the tumbling yet taut punk of ‘Under the Pressure‘ which beneath hints of Iceage or Fontaines D.C. finds Timony exploring ideas of performance and authenticity in his distinct Aussie drawl; existential anthem ‘Rotten Sun’, which was inspired by a poem of the same name written by Ceremony‘s Ross. J. Farrar; and ‘Bending at the Knee‘, an art-punk masterclass that found them pulling from the darker half of their palette.
Alongside word of ‘Changes‘ and the release of TNSW today, These New South Whales also announce a headline Australian tour of the record in March – April 2023. Sign up to the mailing list HERE for pre-sale acess from November 30, with general on-sale tickets available from December 1. Find all tour dates and ticketing info BELOW. With plans to tour widely in the new year and season three of their Comedy Central series in the works, These New South Whales look set to continue confirming themselves as a once-in-a-generation Australian punk proposition.
TNSW LP is out now via Damaged Records, buy/stream it here.