There’s a calm confidence in Frank Lees’ voice when he talks about Press Club’s latest album—a sense that the band, now four albums in, has well and truly found its rhythm.
But don’t mistake that for complacency. If anything, this latest body of work is truly their most expansive, exploratory, and emotionally resonant release yet.
“This is us, this is what we sound like now, and we can’t change that,” Frank says simply. It’s not defiance—it’s clarity.
Press Club Tour
- Saturday 3 May – The Tote, Collingwood
- Friday 23 May – The Sound Doctor, Angelsea
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Press Club built their name on high-energy punk anthems and sweaty, impassioned live shows. But the Melbourne four-piece has grown up a little—life has layered itself in between tours and studio time, and it’s reshaped how they make music. But don’t fear, at the core it’s still the Press Club you know and love.
“We’ve become better at time management,” Frank explains. “We’re older, we’ve got other dependants, kids, jobs—that’s just being a musician, I guess. We’ve had to catch up with the times.”
Gone are the days of jamming everything out in a room together. The band has leaned into the flexibility of their own studio setup, embracing a more fluid, collaborative process.
“We don’t record everything all in the studio together anymore,” Lees says. “Before, we liked the fact we didn’t use that stuff—it was just the band—but we’ve learnt that we can still be the band with some modern twists.”
Press Club’s latest record doesn’t just sound different—it feels different. It’s more exploratory, layered, and willing to take sonic risks.
“We’re always learning and trying to get better, that’s the main goal with each album—be better than the last,” Lees says. “For the first couple of albums, we were going for a particular aesthetic. Punk, rock, etc. But now we want to bring in new dynamics. Songs should just be on the album because they’re good songs.”
Still, no matter how much the sound shifts, Lees knows they’ll always sound like themselves. “There’s a lot of freedom in that, knowing we’ll always be us—but that doesn’t mean we have to conform to any preconceived ideas.”
Despite the album’s heavier themes—introspection, growth, change—the creative process behind it was anything but a grind.
“It was liberating,” Frank says. “It was fun to embrace different ideas the band hasn’t explored before. Those ideas of growth and change filtered into everything.”
His approach to drumming is raw and instinctive—improvisational by nature. A jazz-trained improviser at heart, Lees works fast and in the moment. One standout track, “I Am Everything,” came together almost accidentally.
“I went into the studio for about an hour, Greg had recorded a riff and I had to leave soon, so I jumped in and played a long improvisation over this riff,” he recalls. “When I came back the next day, they’d written the song around that improvisation—so I couldn’t change it. It’s just cool, because the way we were writing and the way I played influenced the song.”
While the sound may be shifting, the intention hasn’t changed, and Lees is refreshingly unbothered by outside opinions.
“Personally, it’s not that I don’t care what the fanbase thinks—I just have a healthy disregard for other people’s opinions when it comes to my own music,” he says. “If you take into account what others might think of the music you’re making, I don’t see how anyone would get work done.”
That freedom extends to how the band approaches their back catalogue, too. One of the album’s most emotionally potent songs, the title track “To All The Ones That I Love,” is a resurrection of an idea from 2018—originally called “Heart Attack.”
“We had the original idea and it was mainly the chorus we weren’t happy with,” Lees explains. “We thought we’d use it as a B-side along the way, but that never happened. Then we deleted the vocal track, listened to the music and it was just really good—so we had another crack at it. We brought it into our new more modern style and it sounded incredible.”
He laughs, “There are so many songs just sitting there in Press Club’s ‘ideas folder’ that I’d love to go and work on again… If we ever had the time, maybe we’d do some double album idea like Radiohead did—that would be fun.”
Despite all the growth in the studio, there’s no question about where Press Club’s true soul lives: the stage.
“I improvise on stage, every night is different—which is fun for both us and the audience, I hope,” Frank says. “Ian [bass] and I play different things all the time. That’s where we feel comfortable.”
Over time, even some of their biggest songs have shapeshifted. ‘Headwreck’ or ‘Suburbia’ are quite different from the original recordings now.”
Expect that same energy on their upcoming tour, where the setlist will be a sprawling mix of old and new.
“When you have four albums of material, you end up having to cut a lot more than we like to. Expect a long set,” Lees promises.
When asked about tour essentials, he assures “I travel light, I’m a minimalist… but headphones are a must. In the past, I’ve also run Dungeons and Dragons in the tour bus for the crew, so that can be quite fun.”
He also cops to owning more shoes than you’d expect from a self-proclaimed minimalist. “Work boots for when you stop being a musician and start being a roadie, which we all are,” he jokes. “And sunnies and a cap. Stay sun smart.”
And then, of course, there’s Ian’s wardrobe.
“Ian always has one or two wild pieces of clothing that he’ll just wear as if it’s not weird, like a police hat. He’ll wear it for days without anyone mentioning it.”
Press Club may be evolving, but some things never change.
“Press Club is a live band, ultimately,” Frank says. “We’re evolving in the studio, but to really understand the band, you need to come see us live—so be there with us!”
Press Club is touring Australia this May, see full dates here!
