With a sound like The Jam, if The Jam were born and bred in sunny Melbourne, Australia and raised on a diet of Flying Nun compilations, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever quickly made an impression on international indie fans. Their jittery, jangly first EP Talk Tight arrived in 2016, and the sophisticated, post-punk steeped second EP The French Press followed in 2017, turning up on a number of high profile “best of 2017” lists.
Now they’ve burst into 2018 with “Mainland,” a jumpy single tenderized and sweetened by Millennial melancholy. It was inspired by singer and guitarist Tom Russo’s visit in 2017 to the Aoelian Islands north of Sicily. (His grandparents were born in the archipelago.) “Mainland” was recorded in a house very far away from Italy in the wilds of New South Wales, in the north of Australia. No word yet on whether it will be part of a larger release, but Sub Pop has promised that this will be a “big year” for the Australian indie rockers.
We can confirm that the quintet will be kicking off a North American tour in April starting with a couple of slots at Coachella. They play The Crocodile on Wednesday, April 25. You can watch their most recent KEXP session from last year below.
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Host Emily Fox and KEXP’s editorial team talk with artists about the stories behind their songs and the experiences that inform their work. Through each conversation, we uncover the humanity behind the music, allowing us to hear it in a whole new way.
