THE WORLD'S BEST NEW MUSIC

Formed in Melbourne around 2020, Radio Free Alice, comprising Noah Learmonth (vocals, guitar), Jules Paradiso (guitar), Michael Phillips (bass, saxophone), and Lochie Dowd (drums), have rapidly established themselves as one of Naarm’s most impressive four-piece guitar bands. Across a string of acclaimed singles and EPs, the group has honed a sound rooted in 80s indie-pop and post-punk influences: crisp jangled guitar lines, driving rhythms, and expressive saxophone flourishes. Balancing lyrical wit with immediate, physical energy, they have earned a formidable reputation for their incendiary live performances and melodic maturity.

You still hear their influences in the songs, but that's a big part of their appeal. But don't mistake this for some sort of throwback act; their songs are as energised and original as anything by their inspiration - The Smiths, Pulp, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, The Killers, The Sunny Boys, The Go-Betweens... Songs deal with the awkwardness and angst of teen and young adult life - so often seemingly mundane and excruciating, but ever monumental. 

The album is perfectly paced and subtly structured so that the songwriting iseems to be maturing song-on-song. It's a mark of a band with deep reserves of songwriting talent and global interst to reward it. Let's hope they live up to their promise.