Radio Free Alice is making post-punk hot again on "Johnny"

Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, the five members of Radio Free Alice may not have released a full album just yet, but they are already experiencing sold-out headline shows across the UK. Fans are lining up around the block to listen to their smoldering, reverb-laden live performances, and we don’t blame them for braving the heat. The hype is all due to the band’s classic DIY sound, which manages to feel both nostalgic and new. You can find comparisons between the band’s sound and other iconic groups like The Cure, The Strokes, Cocteau Twins, and even The Smiths (Think tracks like "Frankly, Mr. Shankly").

With Radio Free Alice’s own charming, sincere lyrics, penned by frontman Noah Learmonth, their songs often feature a perfect mix of jangly DIY instrumentation along with upstanding new wave sound. It’s the kind of music that alt-rock fans have been wanting back for a long time which Radio Free Alice is bringing alive again. If you want to make that judgment for yourself, then give their new single “Johnny” a listen and see.

Much like many of the other songs by this group, “Johnny” has a dreamy, post-punk sound. With its quick-thinking interplay of guitars, driving drums, and warm, atmospheric synth, it’s an all-encompassing track with truly melodic instrumentation and cool, angular guitar. All framed by pleading, echoing harmonies, the song feels urgent, effervescent, and tragic. If you look at the lyrics, you’ll see that it is all of that and more too. “’Johnny’ is about growing up and feeling isolated,” Radio Free Alice said of the track. “It follows the narrative of a young guy who runs away from his very religious family because he feels alone in it.”

Beyond the release of “Johnny”, the band also announced their upcoming EP Polyester today, which is set to come out later this summer. While the project first began to take shape in the group’s hometown of Melbourne, the EP was completed while the group was on tour across Europe. From brainstorming sessions in train stations in Hradec Kralove, makeshift recording sessions in tour vans across London and Nottingham streets, to discussions on bunk beds in Paris hostels, the trip was full of worldly inspiration that eventually came to inspire the band’s upcoming project. We’ll just have to wait until August to see if that resulting EP has the same addictive post-punk allure as this lead single.