PRESS CLUB

Das sagt der/die Veranstalter:in:

With five tours to the UK and Europe under their belt and Australian touring that has seen them play every state and territory in the country, this Naarm / Melbourne punk band’s cumulative gig fitness has clearly translated to the studio. Press Club’s latest album To All The Ones That I Love is, unquestionably, their finest record to date.

Stepping up the production from their previous releases, Press Club’s fourth record is diverse and evolved, encapsulating a varied soundscape. Dynamic and impactful, To All The Ones That I Love boasts a massive, textural sound.

Themes of introspection, growth, change and harnessing the power of self-awareness flow through this album.

The songwriting for Press Club’s latest record commenced in 2023, at the band’s studio in West Footscray. During these early sessions, the band fleshed-out some song ideas, including what would become ‘No Pressure’.

Released in 2024 ‘No Pressure’ was Press Club’s first taste of new music since 2022’s acclaimed Endless Motion record. This rollicking, bass-driven, hell-for-leather song perfectly encapsulates the freedom of getting out of your own way and just allowing things to happen.

“Straight down the aisle with a lack of pressure. Nobody ever felt better.”

“We’re all influenced by such eclectic styles of music, so I think we were all really happy to pull any thread to see what would unravel sonically,” the band’s bassist Iain MacRae enlightens. “We were also not under too much time pressure, so were able to leave no creative stone unturned and came at the songs from different angles, whether the starting point was a loop, drum part or melody.”

Press Club thrived in the familiarity of their own recording space, so they returned to the studio in February/March 2024 for a month of writing/recording sessions. With their equipment already set up, the band maximised time spent focusing solely on the quality of their creative output. With Greg once again on production and mixing duty, To All The Ones That I Love emerged quickly.

‘To All The Ones That I Love’ – the record’s title, focus track – returns to Press Club’s origins. Originally recorded as a track for their debut album, 2018’s Late Teens, then titled ‘Heart Attack’ the track did not make the cut. With fresh eyes and ears, Press Club decided to revisit the song, stripping it back to the essentials from the original recording as they recognised the magic existing in those original takes. Experimenting with structure, melodies and lyrics ‘To All The Ones That I Love’ emerged as an exciting feature, soon to become a favourite to all who listened.

“To all the ones that I love, I don’t say it enough…”

The album opens in spectacular fashion with ‘I Am Everything’, Press Club’s assured, allencompassing track. After recording a one-bar acoustic guitar part – this track’s looped skeleton – Greg remembers feeling desperate to continue working on the song. “Frank had to leave the studio for the day, so I pleaded with him to record a drum take,” the guitarist recounts. “He obliged and recorded an entire song’s worth of drums, improvising the song structure as he went along. This ended up on the album unchanged. I love the atmospherics on this song and it was particularly fulfilling to experiment with subtle, and not-so-subtle, vocal effects.”

Here, Nat’s commanding vocal delivery and tonal flexibility fluctuates from full-throttle powerhouse to spectral whisper (“Haven’t you heard me?”).

‘Champagne & Nikes’, which premiered on BBC Radio 1’s Rock Show, captures a bizarre encounter with an erratic man at a bottle shop that Nat and Iain witnessed while buying Guinness to fuel a recording session. Nat documented this scene in real-time and, by the time they returned to the studio, ‚Champagne & Nikes‘ was already lyrically sound.

Pummeling, uninhibited drum takes are the energetic foundation of ‘Wasted Days’, which also features Press Club’s trademark hard-hitting guitars and rhythmic-bass backbone. Lyrically, this standout track explores themes of rebirth and liberation. Deliberately long and repetitive in form, ‘Vacate’ constantly builds as the song progresses. Sonically, this one was inspired by the atmospheric guitar parts on David Bowie’s ‘Heroes‘ (played by Robert Fripp) and the deep, staccato lead guitar lines that are favoured by Joy Division and New Order.

‘Tightrope’ – yet another album highlight is about hitting that point where you’re done trying to fix things, becoming frustrated and numb taking on everybody else’s thoughts, worries and expectations,” says Nat. “It’s that feeling of barely holding it together, like you’re walking a tightrope on the edge of a breakdown.”

With the new album set for release in May, Press Club will tour UK and Europe in June followed by Australian touring in July/August.

“We’re very fortunate to be able to play shows, share music and connect with fans all around the world,” Greg acknowledges, “and to do that with your closest mates is really special.”

“I don’t really see a life without Press Club in it,” Nat concludes. “It’s the creative outlet that I think we all desperately need.”