Expatriate, a band formed in Sydney during the height of the garage rock revival of the mid-2000s is well placed alongside other alumni such as The Vines and The Strokes. They first popped onto the national radar after releasing EP Lovers Le Strange with catchy tracks ‘Killer Kat’ and ‘The Spaces Between’ that saw the band sell out rooms across the country.
They released their debut album In the Midst of This in 2006 which saw them score an ARIA Award nomination for ‘Breakthrough Artist – Album’ and the album went on the peak at #36 on the ARIA charts.
Since then the band have been noticeably quiet. They relocated to chilly Berlin for a few years whilst they toured Europe extensively. But they haven’t forgotten their homeland, and the boys are returning with a slew of new songs off their upcoming second album Hyper/Hearts.
Expatriate – Miracle Mile by dewprocess
The first single off the album, Miracle Mile, is a return to form for the band with fuzzy guitars and the classic indie party drum beat. The hook to this song is seriously infectious and transports us to a sweaty dancefloor in some seedy alley bar dancing our worries away. We can’t help but feel that Expatriate have somehow channelled INXS with this new record, you know when INXS were still pumping out hits.
Back down to reality, the first time we listened to Miracle Mile we thought the chorus was somewhat underwhelming. But we’ve spun it a few more times since then and we have to admit it has grown on us. Give this song a couple of spins and it will feel right at home with a number of indie party classics. Is it enough to push Expatriate back in the spotlight? Only time will tell. But if the boys can deliver a show with as much energy as they could half a decade ago we think they may be in with a shot.
