Radio Free Alice have unleashed their latest single.
“Empty Words” marks the first glimpse of what’s coming from the Melbourne post-punk outfit in 2025.
Written and recorded between shows while the band were tearing through London last year, the track sees them stretch their sound. There’s synths. There’s sax. There’s that same precise post-punk energy, but dialed up a notch.
“‘Empty Words’ came out of a jam like most of our songs do,” the band says. “It was in some downtime between shows while we were in the UK last year. Lyrically it’s about the feeling of social stagnation that I think a lot of young people in our generation feel.”
A music video has also landed—watch it below.
The single arrives just as the band hit a new stride: their debut US shows this month at SXSW Austin, a set at Melbourne Fashion Festival’s runway (March 6th), and a fresh slot at Atlanta’s Shaky Knees Festival this September, where they’ll share a bill with Lucy Dacus, IDLES, and Pixies.
Since their 2020 formation, Radio Free Alice have become one of Australia’s most buzzworthy guitar bands in recent memory. Their 2023 debut EP earned an AIR Award nomination for Best Independent Punk Album or EP, with tracks like “Paris Is Gone” receiving acclaim from triple j and beyond.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ got the inside scoop on their 2024 EP, Polyester, with an in-depth track-by-track breakdown—read it here.
Recorded with Nao Anzai at Soundpark Studios and refined during their European tour, Polyester features mixing by Ewan Pearson (Warpaint, M83, Joy Division) and mastering by Mikey Young.
The band haven’t slowed down since. They’ve stormed through the UK and Europe, supported The Killers on their Australian run, co-headlined a national tour with Big Special, and packed out rooms on their own ‘Polyester’ tour last August.
Even Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre took notice. After catching one of their Sydney headline shows, he gave them his bluntest seal of approval: “not shit.”
Radio Free Alice’s “Empty Words” is out now.
