Naarm/Melbourne-based band Radio Free Alice have released their third EP Empty Words.
Empty Words features four tracks in total, including the title track (released in March), the Peter Katis-produced “Toyota Camry”, and new releases “Regret” and “Chinese Restaurant”, both produced by Ali Chant (Dry Cleaning, Perfume Genius, Soccer Mommy) and recorded across Bristol and London.
Frontman Noah Learmonth said “Chinese Restaurant” was inspired by the “overwhelming sense of living in the past” the post-punk band experienced when touring the UK.
“Every venue had a punny name nodding to some bygone legend-places like ‘EBGBS’ (a riff on CBGB) or ‘The Stoned Rose’. Driving around the UK in this tour van felt like wandering through the aftermath of a house party that was definitely over, but no one seemed capable of moving on from,” he explained.
“The whole EP is in some way connected to this feeling that I’ve had my whole life. That the world’s this museum for the past we didn’t even live through.”
Radio Free Alice, made up of Learmonth, Jules Paradiso, Michael Phillips, and Lochie Dowd, only formed in 2020 but have quickly risen to become one of the most talked-about guitar bands in Australian music. The EP launch comes as they wrap up their UK tour this month, including a late addition to the Reading and Leeds Festival lineup.
In September, they will continue on to tour North America, which includes two sold out headline shows in New York and a slot at Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta. They are also preparing for their slot at Melbourne’s Meredith Festival in December.
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Radio Free Alice have had a stellar year so far, making their international debut at SXSW Austin, landing a spot on the NME 100 and Monster Children’s Bright Young Things, and performing at Melbourne Fashion Festival.
Their previous EP, Polyester, has racked up over 3 million streams since its release earlier this year. It ranked fourth on Rolling Stone AU/NZ‘s Best Australian EPs of 2024. They followed that launch with support slots on The Killers’ Australia tour and a co-headline national run with Big Special, and sold-out headline shows last August.
Their self-titled debut EP was also nominated for Best Independent Punk Album or EP at the 2025 AIR Awards, and the band was among the names in the Readers’ Choice category at the 2025 Rolling Stone AU/NZ Awards.
Radio Free Alice’s Empty Words EP is out now.
