Months after showcasing a new indie-rock sound, Allday has officially announced the release of his next album, with Drinking With My Smoking Friends set to arrive in late May.
First teasing his new sound in October with “After All This Time”, Allday had previously alluded to a genre shift on Instagram, having joked: “Imagine if for the last year I’d been secretly making a rock album and tomorrow I dropped the first single.”
Now, with new single “Void” arriving today, Allday has officially detailed his fourth record, explaining how it captures evocative snippets of life from the “extended youth” he found himself experiencing when he returned from Los Angeles to home soil, and the change from already-iconic hip-hop to guitar-driven pop and rock.
“I came back to Australia from LA and I was working out what comes next,” Allday (whose real name is Tom Gaynor) explained in a statement. “My music has always been somewhat varied: there’s different types of rap, really pop songs, house-y stuff.”
Having been inspired to explore more open, sentimental melodies after working with producer Japanese Wallpaper on “In Motion”, the new record further showcases this sound, while telling stories of suburban drudgery and inner city decay, crafting sculptures of Australian life and the hopefulness of not only youth, but of youthful thinking as well
“There was an element, with songs like [“In Motion”], where the tough guy facade came down,” Allday explains. So then I thought, ‘Why am I still holding on to that?’”
“Drinking With My Smoking Friends is about escaping something and finding something new, whether that’s a place, a relationship or something else,” he adds, with the record set to not only provide a message of optimism, but also inspire a sense of fun as well.
In addition to news of a new album and a new single, Allday has also announced a run of national tour dates for August, with tickets on sale from 9am, Thursday, March 18th.
Allday’s “Void” is out now, while Drinking With My Smoking Friends will be released on May 28th, with pre-orders available now.
Allday 2021 Tour Dates
Saturday, August 7th
Metro City, Perth, WA
Friday, August 20th
Enmore Theatre, Sydney, NSW
Saturday, August 21st
Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide, SA
Friday, August 27th
The Forum, Melbourne, VIC
Saturday, August 28th
Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane, QLD
Tickets on sale from 9am, Thursday, March 18th
