Radio Free Alice are ending the week with a new single.
“Lunch Money” is the Melbourne post-punk band’s debut release on Atlantic Records (out via Warner Music Australia locally), and arrives ahead of their Governor’s Ball Festival appearance in New York City this weekend.
Following that festival slot, Radio Free Alice will head off on a run of performances across Europe and the UK.
Frontman Noah Learmonth shares, “‘Lunch Money’ came together last year in a soundcheck in Nottingham while on tour in the UK. It was the back-end of the tour and it had started getting really cold.
“I remember us writing it on the stage at the empty venue, all with jackets, scarves and gloves on. It was one of those songs that came together pretty instantly.”
The accompanying music, set in NYC and directed by Pema Baldwin, is set to premiere later today.
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Radio Free Alice’s single follows their inclusion in our Future of Music 2026 series, chosen as one of 25 local acts we’re excited about for 2026 and beyond.
“Australia hasn’t lacked for brooding post-punk bands in the 2020s, but Radio Free Alice have still managed to carve out their own space in a crowded market,” we praised.
“Paying homage to bands of the ’80s like The Smiths and The Cure, their brand of post-punk is energetic and playful, prioritising hooks and fun over dark atmospherics. It’s a nostalgic sound which never comes off as pastiche.”
In an exclusive interview for the series, the band told us that their final London show of 2025 was “probably” their favourite career memory to date.
“It was the final show of a really long tour,” they told us. “The crowd was great. There was something that felt really cathartic about that show.”
They also said that they were hopeful for the future of music in ANZ, adding “[t]here’s a ridiculous amount of talent in Australia, particularly in Melbourne.”
Radio Free Alice’s “Lunch Money” is out now via Atlantic Records (ROW) / Warner Music Australia (AU).
