The five best new bands in Australia right now
Anyone with a vague interest in the unwieldy world of alternative music will have been paying attention to Australia over the last several years.
It seems like every time some cracking punk tape or new wave EP is stumbled upon on Bandcamp, you’ll invariably see the location as dotted somewhere across the country, be it Billiam representing Melbourne – or Narrm to give its indigenous Woiwurrung name – the Warttmann Inc mob over in Sydney, or Tombeau and the Idiots representing Wollongong.
Whatever’s in the water, Australia continues to birth new and exciting names among the music underground, buoyed by the rich community and support networks promoting friendly solidarity over adversarial competition. Echoing the halcyon era of Sydney’s Grand Hotel or Melbourne’s Crystal Ballroom, the current crop of musical contenders absolutely stands tall with any of Australia’s alternative heritage.
With an impossible array of Aussie bands to choose from, we pick just five in no order that you must keep your eye on.
The five best new bands in Australia right now:
Mystery Daughter
Despite lacking even an official debut single, Mystery Daughter have already built a compelling world. Strange realms, secret doors, beckoning fantasy, the duo have been known to personally post lovingly assembled packages of fanzines and trinkets, including a “key to the keyhole of your dreams,” directly to the Melbourne residence of this Far Out writer while out in Aus.
A synthpop duo conjuring thunderously new wave ballads and stirringly pumped anthems, “header of unknown footer” Mystery Daughter, backed by her “sound smith extraordinaire and sanatorium escapee” Shock-headed Peter on keyboards, weave a joyous slice of melodramatic reverie, each live show straddling an intersection of mystical summoning and hairbrush for a microphone bedroom escapism.
With ‘Panache!’ on the horizon as the pair’s first polished song, only the most cold-hearted cynic will fail to lose themselves in Mystery Daughter’s enchanting, NRG spell.
The Antics
Without ever lapsing into retro derivativeness, The Antics seem to wield the flame of Australian punk’s former years, authentically dwelling in St Kilda’s The Crystal Ballroom early days while staunchly representing today’s northern cohort, keeping the city’s punk underground well and truly alive.
Fronted by Freya Tanks with James Colicchia on guitar, Wil Clifford behind the drum kit and Kealy Harris handling bass, The Antics let loose rip-roaring garage rock with a cavernous edge, all turbo drama and skulking intrigue, Colicchia’s guitar able to snake around a myriad of styles while never letting up the ferocity.
Packed with fierce political snarl, frequently making statements regarding their operations on “stolen Wurundjeri land,” The Antics look set to stand as one of Melbourne’s most vital forces to emerge from Victoria’s teeming counterculture, their eponymous debut album out next month with Rack Off Records.
Photo by Jacob McCann
JJ Sizza
Normally found lending respective bass and guitar to Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice and Kitchen People & Kosmetika, Jake Suriano adopted the JJ Sizza moniker for an initial one-man solo venture, before expanding to a fully-fledged band ahead of 2025’s New, Old.. New Again.
Hailing from Melbourne’s Brunswick area, JJ Sizza melds an infectious garage brew. Power pop swagger, hooky punk, and just a smatter of eggpunk’s sticky keyboard yolk – yes, we said the ‘E’ word – the gang fire off “genre-hopping, ADHD powered songs” all scoring their frontman’s signature languid drawl.
According to the man himself, 2026 promises to be “busy” for the JJ Sizza venture. Here’s hoping Australia and beyond are treated to more of JJ Sizza’s artful blasts of inside-out garage attack sooner than later.
Baby Ouzo
Legend has it that Baby Ouzo was only dreamed up to play a one-off set at the Festaroo fundraiser, before Happy Tapes oddballs Cloudice9 scooped up the pair to play their album launch at Melbourne’s prized Tote Hotel.
They’ve been gigging ever since. Comprised of Kalani Katsoolis’ ‘Baby’ rapper and Samuel Wilkinson’s DJ Dionysus, the pair spin a pumped rave of Greek hyper pop and experimental breakcore that feels less like a gig and more like a heady panagiri sanctuary of giddy fun.
Supported by the Little Miss Kouklas back-up dancers and replete with plenty of arresting fine art and theatrical whirlwind, Baby Ouzo’s “interactive-horny-spooky” double trouble can just as easily raise the roof at the local punk venue as well as the party club with effortless aplomb.
Trap Card
You know you’re in trouble when a singer takes the stage in a chain mail hood. Semi-fronted by Elle – who also forms JJ Sizza’s band – Trap Card deals in serrated surf hack and furious riffage aptly reflecting their namesake Yu-Gi-Oh! card in standing for “interruption” and “destroying monsters” with its “powerful, reactive effects.”
It’s a decent clue as to the fierce energy Trap Card hold in their deck. Fuelled with electric synergy, the gang’s various punk pedigree all collide with gripping fashion, whatever show they play, Elle particularly mastering an awesome wield of power chords to drive the whole operation to a frenzied peak.
Without even a song on Bandcamp at the time of writing, Trap Card’s reputation among the Melbourne punk underground has already set an anticipation for what studio cut is pulled out of their medieval leather pouch.
Photo by @gucci.lil.piggy
