ALMOST nine years after releasing their debut single, Throwin' Shade, Newcastle dance-punks Raave Tapes are finally set to unveil their debut album.
The self-titled 12-track album will be released on May 24, following a headline tour of capital cities in April.
"After rolling through single releases and putting out EPs, an album has always been that crazy goal to achieve," Raave Tapes bassist and co-vocalist, Lindsay O'Connell, said.
O'Connell joined the then three-piece Raave Tapes in 2017, following the departure of original bassist Joel Burgess.
Since that time the now duo of O'Connell and founding member, Joab Eastley (guitar, vocals) have constantly released singles, toured nationally and continued to push their dance-punk sound into a more electronic-pop territory.
And even with albums being relegated to dinosaur-status by many in the social media-driven modern music industry, it remains the ultimate for O'Connell.
"On a personal level, a buy a lot of records," she said. "I'm a big album junkie and I love listening cover to cover.
"To have something that was a big product of work, it felt really special."
The album was written and recorded over a three-year period with Newcastle-bred producer Fletcher Matthews in Sydney and at O'Connell's parents' Durham Recording Studio at Stanhope, in the Hunter Valley.
The singles Goodbye and k hi will appear on the album, plus the O'Connell-led I Just Wanna Be Alone, which was released on Wednesday.
The electronic-pop ballad marks a departure from Raave Tapes' more raucous back catalogue.
O'Connell said I Just Wanna Be Alone was realised following discussions about relationships, both romantic and friendship, with Eastley and Matthews during the pandemic.
"It seemed really natural for me at that stage," she said.
"I was single, I was really coming to terms with who I was and what I wanted my relationship with myself to look like, and that's where that song was born.
"It made sense to make it a real pop song.
"There's a lot of female empowerment songs about being single and being happy with that and looking in the mirror and loving yourself. That's the general theme of the song."
Ever since the release of the 2020 single Habitual, O'Connell has taken a bigger role out front of Raave Tapes. She said the album would showcase equal parts of her and Eastley's songwriting.
"This album reflects Joab and I coming together and putting the two sides of our personality into an album and our interests in music and skills.
"I love writing melodies and Joab's so good at getting into the intricate bits of the music itself."
The Raave Tapes album announcement comes after several "bucket list" items for the band, including a debut at Laneway Festival in February and supporting Australian electronic royalty, The Presets, at King Street last Friday for Great Southern Nights.
