Consistently staying on the grind in both their home country of Australia and on tour in the UK and Europe, Melbourne based four-piece Press Club have been making waves since their debut album Late Teens back in 2019. Now the quartet, led by frontwoman Natalie Foster, hone their sound with both breezy pop sensibilities and ripping punk energy on their latest album To All The Ones That I Love.
From the first notes of the album Press Club show a clear understanding of which strings they have to pull to create an instant emotional bond with the listener. The one-two punch of opening tracks ‘I Am Everything’ and ‘Wilt’ sets the album up as a memorable and emotionally resonant experience with the former’s gentle acoustic guitar led instrumental and swirling vocals with authentic and gripping lyrics documenting the pain that goes into the band’s songwriting which is immediately pushed aside by the equally passionate yet far more upbeat ‘Wilt’ and its earworm lead guitar line. Press Club’s ability to write a powerful and moving track in multiple contexts is quickly apparent with their candid lyrics coming across equally well in a gentle acoustic track as in a stomping punk banger.
“From the first notes of the album Press Club show a clear understanding of which strings they have to pull to create an instant emotional bond with the listener.”
A strong highlight on To All The Ones That I Love is the single ‘Champagne and Nikes’, a summer ready punk track with just enough carefree pop swagger to force its way into the charts. Written after a memorable encounter with an eccentric man while buying beer for a recording session, ‘Champagne And Nikes’ smashes together eloquent punk rock storytelling through vivid, descriptive lyrics and an unforgettable, anthemic chorus to create a must have for summer 2025 playlists.
It’s endlessly impressive how effortless Press Club make their unique blend of Amyl And The Sniffers style punk rock and Stevie Nicks inspired anthemic pop sound, mashing together disparate genres to explosive effect. Tracks such as ‘Vacate’ and ‘Wasted Days’ take this approach to its logical conclusion, allowing Foster’s passionate vocals to barge to the front while the bouncy guitar lines and forceful percussion create an elegant dreampop inspired backdrop while retaining plenty of the band’s punk energy. While hardly the most aggressive band out there Press Club show that they’re able to keep their punk energy intact while exploring other styles, letting their harder roots shine through even on poppier tracks.
“‘Champagne And Nikes’ smashes together eloquent punk rock storytelling through vivid, descriptive lyrics and an unforgettable, anthemic chorus to create a must have for summer 2025 playlists.”
As To All The Ones That I Love storms onwards Press Club refuse to let themselves lose any steam, keeping their moving lyrics inventive and their riffs exciting. Back to back hits ‘To All The Ones I Love’ and ‘Tightrope’, with the former’s more measured pace and galloping percussion and the latter’s Pup inspired singalong gang vocals backing Foster’s confident swagger, keep up the energy even in between some of the less punk focused, more emotionally driven tracks. While Press Club also excel when exploring more cleanly produced pop sounds, tracks like ‘Tightrope’, ‘Wasted Days’ and ‘Champagne and Nikes’ prove that they’re still willing to get down and dirty with some excellent punk songwriting.
Press Club show themselves to be one of the Australian punk scene’s most intriguing exports on their fourth album To All the Ones That I Love with a balanced mix of raw energy and inventive, emotionally driven songwriting. Blending breezy pop melodies with fiery punk delivery Press Club are bound to be the soundtrack to many great summers.