"Australia" is a song by American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band

The Shins The Shins is an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1996. The band is the project of singer-songwriter James Mercer, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The band's cu ...

, and is the second track on their third album, '' Wincing the Night Away''. The song was released as the second

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from that album in the United Kingdom on 9 April 2007. All three versions of the single are currently available on the United Kingdom iTunes. It is one of the songs on the soundtrack of the

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game ''

Project Gotham Racing 4 ''Project Gotham Racing 4'' is a racing video game developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released exclusively for the Xbox 360 in October 2007. Development history ''Project Gotham Racing 4'' was accident ...

'' and was also released as downloadable content for the Rock Band video game series initially through the Rock Band Network, then in 2018 as DLC for

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. The lyrics of the song have many interpretations. Despite its name, the song's lyrics do not reference Australia at all.

Music video

The official music video was directed by

Matt McCormick Matt McCormick is a Spokane, Washington based video installation artist and filmmaker. His work extends documentary and experimental filmmaking, focusing on the sublime decay of contemporary culture and the landscape both urban and rural. McCormic ...

. It shows the band members arriving at a car dealership. While one of them poses as a customer to distract the salespeople, the others coordinate a theft of the many gas-filled

balloon A balloon is a flexible bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, and air. For special tasks, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), or light so ...

s the dealership has affixed to their cars and to advertise their merchandise. They are discovered but manage to escape with the balloons in their van while the decoy walks away undisturbed. The group drives the van to a field where they release the balloons and watch them rise into the sky.

Reception

"Australia" was well received by critics. ''

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'' wrote that "'Australia' is a peppy rocker in the spirit of ''Chutes best, elevated by a newfound confidence and expressive range in Mercer's voice."

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

wrote: "Still familiar and addictive, the song nevertheless turns the tried and true formula on its ear, coming off slightly like a New Wave dance anthem." The single entered the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

on 21 April 2007 at #62."The Shins"

Official Charts Company The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. In the United Kingdom, its charts inc ...

. Retrieved 24 October 2010.

Track listings

* 7" # "Australia" # "Girl Inform Me" (performed by Jeremy Warmsley) # "Caring Is Creepy" (performed by Polytechnic) * 7" # "Australia" # "Phantom Limb" (Radio 2 Session) # "So Says I" (KCRW Session) * CD # "Australia" # "Sleeping Lessons" (The RAC Mix) # "Saint Simon" (Radio 2 Live Version) # "Girl on the Wing" (KCRW Session)

Personnel

* James Mercer – vocals, guitar, bass, synthesizers, ukulele, banjo, cat piano *

Martin Crandall The Shins is an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1996. The band is the project of singer-songwriter James Mercer, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The band's cu ...

– organ *

Dave Hernandez Dave Hernandez (born September 20, 1970, Guadalajara, Mexico) is a Mexican guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is best known as a former member of the American indie rock band The Shins, with whom he recorded four studio albums. Hernandez is ...

– lead guitar *

Jesse Sandoval Jesse Sandoval (born November 15, 1974) is the former drummer of American indie rock group The Shins. Sandoval initially formed Flake with singer-songwriter James Mercer, guitarist Neal Langford and bassist Marty Crandall in Albuquerque, New ...

– drums

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Australia (The Shins Song) The Shins songs 2007 singles Songs written by James Mercer (musician) 2007 songs Sub Pop singles