Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, also sometimes known as Rolling Blackouts C.F., is an Australian

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, formed in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in 2013. The band consists of three lead vocalists and guitarists — Fran Keaney, Tom Russo, and Joe White — alongside bassist Joe Russo and drummer Marcel Tussie. Rising to prominence following the release of their second EP, ''The French Press'', in 2017, the band has released three studio albums: '' Hope Downs'' (2018), '' Sideways to New Italy'' (2020) and '' Endless Rooms'' (2022).

History

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever was formed in

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropol ...

in 2013 by three guitarists; cousins Fran Keaney and Joe White, along with their longtime friend and musical partner Tom Russo. Soon after, the band recruited Tom Russo's brother Joe Russo on bass guitar, as well as Fran Keaney's housemate Marcel Tussie on drums. Their debut EP, ''Talk Tight'', was released in 2016 on

Ivy League Records Ivy League Records is a record label based in Sydney, Australia. History Ivy League Records is an Australian-based record label established in 1997 by three ex-musician friends: Pete Lusty (John Reed Club) (RIP), Andy Cassell (Youth Group) an ...

. It was followed by their second EP, ''The French Press'', which was mixed by

Doug Boehm Doug Boehm (born November 4, 1969)''U.S. Public Records Index'', Vols 1 & 2 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010. is an American record producer and sound engineer who specializes predominantly in the rock music genre and has worked ...

and released in 2017 on

Sub Pop Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are often ...

. They performed at the

St Jerome's Laneway Festival The St. Jerome's Laneway Festival, commonly referred to as Laneway, began in Caledonian Lane, Melbourne, Australia, in 2005. Beginning as predominantly an indie music event, the festival grew in popularity and expanded to five Australian citie ...

on 29 January 2018, and their debut full-length album, ''Hope Downs'', was released on 15 June 2018 on Sub Pop. Their second album, ''Sideways To New Italy'', was released in 2020, again on Sub Pop.

Reception

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

gave ''Talk Tight'' an A grade, writing that "If you like the uitareffect—and why not, it's beautiful—you'll gravitate to it on sound alone. But what I'm loving at least as much is lyrics that suit the bright white male culture the sound implies." He also compared the band's sound to that of

the Go-Betweens The Go-Betweens were an Australian indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1977. The band was co-founded and led by singer-songwriters and guitarists Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, who were its only constant members throughout it ...

, a comparison that has also been made by critics like

Stephen Deusner Stephen M. Deusner is an American music critic and part-time record store clerk who lives in Bloomington, Indiana. A native of Tennessee, he has contributed to Pitchfork Media (including ''the Pitchfork 500''), ''Salon'', '' CMT'', ''American Songwr ...

. The band has also been aligned with Melbourne's

dolewave Dolewave is an Australian music genre that emerged in the early 2010s. Initially used online as an in-joke to describe an indie scene in Melbourne involving Twerps, Dick Diver and other groups, the term has since been applied by music critics ...

scene.Condon, Dan (18 June 2018)
"Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Hope Downs"
Double J. Retrieved 23 December 2018. According to

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, ''The French Press'' has a score of 81 out of 100, based on 4 reviews, indicating that it has received "universal acclaim" from critics. One favorable review of the EP was written by

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

's Stuart Berman, who gave it an 8.1/10 rating, writing that ''The French Press'' "shines just as bright as their last EP 'Talk Tight'' but the songs cast darker shadows." In a more mixed review, Landon MacDonald of ''

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 ...

'' gave the EP a 5 out of 10 rating, writing that "Ultimately, this record is for indie rock fans alone and can’t stretch past the borders of the genre." ''Hope Downs'' has an 84/100 on Metacritic.

Members

* Fran Keaney – vocals, acoustic guitar (2013–present) * Tom Russo – vocals, guitar (2013–present) * Joe White – vocals, lead guitar, keyboards, harmonica (2013–present) * Marcel Tussie - drums, percussion (2013–present) * Joe Russo – bass guitar (2013–present)

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

Notes

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as

AIR Awards The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. History The inaugural 2006 awards were held at ...

) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. , - ,

AIR Awards of 2019 The AIR Awards of 2019 is the thirteenth annual Australian Independent Record Labels Association Music Awards (generally known as the AIR Awards) and was an award ceremony at Freemasons Hall Adelaide, Australia on Thursday 25 July 2019. The awa ...

, ''Hope Downs'' , Best Independent Album , , -

Australian Music Prize

The

Australian Music Prize The Australian Music Prize (often shortened to the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The award was made by Australian Music Pri ...

(the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. , - , 2018 , ''Hope Downs'' , Australian Music Prize , , -

J Award

The

J Awards The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J and which are judged by the music and on-air teams from radio stations Triple J, ...

are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

's youth-focused radio station

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

. , - ,

J Awards of 2018 The J Award of 2018 is the fourteenth annual J Awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio stat ...

, themselves , Double J Artist of the Year , , - ,

J Awards of 2020 The J Awards of 2020 were the sixteenth annual J Awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. The eligibility period for releases took place between November 2019 and October 2020. T ...

, themselves , Double J Artist of the Year , , -

Music Victoria Awards

The

Music Victoria Awards The Music Victoria Awards (previously known as The Age EG Awards and The Age Music Victoria Awards) are an annual awards night celebrating music from the Australian state of Victoria. They commenced in 2006 and are awarded in Melbourne Music W ...

, are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2005. ! , - , rowspan="2",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, ''Hope Downs'' , Best Album , , rowspan="2", , - , Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever , Best Band , , - , rowspan="2",

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, ''Sideways to New Italy'' , Best Album , , rowspan="2", , - , themselves , Best Band , , - ,

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever , Best Rock/Punk Work , , , -

National Live Music Awards

The

National Live Music Awards The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse and successful live industry, celebrating the diversity and success of the Australian live scene – recognising the best vocal talents and musicians alongside ...

(NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. , - ,

National Live Music Awards of 2020 The National Live Music Awards of 2020 are the upcoming 5th annual National Live Music Awards. The nominees will be revealed on 7 September 2020, which is when general public voting commences. The event is scheduled for 20 October 2020. The 2 ...

, Joe Russo (Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever) , Live Bassist of the Year , , -

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 2013 establishments in Australia Australian indie rock groups Jangle pop groups Australian pop punk groups Ivy League Records artists Musical groups established in 2013 Musical groups from Melbourne Sub Pop artists