Radio Free Alice Releases Debut Album WHAT'S IN BETWEEN

Australian new wave/post-punk band Radio Free Alice have released their long-awaited debut album, What's In Between, via Atlantic Records. Eleven songs evoke the sound of a band that knows exactly what it wants to be: hook-laden yet self-aware, full of humor and a strange kind of joy, and unashamedly massive in its ambitions.

Led by the wryly amusing Noah Learmonth alongside guitarist Jules Paradiso, bassist Michael Phillips and drummer Lochie Dowd, the Melbourne band made the record across three continents with Peter Katis (Interpol, The National), Ewan Pearson (Depeche Mode, Franz Ferdinand) and Finn Billingham.

Today's release follows a breakout run that took the band from six sold-out London shows to Governor's Ball, Reading and Leeds, and from Geese and The Killers support slots at home to three sold-out nights in New York. A coming-of-age soundtrack for fans carving out their own stories, it cements them as one of 2026's most significant breakout bands.

RFA has been rolling out singles from their album over the last few months, only officially announcing it with the single 'Crying With You' in late August. Stirring up noise the best way they know how, the band has been treating fans to surprise pop-up shows across London, Los Angeles, Sydney and Melbourne. This past week has seen them perform stripped down sets in record stores in Philadelphia, Baltimore and New York City.

Earlier this month, the band shared the last album preview with 'Big Ideas' featuring Rachel Brown of Water From Your Eyes. The song debuted live at the band's free, DIY pop-up show in LA. Performing outside of an art gallery in Chinatown, fans flocked to get an early listen to the band's new music. The song went on to earn RFA their biggest streaming day to date and received support from Paste, Stereogum, FLOOD and many others.

What's In Between is a record that understands that rapture and ruin are often unlikely bedfellows; a record built for finding your tribe in mosh pits and on dancefloors. Radio Free Alice's first album rings with the giddy spirit of a classic indie debut and, for Learmonth, that's the whole point.

'I find it disappointing that sometimes, in indie music, there's this attitude that small and lo-fi equals credible. If the vocals sound like they were recorded on a Nokia, then it's interesting. Personally, I think that's all just bulls,' he says. 'I think being big is ambitious and exposing and risky. When you do the lo-fi thing, you can hide behind it and say 'Oh, we weren't trying that hard'. But we really want these songs to to be fing banging. There's more on the line. And if you don't agree, you can't say we didn't try.'

Along with today's album release, RFA has released an official video for 'The Intersection.' Directed by Kevin Lombardo, the band is on full display in an art gallery - being scrutinized and sold while trying to perform.

Learmonth shared, ''The Intersection' is a story about someone keeping up a relationship in the outside world while receiving treatment in a mental hospital. It's a love story, really. It's a love song. It's definitely our poppiest song to date and a part of that makes us a little nervous… but I think we find that exciting. We're a band that doesn't want to be afraid or insecure about being boldly melodic.'

Keeping the unrelenting buzz of their live shows going, the band has had a jam-packed festival season performing everywhere from Gov Ball to Reading Festival to Riot Fest and Austin City Limits. Next week, RFA will kick off their extensive UK/EU tour. So far for 2027, the band has announced their return to the states for Noise Pop Festival, Innings Music Festival and Treefort Music Festival. Fans can keep an eye out for more dates very soon.

Radio Free Alice Live

2026

NOVEMBER 4 — Copenhagen, DK — Ideal Bar at Vega

6 — Berlin, DE — Frannz Club

7 — Hamburg, DE — Turmzimmer (SOLD OUT)

8 — Cologne, DE — Helios37 (SOLD OUT)

10 — Amsterdam, NL — Tolhuistuin (SOLD OUT)

11 — Brussels, BE — Botanique Rotonde (SOLD OUT)

12 — Paris, FR — Point Ephémère (SOLD OUT)

14 — Bristol, UK — Thekla (SOLD OUT)

15 — Birmingham, UK — O2 Institute2

17 — London, UK — Electric Ballroom

18 — Leeds, UK — Brudenell Social Club (SOLD OUT)

20 — Manchester, UK — Academy 2

21 — Glasgow, UK — Art School

22 — Belfast, IE — Ulster Sports Club

24 — Dublin, IE — Button Factory

27 — Barcelona, ES — Sidecar (SOLD OUT)

29 — Paris, FR — Point Ephémère (SOLD OUT)

30 — Paris, FR — Point Ephémère (SOLD OUT)

2027

FEBRUARY 24 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop (Noise Pop Festival)

27 - Tempe, AZ - Innings Music Festival

APRIL 1 - Boise, ID - Treefort Music Festival

Tracklist

Crying With You

Undressed

Rule 31

What's In Between

Kick In The Shins

Big Ideas (feat. Rachel Brown)

Lunch Money

Bottleshops

Four Leaf Clover

The Intersection

Waiting

About Radio Free Alice

Noah Learmonth is the sort of frontman that classic bands are built around. Talk to the wryly amusing Radio Free Alice vocalist, and you'll find a leader who knows exactly what he wants his band to be: hook-laden yet self-aware; full of nuance, humor and a strange kind of joy; a group for those who often find themselves on the margins of the party, but a unit whose dreams are also ambitiously, unashamedly massive and fully on display with their debut record, What's In Between (October 30 via Atlantic Records).

Learmonth and guitarist Jules Paradiso started the group at school in Sydney before moving at 18, to Melbourne to fully pursue music. With their previous bandmates staying behind, they soon found bassist Michael Phillips and drummer Lochie Dowd at Melbourne University.

RFA have quickly transcended the often hard to break out of Australian music scene and become a band welcomed onto stages around the world. In 2025, they booked one London headline show that, due to insane demand, ended up expanding to six sold-out shows in the span of a singular month. Later that year, they played their first US run, which included three sold-out NYC shows. They've spent festival season touring around the world's biggest stages, from Governor's Ball to Reading and Leeds. Back home in Australia, they supported Geese on their first trip down under, and warmed the stage for The Killers on their last arena run.

What's In Between is a three continent record made with Ewan Pearson (Depeche Mode, Franz Ferdinand) over a couple weeks north of Sydney; songs were re-worked and re-visited with producer Peter Katis (Interpol, The National) at his studio in Connecticut; while a week of downtime in north-west London earlier this year spawned the final touches on the album with UK producer Finn Billingham working out of Flood and Alan Moulder's studio.

A card-carrying lover of coming-of-age narratives, with What's In Between, Learmonth and his band have written the soundtrack to their own: a debut destined to play on the stereos of a generation of fans as they carve out their singular stories, and an album that cements Radio Free Alice's place as one of 2026's most significant breakout bands.

Photo Credit: Sasha Eisner [Download Hi-Res]

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