THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “After beginning as a pastime during surfless days, Hockey Dad have now been a band for 10 years. Built around their EP and three album releases (earning them gold and platinum awards) they have amassed a legion of fans and headlined tours across Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Canada, the U.S. and U.K., and performing at some of the world’s biggest festivals. Their fourth album signals the start of a new and exciting era for the band.
Rebuild Repeat a body of work which sees guitarist and lead vocalist Zach Stephenson and drummer Billy Fleming stretching themselves creatively and embracing new sounds which, whilst unmistakably Hockey Dad, take the band into an invigorating new direction.
“This album for me feels like a fresh rebirth after a muddy, hazy couple of years for us and everyone else in the world,” said Stephenson. “Rebuild Repeat as a title kind of describes the process of making a new record as a band. You only have yourselves as raw materials. You knock down what you had from the past, re-design, rebuild it and repeat. Hopefully you learn some structural integrity tips along your way.”
The single Base Camp is case in point. The song, about the journey life takes and the challenges of taking those first steps to achieve certain milestones, was worked on with Alex Burnett (Thelma Plum, Sparkadia) and Oli Horton (Foals, Alice Ivy) who co-wrote, produced and mixed the song alongside Tim McArtney (Gang of Youths, Jarryd James). The result is a feel good melodic pop song which still sounds quintessentially Hockey Dad.
Reflecting on how their performances have grown over the years Zach said: “The feeling on stage playing remains the same over all this time. It’s just deep trust and brotherhood. These new songs sound very different live, Moshers fear not! Come hang out at a show. Sing some songs, see friends and make friends.”
