Boston once had Soccer Mom, and now Australia has Hockey Dad. While the opportunity has passed for those bands to play a killer show together (RIP Soccer Mom), the indie-surf rock duo from Windang is headed our way, and just in time for the release of new record Boronia this Friday.
But first, toss the notion that any group outside of California misses the groovy mark of the genre, because this Hockey Dad nail the sound of surf from the other side of the world. Hockey Dad sound just as you’d expect, considering the pair of surf rock dudes hail from the Leisure Coast. With vocals that hit the wry sweet spot of an insinuated eternal summer, the two Aussies craft music made for adolescent moonlight romps and desperate post-grad bar crawls.
Partners in grime Zack Stephenson and Billy Fleming started making music the way most teenagers do -- by lifting instruments from their folks and venues to experiment when no one was looking (or listening). By age 18, the two had formed Hockey Dad as a fledgling surf rock outfit touring Australia. Now breaking out of the region just south of Sydney, the duo rips up the states with CMJ cred under their guitar straps and a new release ready for wreaking havoc.
Named after the street that the pair grew up on, Boronia debuts August 12 in conjunction with the beginning of their North American tour. The band’s new material balances carefree jangle with jam-session garage (hear opening track “We Can’t Have Them” below), conveying youthful irresponsibility with every blithe guitar lick. And considering that their name came from a reference to The Simpsons, in case you were wondering, Hockey Dad aren't here to take anything too seriously.
Buried within the group’s 11 new tracks is the closest experience to a whiff of sea salt Bostonians can feel without enduring the haul to Revere Beach, so we advise you ditch the commuter rail in favor of the duo’s debut in Allston, when they stretch out the last days of pre-Labor Day bliss and play Great Scott on August 28 with Muuy Biien and Abadabad.
Check out all their upcoming tour dates, an 18-date North American run that kicks off tonight in San Francisco, and preview some tunes down below.
Hockey Dad Tour Dates:
8/10: Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA
8/11: Casbah - San Diego, CA
8/12: The Echo - Los Angeles, CA
8/15: Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR
8/16: Cobalt - Vancouver, BC
8/18: Barboza - Seattle, WA
8/19: Neurolux - Boise, ID
8/20: Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT
8/21: Hi Dive - Denver, CO
8/22: Slowdown - Omaha, NE
8/23: Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL
8/25: Ace of Cups - Columbus, OH
8/26: Drake Hotel - Toronto, ON
8/27: 3S Artspace - Portsmouth, NH
8/28: Great Scott - Allston, MA
8/29: DC9 - Washington, DC
8/30: Boot & Saddle - Philadelphia, PA
9/01: Rough Trade - Brooklyn, NY