Emo/Pop-Punk legends, Waxflower have returned with a hard-hitting, and unguarded new single, in ‘Undertow’, a track that speaks to the impending burnout within the band, as well as the consideration to leave music all together. The single comes off the back of 2 EP’s (via Rude Records), & touring/shows alongside Trophy Eyes, Stand Atlantic, Between You & Me, Slowly Slowly & WAAX

Having spent the past year fighting disillusionment with music, the band had to strip back all preconceived notions of extrinsic success to focus on the internal gratification brought from writing & releasing songs. With a recent triple j survey highlighting 48% of Australian artists considering quitting the music industry in the past 12 months, Waxflower penned ‘Undertow’ when deep in these spotlighted deliberations.

‘Undertow’ is a two-and-a-half minute burst of all-out emotions; a note of self-care from musicians, to musicians. It’s a satisfying dose of riff-heavy, emo-punk, with a touch of post-hardcore in the middle section (featuring a quick, brilliant cameo from Wifecult’s Joey Keating), and drums that have no business being so damn tastily complex in a sub-three minute track. Waxflower make sure that emo/punk stays well alive in Australia with ‘Undertow’, while also pointing out to fellow musicians to lose sight of why we create our art in the first place.

With the honest nature of the track, the band chose to self-produce, recording the drums at Heliport Studios (The Amity Affliction, Stateside, Pandamic) on QLD’s Sunshine Coast, before reverting to singer Tristan Higginson’s spare bedroom to track all other parts. Featured within the song is Wifecult’s Joey Keating, providing vocals throughout the track’s bridge & last chorus. Mixing was handled by Sam Guaiana (Silverstein, Neck Deep, Between You & Me). ‘Undertow’ marks the band’s first independent release in over 3 years.

“Undertow is about being disillusioned with aspects of making music. The longer I do this, the more I want to get back to the bare basics - writing and releasing songs. I don’t want to use my experiences with mental illness as PR bait. I’m burned out from tying my self worth to streaming numbers, radio play - the minor success (or lack thereof) of this little band. Let’s just do what we can do, and anything more is gravy.” - Tristan Higginson

Waxflower burst onto the scene with the single ‘Back To Back’, before quickly signing with Rude Records (Less Than Jake, The Maine, Stand Atlantic) & releasing their debut EP ‘We Might Be Alright’ via the European label. Tours & shows alongside Simple Plan, The Maine, Stand Atlantic, Between You & Me, Trophy Eyes & Slowly Slowly quickly made them an Australian stalwart of emotionally charged rock. Accumulating 1.1 million+ streams across DSP’s, the band have seen support across Spotify (‘New Music Friday’, ‘Pop Punk’s Now Dead’ ‘All New Rock’ ‘The Locker’ & ‘Rock Out’) & Apple Music (‘Rise & Grind’, ‘Breaking Rock’, ‘New In Rock’). Domestically triple j have been large supporters of the band, with multiple

It’s a welcome return from Waxflower. ‘Undertow’ is out now on all streaming platforms.