Melbourne trio Alcotomic have dropped their power-pop rock fuelled album, ‘8 Second Empire’ after over two decades away, pushing through on a string of well-received singles, bringing forth some of the freshest, no-frills Australian alt music to hit the airwaves in some time.

Alcotomic formed in Melbourne in 1996 after singer John Freeman Baxter parted ways with Melbourne band Holocene. Taken-in by hit producer Lindsay Gravina (Jet, Magic Dirt, Thirsty Merc) and also working with producer David Price (Screamfeeder, Split Enz), the trio refined their unique brand of power pop and hard-hitting melodic rock across a string of singles and EPs over the following five years.

 The band's music received widespread airplay across triple j and community radio stations, with the song 'Living in Luxury' finding great success on radio and TV (9 Network's Stingers and Good Guys, Bad Guys). On the back of regular live shows, high-profile support gigs and festival dates, Alcotomic were offered a two-album deal from Polygram Records, which unfortunately fell through due to label acquisition and restructuring. More recording and touring followed, including an appearance on ABC's Recovery, signing with US label Not Lame Records, and a showcase at the 1998 Pacific Circle Music Conference in Sydney.

After nearly two decades in the wilderness, Alcotomic have come back swinging with ‘8 Second Empire’ — a record brimming with some of the hookiest power-pop rock gems you’ll hear this year. Built from demos laid down in the late ’90s and early 2000s, the band manage to bottle that era’s charm without sounding like a museum piece. Instead, it’s a revitalised set of nostalgia-soaked anthems that cut through today’s indie rock crowd. From the earworm bounce of “Sunshine” to the carefree sway of “Hanging Out” and the gleaming rush of “Ruby Shoes,” this is an album that feels like St Kilda circa 2000 and makes you long for the scene all over again. Fans of You Am I, Motor Ace, and Ash will find a lot to love here.

After pulling up stumps in 2001, the band are back and in a rich period of renewed activity. Bassist Doug Lee Robertson (Icecream Hands) and drummer Jay Pinfold (Juke Kartel) join Freeman Baxter in a rejuvenated line-up that formed after he accidentally stumbled across dozens of cassettes from the 1998-2002 period, containing demos that were earmarked for the bands then-planned album.  

The title of the album is a comment on the attention span of listeners in the digital era. "Recent tests have proven that the adult attention span is now 8.25 seconds," says Freeman Baxter. "The name ‘8 Second Empire’ is a commentary on the difficulty of getting and holding people's attention with new music."  Alcotomic picked up where they left oﬀ two decades earlier, quickly hitting the practice room and recording studio.

The first comeback single, the stomp and squall indie rock of 'Bridges', was released last year on Small Sanctuary Records and in just six weeks had over 10,000 plays on Spotify alone, spurring the band on to release a string of compelling singles.   The single 'Seventeen' (125k streams) is a hard-edged, harmony-laden, jangle pop gem on par with Australian bands such as Glide and 78 Saab.

Most recently, the band released 'Ruby Shoes', a song with guitars that slash and sparkle before the exemplary chorus bursts into view like a classic lost power pop single.  

As we in the southern hemisphere emerge pale and blinking from our winter, it seems only natural that the lead track with the album release is the single 'Sunshine', an important song about coping with mental health issues. "It’s about longing for the light and warmth while living in a dark and unhappy space," explains Freeman Baxter.  

He also stresses that the band purposely avoided anything to do with AI or any hi-tech wizardry in the recording of ‘8 Second Empire’. "This was always about three people, bringing their ideas to the project and delivering honest and real performances with minimal tinkering and production. We hope that people feel that and embrace the authenticity and honesty of the album."

  The band's ability to harness the melodic brilliance of 70s bands such as Big Star, and filter it through the influence of 90s contemporaries such as You Am I, Ash, Weezer, and more, speaks to the timeless quality of Freeman Baxter's songwriting and the band's continued relevance in 2025.

‘8 Second Empire’ is all yours to take in now via your usual digital streaming platforms.