Sydney’s bass and drum punk duo, smallways. return with a confrontational new single in ‘Know Where?’ - a track that challenges the illusion of progress in modern civilisation.

Driven by chaotic punk energy, jagged momentum, and a relentless sense of urgency, the track asks an uncomfortable question: What are we doing, and why are we so determined not to examine and question it?

Rather than offering comfort or easy answers, ‘Know Where?’ looks listeners directly in the eye and demands thought, reflection and discussion.

Built on weaponised repetition, blunt honesty, and biting irony, the song mirrors the systemic cycles it critiques. The recurring “It’s going nowhere” is not defeatist, but accusatory. It challenges the assumption that constant motion equals meaningful progress, and questions whether productivity, politeness, and surface level positivity have become a cage we collectively refuse to acknowledge.

smallways. do avant-garde punk exactly as they intend on ‘Know Where?’ — abrasive, fuzzy, relentlessly lo-fi and gloriously chaotic. The track surges like a sugar rush straight to the bloodstream before the inevitable crash, its deliberate uneasiness baked deep into the DNA. That tension is the point. smallways. revel in creating wildly fun, slightly unhinged art designed to poke at conventional thinking. Philosophical punk, tailor-made for dive-bar moshing.

Loud, unruly, and deliberately abrasive and antagonistic, the instrumentation reflects themes of stagnation, emotional exhaustion, and the hollow performance of identity.

Lyrics move between personal insecurity and structural critique, referencing transactional self-worth, curated personas, and the endless loop of waking, only to work and return home again, blurring the line between individual struggle and collective failure.

As with all smallways. releases, the track holds space for both self-reflection and social responsibility. No one stands outside the systems they criticise.

Though written independently, the song echoes themes found in Christopher Ryan’s Civilised to Death, discovered by the duo a year after writing the track; questioning whether technological “advancement” has truly improved human wellbeing or simply deepened disconnection and dependence.

The deceptively bright lines, “Hey sunshine, what’s on your mind?” and “Such a pretty face, you’re doing great,” land with a sharp bite. Beneath their warmth lies a familiar expectation: that women should perform happiness, regardless of their reality.

When women speak loudly about injustice, they are often rejected, dismissed, or minimised. In many ways, Australia remains culturally tethered to outdated norms, where women who express strength, anger, or resistance to systemic inequality are still too easily ignored.

‘Know Where?’ balances humour with hostility, and sincerity with sarcasm, capturing punk in its rawest form, as well as the duo’s intent with their music.

This is not despair. It’s a refusal to pretend everything’s fine and if it feels uncomfortable, good. 

‘Know Where?’ is out now on all streaming platforms.