Sydney and Wollongong’s Sarah Jane & The Noise deliver a grunge-y gut punch with their debut EP, ‘happiness in review’. Heavy on the late 90s alt rock nostalgia, the release shows off a band that speaks for the over-thinkers and the outsiders who feel too much.

Emerging into the local music scene in early 2025, and kicking into gear with debut single, ‘i don’t wanna’ and follow up, ‘tasteless tongues’, after a run of hometown shows, Sarah Jane & The Noise returned with their debut EP which collates five tracks that capture the tension between longing and letting go.

“happiness in rearview is the messy, uncomfortable inner dialogue we have to confront before we are able to grow and the journey we have to undertake before we can look back with clarity” - Sarah Jane

Sarah Jane & The Noise channel the best of late-’90s alt-rock—grunge’s frayed edges, punk’s impatience, and just enough melody to keep it all from collapsing—on happiness in rearview. It’s a record that feels lived-in, like a stack of dusty polaroids and half-ripped gig posters, all stitched together with distortion and attitude. 

There are clear touchstones—Silverchair, Sonic Youth, Veruca Salt (especially on opener ‘brain’), and the scrappier corners of Nirvana—but this isn’t revivalism for its own sake. Instead, the EP reframes those influences through a distinctly Australian lens, capturing youth in all its messy, impulsive momentum. 

Tracks like ‘daisies’ and ‘I don’t wanna’ hit with a familiar rush for anyone who came of age in that era, while still feeling immediate enough for a new generation discovering it secondhand. There’s a sense of freedom here—unpolished, a little reckless—that resists overthinking. 

‘happiness in rearview’ doesn’t just look back—it bottles the feeling of not realising you’re in the moment until it’s already gone.

Moving between unfiltered expression & subdued chaos, ‘happiness in rearview’ is unafraid to embrace inner turmoil and make something honest out of it.

‘happiness in rearview’ is out now on all streaming platforms.