AIRBOURNE’s NEW self-titled studio album, out today, September 4th, is a true rock ‘n’ roll tale of no compromise, no sleep and still no ballads (or bullshit); a story fuelled by the riveted will of four musicians, brothers Joel & Ryan O’Keeffe, ably supported by Justin Street & Brett Tyrrell, to create a body of work that proudly offers a full 21 gun salute to hard rock’s glorious traditions, its heritage and its heartbeat, whilst keeping sights firmly trained on the road ahead.
To celebrate the album's release, the band has dropped their new video for the song 'Kid in a Candy Store.'
Watch the Video For 'Kid in a Candy Store' Below:
AIRBOURNE’s sixth studio album is the one that plants the flag deepest for everything the Aussie outfit stands for, their unwavering commitment to The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Cause, leaving everything (apart from Lemmy’s Bar, of course) on the stage on a nightly basis.
“When I look up to the sky, rub the blood and sweat from my eyes
Hell, no, I ain't dead yet, as long as I can breathe, I can get…” ‘Gutsy’
PRODUCED BY Brian Howes (who helmed 2013’s ‘Black Dog Barking’); engineered by Mike Fraser (who worked on 2010’s ‘No Guts. No Glory’ & 2016’s ‘Breakin’ Outta Hell’); mixed by Zakk Cervini (BMTH, Architects, Evanescence); and mastered by the legendary Ted Jensen, ‘Airbourne’ The Album is the statement, line in the sand recording that only one band could have made.
For staunch sons of Warrnambool, Joel & Ryan, here was the moment: to create not just the finest body of work in the Airbourne canon, but to raise the bar as high as possible in the name of the hard rock community; to seek out new turf, to protect the ground hard won by heroes past, some sadly fallen, and to both strengthen and celebrate the special, sacred bond with rock fans everywhere…
“Our aim from the start was to create something iconic, gargantuan,” states vocalist / guitarist Joel, “real blockbuster shit. It’s a rocket we’ve been building and building; we’ve filled it with fuel, now we’re ready to let it go.”
“We said, this is it, let’s make the oracle,” continues drummer Ryan, “and if we’re going to do it, no corner can be cut. All of the things we love most about rock‘n’roll are on this record. I firmly believe it’s our very best work…”
In order to embrace the mighty task, AIRBOURNE felt it wise to stay close to home, with Music Farm Studio in the “jungle” outside Byron Bay, South Eastern Australia, the chosen locale; not only does Music Farm host the original Neve console from Albert Studios in Sydney, the desk on which AC/DC, Rose Tattoo and The Angels recorded their classic early albums, but it’s also home to late AC/DC guitarist / founding member Malcolm Young’s eight-track Neve, and naturally both were put to full an’ fruitful use on the
AIRBOURNE sessions.
By choosing vintage gear (and recording to tape), these sessions were never going to be gremlin free, but as things turned out, technical issues were just a part of the story, with near cyclonic storms, deadly snakes and even deadlier super sized spiders (the fabled Big Boy!) adding to the list of perils. They say what doesn’t kill (or bite) you makes you stronger, and for musicians and studio team alike the overriding vision never blurred; nights around the fire pit were spent talking about the big, bold, bombastic albums they’d skipped their homework to listen to; those layered, beautifully crafted records, the recognised classics, that had made them rock fans in the first place…
Next stop, Hothouse Studios in Melbourne; here, all recording was completed alongside engineer / studio owner, Craig Harnath. Rounding things off at Hothouse was an easy choice to make; not only was it where the band had recorded their first EP, but the console, also a Neve, is from Alberts Studio 2, allowing the connection to prime rock history to be maintained.
The challenge was there. The game on.
‘Here She Comes’, one of the two Lange / Adams co-writes, the other being ‘Who Put The Rhythm In You?’, followed in late July, which brings us on a mighty wall of Eddie Van Halen inspired feedback to album focus track, ‘Bogotá’, complete with lashings of EVH ‘Frankenstein’ action, the first time Joel had wielded the instrument!
It’s surely impossible to be a guitarist and not realise the significance of EVH, who (along with Lemmy, Doc Neeson, John Bonham, Bon Scott, Little Richard, Malcolm Young & Ozzy) gets a hand on heart namecheck on album closer, ‘Send Me To Rock‘N’Roll Heaven’, the song that most clearly defines the album’s key themes of lifestyle and legacy; of artists being kept alive in the hearts and minds of fans; of the rock ‘n’ roll torch being passed from one generation to the next, the flame still burning…
‘When you play this riff, you give me back my hands
When you drop the needle, I'm back in the band…’ ‘Alive After Death (Last Plane Out)’
‘AIRBOURNE’. Made with passion. Made in Australia. The Great Barrier Riff.
Now officially out of its cage.
AIRBOURNE Shows with Guns N’ Roses, November / December 2026.
11/29: Adelaide, AU
12/2 Townsville, AU
12/5 Brisbane, AU
12/8 Newcastle, AU
12/11 Melbourne, AU
12/14 Sydney, AU
12/17 Auckland, NZ