Radio Free Alice chase ghosts of the past on new EP Empty Words

Radio Free Alice have released their third EP Empty Words, featuring focus track ‘Chinese Restaurant’, just ahead of their performances at Reading & Leeds this weekend.

Produced by Ali Chant (Dry Cleaning, Perfume Genius, Soccer Mommy) and recorded across London and Bristol, ‘Chinese Restaurant’ was written during their UK tour. Frontman Noah Learmonth says the idea came from “this overwhelming sense of living in the past. Every venue had a punny name nodding to some bygone legend… Driving around in this tour van felt like wandering through the aftermath of a house party that was definitely over, but no one seemed capable of moving on.”

Learmonth adds that the whole EP connects to “this feeling that I’ve had my whole life. That the world’s this museum for the past we didn’t even live through.”

Across its four tracks, Empty Words pulls from multiple producers: the title track, recorded in London with Ewan Pearson (M83, Depeche Mode); ‘Regret’, also helmed by Chant; and ‘Toyota Camry’, produced by Peter Katis (Interpol, Bloc Party). The latter has been in rotation on BBC 6 Music, with the station naming Radio Free Alice their New Music Fix Daily Breaking Artist this week.

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The EP follows a run of six sold-out London headline shows and sets up a busy schedule ahead. After Reading & Leeds, the band head to North America for two sold-out New York shows – the first of which sold out in 24 hours, alongside a slot at Atlanta’s Shaky Knees Festival.

Formed in Sydney in 2020 before relocating to Melbourne, the four-piece – Learmonth, Jules Paradiso, Michael Phillips and Lochie Dowd – have quickly built a reputation for sharp post-punk energy and relentless touring.

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