Aussie indie rock icons Moler roar back into 2026 with Roky, a blistering new single lifted from their long-awaited forthcoming album 69, out March 6. It marks only the band’s second full-length albumsince their ARIA-nominated 1997 debut Golden Duck, and finds Moler sounding louder, sharper and more irrepressible than ever.
The album’s latest taste, Roky, grew from guitarist JJ McCann’s riff ideas inspired by the legendary Roky Erickson, which bassist and vocalist Helen Cattanach then reshaped into the song’s driving bass line. Sonically, the track threads shimmering alternative textures influenced by My Bloody Valentine and Deerhunter, while nodding to post-punk guitar lineage via John McGeoch-style phrasing and a glam-leaning, tribal stomp rhythm.
Lyrically, Roky explores unrequited love in the digital age, questioning how intimacy, desire and expectation collide when romance moves online. Is connection real, or curated? Are lovers ever villains when reality doesn’t match the screen? As the chorus asks: “Could you be my bloody Valentine?”
Recorded at Soundpark Studios with Andre ‘Idge’ Hehir, mixed by Helen Cattanach and Miguel Alonso, and mastered by longtime Moler collaborator Lindsay Gravina (Magic Dirt, The Birthday Party), Roky captures the band in full, unfiltered flight. “It’s exciting to be starting the year with another new song,” says drummer Dave Peacock. “It’s one of my favourite tracks to play live from the recent album sessions.”
A raw collision of fuzzy guitars, riot grrrl attitude and 70s–90s punk rock spirit, 69 is nostalgic yet forward-looking — a fierce, hook-packed statement from a band who very clearly aren’t done yet. As Dave Peacock shares, “For me, this album is about a band that don’t feel they’re done just yet. We still enjoy playing together and making music.”
Across 69, Moler’s songwriting is shared and instinctive, with each track first sparked by an individual member before being shaped collectively in the room. Album opener AI (Helen) sets the thematic backbone, interrogating artificial intelligence, human connection and self-awareness, while I Just Need (James) arrives dream-formed and intimate, inspired by a lucid vision of Alex Chilton and later transformed into a poignant duet. Crimson (Helen) flips classic rock desire on its head with lustful confidence, while Springtime (Dave) captures a sun-soaked, beer-in-hand moment of seasonal release, short, punchy and built for sing-alongs. Elsewhere, Let Yourself Go (Helen) leans into self-acceptance via a funky blues pulse, and Fun (Helen) — the first song written by the new lineup — channels post-lockdown urgency and underground grit. Proper Remote(James) spirals into paranoia and hallucination, Sonic Waiver (Helen) sketches a dark, Orwellian dystopia, while Roky (Helen) dissects unrequited love in the digital age with hypnotic intensity. Closing track Come Around (Dave) offers a weary, bittersweet comedown — a breakup song reshaped in the studio into the perfect final exhale.
Formed in St Kilda in the early-to-mid 1990s, Moler unveiled Golden Duck in 1997, earning ARIA nominations and international acclaim before disbanding in the early 2000s. After reforming in 2018 and releasing their Work EP in 2019, the band have steadily rebuilt momentum — sharing stages with Ash, Regurgitator, Custard and Magic Dirt, and receiving airplay across Australia, Japan and the US, including Little Steven’s Underground Garage on SiriusXM.
Now joined by JJ McCann (The Drones, Nunchukka Superfly), Moler’s current lineup feels both renewed and resolutely true to form. “As the new guy, I’m stoked to be part of Moler’s daring endeavour to create their first full-length album in decades,” says JJ McCann.
Fans can expect a loud, energetic and attention-grabbing live show, with Moler set to road-test 69 alongside classics from across their catalogue. Helen Cattanach declares “It’s been brilliant writing, recording and playing Moler shows again, especially catching up with the old Mole Patrollers and meeting some new ones.“
With 69 on the horizon and Roky leading the charge, Moler are embracing the future — loud, melodic, hardworking and glam, just as they’ve always been.
Roky is out now.
Album 69 out March 6.
MOLER –Roky – Official single artwork
MOLER –69 – Official album artwork
MOLER – UPCOMING LIVE DATES 2026:
SAT 21 FEB | Desert Highways, Reservoir VIC | FREE All Ages In-Store, 2PM
FRI 13 MAR | Theatre Royal, Castlemaine VIC | with Redd Kross & The Hard-Ons | 18+
Tickets: www.oztix.com.au
SAT 21 MAR | The Tote, Collingwood VIC | 18+
Tickets: www.thetotehotel.com/gig-guide
girlatarockshow.com 