After disbanding in 2005 following the release of third album Animal, Australian alt-rock royalty Motor Ace announced their reunion back in 2018, embarking on a national tour and reissuing classic records Five Star Laundry and Shoot This.
Something they haven’t done since regrouping, however, is release any new music – until now. Today, we’re premiering the band’s comeback single ‘Knock Knock’ ahead of its arrival tomorrow. It’s a driving post-grunge ripper that harks back to the band’s roots – including working with Five Star Laundry producer Craig Harnath along with Forrester Savall – while feeling fresh.
“It’s an idea that was kicking around back in the day, but we never got around to finishing it,” frontman Patrick Robertson explains of the song’s origins. “We’d always loved the sound, but it was written between the first and second records and didn’t really fit with what we were aiming for on the second.”
Robertson says that the reaction to the band’s 2019 reunion tour served as a “lightning rod”, kicking off a new period of creativity for him and his bandmates. “We wanted to capture the spirit of Five Star Laundry, which in retrospect we all feel had an energy and simplicity that was never fully explored.
“The process of recording was extremely straight forward – no rehearsals. We wanted to capture the essence of band without overthinking every aspect of production – less talking, more playing. Sonically the track is up there with my favourite Motor Ace tunes yet.”
‘Knock Knock’ arrives alongside a video shot and edited by Matt Jasper that documents that 2019 reunion tour, capturing both the energy of the shows themselves and moments backstage. Check that out below.
This June, the band will kick off a 20th anniversary tour in support of Five Star Laundry, with shows in Fremantle, Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Newcastle, Adelaide and Melbourne – find dates and details here.
