These New South Whales on GODSPEED

Photo Courtesy of Imogen Thomas

Formed in Melbourne in 2011, These New South Whales have spent the past decade carving out a space where punk urgency, sharp humour, and community-first thinking coexist. From recording their earliest material in a WWII bunker in Western Sydney to touring across Europe and earning an ARIA nomination for their 2022 self-titled album, the band has always followed instinct over expectation.

Their latest record, GODSPEED, released at the end of November 2025, marks a turning point. Produced with New York’s Ben Greenberg, it’s their most direct and focused album to date, stripping away interludes in favour of momentum, urgency, and clarity. Alongside the release, the band celebrated 500 episodes of their podcast What A Great Punk and hosted free, all-ages in-store performances across Australia, reinforcing their commitment to accessibility and community.

Ahead of a nationwide Australian tour running from 28 February in Port Adelaide through to 16 May in Melbourne, Todd Andrews and Jamie Timony reflect on the evolution of the band, the role of humour in their world, and what empowerment looks like in uncertain times. 

You’re about to kick off your Australia tour, starting in Port Adelaide and wrapping up in Melbourne. How are you feeling about heading into this run, and does touring GODSPEED feel different to previous records? 

Jamie: There are a lot of shows on this tour, more than we’ve done in Australia before. We’re heading to some pretty remote places and we’re really looking forward to playing the new songs live.

Todd: It’s exciting. We haven’t toured in a while, so it’ll be nice to return to places we haven’t played in years. We also haven’t toured this album yet, so playing the new material is a big part of that excitement. We were rehearsing the other day and the setlist is looking quite different to past tours. We’ve dropped a few older songs and brought in a lot of new ones, so the shape of the show has changed. It’s interesting for us, and hopefully for people who’ve seen us before too.

Do you find that you have different audiences depending on where in Australia you tour?

Todd: Not really. The crowds are usually great everywhere. They’re safe, inclusive, and fun. People jump around, stand still, do whatever they want. That atmosphere feels pretty consistent wherever we play.

GODSPEED is your most direct and focused album yet, with no interludes and a real sense of urgency running through it. What pushed you toward that stripped-back approach this time?

Todd: We wrote a batch of songs that felt like they naturally worked together. That meant leaving out interludes this time. The songs are closely aligned in theme, style, and energy, and we put a lot of effort into that cohesion.

Working with New York producer Ben Greenberg seems to have opened up new sonic territory for the band, especially on tracks like ‘NOBODY LISTENS.’ What did he challenge or unlock in your songwriting and sound?

Photo Courtesy of Imogen Thomas

Todd: Ben really dissected each song, right down to identifying its specific punk subgenre. That changed how we approached every track, from arrangement and tempo to mixing and overall sound. He had a huge influence on the album’s sonic diversity and helped make each song feel individual. In the past, our records leaned more toward a single sound, but this time we were challenged to treat every track differently.

Jamie: He came in with a clear vision for each song and strong references for how he wanted them to sound. His communication was very direct and respectful, and he wasn’t afraid to share his opinions. We’d love to work with him again. He’s got such a broad range of interests that it wouldn’t feel like repeating ourselves.

There’s a strong undercurrent of community and autonomy in GODSPEED, especially given the state of the world it arrived into. What did you want people to take away from this record on a human level?

Jamie: I wanted people to feel more confident and trust themselves more. You’re the expert in your own life. There’s a lot of conditioning and brainwashing we grow up with, and for me it’s about rebelling against that and waking up to it. The goal was empowerment.

Todd: Compared to earlier records that leaned into ‘the world is fucked,’ this one is more about self-empowerment. Hopefully that comes across not just lyrically, but in the energy of the songs too. We wanted to move away from that negative space and toward something more constructive and communal.

Comedy has always been part of the These New South Whales universe, from the mockumentary series to the podcast. What drew you to creating these two forms of media alongside your music?

Jamie: Early on, we were hanging out with filmmaker friends who were always filming rehearsals and pulling us aside for fake interviews. They’d cut these little comedic videos that we loved. Eventually we thought, why not just make our own TV show, and we followed that idea wherever it led. The podcast started during COVID as a way to stay connected, keep busy, and stay in touch with our community. It’s become really fulfilling and somehow turned into 500 episodes.

Will you continue both the podcast and mockumentary? 

Jamie: We’re currently working on a film project with the same characters and world. The podcast might come back at some point, but right now our focus is touring and finishing the film.

From recording your first EP in a WWII bunker to touring across Europe and getting an ARIA nomination, you’ve been a band for well over a decade now. How has your idea of what These New South Whales is changed over time?

Todd: At its core, we do this because we enjoy it and like hanging out together. We started with no real plan and didn’t take it seriously because we were all in other bands. The idea was to write fast, not overthink it, and believe that no song was a bad song. That attitude is still there. We don’t take the industry or ourselves too seriously, whether it’s in rehearsals or through the podcast.

Jamie: The band was never about success. We were taking our other projects very seriously, and TNSW was a space to be free and unfiltered. If the songs were bad, we kept them. If no one came to the show, that was fine. That mindset let us embarrass ourselves and throw away expectations. We do take it more seriously now, but that freedom is still important.

Finally, where do you see the band heading next? 

Jamie: We’d love to get back to Europe and focus more on international touring. We’re also really excited to push ahead with the film project.

Todd: We’re talking to people about touring Asia, hopefully. New Zealand too, which is funny because we’ve played London more times than we’ve ever played New Zealand.

Listen to These New South Whales on Spotify, Apple Music, and SoundCloud and follow them on Instagram to keep up to date.