Australian punk trio The Chats have today released the first taste of their long-awaited third studio album, Half Cut.
Off It is the lead track from the LP, which will be released by Virgin Music Group on 5 March 2027 and is available for pre-order now HERE.
The album’s opening track, it sets the tone for the band’s next chapter, delivering the irreverent energy and unmistakably Australian attitude which have made them a global punk phenomenon.
“Half Cut is a fun rock and roll record, but it’s maybe a little more open than stuff we’ve written in the past,” says vocalist Eamon Sandwith. “I definitely hesitate to use the word ‘mature,’ but it’s a bit of a progression, I’d say.”
The new LP sees The Chats’ sound shuffle into more expansive territory without losing any of its typically blunt Australian lyricism, as evidenced by song titles like Half Arsed, Hanging Shit, and Brown Bottle Flu.
An exploration of hangovers, confrontation, reconciliation, and even rehabilitation, Half Cut is as introspective as The Chats have ever been.
Since releasing 2022’s second album Get Fucked, The Chats have toured rather relentlessly for a trio who kicked off their career without a plan or a passport.
They’ve supported Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, and The Hives across several continents, made their Coachella debut this year, traversed North America with Social Distortion and Descendents, and have just ended a tour of the UK and Ireland.
Along the way, they’ve progressed from teenage upstarts to slightly more world-weary 27-year-olds, a transformation that comes with its own realisations and maturations, even if the band might hesitate to call it that.
Best known for their 2017 ditty Smoko – which turned them into a viral sensation while they were still in their teens – the Sunshine Coast trio have since proven themselves to be a band who appeal yo young and old punks alike.
