Nathan Roche - A Break Away LP

It feels as though Nathan Roche is now best known internationally for his work as one half of CIA Debutante, but to me I’ll always know that deep down inside he still has a rock’n’roll heart!

His latest solo LP is back in classic Nathan vein with Feudalist Tarts-era Chilton songwriting and occasional moments of Lou Reed schlock over a bed rock of rockers (and a dance break on one track!?) with his trademark slice of life observations.

And this slice of life hits particularly close to home. A Break Away deals in large part with his departure from Sydney over to France almost a decade ago now, tracks that ask the questions that have been on our mind for years (“Whatever happened to The Stevens???”) or recount the moment he sold his record collection to this very establishment before moving overseas (a record collection that I regret not buying anything from for myself when he was selling them on his merch desk).

Recorded last year when he was briefly back in town, a lot of these tracks featured heavily on the sets he played at the Midnight Special—a ramshackle, off-the-cuff, life-(and rocknroll)affirming show that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon!

-Mitch