Sydney heavy music legends Nunchukka Superfly have premiered the new single and video "What's Ya Week Like", taken from their forthcoming seventh album If You Go Down I Go Down Too. As the band's Blackie says, the single explores the band's love of classic prog amongst other things, and the video was made by Jonathan Sequeira, who made the acclaimed Hard-Ons documentary The Most Australian Band Ever which was released to much acclaimed last year (and which is still screening around the country and around the world!).
The new album, the release date of which will be announced soon, is the first in 4 years from the band, which was originally formed by Ray Ahn and Peter Black after the Hard-Ons first split in 1993. It’s the first to include their latest (and fourth) drummer John Banicevic (Straight To A Tomb, Age Of Distrust, Stockholm Syndrome).
The band is super excited about the new album. Sez Blackie: "We recorded it at Parliament studios with Lachlan Mitchell again and like with each record we've done we just wanna go that little bit further .
"Album no 7 and we're pretty effing proud of it ... It's our most prog to date! With John Banicevic, our 4th drummer... yikes that seems like a lot.
"I know we're known for our punk rock but like most our age, before we heard any of that we loved the classic rock of the day .. As we've gotten older that's deepened to included a lot of the prog rock that we missed out on cause it was dissed by punks but fuck I LOVE YES and King Crimson, Genesis etc.. I think somehow in our minds we also act like we're space rock and post punk etc..
"This record is really where we're at .We laugh sometimes and say we're a bunch of shitty punks trying to play prog."
And why four years in between Nunchukka albums anyway?
"For a few reasons but mainly through shitty luck.. we've had awesome drummers but life gets in the way .. I gotta say though John is a POWERHOUSE!! And, like us, willing to try just about anything!
The release of new Nunchukka Superfly material follows a massive 2024 for Ray and Blackie in the Hard-Ons which included a new album, international touring and the release of the long-awaited documentary film The Most Australian Band Ever.
And how do these guys relax after a grueling 12 months with their band? By getting into the grueling stuff with their other band, that's how. The Hard-Ons are set to tour the US in May/June this year anyway (with Jerry A from Poison Idea as guest lead vocalist), but Nunchukka will squeeze in some shows around the new album, and they'll keep playing and touring as they have done for many years now.