For the Dreams

Ever since they began releasing hit singles in 2020, culminating in their self-titled 2022 debut album, it’s been impossible not to be enticed by the upbeat Australian surf-rock stylings of young Arnhem Land band King Stingray. And through their dynamic live performances, they’ve quickly become the hottest Indigenous band in Oz. With strong bloodline links to the veteran group Yothu Yindi, and a similar combination of Aboriginal and balanda (non-Indigenous) members, this younger band has brought the Arnhem-rock tradition to a new generation of listeners and dancefloor enthusiasts. Their new second album maintains the energetic spirit of the first, while evolving their traditional Yolngu-and-English lyrics to the next level on tracks like ‘Cat Five (Cyclone)’ and ‘Best Bits’. Elsewhere, ‘Lookin’ Out’ and ‘Through the Trees’ showcase the band’s now well-developed sense of impeccable guitar-drums-n-didge thrash. For the Dreams solidifies King Stingray’s deserved reputation for ‘irresistibly joyful’ music and signals a long and undoubtedly quite loud road ahead.