Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird Dive Deep With Dreamy New Album 'Rosewater Crocodile'
Melbourne indie band Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird return with their most immersive and sonically adventurous project, 'Rosewater Crocodile'. With its cinematic textures, poetic storytelling, and emotionally resonant themes, the band’s fourth studio album is both a continuation and an evolution of their acclaimed discography.
Led by composer and frontman Lachlan Rose, the band has been a fixture in Australia’s alt rock scene since forming in Melbourne in 2015. Known for their intoxicating blend of whimsical lyricism and orchestral indie rock, Cousin Tony’s have built a devoted fanbase through relentless touring, standout festival appearances.
On 'Rosewater Crocodile', the band trades in sprawling soundscapes and vivid lyrical imagery. Singles like 'My Ghost & Its Crawling', 'Rosewater', and 'Mercury Rising' showcase a group at the height of its creative powers, deftly navigating themes of intimacy, loss, and the strangeness of human connection. The album was recorded in a rural chapel in Mollongghip, Victoria, a fittingly ethereal setting for a project.
“The more songs I write, and the more we bring them to life as a band, the more we learn to let go, the 'Rosewater Crocodile' was what I found a world of exotic jungles, singing ghosts, recalcitrant fairies, dream bears and winding rivers that fizz with iridescent, oily bubbles.”
Co-produced by Rose and Josh Barber (Georgia Fields, Queenie), and mixed by longtime collaborator Matthew Neighbour (Matt Corby, The Avalanches), the album’s sound is both lush and immediate.
Warm strings, moody horns, and layered harmonies carry lyrics full of yearning and wonder, with Rose’s deep, velvety vocals front and center, a tone described by Subba-Cultcha (UK) as
“electro orchestral greatness.”
Critics are already hailing 'Rosewater Crocodile' as the band’s defining statement. Backseat Mafia called the group
“one of Australia’s greatest musical outfits”
The band’s live reputation remains untouchable. With sold-out headline shows across the UK, Europe, and Australia, and festival slots at Falls Festival, Beyond the Valley, and The Great Escape, their return to the road for the 'Rosewater Crocodile' national tour is highly anticipated. Dates include headline stops at The Corner Hotel in Melbourne (July 25), The Ed Castle in Adelaide (August 2), Oxford Art Factory in Sydney (August 9), and The Brightside in Brisbane (August 12).
As they head back out on the road, Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird offer a rare combination in modern music, world class songwriting, ambitious sonic landscapes, and a deep emotional core. For longtime fans and newcomers alike, 'Rosewater Crocodile' is both a destination and a new beginning.