Rolling Blackouts C.F.'s Tom Russo talks about "the tension between hope and disillusionment" that went into making 'Hope Downs'
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever have cemented themselves as the next big thing to watch out for in the indie scene. Earlier this June, the Melbourne-based indie pop quintet rolled out their debut album 'Hope Downs'. Named after a giant iron mine in Western Australia, the debut effort secures a niche for the band that has been carefully carved through their two previous EP's - 2016's 'Talk Tight' and the highly acclaimed 'French Press' from 2017.
Rolling Blackouts C.F. was officially formed in 2013 by the triple-guitar attack of Fran Keaney, Tom Russo, and Joe White, who have been in bands together since they were in high school and spent years hammering out ideas and working on a sound. The lineup was rounded out by Tom's brother Joe on bass and drummer Marcel Tussie, and together they started playing low-key gigs around Melbourne. Inspired by classic guitar pop bands like the Feelies and the Go-Betweens, the band's triple-guitar attack - with one rhythm guitar almost adding a second layer of percussive effects, leaving the other two to pick away and leads and intricacies - along with their subversive, witty delivery gained them instant popularity on the internet.