Sydney’s favourite indie-pop architects, Foley, have officially turned the page on a vibrant new chapter with the arrival of their five-track collection, 'Like An Actress'. Following a relentless year spent balancing the road with the recording booth, Ash Wallace and Gabe Everett have emerged with a project that feels less like a mere follow-up to 'That’s Life, Baby!' and more like a profound creative awakening.
While their previous work cemented their reputation for infectious hooks, this EP sees the duo leaning into a more tactile, grounded sound. Recorded between the creative hubs of Australia and Aotearoa, the pair teamed up with seasoned collaborator Josh Naley (Wells*). To find their rhythm, they turned to the nostalgic aesthetic of ‘90s and ‘00s romcoms, using those visual cues to bake a sense of cinematic warmth into the music.
The shift in their creative process is palpable. By swapping MIDI-heavy production for the grit and resonance of physical performance, Foley have captured a lightning-in-a-bottle energy that feels tailor-made for the stage.
“We approached this EP with more organic instruments - so that the studio experience was more physical and band driven. The live show is such a crucial part of the project, so we wanted to write the songs even more locked into the show, with live instruments and feel. A lot of them were written with live piano, acoustic guitar, and live drums which is a real change up for us. It really unlocked a new energy in the studio - and the songs have a joy in them that I think you can really hear.”
Lyrically, the EP dives into the deep end of the human experience. From the bruising vulnerability of ‘Suckerpunch’ to the shimmering lead single ‘Going Easy’, the tracks dissect the messy reality of identity and the friction of modern relationships. The duo explains that this stripped-back approach allowed the music and the message to fuse more naturally than ever before.
“Thematically it’s built upon the topics we frequently chat about in our friendship - love, loss, exploration, identity. Because it was written way more organically than previous records, the themes and lyrics feel more joined into the sonics of each track, rather than being a layer of emotion over the top. Everything feels very cohesive, dreamy and fluid which is a fun change!”
'Like An Actress' is available to stream on all major platforms now. Be sure to follow Foley on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to catch updates on upcoming tour dates and more.
