Sydney’s indie pop-rock scene has a vibrant new pulse, and it arrives in the form of POLYBIUS. The four-piece outfit—comprising vocalist Tamzin Donovan, lead guitarist Simon Calder, bassist William Murray, and drummer Donovan Lane—have officially dropped their debut EP, ‘After Hours’. This six-track collection beautifully charts the messy, volatile stages of grief, offering listeners a deeply relatable manual on surviving emotional burnout and heartbreak.
Rather than wallowing in the lows, ‘After Hours’ transforms internal chaos into brilliant, guitar-led anthems. The journey kicks off with the deceptive warmth of ‘Sun Song’, a track exploring the painful process of reclaiming your identity after a breakup. From there, the band dives straight into the breathless exhaustion of ‘Escapé’, before pivoting into the defiant, boundary-setting attitude of ‘Get Even’.
The EP’s back half refuses to let the energy slip. ‘The Rain’ tackles the numbing routine of modern life, famously sparked when Donovan secretly scribbled down lyrics during a corporate meeting. After the tender, bittersweet longing of ‘Hideaway’, the record culminates in the euphoric dance-rock release of ‘Take Me Out’.
Musically, the EP thrives on a refreshing lack of boundaries. Drummer Donovan Lane explains:
“This EP feels like a really good reflection of all of us individually. Everyone brought different influences and styles into it, and it kinda became this mix of everything we like about music. Because it’s our first EP, we were still figuring out what POLYBIUS actually sounds like, so there’s a pretty experimental feel across the whole thing. There’s lounge, funk, punk, pop rock and indie elements throughout, but it still feels natural and energetic both recorded and live. For the drums, I just wanted them to feel punchy and fit the songs properly without overdoing it.”
That sonic diversity is grounded by Tamzin Donovan’s fiercely honest songwriting.
“We wanted the EP to feel like a journey, each track a different emotion/stage of grief with a sense of freedom/liberation as it ends,” she notes. “Lyrically, it was written from a very real place and where I was emotionally, for each song based on what was happening in my world at that very moment. I like how the EP has a track for everyone, depending on what kind of music you're into, making it diverse. We want our music to be relatable and offer an outlet for our audience as well as entertain.”
Bassist Will Murray reflects on how these tracks grew on the road, stating:
“I think ‘After Hours’ is a great example of all the sonic ground POLYBIUS covers; each song has a different vibe, style, and genre, and it makes them all exciting to both listen to and play. I wrote the foundation of these basslines before our very first rehearsal; they were gig-tested and evolved from there. It’s been interesting to hear how the parts have changed throughout my time with the band, as I’ve improved as a writer and as we’ve gotten tighter as a band."
‘After Hours’ is available to stream right now on all major music platforms. Hit play, add it to your favourite playlists, and make sure you follow POLYBIUS on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook to keep up with all the latest.
