Ex Golden Square dynamo readies for debut album launch

A RAPIDLY emerging three-guitar rock’n’roll power pop group featuring one-time Golden Square native Nadine Muller is excitingly awaiting the release of its debut album In The Red on 19 September.

The Prize, which includes Muller on drums and vocals, cites its influences as Thin Lizzy, Cheap Trick, The Pretenders, Blondie, Rolling Stones, Faces, Flamin’ Groovies, Tom Petty, Dwight Twilley, Phil Seymour, The Toms, The Nerves and The Motors.

The band made its debut in 2022 with EP Wrong Side of Town, which prompted global interest, and have since gone on to tour nationally and internationally with the Sunnyboys, Pavement, The Stems, Guitar Wolf, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, The Murlocs and The Chats.

Muller, who attended Flora Hill High School and Bendigo Senior Secondary College, said she started playing in bands at an early age after growing up listening to a lot of what her mum and dad (Cosmic Psychos drummer Dean Muller) had in their record collection.

“That was like The Ramones, The Rolling Stones, The Who and The Kinks, all the classic 60s and 70s rock and roll,” she said.

“That’s always been my staple that I keep going back to.”

She said The Prize’s sound has evolved since its first release and the impending launch of In The Red.

“(At the beginning) I was listening to a lot of really power pop heavy stuff and now we’re getting more into classic rock, a bit more like the Pretenders and the Divinyls,” she said.

“The songs are now longer than two minutes and 30 seconds.

“It’s nice when you play music with people for a few years and start to progress in your song writing – you get better and start to branch out more and push yourself.”

Order In The Red on Bandcamp.