Hockey Dad make room for new single

Australian indie rock duo Hockey Dad has had a very busy 2023 and show no signs of slowing down, heading to Torquay next weekend as part of their east coast tour.

Zach Stephenson (guitars and lead vocals) and Billy Fleming (drums) have toured the UK and Europe, sold out their Australian tour alongside Ruby Fields, made a quick stop for a show at surfing mecca Uluwatu in Indonesia and headed to the US for an 11-date tour through August and September.

The duo somehow found time to write and record music, with new single ‘Still Have Room’ out now.

In creating ‘Still Have Room’, Stephenson and Fleming worked with Alex Burnett (Thelma Plum, Sparkadia) and Oli Horton (Foals, Alice Ivy), who co-wrote, produced and mixed the song alongside Tim McArtney (Gang of Youths, Jarryd James). The result is a feel good melodic pop song which still sounds quintessentially Hockey Dad.

“I think initially it seems like a song from someone who can’t move on from a romantic relationship,” Stephenson said.

After a while I noticed it becoming more about past friends who drift into different lives.

“It’s about moving forward in your life through different phases, but still having that connection and special place in your heart for people you grow apart from.

“Acknowledging their impact on your life for good or bad and keeping those memories and lessons with you.”

The video for “Still Have Room” was shot locally around Wollongong and the steelworks with director Jamieson Kerr.

Hockey Dad has hinted the working-class heist storyline, set sometime before smoking was banned on airplanes, may be continued in a future video.

“We play down-on-their-luck artists who are in a fight to save their creations from an eccentric art thief,” Stephenson said.

“Our bass player Steve Bourke came in and stole the show, as per usual.

“It was great to work with Jamieson as he really brought our initial ideas into a whole new dimension and worked super hard running the shoot.

“We can’t wait to go deeper into the story and see how everything plays out later down the line.”
Hockey Dad play at the Torquay Hotel on November 18.

For tickets, head to linktr.ee/hockeydadband