HighSchool

Melbourne’s HighSchool appeared last summer with the self-released single ‘Frosting’, an indie-pop gem that promised great things. Fast forward a year and with more stellar tracks to their name, they’re finally releasing their debut EP, Forever at Last, on November 1st.
 
Shortly after forming, HighSchool - the trio of Lilli Trobbiani, Luke Scott and Rory Trobbiani - found themselves in near-eternal lockdown with the COVID restrictions being placed on their hometown proving the longest anywhere in the world.  Deprived of the chance to go out and play shows, they carried on undeterred, recording tracks with close friend Archie Shannon (Floodlights), dropping them every few months along with a stunning, self-directed music video for each.
 
Signing to UK tastemaker label Dalliance Recordings (Gia Margaret, Francis of Delirium, Wilsen) and already championed by the likes of NME, The FADER, Clash, DIY, PAPER and So Young, HighSchool have come far in their first year. Keeping momentum up, a move to London is planned in the new year with the band making their live debut shortly after.
 
Debut EP, Forever at Last, collects their six tracks to date and is a testament to the band’s ingenuity and resilience.  It also shows a band keen to evolve their sound, effortlessly mining a multitude of influences - where first singles ‘Frosting’ and ‘New York, Paris and London’ delighted with their potent mix of sun-dappled indie pop and industrial post-punk, their next two ‘De Facto’ and ‘Sirens’ were pointed at the dancefloor with the band now infusing DFA / New Order / Future Islands sounds. Recent single ‘Jerry’, is darker than its predecessors which played on the band’s gothic image, being more than complemented by an incredible one-take music video that explored religiosity.
 
As well as the EP, November 1st also heralds the release of title track ‘Forever at Last’, another great single where this time Lilli’s synth rises to the fore and Rory’s cod-English “hello” lyrical motif signals the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next.  A track that explores transformation in both place and identity, its documentary-like video follows Lilli and Luke being dressed and made up by two goth friends before the quartet head into the night. 

“Unashamedly hook-driven art pop elation… HighSchool are ones to watch this year.” (So Young)