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Polish Club are an Australian garage rock duo from Sydney, New South Wales formed in 2014. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist David Novak and drummer John-Henry Pajak. As of 2023, they have released four studio albums. At the APRA Music Awards of 2024, they won the award for Most Performed Rock Work.[1]
Polish Club | |
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| Origin | Sydney, Australia |
| Genres | Garage rock revival |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels |
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| Members |
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| Website | polishclub |
2014–2015: Formation and debut EPs
Vocalist and guitarist David Novak and drummer John-Henry Pajak started the band in 2014. Originally a four-piece, they decided to go their own way, telling SBS News in 2017, "We halved the numbers and booked a room for three hours, and we had five or six songs."[2] The duo's name refers to both members having Polish descent.[2]
Polish club uploaded the songs "Able" and "Show You Love" onto Triple J Unearthed on 5 January 2015,[3] followed by "Did Somebody Tell Me", on 2 February 2015.[3] Nick Hartman from Happy Mag reviewed all three, saying, "'Able' is probably the best of their three songs so far."[4]
The duo released their self-titled debut EP in October 2015, with Hartman saying, "Polish Club by Polish Club is overall an effort [they] can be proud of, with Novak and JH displaying a high minimum standard."[5][6]
2016–2019: Alright Already and Iguana
In March 2016, Polish Club released the double-A sided single "My House"/"Blood and Bone" digitally and on 7" vinyl.[6] Shayen de Silva of Happy Mag wrote, "My House is the house party banger you'll be spinning all night long."[7]
In November 2016, the band released "Beat Up".[6]
In February 2017, they issued "Come Party" and announced their debut studio album, Alright Already, alongside a national tour.[8] Alright Already was released in March 2017 and peaked at number 19 on the ARIA charts. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2017, it was nominated for Best Rock Album.[9]
In October 2017, the duo surprised fans with the release of the six-track EP Okie Dokie, featuring the single "Gimme Money".[10]
In November 2017, Polish Club published the double-A sided single "All I Want for Christmas Is You"/"I Hate You But You Gotta Stay (On Christmas Day)". Singer-guitarist Novak said,, "I've always loved Mariah Carey in general and especially that song. We tried it one night a few Decembers ago and more people than we expected knew it, and it turns out loved it too. 'I Hate You But You Gotta Stay (On Christmas Day)' is a tongue-in-cheek comment on how Christmas brings everyone together, regardless of how you might feel about them."[11] The tour A Christmas in December followed in 2017.[11]
In February 2018, the duo released a limited-edition 7" vinyl cover of Savage Garden's "Truly Madly Deeply".[12]
In October 2018, Polish Club issued the song "Clarity", stating, "It's about the struggle of communication; not being able or eloquent or ballsy enough to say what you're thinking; being at the end of your tether with confusion, wanting to be clear with yourself and others."[13]
This was followed by "We Don't Care" in March 2019. The duo said, "'We Don't Care' came out of a really tough couple of months for both of us. We [had] a long, dry spell of writing and recording. Coupled with multiple overseas trips and personal hard times, we were just fucking rinsed. I think the song is about how when your life is going to shit, the things you do to try and escape it often makes it worse. When you say you don't care about something, it's just a way of running away and not facing up to your problems."[14]
The pair's second studio album, Iguana, was announced in April 2019 and released in June of that year.[15] It peaked at number 20 on the ARIA charts.[16]
In December 2019, Polish Club released the 7-track EP Nye_2020_megamix.exe, which featured six covers of their favourite party starter songs. Novak said, "After using Christmas and Valentine's Day for our own personal gain, we are starting to run out of holidays to turn into a gimmick, but fortunately there was still New Year's for us to exploit. We wanted to write new music but we also wanted to make a megamix of bangers like they used to do (I don't know who they are, but I feel like that was something they did). So once again, we've managed to turn taking the piss into something we took completely serious. Anyway, it was something to do…"[17]
2020–2022: Now We're Cookin' and Now We're Cookin' in Hell
In January 2020, Polish Club released "Shout", a song they had submitted to represent Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest, but which did not make the shortlist. Money raised from its sale went to the Australian Red Cross.[18]
In November 2020, they published "Just Talking", the lead single from their forthcoming third studio album. The song's lyrics make an impassioned plea to everyone for patience and understanding, asking listeners to lean away from the impulse to resort to hyperbole and hostility and calm down a little in an increasingly turbulent time.[19]
In June 2021, the duo released "Whack", the fourth single from Now We're Cookin', and announced a national tour.[20] Now We're Cookin' came out in August 2021 and peaked at number 8 on the ARIA charts.[21]
In April 2022, Polish Club announced the release of their fourth album, Now We're Cookin' in Hell, and issued the double-A sided single "Boys on Vacation"/"Bad Vibrations". On "Boys on Vacation", the group take aim at Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his notorious absence during the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season, when he was on holiday in Hawaii. "Bad Vibrations" rolls its eyes sarcastically at things that don't work properly in the city of Sydney, such as trams not fitting properly on tracks and ferries that are too high.[22]
2023–present: Heavy Weight Heart
In February 2023, the band released "Good Time", with Novak saying, "We wanted a short, sharp song filled with nothing but catchphrases, with each part being its own hook. I think we nailed it." The Nine Network is using the song for their coverage of the National Rugby League in 2023.[23]
In July 2024, the band announced their upcoming fourth album, Heavy Weight Heart, scheduled for release in September. The record was preceded by the singles "Manila", "Heavy Weight", and "How Dare You Fall in Love in This City".[24]
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Current members[25]
- David Novak – lead vocals, guitar (2014–present)
- John-Henry Pajak – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2014–present)
Current touring musicians[26]
- Wade Keighran – bass, backing vocals (2018–2019, 2022–present), sampler, percussion (2018–2019)
- Dan Hogan – keyboards, guitar (2024–present), bass (2019), backing vocals (2019, 2024–present)
Former touring musicians
- Kirsty Tickle – keyboards, saxophone, percussion, backing vocals (2020–2022)
- Dan Cunningham – guitar (2022), bass (2020–2022), backing vocals (2020–2022)
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Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [16] | ||
| Alright Already | 19 | |
| Iguana |
|
20 |
| Now We're Cookin' | 8 [29] | |
| Now We're Cookin' in Hell |
|
[A] |
| Heavy Weight Heart |
|
[B] |
Live albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS | ||
| Live & Horny at the Corner |
|
[C] |
EPs
| Title | EP details |
|---|---|
| Polish Club |
|
| Okie Dokie |
|
| Nye_2020_megamix.exe |
Singles
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Able"[3][6] | 2015 | Polish Club |
| "Show You Love"[3][6] | non album single | |
| "Did Somebody Tell Me"[3][6] | Polish Club | |
| "Beeping"[35] | ||
| "My House"/"Blood and Bone"[6] | 2016 | non album single |
| "Beat Up"[6] | Alright Already | |
| "Come Party"[8] | 2017 | |
| "Divided"[36] | ||
| "Gimme Money"[10] | Okie Dokie | |
| "All I Want for Christmas Is You"/ "I Hate You But You Gotta Stay (On Christmas Day)"[11] |
non album singles | |
| "Truly Madly Deeply"[12] | 2018 | |
| "Clarity"[37][13] | Iguana | |
| "We Don't Care"[38][39] | 2019 | |
| "Countdown"[17] | Nye_2020_megamix.exe | |
| "Shout"[18] | 2020 | non album single |
| "Just Talking"[40][41][19] | Now We're Cookin' | |
| "Stop for a Minute"[42] | 2021 | |
| "No Heaven"[43] | ||
| "Whack"[20] | ||
| "Baby We're Burning"[44] | ||
| "Unstable"[45] | 2022 | Now We're Cookin' in Hell |
| "Boys on Vacation" / "Bad Vibrations"[22] | ||
| "The Cup of Life"[46] | non album single | |
| "Good Time"[47][23] | 2023 | TBA |
| "Manila"[48][23] | 2024 | Heavy Weight Heart |
| "Heavy Weight"[49] | ||
| "How Dare You Fall in Love in This City"[24] | ||
| "Tied in a Knot"[50] | ||
| "Repeating Repeating"[51][52] |
ARIA Music Awards
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Alright Already | Best Rock Album | Nominated | [9] |
APRA Awards
The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales, and airplay performance by its members annually. Polish Club have been nominated for one award.[53]
Notes
- Now We're Cookin' in Hell did not enter the ARIA Top 100 Album Chart but peaked at number 20 on the Australian Artists Album Chart.[30]
- Heavy Weight Heart did not enter the ARIA Top 100 Album Chart but peaked at number 16 on the Australian Artists Album Chart.[31]
- Live & Horny at the Corner did not enter the ARIA Top 100 Album Chart but peaked at number 9 on the ARIA Vinyl Album Chart.[32]
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