Magandjin’s female fronted band, Tomorrow’s Forecast, have been making their way down Australia’s east coast. Consisting of members Olive McCagh (vox/guitar), Bonnie Kruger (vox/guitar), Isaac Whittle (bass), and Rohan Frawley (drums), their new EP Speaking Terms offers a powerful and raw sound that’s reminiscent of mid 2000’s indie rock. The band has been making waves in the Australian music scene, playing alongside acts such as Hockey Dad, Holy Holy, Full Flower Moon Band and The Delta Riggs. 

Their debut EP, Speaking Terms, was released on the 23rd of June and produced by Emily Hopley at Hunting Ground Studios. The EP was created by collaborating exclusively with female and gender diverse creatives, a decision that fell into place naturally.

“It felt really important to try to rise together and employ them, because I think a lot of people advocate for change in the scene, but if they’re not actually proactive about it, it’s not really going to happen.” McCagh says.

Speaking Terms is raw and jagged, a cathartic release of emotions that roll over and consume you. It’s a release of frustration and heartbreak, swirling within each of the tracks from the opening to closing. The EP’s dynamic opener, ‘Pathetic’, feels almost bitter on your tongue, with the journey to ‘When Won’t I Dream Of You’ capturing the turbulent journey of recovering from a breakup.

The EP’s closer, ‘When Won’t I Dream Of You’, was the most difficult track to finalise for the EP, with the band going through the entire track and rewriting it on the day of recording, completely transforming the song in the space between morning and night.

“We could still release the demo,” Whittle laughs. “It’s like a completely different song. Nobody would recognise it.”

The EP is one that is emotionally vulnerable from start to finish, ripping you open as a listener. Tuning into a body of work that encapsulates such a personal experience can formulate a connection between audience and artist, but it invokes the question of how it feels to be so honest in your songwriting as a musician. 

“I find the recording process of it really scary,” McCagh said. “Trying to go back to that feeling and do that vocally, I find that can be difficult, and I think when [the band] are sitting in the room, I feel really vulnerable, but I think on stage it feels good, I enjoy it. I think most of these songs, by the time they release, or we play them, hopefully I’m out of that feeling, and then it can just be cathartic, and it can feel really good.” 

Although they’re now based in Brisbane, the band originates from the Gold Coast, inspired by the rock and pop sound that echoed throughout the scene. As the band evolved to take on an edgier sound with increased indie rock influences, they found that the Brisbane scene resonated with their new identity more.

“It’s a lot more accommodating. It’s very unique in comparison to the Gold Coast especially.” Kruger said. 

“I think being a female-fronted band… we were like the only female-fronted band on lineups in the Gold Coast, and I think we always just hated that.” McCagh added. “Moving to Brisbane was awesome. There’s such a scene, there’s such a community. All of our friends are young women who front bands, and I think that’s really cool.” 

When it comes to local artists, the band is eager to share their support for the scene that surrounds them. When asked about locally based artist inspirations and influences of their music, the band cited The Belair Lip Bombs, Middle Kids, Full Flower Moon Band (especially for When Won’t I Dream Of You), Platonic Sex (particularly for Pathetic, drawing inspiration from the artist’s emotional aspect and the tension of their song build ups). 

Naming Australian artists they’d love to play alongside, the band also listed smaller artists, from dogworld and Sleeperzoid to Phantastic Ferniture (with a special shoutout to Julia Jacklin).

The EP tour around Australia’s east coast marked the band getting back onto the stage after a month away, with the return described as “daunting”, but ultimately something they fell back into. Even with the tour wrapped up, Tomorrow’s Forecast isn’t done yet, continuing to announce upcoming shows via their social media.

To keep up to date with Tomorrow’s Forecast, head here.