Hockey Dad

Hailing from Australia, Hockey Dad fuses garage rock and indie rock into an energetic style that captures two longtime companions enjoying unpretentious fun apart from their surfing and skating. The duo's well-honed pop songs conjure youthful summer pleasures while guitars supply a firm rock backbone and harmonies underscore their lively character. Their debut album Boronia, issued in 2016, preserved the fresh, youthful tone behind their early breakthrough, whereas Brain Candy in 2020 pursued a more mature and textured sound, and Rebuild Repeat in 2024 fused their vigorous melodic writing with refined studio execution.

Hockey Dad originated in 2013 in Windang, a seaside community in New South Wales, Australia. Guitarist and lead vocalist Zach Stephenson joined drummer and harmony vocalist Billy Fleming to launch the project; both musicians also handle additional instruments and possess recording and production backgrounds. Stephenson and Fleming first crossed paths at ages five and four during a neighborhood football match, having grown up two doors apart. Sports, surfing, and skating occupied most of their time until Stephenson acquired a guitar and Fleming began playing along on an old kit once owned by Stephenson's father. After gaining proficiency they joined Abstract Classic, yet following that band's dissolution the pair formed their own group.

Borrowing their name from an obscure Simpsons allusion, Hockey Dad began by supporting area acts before headlining nearby clubs and advancing to the finals of Triple J Radio's yearly Unearthed competition. Their inaugural single "Lull City" appeared in 2013 and later featured on the three-track EP Dreamin', released in June 2014. Subsequent tours alongside Bass Drum of Death, DZ Deathrays, and the Jungle Giants preceded Hockey Dad's first headline road excursion, after which Boronia arrived in August 2016 on the independent Farmer and the Owl imprint. The album reached number 55 on the Australian charts, prompting a sold-out domestic tour and subsequent North American dates once Kanine Records issued it in the United States. Their 2018 follow-up Blend Inn climbed to number six nationally, confirming their status as established indie figures at home. After further road work the duo recorded their third album, the more ambitious and polished Brain Candy, which surfaced in August 2020.

Pandemic restrictions complicated touring for Brain Candy, yet Hockey Dad performed two October 2020 shows at Wollongong's Bulli Showgrounds with audiences viewing from their cars while audio reached vehicles through FM transmission. Those concerts were captured for the October 2021 release Live at the Drive-In. The pair later returned to the studio with producers Alex Burnett and Oli Horton, who additionally contributed songwriting assistance, resulting in Rebuild Repeat, their most refined and radio-friendly effort, which appeared in June 2024.