Cordrazine will close the book on their unique and often fragile history with the release of their final EP You See In Me on 5 December, with the band confirming that their EP launch at the Northcote Social Club on 12 December will double as their last ever performance. The decision brings an emotional end to one of Australia’s most intriguing indie pop-rock stories, born in Melbourne in the mid-1990s and revived in sporadic but treasured bursts across the decades.
Frontman Hamish Cowan confirmed the news to fans with a statement that outlined his ongoing challenges with the pressures of live performance, while celebrating the music and friendships that shaped Cordrazine’s legacy. His message acknowledged the band’s complicated trajectory and invited fans to gather one final time for a night of gratitude and reflection.
Cordrazine first emerged in 1996 with the EP Time To Leave, a release that introduced their brooding melodic style and the unmistakable voice of Cowan. The EP prepared the ground for their acclaimed debut album From Here To Wherever, released in 1997. The record reached the ARIA Top 10 and produced the career-defining single Crazy, an arresting ballad that placed them firmly within Australia’s late-90s alternative landscape.
Despite the rising momentum, the band dissolved soon after the album’s release, with Cowan later revealing that the sudden intensity of media attention provoked a level of introspection he was unwilling to bear. The band retreated before their potential could be realised, leaving From Here To Wherever as both a critical milestone and a curtain call for their initial phase.
Cordrazine returned in 2009 with a revised line-up featuring original members Cowan and Rohan Heddle, joined by long-time collaborator Nick Batterham and bassist Jethro Woodward. They resurfaced intermittently across the next decade, re-establishing themselves as a cult favourite.
In 2024, Cordrazine reappeared again with the single Hey Man, their first new work in almost fifteen years. The song featured a 28-piece string arrangement that reasserted Cowan’s creative ambition and the band’s ability to evolve without sacrificing emotional depth. Cowan admitted he sought to avoid repetition or complacency, stating that stirring a strong response mattered more to him than appealing to expectations.
The follow-up single Smalltown Boy, released earlier this year, offered a stark reinterpretation of the Bronski Beat classic that shaped Cowan’s vocal identity in his youth. He described the song as a powerful expression of alienation, pride and vulnerability, echoing themes that have often surfaced in Cordrazine’s music. The stripped-back arrangement by Batterham was designed to highlight the loneliness at the heart of the lyric, a feeling Cowan understood deeply.
These releases lead directly into the forthcoming EP You See In Me, which will now stand as the band’s final recorded work.
Cordrazine’s farewell show at the Northcote Social Club on Friday 12 December will feature the full band, in contrast to recent duo performances by Cowan and Batterham. The night will include special guest Alex Lloyd, another artist whose career has been marked by both acclaim and periods of retreat. Lloyd’s hit Amazing made him a fixture of Australian music in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and his friendship with Cowan has endured across years of parallel creative challenges.
Opening the evening will be Melbourne quartet USER, known for their dense blend of electronic textures and post-punk tones. Their involvement sets the tone for a night that honours both history and creative resilience.
Cowan acknowledged that many fans will be unable to attend the final performance, though he encouraged Melbourne audiences to share the moment with the band. He expressed gratitude for the support that has followed Cordrazine since 1996 and promised a night that celebrates everything the band has created.
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