Dave Graney And Clare Moore return with Laburnum Of The Mind, a new studio album recorded in Melbourne and accompanied by an extensive Australian tour.
by Paul Cashmere
Dave Graney And Clare Moore have released their latest studio album Laburnum Of The Mind today, April 30, 2026, marking another chapter in a partnership that has spanned nearly five decades. The record, recorded in Melbourne and featuring the singles Hits Are The Worst and I Ain’t Got No Float, arrives as the duo prepare to take the material on the road for a national tour beginning this week.
The release reinforces Graney and Moore’s position as one of Australia’s most enduring independent creative units. Their decision to frame the album simply as “a rock record” signals both a return to core influences and a continuation of their long-standing resistance to rigid genre definitions. For audiences, the timing is significant, the album arrives alongside a comprehensive touring schedule that places the work directly into live circulation.
Musically, Laburnum Of The Mind draws from a wide lineage of rock traditions. Graney and Moore cite reference points including The Doors, Wire, Urge Overkill, Steely Dan, Queens Of The Stone Age, The Replacements, Pulp, Roxy Music, The Fall and Blue Oyster Cult. The palette extends further into rhythmic and harmonic detail, incorporating Bo Diddley patterns, Latin grooves and more complex chord structures including diminished and augmented voicings. As they explain, the album balances “expensive inversions” with a looser, more spontaneous sensibility.
The structure of the album reflects that duality. The opening seven tracks are built around tight, groove-driven arrangements, with a strong emphasis on backbeat and rhythmic precision. The second half moves into more experimental territory, particularly on the title track Laburnum Of The Mind and Little Bands Suck, which is described as a diss track operating outside conventional time or stylistic boundaries.
Recording took place at Soundpark in Melbourne with engineer Idge, who also handled mastering duties. Graney and Moore performed the majority of the instrumentation themselves, maintaining the self-contained approach that has characterised much of their recent output. Guitarist Stuart Perera, a long-time collaborator through various iterations of Graney’s bands, appears on two tracks. The album was mixed by Graney and Moore, reinforcing their hands-on production ethos.
The album’s title carries a distinctly local reference. Laburnum is a stop on Melbourne’s Belgrave train line, a detail that reflects Graney’s ongoing interest in place and everyday geography as lyrical material. “Not a suburb, a stop,” he notes, framing the title as both literal and symbolic.
In the context of their catalogue, Laburnum Of The Mind follows a steady run of releases credited to Dave Graney And Clare Moore since Let’s Get Tight in 2017. That period has seen the duo operate with increasing independence through their Cockaigne label, producing work that sits outside mainstream commercial cycles while maintaining a consistent output.
Graney’s broader career provides additional context. Emerging from Adelaide in the late 1970s, he and Moore first gained attention with The Moodists before relocating to the United Kingdom and later returning to Australia to form Dave Graney And The Coral Snakes. Albums such as Night Of The Wolverine and The Soft ‘n’ Sexy Sound established Graney as a distinctive voice in Australian rock, culminating in an ARIA Award for Best Male Artist in 1996. His work has continued across multiple projects, including The Dave Graney Show and The Lurid Yellow Mist, alongside a parallel career as an author and broadcaster.
The release of Laburnum Of The Mind also reflects broader industry patterns, particularly the sustained viability of independent production models. Graney and Moore’s approach, self-recording, self-releasing and directly touring their work, aligns with a growing segment of legacy artists maintaining creative control outside traditional label structures. For audiences, this translates to a more immediate connection between recorded material and live performance.
Live performance remains central to the project. Early responses to recent shows highlight Graney’s continued focus on presentation and narrative within performance, supported by Moore’s rhythmic foundation and a rotating group of collaborators including Perera. The upcoming tour places the new material in front of audiences across multiple states, reinforcing the duo’s long-standing commitment to national touring circuits.
Laburnum Of The Mind is available now on CD, vinyl and streaming platforms.
DAVE GRANEY AND CLARE MOORE ‘LABURNUM OF THE MIND’ AUSTRALIAN ALBUM TOUR:
Sunday April 26, Brunswick VIC, The Retreat
Friday May 15, Goolwa SA, Murray Delta Juke Joint
Saturday May 16, Adelaide SA, Wheatsheaf Hotel
Sunday May 31, Frankston VIC, Young St Tavern
Thursday June 4, Canberra ACT, Smiths Alternative
Friday June 5, Marrickville NSW, Marrickville Bowling Club
Saturday June 6, Bulli NSW, The Heritage
Friday June 12, Woy Woy NSW, The Link And Pin
Saturday June 13, Newcastle NSW, Stag And Hunter
Sunday June 14, Old Bar NSW, The Flow Bar
Sunday July 12, NSW, Mullum Roots Festival
Friday July 24, Geelong VIC, Courthouse Arts Theatre
Friday July 31, Ipswich QLD, Banshees Bar & Artspace
Saturday August 1, QLD, Eudlo Hall
Sunday August 2, Brisbane QLD, Black Bear Lodge
Friday August 28, Fremantle WA, The Duke Of George
Saturday August 29, Maylands Perth WA, Lyrics Underground
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