Los Angeles trio Health close out their recent creative cycle with Addendum, positioning the band with new music for a return to Australia this September
by Paul Cashmere
Health have released their new EP Addendum via Loma Vista Recordings, marking the final instalment in the band’s Rat Wars and Conflict DLC era as they prepare for a six-date Australian headline tour in September 2026.
The EP arrives in the wake of a sold out performance at the Hollywood Palladium and consolidates a run of releases that have defined the band’s output across the past two years. Alongside new material, Addendum brings together a selection of collaborations and recent standalone tracks including A.L.O.N.E, extending the narrative arc first introduced with 2023’s Rat Wars.
For Health, the timing is strategic. With a sustained international touring schedule underway and renewed audience growth across multiple territories, Addendum functions as both a closing statement and a bridge into the next phase of the band’s catalogue.
At its core, Addendum refines the sonic framework established on Conflict DLC, a
record built on industrial metal structures, electronic programming and an undercurrent of existential themes. The new material, particularly A.L.O.N.E, leans into atmosphere and restraint, favouring slow-burning synth textures and minimal rhythmic movement over the more aggressive constructions found elsewhere in the band’s recent output.
The EP’s hybrid format, combining fresh tracks with collaborative works, reflects Health’s long-standing engagement with cross-genre production. Across their career, remix culture and external partnerships have been embedded in their workflow, allowing their material to evolve beyond traditional album cycles.
That approach has become increasingly relevant within the current heavy music landscape, where the boundaries between industrial, electronic and metal continue to blur. Health’s recent releases align with a broader shift towards genre-fluid production, where artists operate across multiple formats including albums, EPs, remixes and soundtrack work.
Formed in Los Angeles in 2005 by Jake Duzsik, John Famiglietti and B.J. Miller, Health emerged from the city’s underground scene with a self-titled debut in 2007. Recorded in The Smell, the album introduced a fusion of abrasive electronics, noise textures and stark vocal delivery that distinguished them from contemporaries.
Subsequent releases including Get Color, Death Magic and Vol. 4: Slaves Of Fear documented a gradual evolution towards more structured songwriting without abandoning their confrontational origins. The 2015 album Death Magic proved a turning point, foregrounding melody and accessibility while maintaining the band’s dense, claustrophobic sound design.
Beyond their studio catalogue, Health have built a parallel presence in gaming and multimedia. Their score for Max Payne 3 expanded their reach, while contributions to Grand Theft Auto V and Cyberpunk 2077, including Major Crimes, embedded their music within contemporary digital culture. This crossover has reinforced their association with dystopian themes and cinematic soundscapes.
The Rat Wars and Conflict DLC releases represent one of the band’s most cohesive creative periods, with Addendum now serving as a concluding document. Across these records, Health have explored themes of technological alienation, emotional disconnection and modern anxiety, delivered through a combination of heavy guitars, programmed beats and expansive electronic textures.
Critical response to this phase has highlighted the band’s ability to balance extremity with accessibility. At the same time, some long-time listeners have noted the increasing emphasis on melody and atmosphere compared to the harsher noise elements of their early work. The discussion reflects a broader tension within heavy music, where artists navigate the line between experimental roots and wider audience reach.
Health’s continued momentum suggests that this evolution has expanded rather than diminished their audience. Their live shows, built around the interplay of live percussion and sequenced electronics, have become a defining element of their identity, translating their recorded material into a physically immersive experience.
That live reputation will be tested again when the band returns to Australia in September for a national headline tour presented by Destroy All Lines. The run follows previous sold out visits and festival appearances that have strengthened their connection with local audiences.
Joining Health on the tour are Perturbator and King Yosef, creating a line-up that reflects the convergence of industrial, darksynth and experimental electronic music. The combination underscores the current direction of heavy music, where traditional genre boundaries continue to dissolve in favour of hybrid forms.
With Addendum completing a significant chapter and an extensive international touring schedule underway, Health now sit at a transitional point. The reception to both the EP and the upcoming live dates will likely inform the direction of their next body of work.
For now, Addendum stands as a closing statement, consolidating a period that has redefined the band’s scope while reinforcing their position within the evolving industrial and electronic music landscape.
Tour Dates And Ticketing
Friday 18 September, Brisbane, The Tivoli
Saturday 19 September, Sydney, The Roundhouse
Sunday 20 September, Melbourne, The Forum
Wednesday 23 September, Hobart, The Odeon
Friday 25 September, Adelaide, The Gov
Saturday 26 September, Fremantle, Metropolis
Tickets available from destroyalllines.com
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