Peter Freebairn returns with The Girl I Know, a deeply personal new single that continues Peter Freebairn’s melodic power pop evolution and signals the next phase of a larger project in development.
by Paul Cashmere
Melbourne singer-songwriter Peter Freebairn has unveiled The Girl I Know, a reflective and melodic new single that builds on the momentum of 2025’s Sweet Emotion and further defines his place in Australia’s contemporary power pop landscape.
Released through Pop Preservation Society on Friday 13 February 2026, The Girl I Know forms part of an expanding body of work that will culminate in a forthcoming full-length project. Like its predecessor, the track was recorded in Freebairn’s home studio, reinforcing the self-contained creative approach that has come to characterise his recent output.
Where Sweet Emotion carried an athlete-like intensity and forward drive, The Girl I Know opens in a more understated space. An acoustic guitar introduces the song before Paul Boyle’s assured drum groove propels it forward. The arrangement gradually expands, layered with rich harmonies that nod to country textures while remaining anchored in guitar-driven power pop. Freebairn’s falsetto provides an emotional lift in the closing passages, adding light and air to an already expansive chorus.
Freebairn once again handles the majority of instruments himself. He is joined by Boyle on drums, alongside long-time collaborators Jo George and Lisa Mio, his bandmates in Radio Vertigo. George contributes piano and backing vocals, Mio adds bass and harmonies, and together the trio help translate Freebairn’s studio vision into a sound designed for the stage.
Lyrically, The Girl I Know draws on a period when Freebairn’s daughters were travelling through the northern hemisphere. The imagery is intimate yet
universal, photographs sent across time zones, late-night calls bridging continents, memories anchored to a “warm July”. The result is a song about distance and connection, growth and perspective, delivered without overstatement and open enough for listeners to locate their own stories within it.
The single also continues the bold pop-art visual identity introduced with Sweet Emotion, visually linking the two releases as companion pieces within a broader creative arc.
Freebairn’s current chapter sits atop a career that stretches back to his teenage years. At 14, he formed his first band, Rage, with his older brother as frontman. They played school lunchtime gigs and hired local town halls, dropping pamphlets in letterboxes and performing to modest crowds. A couple of original songs were committed to reel-to-reel tape, early experiments in a craft that would become central to his life.
His first significant national breakthrough came with The Wish, whose singles including Love Is Alive and I Got To Let You Know received major radio rotation across Australia. The band recorded with Daniel Jones of Savage Garden, with engineering by Reggie Bowman and a guest appearance from Darren Middleton of Powderfinger. It was an education in professional recording and national exposure. Hearing his own voice on commercial radio for the first time remains, he says, a defining moment.
After The Wish, Freebairn co-founded Radio Vertigo with Boyle and George, refining a rock-leaning, melodic sound that still informs his work today. Across each iteration, one constant has been his commitment to strong melody. Influences stretch from The Beach Boys’ harmonic sophistication to the bright guitar structures associated with Matthew Sweet and Jellyfish. Alongside those touchstones sits an enduring appreciation for Neil Young’s acoustic storytelling, a balance between electric drive and reflective writing that continues to shape his songs.
His 2024 album Silhouettes And Cigarettes marked a significant solo statement, blending layered guitars with confessional lyric writing. Songs were constructed in the studio with multiple guitar parts and textures, then distilled for live performance with Radio Vertigo, capturing what he describes as the essence rather than a literal reproduction of the recordings.
Peter Freebairn with Radio Vertigo will appear as special guests supporting Horizon on Saturday 7 March 2026 at George Lane, St Kilda. Presented by Pop Preservation Society. Doors open 7pm. Premium seating strictly capped.
Saturday 7 March 2026, St Kilda, George Lane with Horizon
Tickets available via TryBooking.
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