Sheppard have released “Night Drive”, a new single that signals a fresh creative direction for the Brisbane siblings ahead of a major live appearance at The Gabba in December.
by Paul Cashmere
Sheppard have released “Night Drive”, a new single that shifts the Brisbane trio towards a larger, vintage-influenced pop sound as George, Amy and Emma Sheppard begin the next phase of their career. The song is accompanied by a music video and will be followed by a live appearance at the Jose Carreras & Friends stadium spectacular at The Gabba in Brisbane on December 5, 2026.
“Night Drive” centres on the idea of wanting to rewind a relationship to an earlier point, before circumstances became complicated. Musically, Sheppard draw on the kind of expansive pop associated with an earlier era, with large melodies and a production approach designed around the song rather than a departure from their established pop foundations.
George Sheppard says the song came together quickly.
“We’ve always loved that vintage era of pop where every melody felt huge and timeless, and ‘Night Drive’ is us going all in on that,” George says. “It came together in the room very quickly, and almost fully formed, and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since. I think that’s a pretty good sign.”
The track represents another step in Sheppard’s continuing evolution after more than a decade of international recording and touring. The group has accumulated more than two billion streams across digital services and has established a substantial international audience since breaking through with “Geronimo” in 2014.
For Sheppard, the significance of “Night Drive” is also connected to the scale of their catalogue. The trio has moved through several musical phases across four studio albums, while retaining the melodic pop writing that has been central to its identity.
Sheppard formed in Brisbane in 2009 with siblings George and Amy Sheppard, with Emma joining the group in 2011. Their early recordings led to the self-titled Sheppard EP in 2012 before the breakthrough of “Geronimo”.
Released in 2014, “Geronimo” spent three weeks at No. 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart and became the group’s defining international hit. The song has subsequently accumulated 36-times-platinum certification across 19 countries, according to the supplied band information, and has spent more than 550 weeks on the Australian Independent Singles Chart, a record for the chart.
The band’s debut album, Bombs Away, followed in July 2014 and reached No. 2 in Australia. Sheppard won Best Group at the 2014 ARIA Awards from seven nominations connected to the album and “Geronimo”. The album also reached No. 31 on the US Billboard 200.
International touring followed, including support appearances with Justin Bieber and Meghan Trainor, while Sheppard also performed at major Australian sporting events. Their profile expanded further with the 2020 AFL Grand Final halftime performance and appearances connected to State of Origin and other large-scale events.
Watching the Sky, released in 2018, gave Sheppard their first No. 1 Australian album. Kaleidoscope Eyes followed in 2021, before the group entered another phase with Zora in 2024. The fourth album included “Good Time” and “Edge of the Earth” and reached the ARIA Top 10.
The group also continued to work beyond its core recordings. Sheppard collaborated with Jolyon Petch on “Sunshine” in 2024, taking the song to No. 3 on the ARIA Club Tracks Chart. In 2025, “Beautiful Nothing” became the first single from the band’s forthcoming fifth studio album.
“Night Drive” therefore sits within a longer period of activity rather than representing an isolated release. The song follows the group’s ongoing international focus while retaining the melodic accessibility that has characterised its catalogue.
The December performance at The Gabba will place the new material in a stadium setting, with Sheppard joining the Jose Carreras & Friends event. For a group whose career has increasingly included major live platforms, the performance provides an opportunity to introduce “Night Drive” alongside songs from across its catalogue.
Upcoming Date
December 5, Brisbane, The Gabba
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