The Sunshine Coast punk trio will release Half Cut on 5 March 2027, preview it with new single Off It and return to smaller Australian venues for 17 shows across November and December.
The Chats will release their third studio album, Half Cut, on 5 March 2027, with new single Off It providing the first taste of the record and a 17-date Australian tour taking the Sunshine Coast band back to intimate venues this November and December.
The album is the follow-up to 2022’s Get Fucked, which debuted at number two on the ARIA Albums Chart and earned the trio an ARIA Award for Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Album. For vocalist and bassist Eamon Sandwith, guitarist Josh Hardy and drummer Matt Boggis, the new record represents another step forward without abandoning the blunt humour, everyday Australian observations and stripped-back punk that established their reputation.
Sandwith has described Half Cut as a fun rock and roll record that opens up the band’s songwriting compared with its predecessors. Rather than characterising the album as a mature statement, he sees it as progression, a distinction that fits a group whose appeal has always rested on directness rather than pretension.
Recorded at Maple Sound Studio in Los Angeles with Frenzal Rhomb’s Jay Whalley, Half Cut retains the irreverent vocabulary that has become a defining part of The Chats’ identity. Song titles including Half Arsed, Hanging Shit and Brown Bottle Flu signal that the band has no intention of sanitising its lyrical approach.
Beneath the familiar bluntness, however, the album explores subjects including hangovers, confrontation, reconciliation and rehabilitation. Those themes suggest a broader perspective from a band whose early songs captured the absurdities of everyday life with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of impact.
Off It is the opening track on Half Cut and has been released with an accompanying video. The single introduces the new album’s sound while keeping the immediate, guitar-driven approach that has defined The Chats since their emergence from Queensland’s punk scene.
The release follows a busy period for the trio, who have taken their music to international audiences through tours and support appearances alongside Queens Of The Stone Age, Foo Fighters and The Hives. Their growing international profile has not displaced the distinctly Australian character of their songwriting, which remains central to their identity.
The Chats first reached a much wider audience in 2017 with Smoko, the viral single from their Get This In Ya!! EP. Its portrait of an ordinary workplace break became an unlikely calling card for a band whose songs found humour and attitude in familiar situations rather than elaborate rock mythology.
Their debut album, High Risk Behaviour, followed in 2020 and reached number five on the ARIA Albums Chart. Get Fucked improved on that result two years later, debuting at number two and securing the group its first ARIA Award. Half Cut now gives the band an opportunity to build on that success with its first full-length studio release in almost five years.
The time between albums has also seen the members pursue other musical activity, including projects associated with The Unknowns. That wider experience sits alongside The Chats’ continued touring, offering a different context for a record that Sandwith describes as a progression rather than a departure.
The Half Cut Australian Tour will take The Chats through Brisbane, Frankston, Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania, Adelaide and Perth. The itinerary includes multiple nights at several venues, giving the band opportunities to play extended runs in rooms closely associated with the Australian independent and punk circuit.
The tour begins at Brisbane’s Crowbar on 13 November and includes three Sydney shows at Crowbar, followed by three nights at Melbourne’s Tote. Tasmania receives dates in Hobart, Forth and Launceston before the band moves through Adelaide and Western Australia, finishing with two performances at Perth’s Rosemount Hotel on 12 and 13 December.
The smaller-room format offers a contrast to the international festival appearances and arena-scale support shows that have featured in the band’s recent touring history. It also reconnects The Chats with the type of venues where direct contact between performers and audiences has long been central to Australian punk.
The tour is presented by Bargain Bin Records, TBC Management and Select Music. Tickets are on sale now through the band’s official website.
With Half Cut scheduled for March 2027, the November and December shows will give Australian fans an opportunity to hear Off It in the context of a new touring set before the album reaches its release date. The record also marks a significant point in the group’s development: the next full-length from a band that has grown from a viral Queensland punk act into an established international touring name while retaining its original sense of humour.
The Chats Half Cut Australian Tour 2026
Friday 13 November, Crowbar, Brisbane
Saturday 14 November, Crowbar, Brisbane
Sunday 15 November, Singing Bird, Frankston
Thursday 19 November, Crowbar, Sydney
Friday 20 November, Crowbar, Sydney
Saturday 21 November, Crowbar, Sydney
Thursday 26 November, The Tote, Melbourne
Friday 27 November, The Tote, Melbourne
Saturday 28 November, The Tote, Melbourne
Friday 4 December, Altar, Hobart
Saturday 5 December, Forth Pub, Forth
Sunday 6 December, Royal Oak, Launceston
Wednesday 9 December, Jive, Adelaide
Thursday 10 December, Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide
Friday 11 December, Indian Ocean Hotel, Scarborough
Saturday 12 December, Rosemount Hotel, Perth
Sunday 13 December, Rosemount Hotel, Perth
Tickets are on sale now at thechats.com.
Half Cut will be released on 5 March 2027. Off It is available now.
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