Things of Stone and Wood have released “Fade Away”, the latest single from their comeback album Rae Street, while confirming more Australian performances and signalling that a second new studio album will follow later in 2026.
by Paul Cashmere
Things of Stone and Wood are continuing one of the year’s most notable Australian music comebacks with the release of “Fade Away”, the latest single from Rae Street, their first studio album in more than two decades. The release follows the album’s Top 10 placing on the ARIA Australian Albums Chart, a largely sold-out national tour by founding members Greg Arnold and Mikey Allen, and comes ahead of another run of intimate performances during August.
The new single also points towards the band’s next chapter. While promoting “Fade Away”, the Melbourne folk rock group has confirmed that a second studio album is scheduled for release later in 2026. If completed as planned, it will mark an unusually productive year for a band whose previous studio album, Rollercoaster, was released in 2003.
“Fade Away” continues the reflective songwriting explored on the first single from Rae Street, “You’d Gone Before You Went”. According to material released with the single, the song examines ageing and the passage of time through an intimate acoustic arrangement. Greg Arnold co-wrote the track with Australian songwriter Carlyle Christopherson during the period Arnold was living in Switzerland.
Recorded as part of the home-produced Rae Street sessions in Melbourne, the song reflects the stripped-back approach that shaped the album. Rather than revisiting the band’s early folk pop sound through larger studio productions, Rae Street was conceived as an acoustic record centred on songwriting and vocal harmonies.
The current performances also continue that approach. Rather than touring with the full band, Arnold and Allen have returned to the stage together as the “Original Duo”, revisiting both new material and the songs that established Things of Stone and Wood during the 1990s. Recent setlists have combined tracks from Rae Street with enduring favourites including “Happy Birthday Helen”, “Wildflowers”, “Rock This Boat” and “Share This Wine”.
Things of Stone and Wood first formed in Melbourne in 1989, bringing together Greg Arnold, Michael “Mikey” Allen, Justin Brady and Tony Floyd. Their breakthrough came with 1993’s The Yearning, which reached No. 8 on the ARIA Albums Chart and featured “Happy Birthday Helen”, one of Australian radio’s defining songs of the era. The track peaked at No. 9 nationally and later ranked in Triple J’s Hottest 100.
The group followed with another Top 10 album, Junk Theatre, in 1995. During their early career they also scored chart success with “Share This Wine”, “Wildflowers” and “Churchill’s Black Dog”, while earning the 1993 ARIA Award for Best New Talent. Greg Arnold was also recognised that year with APRA’s Songwriter of the Year award.
Following periods of inactivity after disbanding in 1998 and again after reforming during the early 2000s, the original line-up reunited in 2013 for anniversary performances. Rae Street, released in March 2026, became the band’s first studio album in 23 years and represented a significant return, reaching the Top 10 on the ARIA Australian Albums Chart.
The announcement of another album later this year suggests the reunion extends beyond nostalgia. Instead, the band appears to be building a substantial new body of work while reconnecting with audiences that have supported them across nearly four decades.
For Australian folk and acoustic music, the continued activity of Things of Stone and Wood also reflects the enduring appeal of songwriting-led artists whose catalogue has remained part of the local music landscape long after their original chart success.
The next performances by the Original Duo continue through Victoria during August while work continues on the band’s second album of 2026.
Tour Dates
Fri 7 August, Upwey, Burrinja (Lyre Room)
Thu 13 August, St Kilda, Memo Music Hall (Ember Lounge)
Sun 16 August, Eaglemont, Eaglemont Music Club (Sold Out)
Sat 29 August, Heatherton, Arcobar
https://thingsofstoneandwood.com
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