"We are Pretty Out of Pocket in the Adelaide Scene:" An Interview with the Tullamarines
INTERVIEWS
By Serenna Zingg
8/7/26
The Adelaide indie pop band discusses the Australian indie scene, taking sonic risks on their EP, and more.
Collage by Indi Tejeda
“Art is a product of its environment” is a sentiment that couldn’t map more cleanly onto Australia’s penchant for indie rock. When listening to acts in the fold of Tame Impala or Spacey Jane, the truism lands as almost inescapable: the wily sense of humor, shameless attitudes to taking time off from work, and scorching summers on the island have very directly long imprinted upon the hopping music that comes from it. Adelaide-based The Tullamarines follow cleanly in the lineage of other wielders of unruly guitar music that came before them, combining sunkissed guitars and mild dancefloor synth with relentlessly enthusiastic lyricism and performance. I caught them at The Great Escape in Brighton to ask them how they do it.
In your own words, how did you get started as a band?
Lucinda Machin (vocals, guitar, bass): We were all in bands in Adelaide - just separate projects, and then we were all kind of on the gig circuit. We were kind of eyeing each other up and then decided one day to practice with each other and were like, “This is pretty cool!” It fell into place.
You’ve mentioned quintessential bands like Ballpark and Jungle Giants as being formative to your taste: how would you specifically describe “Aussie indie rock?”
Lucinda: Something about the guitars is very sunkissed. Pretty high BPM. Jangly guitars; a bit of synth, but still feels very band-y and has a general effervescence.
Benny Waltho (vocals, guitar): It’s definitely not as serious as British indie was; that felt very angsty.
Are there any gaps you’re trying to fill in the Adelaide music scene?
Lucinda: I feel like we as a band are pretty out of pocket in the Adelaide scene at the moment.
Benny: We all came from slightly different scenes in Adelaide. It’s got pockets and we didn’t come from all the same places or genres, so we had our own little groups. When we came together, we wanted to move into something more Jungle Giants-ish where our idols exist.
You’ve supported a good few bands. Which audience do you feel received you best, and why do you think that would be?
Benny: We got to play a show with Ballpark, and I think because of how much we look up to them, everyone in the room could have that feeling toward us if that makes sense? It was like we were both shooting for the same thing, and everyone understood what we were trying to do.
Putting aside budget or other restraints, what would your dream record to make sound like?
Lucinda: I’d love to have a studio with so many weird guitars or slides and harmonicas - and banjos and strings and flutes and saxophones and trombones and just crazy shit like that.
Benny: I would really love John Congleton to produce an album with us. I feel like that would be a match made in heaven. If you listen to the albums that he produces, like Courtney Barnett’s new album or the first two Wallows releases, they’ve got something about them where you listen to any song on the record, and you know it’s from that world. There’s just an unfakeable vibe on them.
What do you think your greatest strength currently is as a band?
Lucinda: We do this thing live where three of us are the lead singers, and we swap through in the middle of the songs. I think that’s my favorite thing about us. We’ve just done it since we started, and it works, because we all get to say what we want to say.
Are there any trends in indie music that you actively try to avoid?
Lucinda: Maybe it’s a personal taste thing, but I don’t like using autotune.
Even in an artsy, experimental way?
Benny: I’ve got to say, I’m going through a bit of an experimental writing phase trying autotune and stuff. Very fun to write with.
What is a sonic risk you took on Safety Blanket that ended up paying off?
Benny: I think the EDM? But I don’t know. At the time, it didn’t feel like a risk. I suppose I could see it as being one now, but it didn’t feel weird. It seemed like the most normal thing to fit into the song.
Lucinda: Yeah, even if we did take risks, I don’t think we overthought it enough to make it feel like a risk.
Benny: And if it feels risky, maybe it’s not the right choice?
Josh Thomas (drums): I don’t know. Sometimes a risk will feel like the wrong thing when you’re writing the song, and then you listen back and think, “Oh, it’s cool and different,” as opposed to writing the same song one hundred times.
Quintessentially sunlit and unguarded, The Tullamarines channel the ease of Australia’s indie lineage while pushing toward something looser, louder, and more playful than many modern bands who evolved from similar influences. As one of the first signs of “We’ve made it!” for bands often unfolds, the Tullamarines have their first international tour under their belt and, perhaps more consequentially, are opening shows for the bands that once defined and inspired them.
Listen to Safety Blanket
