Ball Park Music are gearing up for a huge year. The Meanjin/Brisbane five-piece have just announced their eighth studio album, ‘Like Love’, set to land on Friday, 4 April, and they’re hitting the road straight after, with a massive Australian and New Zealand tour locked in for May and June. To mark the occasion, they’ve also dropped a brand-new single, ‘Please Don’t Move To Melbourne’ – a bright, tongue-in-cheek anthem that manages to be both infectiously catchy and deceptively bittersweet.
It’s classic Ball Park Music – playful and upbeat on the surface, but dig a little deeper and you’ll find the kind of vulnerable, thoughtful storytelling that’s always made them so special. Frontman Sam Cromack wrote the chorus years ago, inspired by the steady stream of friends trading Meanjin/Brisbane for Naarm/Melbourne’s supposedly greener pastures. “I remember the enchanting nature of the three chords being spread over six bars; it gives it this suspended feeling as if it could just go on forever and never resolve”, he says. That sense of nostalgia runs through the whole track, wrapped up in jangly guitar riffs and a melody that’s impossible to shake.
The track’s accompanied by a music video filmed by guitarist Dean Hanson around Brisbane/Meanjin. It’s packed with local references – The Wheel Of Brisbane, Story Bridge, Fortitude Valley’s best haunts, and even a Bluey City Cat – all tied together with that dry, self-aware humour Ball Park Music do so well. It’s an adorable love letter to Meanjin/Brisbane.
The album’s title track dropped last year, a heartfelt, introspective number that hit #43 in triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2024. It was a softer, more vulnerable sound for the band, contrasting with the upbeat cheekiness of ‘Please Don’t Move To Melbourne’. That kind of contrast is exactly what makes Ball Park Music so good – they’ve always been able to pivot from earnest emotion to playful wit without missing a beat.
Ball Park Music have been at this for over a decade now, steadily growing from a group of uni friends making music in Sam Cromack’s bedroom to one of Australia’s most consistently brilliant bands. They broke through with their debut album ‘Happiness and Surrounding Suburbs’ back in 2011, and they’ve been on an impressive upward trajectory ever since. From the singalong anthems of Museum and Puddinghead to the lush, layered sounds of GOOD MOOD and Weirder & Weirder, they’ve always found ways to grow without losing the charm and wit that make them so distinctly Ball Park Music.
To celebrate the album’s release, they’re heading out on a massive AU/NZ tour this May and June, supported by fellow Brisbane outfit Bean Magazine. They’re clearly excited to get back on the road, sharing, “This run will see us return to many of our favourite venues in the country as well as making it to New Zealand for some of our first ever proper headline shows. The new record has seen us explore a more tender, introspective side of our band and we’re excited to redesign our show to accommodate this, as well as all our usual faves for the stage.”
Ball Park Music ‘Like Love’ Tour
Fri 2 May – Forth Pub, Fort TAS
Sat 3 May – Odeon Theatre, Hobart TAS (All Ages)
Thu 8 May – Prince of Wales, Bunbury WA
Fri 9 May – The River, Margaret River WA
Fri 16 May – Forum, Melbourne VIC
Sat 17 May – Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide SA
Fri 23 May – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane QLD
Fri 30 May – Enmore Theatre, Sydney NSW (All Ages)
Fri 6 June – San Fran, Wellington NZ
Sat 7 June – Tuning Fork, Auckland NZ (All Ages)
Fri 13 June – UC Refectory, Canberra ACT
Presale: Tue 11 Feb, 12pm local time
GP On-Sale: Fri 14 Feb, 12pm local time
Support: Bean Magazine (Australian shows only)
