Oztix | News | Sticky Fingers Announce New Album Release Details & Tour Dates

Stalwart Sydney indie outfit Sticky Fingers have clawed their way out from near-collapse to regain a sense of purpose and energy as a band, greatly aided by the impending release of keenly awaited new full-length Westway (The Glitter & The Slums).

With a worldwide release slated for Friday 30 September, the record is the product of a much-needed four-week sojourn in Thailand, taken at the start of the year, which saw them shack up at Karma Sounds Studios (in Bang Saray, Chonburi province) with producer Dann Hume to creatively work out some of the growing kinks the band were experiencing in their everyday interactions following a protacted period of touring and playing in support of their acclaimed 2014 record, Land Of Pleasure.

"The team surrounding Sticky Fingers were really worried about this record," bassist Paddy Cornwall explained in a statement. "Last year we found our threshold in terms of how much time we could spend on the road. We were certainly dishevelled but none of us wanted a break, really. When the idea came about to make an album in Thailand it sounded just the ticket.

"It was a bloody mess getting us all over there though, I tells ya. I recall being on some kind of month-long December bender and missed my first flight over there. Then Bowie died and I didn’t have anyone to drink with. I’m still banned from Qantas and I don’t know why. Once we’d settled in, though, it was magic. A studio built into a villa on the beach. An uncomfortable number of maids and kitchen hands. We spent almost the entire month all clad in white. It felt like we’d checked into rehab, except this time we actually wanted to be there because we were creating something beautiful together."

It's not hard to see that the sabbatical-of-sorts did wonders for the band, who have teased the material contained on their third album by way of their well received recent singles Outcast At Last and the airy, dreamy Our Town. According to keyboardist Freddy Crabs, that's just the tip of the iceberg for the sonic depths ready to be plumbed across Westway's 11-strong track list.

"Westway is lyrically darker than both previous albums," he said in a statement. "It deals with rehab, break-ups and loneliness, mixed with the transient nature of constantly being on the road and what that does to our bodies and our heads. The sound is more mature, heavier-hitting, but we still keep the sticky flavours in the pot to keep it all together.

"Expect stronger musicianship, bigger and better solos, fucked up synths and high falsettos. Expect a collab from one of Australia’s most important new artists. Expect to laugh, cry and gets the tingle like you've never felt before. Westway is gonna be the best, it’s special album and a moving story that I'll keep close to my heart forever."

The band will be showing off the new goods on a six-date run around the country in a couple of months; they'll kick off at home in Sydney, at the Enmore Theatre, on Friday 28 October, before setting off for stages in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide, which nabs last-stop honours with a show at Thebarton Theatre on Saturday 19 November.

For a full rundown of dates, venues and other tour information, see theGuide.

Pre-orders for Westway (The Glitter & The Slums) are available from this Thursday, 4 August, via the band's website.