Written by Sophie Wyatt
Melbourne based six-piece band Shock Corridor is reinventing what it means to be experimental in modern music. With brooding baselines and transcendent vocals, the band of friends are edging away from conventional genre labels, and creating what can only be described as an entirely unique body of work.
Since forming in 2019, the band have flourished in the Melbourne music scene. Their emotionally charged music, paired with their stunning, sullen visuals have gained them a loyal fan base and seen them appear on several lineups across the country. And now, with the release of their self-titled album, they’re on an even more exciting trajectory.
Sat on a porch couch in North Melbourne, the band sat down to chat with us about their journey so far. Violinist/vocalist Saskia Permezel explained to us that the band’s music taste has essentially merged into one being. “It’s nice when that happens. One of us pulls out a new album and everyone jumps on it”, lead singer George Miller explained. Sigur Rós, Talk Talk and The Smile were among the artists that were shared amongst the group, and in turn influenced their new album.
Shock Corridor’s self-titled debut album is a sprawling nine-track record that collides trip hop, post-punk, experimental rock, orchestral arrangements and electronic textures. The album opens with ‘In Shining Armour’, pairing chopped beats and violin with a grand orchestral climax, before ‘Alarm Bell’ builds tension through guttural bass, live drums, clashing violins and distorted guitars. ‘Buster’ is driven by an unrelenting guitar riff and erupts into horns, synths and anthemic drums, while ‘Spit Take’ turns a house party into a scene of impending catastrophe, with haunting samples from Chris Walsh woven through its subs, trumpet and violin.
Bassist Henry Rawling explained that the album came together of a long time, and whilst it felt disjointed to them whilst releasing songs separately, they were all in agreement that it has come together as they wanted. “It’s a proper introduction into us and what we’re trying to say,” George followed up. Trumpet player Joe Nossal also hemmed in on this by explaining why they wanted to include older songs in this album also. “We wanted to include songs like ‘Abyssal (Redux)’, because tracks like that were really pivotal in us finding out about ourselves and our sound.”
The album has also been described as both cinematic and heavily immersive. Saskia and Henry went on to say they like when their music is described in this way because it’s somewhat fluid. “It doesn’t really mean anything about the type of music”, George said. “It’s more about the feeling it gives you.”
Described by many as one of Melbourne’s most compelling live music acts in the scene right now, the band have certainly made their mark. In December 2025, they sold out The Night Cat, a 650-capacity hometown show, and shared stages with Bleak Squad at Melbourne Recital Centre and Floodlights. They were also recently named FBi Radio’s Independent Artist of the Week. And last week the band were announced on the line-up of one of Victoria’s most well-renowned music festivals, Golden Plains. Alongside artists such as Underworld and Peter Garrett & The Alter Egos.
As the band continues to play shows around the country, and expand both their musical library and their fan base, it’s unknowable where they will head next. Their talent for bringing together sounds that have not yet been created is what makes them such a special and exciting group to follow. If their self-titled album is anything to go by, this is just the very beginning for this emerging band.
You can listen to Shock Corridor’s self-titled album now on all streaming platforms.
