DIY Class of 2026: Florence Avenue

      “It’s really exciting to exist in the same world as people who were once just on your phone.” — Lily Aron

      A group of friends forming a band, naming it after their school street, practicing in the garden, and performing for their classmates is charming enough to be the plot of a coming-of-age film; so much so that it mirrors the storyline of *Sing Street*, the 2016 musical comedy set just half an hour away. “It’s somewhat unbelievable,” Lily acknowledges. “When I share the story, I realize it sounds like a movie plot! It's incredible to see how, as four friends who enjoy making music together, it can actually lead us somewhere, and others can appreciate our music. It’s wild.”

      A pivotal moment in Florence Road’s journey was winning a competition that allowed them to record and release their debut single: 2022’s ‘another seventeen’. Though the upbeat tribute to teenage angst was delightful, it didn’t entirely represent them, leading to a prolonged writing phase (which Ailbhe described as “a lot of throwing spaghetti at the wall”). They emerged with a distinctly rock-inspired sound defined by heavier guitars and sing-along choruses. They’ve mentioned influences ranging from beabadoobee and The Beatles to Fleetwood Mac, AC/DC, The Kinks, Alanis Morissette, The Cranberries, and Florence Welch, but it’s a dynamic blend they typically manage to balance effortlessly. “We don’t overthink things or complicate them,” Lily clarifies. “If it feels right, then it is. I believe people connect with that and sense a part of themselves in the songs.”

      Despite the significant transition that led to ‘another seventeen’ being removed from their setlist, the song still holds sentimental value: “It’s a reminder of where it all began,” Lily says affectionately. “Hannah and I both have ‘17’ tattoos - I think it's essential to recognize the growth, and it’s a nice milestone.”

      “One thing that amazed me in Australia was talking to people after the show who would say, ‘oh my god, I never thought you’d come to Australia; I’ve been listening since ‘another seventeen’,” Ailbhe remembers. “I was like, ‘You have that down here?!’”

      With their new material in hand and having signed with Warner at the end of 2024, the band plans to reintroduce themselves to the world in March with ‘Heavy’, a powerful track featuring a heart-wrenching chorus that resonates deeply. They followed it with the gentler, acoustic piece ‘Caterpillar’, before tapping back into their grungier roots with ‘Figure It Out’ - a song that Ailbhe proudly notes “really resonated with the dads.”

      “After gigs, parents would approach and say, ‘I loved that one’,” she recalls, smiling. “It’s like, yeah, it’s for you!” “I trust their taste because they’ve experienced the music scene - they wouldn’t just attend anything,” Hannah adds.

      The band solidified their presence over the summer with the release of their ‘Fall Back’ mixtape, a cohesive six-track project where more evident pop elements blend with heavy guitars, powerful crescendos, and festival-ready “la la la”s in the opener ‘Break the Girl’. To maintain their momentum, they’ve released two more singles since then: the somber, grief-laden ‘Miss’ and the uplifting, perfectly timed ‘Storm Warnings’.

      “It was fantastic to finally be releasing music again - it had been a long-standing goal for us,” Lily expresses. “‘Storm Warnings’ was actually the second or third song we ever wrote, so we’ve had it ready for a while. It’s gone through a few transformations; we’ve adjusted it over time, and it felt really great to play it live for so long and truly get a sense of it. It’s just wonderful to have it out and to see an older track feel fresh again.”