Cardboard Cutouts cement their reputation as one of the most exciting new rock acts in the country with the release of their debut album, Politics and Footy Tips. With raw lyrics, honest vocals, and an epic sound, this Jagera, Giabal, and Jarowair Country/Toowoomba-based band checks all the boxes, and then some.
I say and then some, because this is an album that keeps you on your toes. While the band’s name suggests one-dimensionality, they refuse to make a rock album by the numbers. The opening track “Dishy” sets that standard. Dishies and glassies are rarely rock song heroes, but these icons of Aussie pubs get their moment here. The gentle start, more country-folk than indie-rock, is also unexpected. Soon enough the band’s full throttle, but when they do let rip it’s so much more powerful for the contrast to the quiet moments before.
It’s another bold move to bring out singles “My Best Friend” and “Steer” so early in the album, but it speaks to Cardboard Cutout’s faith in these songs. What comes later is far from filler. While other tracks like “A Story of Numbers, Bottles & Anxiety” and the incredible closer “Better Voice” may be unfamiliar to listeners, they’re destined to become new favourites.
Cardboard Cutouts makes the best kind of rock music. There’s no veneer or bravado, just pure heart. They get real about topics like anxiety, self-doubt, self-acceptance, and perseverance, showing vulnerability that’s rare and beautiful. Whether they’re belting out a tune at 11 or stripping their sound back on a bittersweet ballad, listening to this music from Cardboard Cutouts is such a cathartic experience.
Politics and Footy Tips is a fantastic album from a band with such a bright future ahead of them. Cardboard Cutouts will support its release with headlining shows around the country starting in Meeanjin/Brisbane tonight.
27 June 2025 – The Brightside, Meeanjin/Brisbane
4 July 2025 – Vinnies Dive, Kurrungul/Gold Coast
11 July 2025 – The Presynct, Kabi Kabi Country/Nambour
12 July 2025 – The Tinana Hotel, Butchulla, Gubbi Gubbi and Wakka Wakka Country/Maryborough
19 July 2025 – Otherwise Bar, Bwgcolman Country/Townsville
25 July 2025 – The Retreat Hotel, Naarm/Melbourne
26 July 2025 – Twisted Lime, Nipaluna/Hobart
14 August 2025 – Moshpit Bar, Eora/Sydney
15 August 2025 – 15 Festival @ The Baso, Ngambri/Canberra
16 August 2025 – The Servo, Woolyungah/Wollongong
17 August 2025 – The Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Mulubinba/Newcastle (FREE)
Main photo credit: Harrison Innes