Sydney avant-pop outfit The Petrov Affair are bringing their debut album tour to Newcastle, with a free show at The Oak in Tighes Hill in March.
The band arrive fresh off the release of their new single and album title track, Men Are a Luxury Item. Emerging from the evolution of The Ancient Marinators, the band has carved out a distinctive blend of electronica, avant-pop and art-rock.
Founders Murray Lee and Bruce Thomas are joined by Ian Empson and Dallas Rogers, drawing on a deep well of musical history across projects including Bugbears, Mr. Blonde and Grander Things.
The result is a tight, literate sound with atmospheric textures, understated humour and a refusal to lean on tired rock clichés.
Their latest single sets the tone for the album, dark, slinky and quietly melodic, powered by shimmering synths and textured guitar.
Lee’s vocal lines move between self-reflection and sardonic wit, capturing the push-and-pull of insecurity, romance and the awkward vulnerability that threads through much of the band’s writing.
The album itself unfolds as a loose narrative arc: from the tentative beginnings of relationships to the spirals of jealousy, confidence, heartbreak and recovery.
Atmospheric tracks like White Out and Unseasonal November Snow sit alongside sharper, more cynical moments such as Never Trust a Man and Back on Top.
Across the record, listeners will hear echoes of Australian art-pop icons including Underground Lovers, The Go-Betweens and The Apartments, alongside international touchpoints such as Destroyer. Yet despite the influences, the sound remains distinctly their own—sophisticated, atmospheric and quietly bold.
The Petrov Affair play The Oak in Tighes Hill on Friday, March 7, supported by Drugs in Sport. Entry is free, and the band’s debut album Men Are a Luxury Item is out now.
