HighSchool

“It was important for us to showcase diversity on this record, beyond the boundaries of post-punk and shoegaze,” HighSchool’s Rory Trobbiani tells Apple Music. True to his word, the band’s moody self-titled debut deepens their established sound while dovetailing into ’90s- and 2000s-inspired indie rock and perkier New Wave. Formed in Melbourne and now based in London, HighSchool is centered on the creative core of Trobbiani and Luke Scott. The duo recorded the album on an East Sussex farm with Ben Hillier (Blur, Depeche Mode) and in London with Finn Bellingham (RIP Magic, Sam Akpro), plus some extra touches in Australia. Below, the pair pull back the curtain on each song. **“Dipped”** Luke Scott: “This track explores themes of luck, chance, and gambling, using the Greek tragedy of Achilles as a metaphor for addiction, impulse, and human weakness. The cold, gothic, minor-key verses contrast with a warm, major-key chorus, creating a push-and-pull dynamic that feels both tense and euphoric.” **“Sony Ericsson”** Rory Trobbiani: “‘Sony Ericsson’ is about the strange dynamics of modern connection—the games people play over text and how a single message can spiral into endless overanalysis. A few words on a screen can be pulled apart, read and reread, and imbued with layers of meaning that may never have been there to begin with. It speaks about the discrepancy between how someone appears on a phone screen versus who they are in real life, and how the digital version of a person can feel enticing or alluring but also unreal or unknowable.” **“149”** LS: “A fun, punchy, little indie banger named after the 149 bus we used to take from Dalston to our studio in Tottenham. It’s a tribute to those early days after arriving in London, when everything felt new and uncertain, but full of exciting possibility.” **“Chaplins”** RT: “Named after Chaplin Café—a humble, old-school spot just off Walworth Road \[in London\]—this track is rooted in the quiet rituals of our mornings there, doing admin over fry-ups and Americanos. The café gets its name from Charlie Chaplin, who was apparently born nearby. We wrote the song about one of the glamorous waitresses, who always seemed destined for more than the café and her mean boss. We imagined a story where she quits spontaneously one day to chase a career in acting—a moment of bold escape into a new life.” **“American Aunty”** LS: “Our first fully acoustic track. With everything unplugged, we weren’t reliant on amplification—or even a studio—so we recorded it outside on \[producer Ben Hillier’s\] farm as the sun set over the cornfields. Ben close-mic’d the guitars while we played in the open air. The song is about the hidden sadness and quiet beauty of stark middle-class suburbia. We shot the video on New Year’s Eve in Melbourne, during the city’s firework display.” **“Peter’s Room”** RT: “This song sees us exploring different sounds. It draws influence from artists like Beck, Pavement, and Sonic Youth. Deeply rooted in nostalgia, it was written about a pivotal moment in my life working at a pub on Smith Street, Collingwood: riding my bike home in the summer after long shifts, the haunted beer cellar, playing dice at lock-ins, and how old all the 24-year-old managers seemed to my futile 20-year-old brain. That time introduced me to a new scene of people. The song is called ‘Peter’s Room’ because I wrote it in a guy named Peter’s room in South London.” **“One Lucky Man”** LS: “This song taps into our 2000s NYC indie roots. With the tempo and tone shifting halfway through, we actually switched drummers; Rory stepped in and played the second half. The song was written about tumultuous friendships that can’t last—a silent but mutual understanding of wanting something more while knowing it can’t make sense in the real world. Over time, those connections quietly dissolve into silence and memories.” **“Making Out at the Skatepark”** LS: “With this one, we really indulge our love for Midwestern emo. It’s one of the oldest tracks on the album, written back in our South Bermondsey studio in 2023. The title gives it away: It’s about the intense feelings of yearning and awkwardness that come with being a teenager, and the insignificant moments that somehow hold enormous significance in the teenage mind.” **“Trope”** LS: “This one has a woozy, off-kilter feel thanks to a vari-speed tape recording technique that Ben suggested we try. We laid down the instrumental at a faster tempo and in a different key, then slowed the tape down to reach the pitch and tempo that we wrote the song in—creating a dreamlike, slightly warped sonic bed for Rory’s vocals.” **“Rhinoplasty”** RT: “A sprawling, meandering goth-rock track. We recorded our friends having a phone conversation and layered it over the verse instrumental.” **“Best and Fairest”** RT: “This song is about growing up playing junior Aussie rules football, a sport both me and Scotty played as kids in Melbourne. Freezing-cold hands, the smell of Deep Heat in the locker room, directing your old man with a Melways to the middle of nowhere, those grim bright-red hot dogs, and the ridiculous pressure and importance placed on something so novel.” **“Colt”** LS: “We chose to close the album with a crowd favorite. Unlike the rest of the record, ‘Colt’ wasn’t recorded by Ben Hillier or Finn Billingham, nor was it mixed by Claudius Mittendorfer. Instead, it came to life in 2023 at Dan Carey’s legendary South London studio and was mixed by Macks Faulkron. The song stands as a testament to our love of ’80s New Wave electronic rock, infused with hints of Italo disco.”