Recorded to tape on vintage kit near Byron Bay, Airbourne’s self-titled sixth LP mixes hard-rock reverence, two co-writes with Bryan Adams and Mutt Lange, and a closing tribute to rock legends.
The band recorded at Music Farm Studio using an original console linked to AC/DC, The Angels and Rose Tattoo, and tracked to tape for a vintage sound.
Two songs — "Who Put The Rhythm In You" and "Here She Comes" — were co-written with Bryan Adams and produced or polished by Mutt Lange, adding a singalong, arena-ready sheen.
# What this album is
# Sound and influences
Joel O'Keeffe's rasp, a relentless blues-rock stomp across the band's arrangements, and lyrics full of cartoonish swagger keep Airbourne's lineage to AC/DC and other hard-rock forebears obvious. That lineage is not presented as mimicry but as the established language the band works in: tight, high-energy riffs, short-arrangement punch, and singalong choruses.
Two cuts take that template and add a bigger, arena-ready gloss. "Who Put The Rhythm In You" and "Here She Comes" are co-writes with Bryan Adams and were worked on with producer Mutt Lange. Those tracks lean toward radio-friendly hooks and anthemic structures, fitting comfortably alongside the band's more raw stompers while broadening the record's palette.
# Songs that stand out
# Production choices and effect
Recording on vintage equipment and to tape is a conscious decision that shapes the album's texture. The production choices create a warmth and continuity with the classic records the group references, while Mutt Lange's involvement on two tracks pushes parts of the album into big-chorus, arena-friendly territory. The result is an album that can sit in loud festival sets and also aim for broader radio-friendly moments.
# Tone and lyrical approach
Lyrically the album mixes macho swagger and bawdy humour with straightforward tributes. The band's playful, sometimes preposterous approach is on display — particularly on the seasonal cheekiness of "Christmas Bonus" — while the tribute closing number is unabashedly celebratory rather than sentimental.
# Who this will appeal to
# Final takeaway
Airbourne's sixth LP leans into the band's established identity — loud, fast, and fun — while using vintage gear and selective outside collaborators to add a sheen on key tracks. It aims at both festival firepower and occasional singalong reach, capped by a closing tribute that signals where the band's loyalties and pleasures sit.
By David E. Gehlke In their 25 years as a band, AIRBOURNE had yet to do something as daunting as submitting two songs to elusive South African megaproducer Robert John "Mutt" Lange and Canadian singer/songwriter Bryan Adams. Adams's track record notwithstanding (lest we forget he penned KISS's "War...
It's always been impossible to talk about Australian hard rockers AIRBOURNE without bringing up the countrymen whose influence they sport proudly on their sleeves (when they're wearing sleeves, that is). The band's new self-titled album — their sixth full-length, and first in nearly seven years — wo...
AIRBOURNE AIRBOURNE SPINEFARM RECORDS Australia’s Airbourne are back with another injection of hard rawk adrenaline. This is Airbourne’s sixth album and the first one in seven years and they pick up exactly where they left off. Singer John O’Keeffe continues to channel his best Bon Scott and the band still unashamedly
Joel . The post Joel O’Keeffe describes what it was like working with Bryan Adams on two songs off new Airbourne record first appeared on Sleaze Roxx .
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