Two guitar legends unite in electronic pivot

Two of Australia's most influential rock frontmen have quietly formed a side project that abandons the guitar-driven sound they're known for in favour of analogue synthesizers and electronic experimentation.

Bernard Fanning (Powderfinger) and Paul Dempsey (Something For Kate) have launched Fanning Dempsey National Park, a deliberately cheeky band name they settled on after considering contenders like "Paul and Oats". Their debut album, The Deluge, marks a significant sonic departure for both musicians, rooted in the electro-pop and new-wave records of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The pair decided to build their sound palette around that specific era—roughly 1977 to 1985—without imposing rigid constraints beyond that. "The aim was to have fun and hopefully to do something unpredictable," Dempsey explained. For him, the project meant learning analogue synthesizers from scratch, creating sounds rather than relying on guitar-based arrangements he's mastered over decades.

"Primarily it was about sounding different from ourselves," Fanning said. "Like all bands, we weren't exactly sure what we were doing. We were just feeling our way."

The first single, Disconnect, features saxophone—a deliberate throwback to an instrument largely sidelined from mainstream rock over the past few decades. Dempsey was unambiguous about his approach: "All music is better when there's a saxophone solo. ALL music." Fanning added that the instrument's occasionally cheesy digital reverb perfectly embodies the album's retro aesthetic.

The chemistry between the two is evident throughout The Deluge. While their distinctive voices often operate in a tag-team fashion, they also blend in unexpected ways, creating moments where listeners think they're on familiar ground before being pulled somewhere entirely new. It's a collaboration that builds on more than two decades of friendship; Something For Kate opened for Powderfinger at Melbourne's Corner Hotel in 1996.

Their musical reference points—ranging from Gary Numan to Robert Palmer, Duran Duran to Icehouse, Joy Division to Depeche Mode—reflect a golden era when synthesizer manufacturers would rush new products to artists like Stevie Wonder, Kate Bush and Prince in hopes of breakthrough hits. For Fanning, resistance to that electronic shift initially felt natural; he recalls hearing Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight" when Triple M launched in Brisbane and finding the "manufactured sound" jarring at first.

Dempsey, growing up in Melbourne's Irish folk circles, had a different entry point. When he first heard David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes", the experience was transformative—suddenly, music could sound like that.

The pair are clearly eager for audiences to finally hear the album. "It's so nice to just talk about the music, finally," Fanning said. "It's taken so long for people to be able to hear it—we're so pleased to be able to do that and hear what people think."