South Summit Chase Live Urgency on Second Album ‘Run It Back’

There’s a version of South Summit that exists mostly on festival bills and in sun-bleached singles. But on Run It Back, their second album, the Perth five-piece tries to close the distance between that breezy reputation and something less polished—more lived-in. Two years ago, The Bliss established their reggae-tinged indie rock; here, they wrote together in one room and recorded live, chasing the jolt of their stage show directly to tape.

It works. The record feels expansive but not bloated, threading mellow grooves and catchy hooks with a new sense of weight. Travel, strained relationships, and long stretches away from home seep into songs like “We Are” and “On the Dash” without breaking the surface lightness. Then there’s the hip-hop leaning on tracks “Ando Boi” and “Call of the Empire”—a departure that nudges them past the easy comparison to bands like Glass Animals or Hard Life and into messier territory.

South Summit supported The Terrys across Europe in March. When they return to the UK in October, the crowds might already know the new material. Not because it’s been pushed hard, but because the songs finally sound like a band that trusts each other.