Raucous guitar maelstroms, inquisitive spoken word and wailing woodwinds – Kaurna Yarta’s/Adelaide’s Placement are alt-rock virtuosos.
They’re incredibly hard-working and have been constantly touring since the release of their 2021 EP, Lost Sun. Formed by Alex Dearman and Malia Wearn, who met at a local gig, Placement eventually expanded to six members: Kim Roberts, Stu Patterson, Giuseppe Caporaso and Ricky Albeck.
2025 has been their biggest year yet, with the recent release of their debut album, Insect, which explores the complex human condition through their turbulent rock. It’s existential and urgent, cementing their vital presence in Australia’s alternative scene.
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“We always knew we were working towards recording this album,” Malia tells me, pausing for a chat on the way to rehearsal. “We’ve included songs from across our time playing as a band, pulling together the different sounds that were starting to emerge into the story of our journey to this point.”
Insect came together in a swift eight days, with a simple writing process: “Alex will start with the guitar part, then he’ll bring it to us and we’ll all play parts,” Malia says.
“I tend to overthink and over-tinker with recordings,” Alex admits, as Malia and Kim laugh in the background. “But the cool thing about making [Insect] is we had songs at different stages – some were from the band’s early days, others we wrote two weeks before we went into the studio. It’s a snapshot of what we were doing at that exact moment.”
It’s then interesting to discover that the album’s serious tone emerged subconsciously.
“I just start singing and let myself say whatever words come out,” Malia explains. “I always find that I’m talking about something that’s been on my mind, and is speaking to the events that we’re going through in the world.”
Placement’s technical prowess is owed to their various musical upbringings. Malia grew up playing classical music. There are obvious influences, like Sonic Youth, who Alex proclaims are his favourite band. But more surprising is Stu’s sax and clarinet work channelling the looseness of Ethiopian jazz, Giuseppe’s drums drawing upon Talking Heads’ distillation of world music into new wave, and Alex’s admiration for T. Rex’s simple, groovy guitar riffs.
“As much as we’re into a lot of weird and experimental music, we’re also into catchy ’80s bangers,” Kim says. “We want to have some catchy guitar riffs in there as fun moments, then you go back to the chaos that you unravel.”
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That push and pull between the intently quiet and ferociously loud is what makes Placement so thrilling, live and on the record. Alex thinks they’re “a bit grittier live”– indeed, there’s a fantastic interplay that naturally occurs when they play off each other.
“As we’re assembling [the songs], we’re not considering what a song structure would be,” Alex explained. “We’re just considering what we would like to hear and what makes us excited as a group.”
Placement’s next big gig is Fitzroy’s Laundry Re-Launch Party on 9 August, joining a stacked lineup of the country’s hottest post-punk bands, including Sex Mask, dogworld, and The Empty Threats (Stu and Alex are also members). Considering the band owes its existence to local venues, it’s an important, full-circle moment.
“They are the fabric of the scene,” Kim says, “As a musician, you’re sure you can practice in your bedroom, but you can’t learn your craft until you’re playing in front of an audience. That’s where you actually get to grow your performance.”
Alex, who’s gigged everywhere from big spots to backyards, believes the medium-sized venues are “the perfect place for all music”.
“That’s where you have your best gigs. You pack out the room, everyone’s sweaty, and the energy is high because you’re having this intimate, energy-based interaction between you and the crowd. I can probably speak for the whole band when I say those are our favourite shows.”
Kim mentions everyone’s “honoured” but taken aback by playing at venue relaunches and final shows. “It is a real fragile ecosystem that we need to support. We see the real love of the community at those final shows.”
Alex concludes with what every local band is thinking: “We’d much rather be playing openings than closings.”
Still, Placement successfully deflect, as Malia puts it, this “weird historical time with wars and pandemics”, with their impactful music. For facing that adversity head-on, they are a real gift.
Placement are playing Laundry on 9 August.
