STACK #263 September 2026

MUSIC FEATURE

visit jbhifi.com.au/stack

WILD ONE T here’s nothing Ordinary about American artist Alex Warren. am in my life today.” Alex Warren is far from Ordinary on his second album.

CHART FACT

As for the title, well, that’s what Alex’s dad used to call him. “So it’s always had a special meaning.” So special that Alex even has a “Wildchild” tattoo. Alex was just nine when his dad died of kidney cancer. The new album includes a poignant song about his father’s passing called I Miss You More . Alex even went to his dad’s grave to sing the song for him.

After becoming one of 2025’s breakout stars, he’s wasting no time following his success, with his second album, Wildchild , coming just a year after his debut. Again, Alex is digging

Alex’s debut album, You’ll Be Alright, Kid , hit number two in Australia, while the single Ordinary spent 17 weeks at number one – 2025’s longest running chart topper.

deep on the record, telling the tale of his tumultuous life.

Alex says his first album, You’ll Be Alright, Kid , was about a broken man, whereas this

record “is a man who’s trying to heal”. “Creating this album was really healing, therapeutic and a way for me to continue finding out more about myself,” Alex continues. “This album really shows where I

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Alex turns 26 this month, on September 18.

Alex told UK’s Hits Radio that the songs on Wildchild covered every emotion. “I hate you, I love you, and I love my wife and I miss you,” he explains. “I wanted to have at least a song or two for each emotion you feel.” Jeff Jenkins

Alex Warren

Alex was up for ‘Best New Artist’ at this year’s Grammy Awards. The trophy went to Olivia Dean. AWARD WATCH

Wildchild by Alex Warren is out now via Inertia

S tray Dogs , the new album for UK rock band Nothing But Thieves, has been shaped by the group’s relentless touring over the past decade. “We’ve spent some time trying to work out what’s real and tangible about who we are and how we use our time,” the band said when the album’s first single, Evolution , landed. “The people we travel the world with, the human moments on stage, the connection we make with those who come to our shows. That’s real. It’s a bit of a love letter to the people in our world in that way.” The album follows Nothing But Thieves’ 2026 Australian tour, which included a string of dates with Ocean Alley. DOGS ARE TALKING England’s Nothing ButThieves find their people on their fifth album, Stray Dogs .

CHART FACT

Nothing But Thieves have had two Top 10 albums in Australia – 2020’s Moral Panic and 2023’s Dead Club City , which was their first UK chart-topper.

Nothing ButThieves

converse. Stray Dogs is about finding your people. “The image that stayed with us was of our road family, when there are 30 of us gathered in some far-flung part of the world. Or the moment the doors open and thousands of people come streaming into a festival or one of our shows, becoming one. “It’s about belonging and shared momentum. I guess the community we have built for the last decade. Once the idea of Stray Dogs was fully formed, it made sense to base the rest of the album around it.” “Dreaming like a pack of stray dogs,” Conor Mason sings. “Don’t it make you feel alive?” Jeff Jenkins

ORIGIN STORY

Nothing But Thieves formed in 2012 in Southend-on-Sea in Essex, 64km east of London. Other famous artists from Southend include Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker, Tina Cousins, and Culture Club’s Roy Hay.

Talking about the title track, the band explained: “We’ve spent a long time writing about the negative aspects of pack mentality, tribalism, and division. This song is the

Stray Dogs by Nothing But Thieves is out Sep 25 via Sony

46 SEPTEMBER 2026

jbhifi.com.au