Few Australian bands captured the restless energy of post-punk turning into new wave quite like Models did, and any list of the best Models songs has to reckon with a catalog that stretches from spiky art-punk experiments to polished, radio-ready synth-pop. Formed in Melbourne in 1978 around guitarist and vocalist Sean Kelly, the band cycled through a remarkable roster of talent, including keyboardist Andrew Duffield, bassist and co-vocalist James Freud, drummer Barton Price, and saxophonist James Valentine. What emerged across nearly a decade of recording was a body of work that rewards close, attentive listening. For anyone looking to explore more tracks like these, the songs archive is a good place to keep digging after finishing this list.
I Hear Motion
Released in September 1983 as the lead single from The Pleasure of Your Company, “I Hear Motion” became the song that finally cracked the Australian mainstream, climbing to number 16 on the Kent Music Report singles chart. Producer Nick Launay gave the track its shimmering, propulsive sheen, wrapping James Freud’s radio-friendly vocal around Andrew Duffield’s instantly recognizable keyboard hook. That riff has an origin story worth knowing: Duffield stumbled onto it while attempting, unsuccessfully, to play Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” and the happy accident became one of the most identifiable synth lines in Australian new wave. Decades later the song still turns up everywhere from the film Young Einstein to television soundtracks, proof that its melodic instincts were built to last.
Out of Mind, Out of Sight
This is the one non-negotiable entry on any Models list, since it remains the band’s only number one hit, topping the Australian charts in July 1985. Written by James Freud, the song leans into a colder, more synthetic production style than the band’s earlier work, trading guitar grit for glossy keyboard textures and a vocal performance that sounds simultaneously detached and urgent. The arrangement rewards close listening, with layered synth pads that reveal new detail depending on your playback setup, which is exactly the kind of track worth running through the headphones comparison guide if you want to catch every production nuance. Culturally, it marked the commercial peak of the Freud-fronted lineup and remains a defining touchstone of mid-80s Australian pop.
God Bless America
Released in April 1984 as the third single from The Pleasure of Your Company, “God Bless America” never cracked the Top 50, but it deserves recognition for its ambition and its striking visual companion piece. The accompanying music video featured backing vocals from Kate Ceberano and Zan Abeyratne, both members of I’m Talking, lending the track a warmth and vocal richness that stands apart from the band’s more clinical synth-pop moments. Lyrically, the song plays with grand, almost satirical Americana imagery, a theme that felt pointed coming from an Australian band navigating the pressures of cracking international markets. It’s a reminder that not every great Models song needed to be a chart hit to hold up as a compelling listen.
No Shoulders, No Head
Issued in December 1983 as the second single from The Pleasure of Your Company, “No Shoulders, No Head” leans harder into rhythmic tension than its more melodic siblings on the record. Sean Kelly’s guitar work is more angular here, cutting against Nick Launay’s typically smooth production instincts, and the vocal phrasing feels deliberately clipped and percussive. The lyrical content carries the band’s trademark streak of surreal, slightly unsettling imagery, a holdover from their earlier post-punk years even as the instrumentation modernized. Live audiences of the era responded to its jittery energy, and it remains a favorite for fans who prefer the band’s edgier, less polished textures.
Watch Your Mouth
Tucked into The Pleasure of Your Company’s tracklist, “Watch Your Mouth” showcases the tighter rhythm section that came together once Barton Price joined on drums. The track moves with a confident, mid-tempo swagger, letting Duffield’s keyboard lines dart around Kelly’s vocal without ever crowding it. Thematically, it carries a playful, almost confrontational edge that suits the album’s broader mood of a band testing its newfound commercial footing. It never became a single, but it’s the kind of deep cut that reveals the album’s consistency once you move past the obvious hits.
Our Atmosphere
Another Pleasure of Your Company album track, “Our Atmosphere” leans into atmospheric synth textures that justify its title, building a spacious, echo-laden backdrop for Kelly’s vocal. The production choices here feel more experimental than the singles, with Launay allowing more room and reverb than the tighter, radio-focused arrangements elsewhere on the record. Lyrically, the song drifts into abstract, mood-driven territory rather than straightforward narrative, which fits the era’s fascination with mood-as-meaning in new wave songwriting. It’s a track that rewards patient listening over a quick spin.
Holy Creation
Rounding out several standout Pleasure of Your Company deep cuts, “Holy Creation” pairs some of the album’s most direct guitar work with lyrics that flirt with religious and existential imagery, a recurring device in Kelly’s writing throughout the band’s catalog. The rhythm section, newly anchored by Price, gives the track a firmer backbone than some of the more synth-forward material surrounding it on the record. Vocally, Freud strikes a balance between melodic restraint and dramatic push, particularly through the chorus. Fans who gravitate toward the band’s more guitar-driven instincts tend to single this one out.
Local and/or General
The title track and lead single from the band’s second album, released in November 1981, “Local and/or General” was recorded at Farmyard Studios in the UK with producer Stephen W Tayler, following the band’s international signing to A&M Records. Sonically, it sits at the intersection of the band’s post-punk origins and the more polished new wave direction they’d fully embrace two years later. The album itself peaked at number 30 on the Australian albums chart, a modest showing that undersold the record’s creative ambition. Sean Kelly’s guitar and vocal delivery here still carry traces of the band’s rawer, Melbourne punk-scene beginnings.
Unhappy
Released as a single in December 1982 from Local and/or General, “Unhappy” pairs a deceptively upbeat, driving arrangement with lyrics steeped in melancholy, a contrast that gives the song its emotional charge. The production favors a leaner, more direct mix than the band’s later work, letting the rhythm guitar and bass interplay carry much of the momentum. It didn’t chart into the national Top 50, but among longtime fans it’s frequently cited as one of the era’s more underrated singles. The tension between its sound and its subject matter is part of what makes it endure.
Rate of Change
An album cut from Local and/or General, “Rate of Change” leans into brisk tempo and clipped guitar phrasing that recalls the band’s earlier, more punk-adjacent instincts. Kelly’s vocal delivery is urgent and almost conversational, matching the song’s restless energy. The arrangement doesn’t waste time on embellishment, favoring a stripped-down attack that suits the title’s implied sense of momentum. It’s one of the album’s more propulsive moments and a good entry point for listeners curious about the band before their synth-pop transformation.
Drive and Reflex
Another Local and/or General deep cut, “Drive and Reflex” builds around a taut rhythmic pulse, with Duffield’s keyboard work weaving in and out rather than dominating the mix. The lyrics carry the band’s characteristic obliqueness, favoring mood and suggestion over linear storytelling. Instrumentally, the track balances guitar and synth in a way that foreshadows where the band would head on Out of Mind, Out of Sight a few years later. It’s a transitional song in the best sense, capturing a band actively working out its next sonic identity.
Bantam Had
A lesser-known entry from Local and/or General, “Bantam Had” leans into the album’s more angular, UK post-punk-influenced production, a byproduct of recording overseas with Stephen W Tayler. The vocal phrasing is clipped and rhythmic, working almost as another percussive instrument within the arrangement. Thematically cryptic in the way much of Kelly’s early lyric writing tends to be, the song rewards listeners who enjoy piecing together meaning from fragments rather than direct narrative. It’s a track that speaks to the band’s willingness to stay artistically restless even while chasing wider commercial appeal.
Two Cabs to the Toucan
Originally released in 1981 on the Cut Lunch mini-album, produced by Tony Cohen, “Two Cabs to the Toucan” stands out as one of the era’s more whimsical entries in the catalog. The arrangement is playful and slightly off-kilter, with a bouncing rhythm section that contrasts against the more serious tone of much of the surrounding material. Kelly’s vocal delivery leans into the song’s lighter, almost absurdist lyrical bent, a welcome change of pace within the band’s discography. It’s since become a favorite reference point for fans exploring the band’s earliest, scrappiest era.
Strategic Air Command
Pulled from the band’s 1980 debut album Alphabravocharliedeltaechofoxtrotgolf, “Strategic Air Command” captures Models at their rawest and most confrontational. The production is deliberately unpolished, favoring atmosphere and tension over melodic hooks, which suits the song’s tense, Cold War-adjacent title and imagery. Kelly’s guitar and vocal work here carry clear echoes of the Melbourne punk scene the band emerged from alongside acts like The Boys Next Door. It’s an essential listen for understanding just how far the band’s sound traveled by the time of their mid-80s hits.
Happy Birthday I.B.M.
Also from the 1980 debut, “Happy Birthday I.B.M.” leans into satirical, technology-skeptical lyrical territory that felt ahead of its time for an Australian new wave record. The arrangement favors sparse, angular instrumentation, letting Kelly’s vocal delivery carry most of the song’s dry, ironic tone. It’s a track that rewards listeners with patience for the band’s more experimental, art-school leanings before they moved toward mainstream production values. On a good pair of earbuds during a commute, the track’s dry wit and minimalist arrangement land especially well, and the earbuds comparison tool is worth a look for anyone building a dedicated deep-cuts playlist.
Young Rodents
Rounding out the debut album selections, “Young Rodents” leans into quick, jittery rhythms and terse vocal phrasing that typifies the band’s earliest work. The production is stripped-back by design, prioritizing energy and attitude over polish. Lyrically, it continues the band’s early fascination with strange, slightly grotesque imagery, a hallmark of Kelly’s writing before the band’s sound smoothed out. It’s a snapshot of a band still finding its footing but already showing clear creative instincts.
Ringing Like a Bell
Featured on the Out of Mind, Out of Sight album from 1985, “Ringing Like a Bell” leans into the more polished, synth-driven production that defined the band’s commercial peak. The mix favors clarity and space, with keyboard textures and vocal harmonies given plenty of room to breathe. Compared to the band’s earlier, guitar-forward work, this track exemplifies just how far Models had traveled sonically in only a few years. It’s a strong example of the album’s overall consistency beyond its chart-topping title track.
Let’s Kiss
Appearing on the 1986 album Media, “Let’s Kiss” leans fully into the glossy, hook-driven synth-pop sound the band had refined by the mid-80s. The production favors bright, layered keyboards and a confident, melodic vocal performance, a clear evolution from the band’s post-punk origins. Thematically, the song trades the earlier catalog’s oblique imagery for a more direct, romantic sentiment, reflecting the more accessible songwriting approach of the Media era. It’s a good example of how the band adapted to the pop landscape of the mid-80s without entirely losing its identity.
Evolution
Also from Media, “Evolution” pairs a driving, mid-tempo arrangement with lyrics that play on the album era’s fascination with change and progress. The mix leans heavily on keyboard textures, consistent with the record’s overall production style, while the vocal delivery stays melodic and controlled throughout. It’s not among the band’s most celebrated tracks, but it captures the confident, radio-ready sound Models had settled into by this stage of their career. For listeners tracing the band’s sonic arc from 1980 to 1986, it’s a useful marker of just how much ground they covered.
Early Morning Brain
Originally released in 1979 as one of the band’s earliest recordings and later revisited on the Melbourne compilation in 2001, “Early Morning Brain” offers a glimpse of Models before Duffield, Freud, or Price had joined the lineup. The arrangement is raw and unpolished, built around Kelly’s early vocal and guitar work alongside the band’s original rhythm section. It’s a fascinating artifact for longtime fans, showing just how much the band’s sound would transform over the following decade. Revisiting it after the band’s mid-80s hits makes for a genuinely rewarding full-circle listening experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best-known Models song?
“Out of Mind, Out of Sight” is the band’s most recognized song, having reached number one on the Australian singles chart in July 1985. It remains their only chart-topping single and the track most casual listeners associate with the group.
Who were the members of Models?
The band’s lineup shifted considerably over the years, but key members included Sean Kelly on vocals and guitar, Andrew Duffield on keyboards, James Freud on bass and vocals, Barton Price on drums, and James Valentine on saxophone during later eras.
What genre is Models?
Models are generally categorized as post-punk and new wave, though their sound shifted considerably over the years, moving from raw, guitar-driven punk influences in 1980 toward polished, keyboard-heavy synth-pop by the mid-1980s.
Which album marked the band’s commercial breakthrough?
The Pleasure of Your Company, released in 1983 and produced by Nick Launay, is widely considered the album that brought Models into the Australian mainstream, thanks largely to the single “I Hear Motion.”
Did Models tour internationally?
Yes, the band supported major international acts including the Ramones, The B-52’s, XTC, and Midnight Oil during national tours, and later toured alongside David Bowie as their profile grew through the 1980s.
Is Models still active today?
The band went on hiatus in 1988 but has reformed periodically since 2000, with more consistent performances from 2010 onward, continuing to play their catalog of hits for Australian audiences.
What happened to James Freud?
James Freud, who co-wrote the band’s biggest hits including “Out of Mind, Out of Sight” and “Barbados,” passed away in November 2010. Models were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame that same year.