If you’re chasing the best songs of Busby Marou, you’re in for a genuine treat. Few Australian duos capture red dirt, river country, and heartbreak the way Tom Busby and Jeremy Marou do, and after two decades together their catalog has grown into one of the richest song-craft libraries in Aussie roots music. I’ve spent years with this band on repeat — road trips, quiet Sunday mornings, festival fields — and what follows is a genuine, track-by-track walk through the songs that define them, from their scrappy 2007 origins in Rockhampton right through to 2023’s Blood Red era.
Underlying Message
Released back in 2009 off their debut EP The Blue Road, “Underlying Message” is where the Busby Marou sound first clicked into focus. The interplay between Tom’s warm, slightly gravelly lead vocal and Jeremy’s intricate acoustic guitar work already sounds fully formed, which is remarkable for a song this early in their career. Lyrically, it’s got that plainspoken honesty the duo would become known for, favoring real imagery over metaphor for metaphor’s sake. Listening back on headphones now, you can hear the raw, unpolished charm that made regional Queensland audiences fall for them before anyone in the southern states had a clue who they were.
Biding My Time
This is the song that turned Busby Marou from a local favorite into a national name, and it still holds up as one of their most beloved tracks. Taken from their self-titled 2010 debut album, “Biding My Time” won Blues & Roots Work of the Year at the 2012 APRA Music Awards, a genuine mark of songwriting respect from their peers. The arrangement is deceptively simple — a rolling acoustic figure, warm harmonies, and a chorus melody that just sits in your head for days. In the car with the windows down, this one still feels like a mission statement for everything the duo would go on to build.
I Still Don’t Believe
Clocking in at three minutes and forty-four seconds, “I Still Don’t Believe” closed out the deluxe edition of the debut album and became a March 2012 single in its own right. The song leans folk-pop, built on a chord progression that keeps circling back on itself, mirroring the lyrical theme of disbelief and lingering doubt. What strikes me most is the vocal restraint — Tom never oversings the emotion, letting the lyrics do the heavy lifting instead. It’s a quietly mature moment from a band still finding its commercial footing.
Get You Out of Here
The lead single from 2013’s Farewell Fitzroy, “Get You Out of Here” marked a real leap in production polish thanks to Nashville producer Brad Jones, whose credits include Missy Higgins and Justin Townes Earle. Recorded at Jones’s Alex the Great studio with a full touring band behind them, the track has a fuller, more confident low end than anything on the debut. Meanwhile, the songwriting keeps its Rockhampton roots intact even as the sonics get bigger and more radio-friendly. It’s a genuinely great entry point for new listeners who want to hear the moment Busby Marou grew from duo to full band sound.
Luck
Following on from Farewell Fitzroy in March 2014, “Luck” is one of the album’s more reflective moments, built around a gently fingerpicked intro before the full band arrangement kicks in. There’s a lovely tension in the mix between the acoustic core of the song and the additional keys and percussion Brad Jones layered on top in Nashville. Lyrically, it wrestles with fate and circumstance in a way that feels personal rather than abstract, which is very much the Busby Marou signature. On headphones, the vocal harmonies in the final chorus are worth the price of admission alone.
Days of Gold
“Days of Gold” became Busby Marou’s first charting single, debuting at number 82 on the ARIA charts in October 2014, and it remains one of the most requested songs at their live shows. The song later got a deluxe reissue and even a special Borobi version, a nod to the Commonwealth Games mascot, showing just how deeply the track embedded itself into Australian pop culture. Musically, it’s got one of the widest, most anthemic choruses in their whole catalog, built for singalongs in packed festival fields. If you’ve ever caught Busby Marou live, you already know the roar this one gets from the crowd.
Getaway Car
Kicking off the era of 2017’s Postcards from the Shell House, “Getaway Car” dropped as a single in October 2016 and introduced fans to producer Jon Hume, who helped push the band toward a cleaner, more contemporary sound. The mix here is noticeably brighter than the Farewell Fitzroy material, with crisper acoustic textures and tighter low-end control. Thematically it’s about escape and momentum, and the arrangement mirrors that restlessness with a driving rhythm section. This is a great one to test on a quality pair of over-ears — our headphones comparison guide can help you find a set that does the mix justice.
Best Part of Me
Released March 2017, “Best Part of Me” is one of the tenderest cuts on Postcards from the Shell House, stripping things back to focus on vulnerability and connection. Jon Hume’s production keeps the arrangement airy, giving Tom’s vocal plenty of room to sit right up front in the mix. It’s the kind of song that hits differently depending on where you are in life, which is part of why it’s remained a fan favorite years after release. On a quiet night in, headphones on, this track’s harmonies land with real weight.
Paint This Land
“Paint This Land,” another single off Postcards from the Shell House released in April 2017, leans into the duo’s love of Australian landscape and identity, a recurring thread throughout their whole discography. The instrumentation widens out here, with subtle slide guitar textures adding a dusty, outback color to the arrangement. It’s a song that feels tailor-made for road trips through regional Queensland, which isn’t a coincidence given the pair’s Rockhampton roots. The album itself debuted at number one on the ARIA Charts, the band’s first chart-topping release, and this track was a big part of why.
Got Your Back
Released in February 2018, “Got Your Back” is a loyalty anthem built on a warm, mid-tempo groove and some of the tightest vocal harmonies on the whole Postcards from the Shell House record. There’s a real sense of brotherhood in both the lyrics and the performance itself, which makes sense given how long Tom and Jeremy had been writing together by this point. The production keeps the arrangement uncluttered, letting the emotional sincerity of the song carry the track rather than studio tricks. It’s become a staple in their live sets, often introduced with a story about their own friendship.
Full Moon
Closing out the Postcards from the Shell House single run in November 2018, “Full Moon” has a slightly moodier, more atmospheric feel than earlier cuts from the record. The arrangement makes smart use of space, letting individual instrumental lines breathe rather than stacking everything into a dense wall of sound. Lyrically it leans into longing and distance, themes that suit the more restrained, late-night production style. It’s an underrated deep cut that rewards a proper close listen rather than casual background play.
Sound of Summer
A breezy non-album single from 2018, “Sound of Summer” is pure warm-weather escapism, built around a bright, upbeat groove that’s tailor-made for beach days and road trips. It’s less lyrically weighty than a lot of their catalog, and that’s exactly the point — sometimes a song just needs to make you feel good. The mix favors the rhythm section and vocal harmonies, giving it an easy, radio-ready shine. If summer driving is your thing, a solid pair of earbuds makes a real difference here — check our earbuds comparison guide before your next road trip.
Over Drinking Over You
The lead single from 2019’s The Great Divide, released in July of that year, “Over Drinking Over You” tackles heartbreak with a wry, self-aware sense of humor in the title alone. Musically it’s got a punchier, more contemporary country-pop edge than earlier singles, reflecting the band’s continued evolution in the studio. The chorus hook is immediate, built for radio play, and it helped set up The Great Divide for a strong chart debut. It’s proof the duo could write something catchy without losing their storytelling instincts.
Naba Norem (The Reef Song)
Released in September 2019 ahead of The Great Divide, “Naba Norem (The Reef Song)” stands out as one of the most culturally significant tracks in the Busby Marou catalog, drawing on language and imagery connected to the Great Barrier Reef and coastal Queensland identity. The arrangement is lush and layered, giving the song a more expansive, cinematic feel than a typical single. It’s a genuine highlight of environmental and cultural storytelling wrapped in a genuinely moving melody. On the album, it sits as one of the emotional high points, and the band has spoken about how personally significant the song is to them.
Gone
Released as a single in May 2020, right as The Great Divide era was winding down, “Gone” carries a more stripped-back, reflective tone compared to its predecessors. The production leaves plenty of negative space, letting the vocal performance and lyrical content take center stage. Thematically it deals with loss and absence in a way that feels universal rather than overly specific, which is part of why it resonated with listeners during a genuinely strange year for live music. It’s a quietly powerful addition to their singles catalog.
Everything Is Beautiful
The lead single from 2023’s Blood Red, released back in April 2022, “Everything Is Beautiful” signaled a new chapter for the band on Sony Music Australia after years with Warner. The production here feels warmer and more organic, favoring live-sounding instrumentation over heavy studio processing. Lyrically it’s about gratitude and perspective, themes that feel earned given how long the duo had been building toward this album by the time it landed. Meanwhile, it set the emotional tone for the record that would follow a year later.
Where I Wanna Be
Released in February 2023 as Blood Red’s momentum built, “Where I Wanna Be” leans into contentment and homecoming, a theme that’s run through the band’s writing since their earliest Rockhampton days. The arrangement balances acoustic warmth with subtle full-band production, giving it a radio-ready sheen without losing the duo’s rootsy identity. Vocally, the harmonies between Tom and Jeremy sound as locked-in as ever, a testament to how many years they’ve spent singing together. It’s one of the most immediately likeable tracks on the whole record.
Crazy Like That
Dropped in April 2023 ahead of the Blood Red album, “Crazy Like That” brings a bit more rhythmic drive and energy than some of the record’s other singles. The mix pushes the rhythm section forward while keeping the signature two-part vocal harmony front and center, which is smart because that harmony is really the band’s calling card. It’s a genuinely fun listen live, and the crowd response at their 2023 Between the Tides album shows made that pretty clear. On the right sound system, the interplay between acoustic and electric textures really pops.
Bloodstream
Released just weeks before the Blood Red album itself on July 7, 2023, “Bloodstream” is one of the more emotionally direct tracks the duo has put out, and it works as a genuine thesis statement for the record’s themes of family and connection. Blood Red itself runs 38 minutes and was released July 21, 2023 through Sony Music Australia, and this single set the emotional tone perfectly. The vocal performance here is some of the most vulnerable in their whole catalog, favoring intimacy over polish. In contrast to their earlier, breezier singles, this one asks you to sit with it.
People Get Old (with Brad Butcher)
A genuinely lovely collaboration from 2023, “People Get Old” pairs Busby Marou with fellow Australian singer-songwriter Brad Butcher, and the chemistry between the voices is immediate. The song leans into reflective, mid-tempo territory, with warm acoustic instrumentation supporting a lyric about aging, memory, and mortality handled with real grace rather than sentimentality. Having three distinct vocal textures in the mix — Tom, Jeremy, and Brad — gives this one a fuller harmonic palette than most Busby Marou tracks manage on their own. It’s a fitting way to close out this list, and honestly one of the most quietly moving songs the band has ever put their name to. For more artist deep-dives like this one, our songs archive is worth a browse.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Busby Marou’s most popular song?
“Biding My Time” and “Days of Gold” are generally considered the duo’s signature tracks, with “Biding My Time” winning an APRA Award and “Days of Gold” becoming their first ARIA-charting single back in 2014.
Who are the members of Busby Marou?
Busby Marou is an Australian blues and roots duo made up of Thomas Busby and Jeremy Marou, who formed the group in Rockhampton, Queensland, in 2007.
What genre is Busby Marou’s music?
The duo is generally classified as blues and roots, though their catalog moves comfortably between folk-pop, country-tinged storytelling, and more contemporary radio-friendly production, especially on later albums like Blood Red.
Which Busby Marou album debuted at number one on the ARIA Charts?
Postcards from the Shell House, released in February 2017, became the band’s first number-one album on the ARIA Charts, a major milestone in their career.
Is Busby Marou still releasing new music?
Yes, following the 2023 release of Blood Red on Sony Music Australia, the duo took a hiatus but has been working on new material, so fans can expect fresh releases in the coming years.