Forever Ends Here were a real moment in the early 2010s Melbourne pop-punk scene, and their 2025 return definitely wasn’t on by bingo card- but I’m here for it. While this might look like a classic comeback, the Melbourne trio are approaching things with a clean slate as they reinvent themselves through their new EP, I’m Still Trying To Find Myself. Consisting of brothers Luke and Kane McChesney and Maverick Burnett, Forever Ends Here are back sharper and more self-assured than ever. When I caught up with them the morning after their Sydney EP launch, there was pure excitement in the air.
Almost ten years on from their last album, the band found themselves drawn back to the stage on a whim, assuming the reunion would be brief. “We spoke about just missing playing live shows together, I think it was really the live thing that brought us back,” Luke says. “When we did the reunion tour, we didn’t know how long-term that would be, but I think it just felt right. For me personally, I felt like we had never quite reached the full potential of Forever Ends Here because we were so young when we were writing music back in the day. Now we can write music better than what we used to write. So it felt like we owed it to ourselves, I think, to write and produce a record that we’re just 100% proud of from start to finish.”
Nostalgia for that early-2010s pop-punk/alternative wave is strong, and while plenty of bands have attempted to recapture the vibe, I’m Still Trying To Find Myself nails it without feeling derivative. It’s early-2000s pop with a pop-punk undercurrent- catchy, fun and carefree. “One of the key things going into when we reformed and talking about if we were going to write music was what we wanted it to sound like,” Maverick explains. “I think there was a period of reverence here where we weren’t too sure what we were doing and we were experimenting. And in hindsight, we don’t necessarily think it worked out too much for us. We kind of wanted to return to those very traditional pop-punk sensibilities.
That desire to revisit their original sound while refusing to recycle old ideas is at the core of I’m Still Trying To Find Myself. Drawing on the bands and records they grew up idolising, they approached this EP without the pressure that hun over their early releases. Back then, they felt an expectation to create the record that would propel them forward, something that they now acknowledge only made the process harder. In their 30s, they’re finally free of that weight. “We’ve all grown up and it’s just about fun and what we like now, the pressure is off and that means better quality stuff comes out,” Kane says.
The EP didn’t come without its surprises. The opening track, “About It”- easily one of the standout moments- almost didn’t make the cut. Luke recalls, “Our producer Craig was like, ‘what do you think of doing a shuffle beat song?’ As soon as he sent it to me I was like, ‘dude, we’ve got no room on the EP.’ But once he sent me the demo I knew we could work with it. The second I heard it I had vocal ideas, I knew what the lyrics and melodies would be. It just formed into shape.”
Working with less pressure meant that studio time was a breeze, although it came with its new set of challenges. “We should talk about how much harder it is to play drums for five hours when you’re in your early 30s compared to your 20s though,” Kane jokes. “It requires substantially more coffee and protein powder than it used to.”
It’s clear that Australia is in the midst of a pop-punk revival, with countless headline shows and festivals over the last few years bringing massive names Down Under. While diehards never left, the broader resurgence feels impossible to ignore. “I couldn’t agree more that it’s thriving again,” Luke says, “We shared a release date with 5 Seconds of Summer. I think their new album is incredible. They’ve been so fucking good. Everything’s feeling nostalgic- Tonight Alive are back, Jenna has been working on her solo stuff and it’s so inspiring. I think post-pandemic, people were craving nostalgia and wanted to remember how they felt the first time they walked into a dingy venue with 100 people to hear their favourite band when they were 16, and we’ve tried to make an effort to capture that feeling again.”
Kane remembers that time vividly. “We were living in that era where every second weekend there was a local show that would sell out 400 tickets, and we took that for granted. Everyone got tired of it and grew up. We thought we could just step back into it when we were ready with new projects, but all of a sudden we realised that it was special and we couldn’t just step right back into that.”
Maverick points out how the current live music scene has shifted, saying, “Given the landscape of live music in Australia at the moment, there’s a middle tier of bands that no longer exist. Essentially it’s very big artists that are coming, and if that middle tier is coming it’s only to support those big acts. There’s a craving for people to go to smaller, more intimate shows. It’s a community thing.”
But nostalgia can bite just as hard as it inspires. While the band are proud of their history, they’re making a clear push to be seen for who they are now. “It has been the biggest hurdle to overcome with the reunion,” Luke says. “We feel like this record is the best we have ever written, but people hear of us and say, ‘Oh, that band from 10 years ago – let me go listen to “Oceans Away”.’ We love that you appreciated that time and had fun with us, but we really do want people to see us a new band.”
And they’re prepared to do the work to earn that fresh start. “We’re happy to be the lowest band on the bill,” Kane says. “We want to come in at the bottom now and work our way up. We want to prove ourselves now with the songs we’re writing and who we are today as opposed to the band we were ten years ago.”
Speaking with Forever Ends Here, it becomes quickly obvious that the thing they value most isn’t fame or streams or algorithm placement, but community. They light up talking about the artists around them, eager to champion the scene they grew up in. “Where do we start?” Luke asks, rattling off names. “Loretta, RAGEFLOWER- she’s incredible, the Australian music scene will be seeing a lot more of RAGEFLOWER. Charlie Pitman, Junior, Funeral, Hevenshe – that’s Jenna from Tonight Alive’s solo project, people are sleeping on that.”
“Thornhill and Polaris are absolutely taking over the heavy scene,” Kane adds. “I don’t know them personally but it’s really cool, as much as it is to see new bands coming through too.”
“There are so many incredible women in the scene right now too- Stand Atlantic, Yours Truly, Penny Parker, Red Hook,” Luke says. “If I could say anything, it would be to keep supporting women in Australian music as well. There is so much of it out there that is so, so good.”
As Forever Ends Here step into this new era, they’re doing it with humility, a renewed sense of purpose and the kind of joy that can’t be faked. I’m Still Trying to Find Myself may mark a return, but more importantly, it marks a beginning built on experience, community, and the simple love of making loud, catchy music with your best mates. In a scene rediscovering its heartbeat, Forever Ends Here aren’t trying to relive their past; they’re creating something new from it, and doing it on their own terms.
I’m Still Trying to Find Myself from Forever Ends Here is out now – listen to it HERE
Photo Credit: Jay Wennington
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