Expatriate

Expatriate are a Sydney, Australia-based indie rock group active from 2005. The band line-up consists of Ben King on vocals and guitar, Chris Kollias on drums, Damian Press on keyboard, guitar and sound engineering, and Dave Molland on bass.

Formation and background

The band takes its name from the shared experiences of its members’ youth. Ben King grows up in Jakarta, attending an international school with students from different nationalities and backgrounds, and later returns to Australia at 15 to attend a boarding school. He goes on to study politics at Sydney University before turning to music full time. Chris Kollias also has a migrant family background and draws early musical influences from his father’s radio, including Greek underground rembetika. He later performs at Sydney’s Opera House and Entertainment Centre as a supporting musician.

King meets Kollias at Sydney’s Annandale Hotel, where their shared experiences and musical outlook lead to the formation of the band. Damian Press, who works in sound design and has experience with Hollywood movie trailers, joins in Ginsberg Studios, where the group develops its recorded sound. Press’s focus on atmosphere and spatial detail shapes the band’s production style.

Early releases and live activity

Expatriate record their debut EP, Lovers le Strange, in Ginsberg Studios. The five-track release comes out in 2005. Its first single, “The Spaces Between,” receives six weeks of high rotation on Australian national broadcaster Triple J, and “Killer Kat” also gains high rotation there. The band tours Australia three times in 2005 and plays Homebake Festival in Sydney at the end of that year.

In 2006 the band undertakes its first sell-out national headline tour. It also travels to London and Toronto, attracting interest from international artists and critics. Jim Kerr then personally invites Expatriate to support Simple Minds on the Australian leg of the group’s world tour.

Debut album

Expatriate record their debut album in Seattle with producer John Goodmanson at Robert Lang Studios. Goodmanson is associated with acts including Death Cab for Cutie, Blonde Redhead and Wu Tang Clan. On returning to Australia, long-time touring bassist Dave Molland joins the group, completing the line-up.

The band’s debut full-length album, In the Midst of This, is released in 2007. It includes earlier songs such as “Only Wanna Love Ya,” “Play a Part,” “Crazy,” and a new version of “The Spaces Between.”