I drove out to Auburn last night to a soundtrack of new songs from the Herd. First cut ‘The King Is Dead’ really resonates, with the refrain: “We danced like New Year’s Eve”.

I may never forget wandering into the Bat & Ball, Surry Hills, to hear Underlapper playing as the election tally turned against Howard last year. Here’s what I wrote the day after:

The prospect of those guys in power for another term had left me on edge all Saturday afternoon. It didn’t help that I was hanging out with Howard lovers as the Liberals took an early lead. I was starting to rant about indigenous rights, asylum seekers and the like, so I said my goodbyes - “Guys, I’ve just gotta go” - and headed to the 2SER party at the Bat & Ball, Surry Hills.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever been happier to arrive at a venue. Underlapper were playing - gorgeous spine-tingling stuff - and a bunch of close friends were hanging out by the bar. The ALP and Greens started their ascent, Maxine McKew and Bob Brown gave stirring speeches, and the Liberals were out. And I won the Oz politics/economy board game Poleconomy - a Monopoly-esque game featuring loads of companies that no longer exist.

I haven’t played Poleconomy yet, can’t even think where it is. But the sense of exhausted joie de vivre that night: dancing, drinking champagne, making new friends. There was a sense of a weight being lifted off our shoulders, the possibility of another way forward. And for all the criticisms of the Rudd Government’s first few months, they’ve made some very significant steps.

Dancing like new year’s eve - so apt - and those things come through in the song. Another Herd record that promises to continue their career growth. It’s out in May, and (thanks to Ryan from Everything at Once for connecting the dots on this) Jane Tyrrell has another thing on the go, with her group Firekites newly signed to Spunk.