Billy Gardner & Friends - Last of the Natural Light (2026)

We have written about a lot of Anti Fade Records releases over the years. The list includes but is not limited to Alien Nosejob, The Prize, Itchy & The Nits, Parsnip, R.M.F.C., and Institute. Out of sheer gratitude for all those kickass releases alone we would have shared the new record from the label’s boss Billy Gardner, who also plays and has played in kickass bands like Ausmuteants, Smarts, The Judges, The Living Eyes, and The Toads.

But press play on Last of the Natural Light and you quickly realize this is not some obligatory “thanks for running one of our favorite labels” post. This record would have made the Wantlist regardless of who made it.

And yes, this very much is a Billy Gardner & Friends affair. Prepare for some serious namedropping. Most songs feature a different vocalist, including Paris Rebel Richens (Parsnip, Hierophants), Violetta Del Conte-Race (Primo!, Modal Melodies), Miles Jansen (The Shifters, The Toads), Carolyn Hawkins (Chook Race, Parsnip, Season 2), Sam Hill (The Judges), and renowned designer and illustrator Rowena Lloyd. Then there is a cast of musicians lending their limbs and instruments to the recordings: Gardner’s Living Eyes and Judges accomplices Mitch Campleman and Zane Gardner, Jake Robertson (who just dropped that killer new Alien Nosejob LP), The Frowning Clouds’ Zak Olsen, Jamie Harmer & Nick Van Bakel, Alannah Sawyer (The Great Divides), Austin Haire (The Prize, Ozzie Hair), and Jack Crook.

Dizzy yet? Good, because that is kind of the point.

What they’ve created together feels both expansive and intimate. These songs breathe. The arrangements know when to step forward and when to disappear into the background. Melodies linger long after the record ends. Last of the Natural Light moves through different moods and textures without ever losing its identity, with every collaborator adding another layer rather than fighting for attention.

This is not an egomaniacal solo showcase. It is a love letter to a scene, a spotlight on a community this talented and this generous with its creativity. It feels like a compilation curated by someone with impeccable taste, except the person selecting the tracks also happened to write many of them.

This is creative freedom done right. Last of the Natural Light is out now on Anti Fade Records (of course!).