A Quick Chat with Superdose Gangway
Adelaide pop punk/emo band Superdose Gangway today share their nostalgic new single, "No Reason At All", and get ready to launch it live at OC Sound Fest, a celebration of the South Australian punk scene, on the 24th January. For fans of Blink 182 and Hot Mulligan, "No Reason At All" is about a generation disillusioned by the reality of the world today, produced by Lachy Pitcher (TOWNS, Sleep Talk, Colourblind).
Tackling themes of existential doubt, the track explores the weight of living in a world where leaders fail to inspire hope. "I believe that action is the best response to the current state of the world," says frontman Max Tulysewski. "But sometimes all I can muster is despair. This song has been a work in progress since the pandemic, and I think it reflects some common themes of the last five years. My hope is that this song encourages people to be kinder to themselves and those around them."
Accompanying the new single is a cinematic music video directed by Pete Williams. The clip features high-energy band performances soundtracking a young couple’s struggle to stay afloat during the current housing crisis, represented by epic footage of a couch on fire.
We caught up with the band to find out a little bit more about them and their new song…
First off, could you talk about your band name - what’s the story behind it?
The meaning of Superdose Gangway as a band name is open to interpretation. I like the way the words look and sound together. Whatever is conjured up in the mind of the listener is the right meaning as far as we’re concerned.
If you could describe the band in three words, what would they be?
Melancholy. Cathartic. Loud.
Your new song “No Reason At All” is about disillusionment and hope - what inspired the theme? And what made you choose now to finish this one since you say it’s been in the works since the pandemic?
I would imagine that I’m not alone in feeling disillusioned with the state of the world. It’s easy to lean on cynicism but I try to look for the positives, however small. This song comes from a place of despair but I think there’s a hopeful vein of optimism running through it too.
You’ve said action is the best response to the current state of the world - what does that mean to you?
I know a lot of really socially-minded people who engage with political activism regularly. I have so much respect for anyone who takes to the streets to stand up for what they believe in. I’ve also found much of my understanding of the world around me has come from listening deeply to those who may not have the loudest voice in the room.
Pop-punk often deals with angst, but this song feels very adult in its frustration. How consciously are you leaning into that growing-up-with-your-scene sort of storytelling?
I would say that all of us in Superdose Gangway identify as elder-emos. As I’ve gotten older, I think my songwriting has taken on more of an impressionistic tone. I’m a bit less interested in using my lyrics to tell everyone exactly what’s happening to me and how I feel. These days, I’m really enjoying painting with a broad brush and letting the listener bring their own experience.
You first met while studying jazz, in what ways does that background still sneak into your writing?
Craig (drums) and I really bonded over our mutual love of pop-punk whilst studying jazz at university. Anyone who’s into punk is pretty comfortable feeling like an outsider but it’s awesome to meet like-minded people and enjoy being outcasts together – especially in an environment where everyone’s focused on an entirely different genre of music.
You draw from both classic pop-punk and the Midwest emo revival - how do you find balancing that pop/emo nostalgia with your jazz-trained musicianship?
What I love about jazz music is the way that ten different musicians can play the same tune and it will sound completely different each time. I think our songwriting process has benefitted from that freedom of expression. When we write together as a band, I love the moments when someone suggests something completely out of left field and the song takes on a whole new direction.
Your early project released a song every fortnight for an entire year. What was that like? Did that intense creative routine shape the way you write together today?
The beauty of that project was that everything was a placeholder until the song was released. We wrote and released 26 songs over the course of the year so there was no time to dwell on decisions. Sometimes musical ideas like riffs or chord progressions would sit on a hard drive for weeks or months waiting to be placed in the right song. It was a tremendously creative period of time and it taught us not to be married to ideas.
You’ll play OC Sound Fest in January - is a celebration of the SA punk scene - who are some of your favourite punk bands from SA?
We are extremely excited to play at OC Sound Fest, the lineup has some of our favourite bands like LOLA, Looch and Molly Rocket and heaps of others. It will be a wonderful day in the riverland hanging out with many of our closest friends! More broadly, our little niche in the SA punk scene has had a bunch of amazing bands come and go over the years. Some of our favourites are TOWNS, Colourblind, Haliday, Sports Car and Madura Green. There’s a few awesome new bands on the scene too, we played with a young band earlier this year called Sacrificial Larynx who have one of the biggest sounds I’ve ever heard.
Can you tease anything about what’s in store for your 2026?
Next year marks the 10-year anniversary of Superdose Gangway! We’ve got some exciting plans for new releases and more shows. I’d love to revisit our first project 26 Songs in 2016, maybe go back and remix a few old favourites. Aside from this new single, we also recently made the soundtrack for an independent Australian film called The Last Grind which is streaming now on SBS On Demand.