- Recorded by Halfway in Darwin, N.T. & Brisbane, QLD.
- Mixed by Mark Nevers & John Busby at The Beech House, Pawleys Island, S.C.
- Mastered by Darek Mudge in Brisbane.
- Artwork by The Short Answer.
The Styx – Songs of Love & Betrayal: Xmas 1986 – Two brothers, George and Lennie live with their young families in the remote fishing villiage of Stanage Bay, Central Queensland. One warm evening on low-tide the men set their nets in the Styx River and leave them to soak overnight. Just before daylight, Lennie breaks camp to check on the catch, but he doesn’t return.
Halfway’s ninth studio album, The Styx, digs deep into the places, and people, rarely visited in rock music.
These are songs set among the rivers, estuaries and massive out-tides of Central Queensland. The Styx isn’t the one of Greek mythology but the river near the fishing village Stanage Bay, a place of deep natural beauty and danger. The band’s John Busby spent time there as a child, camping out on fishing trips with his father.
There is nothing mythic about these stories of love, lust, longing and leaving, which feel as real as an errant fishhook deep into flesh. Brothers George and Lennie are the kind of hard-bitten characters who might be found in stories by John Steinbeck or Richard Flanagan, battling the elements and themselves and always with an eye out for the fishing inspectors. Just before daylight Lennie goes to check the nets. He doesn’t return..
The album is the first recorded by the band themselves, mixed by Mark Nevers (Calexico, Lambchop, and producer of the band’s The Golden Halfway Record and Rain Lover albums) at his South Carolina studio.
The Styx features the return to the fold of band co-founder Chris Dale after a six-year absence, and contributions from guests including Chris Abrahams (The Necks, Midnight Oil) and Adele Pickvance (The Go-Betweens).
Noel Mengel
“Those records that leave you truly intoxicated, moving from where you are to another self elsewhere, are few but Brisbane’s Halfway have hit the bullseye with their ninth studio album, The Styx.” Dennis Atkins (Aus) OCT 25
“As the plaintive ‘True To You’ brings things home in a fog of resignation, it feels like there’s perhaps no lesson or resolution, just a snapshot of despair in a certain place at a certain time, delivered in total simpatico by a great band at the top of their game.” Steve Bell – Rhythms Magazine (Aus) SEPT 25
“Guitars ebb and flow giving the album a tidal feel, blending country and indie rock seamlessly. The isolation can feel palpable within these retrospective and occasionally cinematic set of songs, all of which have a very definitive storyline. this is a thought-provoking album grounded in simpler pre-internet times.” Rick Thorn – Americana U.K. – SEPT 25
“With ‘The Styx’ Halfway have delivered one of their most complete artistic statements – emotionally resonant, musically adventurous, and deeply rooted in the landscape of memory. it’s a record that rewards slow listening and repeated returns.” Nick Corr – Rhythms Magazine (Aus) SEPT 25
“In the end, the Styx is a powerful testament to halfway’s enduring artistry… Across nine timeless albums, Halfway continues to solidify their legacy as one of Australia’s most essential and compelling musical storytellers.” Christian Lamitschka – Country Music News International Magazine (Germany)
- Rhythms Readers Poll 2025 – Halfway, The Styx No. 5
- Best of 2025 List – Vinny Ramone – The Outpost, 2SER – The Styx No. 3
- Best of 2025 List – Brian Wise – Halfway, The Styx No. 20
- Top 10 Albums / 2025 – Steve Bell – Halfway, The Styx No. 8
- Top 10 Albums / 2025 Ian McFarlane – Halfway, The Styx No. 4
‘The Palace’, which premiered on Stuart Coupe’s Dirt Music on 2SER and online with Rhythms magazine, is the first taste of Halfway’s new album The Styx.
The record features the return to the fold of band co-founder Chris Dale after a six-year absence, and contributions from guests including Chris Abrahams (The Necks, Midnight Oil) and Adele Pickvance (The Go-Betweens)
“Growing up, my family would spend time at Stanage Bay in Central Queensland which is a small fishing village situated to the South East of the Styx River. It was a remote and beautiful place,” reflects Busby.
“‘The Palace’ pays homage to The Smiths and to dreaming even in the most remote places. It’s a song for the outliers and people living in the margins.”
“One year on the drive up, I bought a cassette copy of the album The Queen Is Dead, by The Smiths, for $6 at Kmart Rockhampton. There were hundreds of copies of that cassette on the shelves. I figured that it hadn’t gone so well here in Australia, so there was probably something good about it. I played it as the sun went down over the mangroves at Clairview Beach.
It felt like it was a letter addressed directly to the teenage me,” he reveals. “Something from another world, reaching out to even the most remote of places. It was a valuable lesson in the power of music and art, and the location made it even more memorable. Sometimes, living in small towns the future can seem restricted and narrow. But the messages I received from this record told me otherwise.” explains Busby.