Rocket Science: Австралиялық альтернативтік рок тобының тарихы

Australian alternative rock band

Rocket Science are an Australian alternative rock band from Melbourne, Victoria, formed in June 1998. They released four studio albums in their initial run: Welcome Aboard the 3C10 (2000), Contact High (2002), Eternal Holiday (2004) and Different Like You (2008), the lattermost of which was released months before their split. The band reunited in 2014, and have since released a further two studio albums: Snake (2019) and Push Play (2023). Both Contact High and Eternal Holiday peaked in the top 100 of the ARIA Albums Chart, while Contact Highs single "Being Followed" charted at number 91 in the triple j Hottest 100 of 2002.

Rocket Science were formed in Melbourne in June 1998 by Dave Gray (of The Hogs) on semi acoustic bass guitar, Paul Maybury (Freeloaders) on guitar, Roman Tucker (The Martians) on lead vocals and keyboards, and Kit Warhurst (Velvet Tongue) on drums. The group released their debut single "Burn in Hell" in 1999. Their debut album, Welcome Aboard the 3C10, was issued on 1 May 2000 via Modular Recordings. Several tracks from their first rehearsal were used for the album. Rocket Science's second album, Contact High, was released on 11 February 2002, which reached No. 60 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Michael Dwyer from The Age described it as "a refinement of a unique sonic formula that read something like this: schlock horror/weird sci fi films plus obscure garage punk music plus massive vintage keyboard contraption complete with theremin equals Rocket Science."

By April 2004, the band's their third album had been recorded and Tucker suffered a serious injury from a fall and was put into an induced coma for ten days. This forced the band to cancel all scheduled performances until June. The Australian Record Industry Association reported that after his accident Tucker had "remembered precious little of the experience, but, when the other members played him the finished product, he thought that whoever it was, it was pretty good." The group were dropped by their label but they recorded a fourth album, Different Like You which was released on 26 July 2008. It was engineered and produced by Maybury at his own recording studio. Luke McGrath from BMA Magazine felt it was "not so much a progression as a refinement – Different Like You is as loud, as brash and as concentrated a dose of Rocket Science as any fan could want." The album was preceded by the single "Psychic Man" Trevor Block of Mess+Noise website found it as "three and a half minutes of growling Seeds/Stones hybrid, bursting with energy and plenty of the Science's trademark Farfisa organ honking all over a simple borrowed riff." By August 2008 Mickey Heartbreak (The Dead South) had joined on guitar. The group disbanded in late 2008.

In 2014, the group reformed. In October 2014 Rocket Science reconvened for a benefit concert for Mick Blood of Lime Spiders at The Tote Hotel, Collingwood. They performed at the Leaps and Bounds Festival in July 2015. In April 2018, Rocket Science released their first single, "Lipstick Red", from their then unnamed fifth studio album. The album, Snake, was released in August of 2019. Two further singles were released from the album: "I Hate Hate" and "Cheers Pinger". In July 2020, the band released their first live album entitled Live 2020. In September 2023, the band released their sixth studio album Push Play.