Powderfinger are back, but it’s not a reunion.

The Aussie rock heroes return with Unreleased (1998-2010), their first new album release since 2009’s Golden Rule, the last of five successive Powderfinger LPs to hit No. 1 on Australia’s national chart.

If it sounds like an instant classic, there’s good reason for that.  As its name suggests, Unreleased is comprised of gems unearthed from their golden period from 1998 until 2010, when the group went their separate ways. The five former bandmates describe the project as a “happy accident.”

Its 10 tracks were rediscovered March 2019 during meetings with producer Nick DiDia to select outtakes for the 20-year anniversary reissue of their classic Odyssey Number Five.

“Some of the songs were always earmarked for a release at some stage, and they were purposely not used as b-sides as we thought they were too good,” frontman Bernard Fanning explains. “I feel like this is how we ended up looking through our old material, where we discovered other unreleased gems.”

The release caps off an unusually busy year for the Brisbane band. During the national lockdown, Powderfinger reformed for One Night Lonely, a special virtual concert which raised more than A$500,000 for music industry charity Support Act and mental wellbeing support service Beyond Blue.

Later, in September, the special 20th anniversary edition of Odyssey Number 5 saw the recording return to the national chart at No. 2, and it led the national vinyl survey.

Unreleased features the lead track “Day By Day,” which dropped in September.

Arguably the most popular Australian rock band of their era, Powderfinger collected 18 ARIA Awards across their career, ranking them third all-time. It’s only a matter of when, not if, they’re inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

Stream Unreleased below.