Indie-folk songwriter Rowena Wise and her full band celebrate sophomore album Bad Things Feel Good* at Howler.
Indie-folk songwriter Rowena Wise and her full band celebrate sophomore album Bad Things Feel Good* at Howler, a tender, point-blank look at the pain of transformation, and what it means to be flesh and blood.
Written over two years of near-constant touring and recorded live over three days at The Ratshack in Collingwood with producer Rob Muinos (Julia Jacklin, Didirri), the album traces heartbreak, estrangement, and the knottier growing pains of adulthood through candid poetic lyricism and a raw live band production. With Richard Bradbeer on bass and Jess Ellwood on drums, the songs hold space rather than demand attention - and in a room like Howler, that kind of restraint hits differently.
Rowena's Melbourne headline shows have sold out both times. Since debuting in 2018, she has amassed over 10 million streams, earned airplay across triple j, Double j and Unearthed, and toured extensively across Australia, the UK, Europe, the USA and Canada, supporting artists including Holy Holy, Ball Park Music, Bernard Fanning and Paul Dempsey. Her 2024 debut album, Senseless Acts of Beauty, was praised by CLASH Magazine as “carefully etched indie folk” and shortlisted for the Australian Music Prize. Her highly anticipated sophomore album, Bad Things Feel Good*, a tender, point-blank meditation on transformation, is out August 7, 2026 via Beloved Records.
"Carefully etched indie folk" — CLASH Magazine
"Fragrant introspection" — FLOOD
Tour supported by Double J.
Great to see Rowena Wise again in Brisbane, this time at the Junk Bar. It has been over a year so I was hoping that my memories weren't deceiving me and Rowena was as good as I remembered, especially as I managed to bring a friend who wasn't a regular with live music.
As ever, Rowena was great. 3 things really stand out for me - she has a lovely voice, she gets a great sound out of the instruments she plays and the thing that keeps my listening to her is her lyrics.
Rowena said afterwards that she will be back later in the year with her band. I'm sure many of the songs will be the same but the sound will be much fuller, so really looking forward to that!