5 Bands That Make Up Broken Waves’ Musical DNA

Adelaide indie-funk outfit Broken Waves are kicking off 2025 with fresh energy, dropping their groove-heavy new single The Chase — a track blending irresistible rhythms, slick vocal harmonies, and the kind of live-wire energy built for festival stages. Drawing comparisons to Parcels, The Jungle Giants, and Glass Animals, the five-piece have evolved their sound into a precise yet emotionally charged fusion of funk, indie rock, and electronic textures.

But every great band has a musical origin story. Before crafting The Chase — which lyrically dives into modern dating, emotional detachment, and the performance of romance — Broken Waves spent years absorbing influences from a wide range of artists, from the tension-filled grooves of Foals to the polished swagger of Parcels. These influences shaped their songwriting DNA, informed their approach to rhythm and space, and even gave them permission to embrace chaos alongside precision.

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We asked the band to share the five artists that made them who they are today — and the list is as eclectic, surprising, and groove-driven as their own sound.

FOALS – They were kinda our first love. Like, you hear Total Life Forever at 15 and suddenly you’re playing clean guitar riffs way too seriously. There’s just something in their grooves; not quite rock, not quite dance, they taught us rhythm. Also, the tension in their arrangements? Huge influence. They’re the reason we care about dynamics at all. It’s very hard to name a favourite track from the lads but a highlight has to be ‘Late Night’ or ‘Exits’. 

The 1975 – We feel like they made it okay to be into pop & maintain some level of being cool, they seem to operate in a cultural grey area of mainstream and indie. There’s something about their tight funk riffs mixed with these weird little melodic twists that creeps into our writing a lot, we also love their use of a saxophone. It’s also important to note that their use of abstract writing choices in their ‘indie-pop’ sound is really hard to pull off, but they do it seamlessly. If you haven’t heard their recent album, it’s really good. 

Parcels – They feel like the indie-funk older brothers we never had. Super tight, super polished, but still with that laid-back Aussie feel. We’re really into how their stuff sounds live even when it’s produced within an inch of its life. There’s a subtle swagger to their grooves that definitely leaks into our playing – like, the funk is there, but it’s got manners. VERY keen for that new album but both volumes of their live albums are incredible shows of musicianship. 

Crash Bandicoot OST – No joke. That soundtrack rewired our brains early on. It’s all weird time signatures, jungle-y percussion, and completely unhinged melodies. It sort of taught us that music could be fun and chaotic and still stick in your head. We often say that there’s a lot of comparisons between this & FOALS as well. Sometimes we’ll be writing something and go, “is this too weird?” and then look at our metaphorical Aku Aku and feel better about it.

The Jungle Giants – These guys were another important role in our indie journey, they just get how to make indie-pop fun without being cheesy. We’ve always loved how their stuff has this big bounce, their grooves are tight but loose at the same time? They’ve definitely influenced how we approach rhythm and space, especially when we want a track to move but not feel crowded. Also, their use of playful synths and guitar lines? Criminally catchy. ‘You’ve got something’ was always a personal favourite of ours throughout the years.