PREMIERE: Ralway Bell Flex Their Considerable Alt-Country Chops On Debut LP 'Dear Friends'

West Australian alt-country rock crew Ralway Bell release their debut album, Dear Friends, this Thursday, and theMusic.com.au is proud as punch to share the new nine-tracker with you for a first listen today.

The lauded five-piece have packed the full-length with the kind of tight, emotive songwriting that steered them to take out this year's WAM Award for Song Of The Year (Country), the 2016 WA Country Music Award for Group Of The Year, and pick up nominations in 2015 and 2016 for Best Country Goup at the WAM Awards.

Injected with a healthy dose of introspection, Americana twang and harmony-soaked hooks aplenty, the album represents the culmination of several years' work for the band, which started as a solo effort for singer-songwriter Ben Wilson before blossoming into a full band. Their previous release, 2014's I Am A Superhero EP, laid the sonic groundwork for the realms in which the band dwell on their newest effort, yet represents a steady increase in comfort and cohesion as the group has grown together musically and personally in the intervening time.

That road hasn't been without its bumps — Ralway Bell underwent a line-up change in 2015, with former bassist Alex Briscan and ex-drummer Cain Munns departing that year and Jason Bale and Nigel Bird stepping in to fill their respective roles — but the group has nonetheless consistently asserted themselves as a force to be reckoned with, earning acclaim for their craft and chemistry as both songsmiths and performers.

If you're keen on seeing that unity in action, the band set off for their national tour in support of the album from 6 October, when they get under way with a show at Phillip Island's Western Port Hotel. From there, they hit Bendigo, Fitzroy, Canberra, Maitland, Newcastle, Wingham, Newtown, Northam, North Perth (launch show), Quindanning, Boyup Brook, Northbridge and Bridgetown, where they wrap the tour with a performance at the town's eponymous blues festival on 11 November.

For full details on the tour, see theGuide.