Ecca VandalThis week’s cover star on The Music, Ecca Vandal, just made her US television debut.
Performing a rip-roaring version of her skate-punk track CRUISING TO SELF SOOTHE, Vandal and her band—drummer Dan Maio and her frequent collaborator, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Richie Buxton—brought rock and roll to the stage on Jimmy Kimmel Live. With her bright blue, long hair, extravagant outfit and strong vocal performance, Vandal highlighted everything that makes her brand awesome.
You can watch the performance below.
After the performance was posted on Instagram, actor Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones, Aquaman) commented with a string of love hearts and fire emojis. Ecca Vandal received plenty of praise from viewers; the best comment? “It's like if Zach De La Rocha and Gwen Stefani had a daughter.”
CRUISING TO SELF SOOTHE was released in February 2025, off the back of opening for IDLES in Sydney.
“This song is about cultivating your inner strength when navigating life on your own, even when it feels a bit isolating,” Ecca explained upon its release.
She added, “It's about that pivotal moment when you recognise that you're stronger without the people who were weighing you down, and there's a real sense of empowerment in that for me.
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“It captures the feeling of breaking free and moving forward, no matter the challenges that come. Even when others are waiting for you to fall, you're still rising — stronger than ever.”
Today, Ecca Vandal released her long-awaited second album, LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO UNFOLLOW.
The South African-born, Melbourne-based artist of Sri Lankan heritage set the music world ablaze with her early releases in 2015 and 2016. The following year, she dropped her debut self-titled album, which featured the single Price of Living, featuring Refused’s Dennis Lyxzén and letlive.’s Jason Aalon Butler.
After collaborating with artists including Void of Vision and Hilltop Hoods, fans didn’t hear her voice from 2020 until 2024.
The album was made entirely DIY and offline, channelling Millennial nostalgia for a different era, featuring community-led, genre-agnostic music that blends alternative music with skateboarding culture. The album is about cutting ties with what drains your energy.
She explained, “The systems. The trends. The illusions of connection. It’s about choosing silence over spectacle, finding empowerment through letting go. It’s a space we still protect at all costs, especially now more than ever, while the world is on fire and distraction has become our default state.”
In the lead-up to the album’s release, Vandal opened for Deftones on their arena tour of Australia alongside Interpol.
CRUISING TO SELF SOOTHE wasn’t the only single released from the album. Vandal also dropped tracks like BLEED BUT NEVER DIE—her wicked comeback track—THEN THERE’S ONE, MOLLY, BLEACH, SORRY! CRASH!, and VERTICAL WORLDS.
