There’s a long backstory behind The Tonalists’ new single, “Rolling On”. While the song’s evolution from a riff to a regular feature in the live set, and finally to a studio recording, has happened over the last few years, its true origins lie decades earlier.
The roots of the band go back to Melbourne in the 90s, when Mick Coll, Jason Kain and Nigel Wright played together in Long Black Limousine, part of an eclectic independent music time where rock, blues, soul and country influences all found their way into the same rooms.
That history sits underneath The Tonalists, but this is not a nostalgia project. It is a band built around feel, groove and the joy of players who know how to listen to each other.
“Rolling On” is built on a blues form, with Mick Coll’s rolling piano groove setting the pulse, Jason Kain’s slide guitar adding grit and colour, and Nigel’s rolling beat holding the whole thing in motion.
From that trio foundation, the track keeps building. Tom Williams’ trombone and Christian Foyle’s saxophone add new tonal layers, with brass lines and backing vocals expanding the sound piece by piece without losing the groove underneath.
The result draws on shared roots in Melbourne indie rock, but also a deep love of blues, soul, New Orleans and Memphis sounds. You can hear the influence of players and writers such as Leon Russell, Lou Donaldson, Billy Preston and more – not as imitation, but as part of the musical language the band has absorbed over time.
Mick’s five-year residency at the Rainbow Hotel with BigFoot and T’Hammer is part of that story too – years of playing groove-based music in front of real Melbourne audiences, where the music had to work in the room.
The Tonalists began again as a trio, but have played almost all their shows with Tom and Christian as part of the live band. Both are superb multi-instrumentalists and singers in their own right, and their brass and vocal parts have become central to the band’s sound.
As heard in their live set, The Tonalists mix original material with carefully chosen gems from the masters who influenced them. The arrangements are worked, but never locked down. There is always room for a solo to stretch, a horn line to lift, or the band to take the song somewhere unexpected.
“Rolling On” is the first taste of more to come, with The Tonalists building a calendar of live dates later in 2026 to coincide with the next single and a forthcoming album.
The Tonalists are rolling on – from old Melbourne roots into something new, soulful and unmistakably their own.
Release details
Artist: The Tonalists
Single: Rolling On
Available: 20 Feb 2026
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