Adelaide five-piece All Absurd have had nothing short of a massive year, from releasing their single Parallel Lines to opening for Lazy Haze and now releasing their debut EP Hurdles. 

For this alternative-indie rock outfit, Hurdles is a project about that strange in-between period where you’re not really a kid anymore, but you don’t quite feel like an adult either. 

Released on October 28, the five-track project documents two years of navigating the uncertainties of growing up, unpacking some pretty uncomfortable emotions, everything from loneliness and depression to anger, anxiety and an overwhelming fear of the future.

I sat down with Patrick Harris, lead vocalist of All Absurd, to chat about the making of Hurdles and the strange and confronting experience of finding your feet in adulthood.

“When I turned 18, I half expected there to be a book on how to be 18, and how to be 19, and so on. There's no course to go after, and I think trying to work out the right answer is something that we all struggle with.”

It’s something that we all can relate to, particularly in your early 20s, to have it all figured out. You finish high school with this expectation that there is a fixed path before you, but only to discover that it rarely actually follows that trajectory. There is definitely a joy to be found in all the uncertainty. 

“There's a joy in it as well... to be able to make mistakes, and it's like, oh shit, this isn't the end of my life. Nothing feels permanent.”

I think that's what I took away from listening to Hurdles. There are some undeniable realities that you’re faced with in adulthood, but there's a freedom in embracing the fear that comes with it. At least that's what All Absurd wants listeners to take away from the EP.

“I hope when people hear the EP, they know that you don't need to have everything figured out, other people are going through this, and you don't need to struggle alone.”

The band grapples with this head-on in their song Salt At The Door, which talks about social anxiety and the complicated experiences of confronting it in a world that rewards fakeness and small talk.

“Small talk gives me the shits... I would love to see some genuine honesty and continuity in people.”

It’s a frustration that Patrick recognises in himself, too. This is what Salt at The Door is about, confronting the contradictions of wanting meaningful connection whilst simultaneously wanting to withdraw from it.

“The song’s about rubbing shoulders with ghosts, like seeing all these people that I don't like pay attention to, but really should, and stop being such a hermit about it all.”

But for all this introspection, the band isn't taking themselves too seriously. With their debut EP launch at Adelaide's Grace Emily Hotel behind them, All Absurd are preparing to bring Hurdles to Melbourne for their first interstate show at Nighthawks on December 10.

And if there's one thing audiences can expect, it's fairy bread.

You can find tickets to All Absurd's Melbourne show here.