Poison Oak are an Indie Rock, Punk band hailing from the heated swelter of the North Queensland town Townsville, consisting of members James Balthes, Ray Pearson, Chris Reiterer and Adrian Tarca. Since their inception (2019), the band has released three EPs and their debut album, ‘These Suburban Dreams’. They have landed themselves in well-known music magazines throughout the globe including Vents, Happymag, Scenstr, Hysteria and Amnplify.

From their beginnings they released three singles from 2019 – 2020 with triple j’s Gemma Pike stating, "Hand claps and all, this is straight up feel-good indie, nd the pre-chorus gave me good DCx3 flashback", – ‘Feeling Numb on Sunday’. The band soon released their first EP, “The Living Room Session”, just a small snippet of their sound to be.

After this release the band were working on their second EP, “1996”, with three singles hailing from the extend play Waiting, Sarah and 1996. Slightly furthered in development of sound. Happy Mag stated, ‘Heralding from Queensland Five-piece rockers Poison Oak have brought the best of their rock n roll chops to their powerful EP 1996’. While Amnplify stated about the single ‘Sarah’, ‘I’m sure Sarah is a song that will resonates with people both musically and lyrically’.

While playing a range of shows the band then set to work on recording their third EP in early 2021, “The View from Here”. The first single from the extended play, ‘Losing Ourselves’ was signed to Italian record labal, Epictronic with the single garnering critical acclaim across the globe. Canadian magazine ‘From the Strait’, wrote, ‘It’s a catchy indie rock tune, with some slick production that will appeal to an even wider audience. This song is sure to break some barriers for this band, and garner new fans from all over (like right here in Canada)’. The song also landed in the top 30 and top 10 for the indie rock section of the Australian Song Writing Awards. After gaining new fans from ‘Losing Ourselves’, the band then released their second single ‘Weekend Blues’, then third single ‘Hope You Like the View’.

Both singles further consolidated Poison Oak in the Australian music scene. Landing on Spotify editorial playlists and national and international magazines. While Hysteria magazines stated ‘Weekend Blues has got life anthem written all over it. If you’re a fan of genuine, raw rock and roll, give it a listen, you won’t be disappointed’. While triple J’s Zan Rowe described “Hope You Like the View” as ‘Melodic and full of heart’.   

With three singles out in the world the band than released their third EP “The View from Here”. A more concise collection of their sound. Refined riffs, more melodic melodies and more daring structures. With three Eps under their belt, Poison Oak hit the studio in July 2022 to record their debut album, (These Suburban Dreams). With more mature production, and a stronger taste of who they are, the first single ‘Found Myself was released on the 23rd of December, introducing the world to the bands new sound. Followed by six more singles throughout 2023 and 2024. With blazing riffs on top of a 2000’s indie rock soundscape, Happy Mag stated, “Poison Oak’s Around My Head, is a captivating musical masterpiece that showcases the band’s remarkable ability to create poignant and evocative rock anthems”. The band was in Cairns 89.1 FM’s FNQ Original’s top 20 songs of the month. 

The band then hit the studio, with Brock Weston, (Bugs, Beddy Rays and Dune Rats) working on their 2nd album. With a new shine and pop punk melodies, the band’s first single from their 2nd album, ‘Wasted’, soon to be released in 2024.