The Enthusiast is Harry Bartlett, Andy Santone, and Ollie Wackett, based in Marrickville, Sydney, Australia. Their debut album, Funny Things, was recorded in bedrooms throughout Sydney in 2024 and 2025. The trio formed in high school and has been playing since.
“Raving Rabbids” is the opening track from The Enthusiast’s freshly released debut LP, and it is a show-stopper of an intro tune. The band’s unique brand of post-punk is cloaked in an unassuming, punchy acoustic number that welcomes the listener into their imaginative sonic universe. There is a nostalgic simplicity to “Raving Rabbids” that feels inviting, but The Enthusiast makes the most of this minimalism. Cartoonish vocals dance with chugging acoustic riffs, delivering a poetic performance that quickly puts The Enthusiast in a league of its own. Just as the breezy undertones are washing you away, the band launches into noise-rock-style solos and subtle distorted experimentation that’s more akin to a spontaneous thunderstorm than any post-punk tune you’ve heard recently. The band successfully packs a universe of prowess and color into this three-minute tune, a testament to their innate chemistry and songwriting. The debut album from The Enthusiast is available everywhere now, and “Raving Rabbids” only scratches the surface of the magic contained on this LP.
“We found the lyrics and chords of ‘Raving Rabbids’ written on a piece of paper in a ditch on the side of a highway, and it somehow made its way onto our album,” says the band when asked about the song.
