Laying early claim to 2018 as their year, Australian rock duo favourites Hockey Dad drop their latest single "I Wanna Be Everybody", and announce a run of national album tour dates proudly presented by triple j. Visiting capital cities this March with Boat Show and Dear Seattle in tow, the tour will see anticipated second record Blend Inn brought to life following its release on Friday, February 9 on Farmer & The Owl via Inertia Music.

Premiering on Good Nights on triple j with Bridget Hustwaite, "I Wanna Be Everybody" emerges as the infectious and surprisingly vulnerable pop-rock song that Summer was missing. On the track, Hockey Dad navigate themes of social anxiety amid the charged riffs, ever-confident vocals and punk-styled drums for which they've become synonymous. The single joins first single and instant favourite "Homely Feeling" on Blend Inn, and is set to have band rooms across the country united in a chorus of "I wanna be everybody, everybody / I just can't be everybody, everybody".

Where their 2016 debut album Boronia celebrated the long days of summers past and the sublime naivety of youth, Blend Inn is Zach Stephenson and Billy Fleming coming to us with more perspective after relentless touring took them far from the streets and waves of their hometown of Windang, NSW. The album title emerges as a response to that lived experience "Blend Inn is the part of your head that you want to go to when you're overseas and wishing you were back home, it's within" says Fleming "We're always just trying to be comfortable and semi blending in, so it's the name we gave to that place you zone out to."

Landing in Seattle, the recording of Blend Inn began with renowned audio engineer and producer John Goodmanson (Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney, Cloud Nothings, Death Cab for Cutie) at Robert Lang Studios. The studios, supposedly haunted, echo with their iconic past - housing many of rock's legends over its time including Foo Fighters, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, and most notably, Nirvana, who recorded their last song inside - the mic used in Kurt Cobain's final studio recording still hanging in tribute. Here, Hockey Dad found a home away from home - immortalising their time in the album artwork, which depicts the house in a film photo captured by Fleming.

The album is Hockey Dad's boldest output to date, a natural progression for the two as they face the tribulations of young adulthood, a theme reflected across the record. "Homely Feeling" emerges as an ode to their roots; "Join The Club" relays the struggle for self-identity in the face of societal expectation, whilst lighter moments like "Sweet Release" see the duo experiment , showcasing Fleming on vocals for the first time.

The past 18 months have seen the duo embark on sold out national and regional tours, perform at Falls Festival Lorne and on the main stage at Splendour In The Grass, plus tour extensively across the US, Canada, New Zealand, Europe, the UK. Returning home, they hit the road as main support on a 25+ date tour with iconic Aussie rock band Grinspoon, and most recently, wrapped up a run with Dune Rats and Wavves playing in some of the country's biggest rooms.

Whilst the momentum of Hockey Dad lies in their consistent execution of their undeniable brand of rock-pop on both the stage and in recording - the true heart of the band exists in their long standing, personal friendship - having first met as kids, growing up together two doors apart.

Blend Inn is available for pre-order now on all formats including limited edition coloured vinyl. Album tour tickets are on sale Thursday 18 January.