Australia (The Shins song)

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Australia is a song by the American indie rock band the Shins. It is the second track on their third album, Wincing the Night Away, and was released as the album’s second single in the United Kingdom on 9 April 2007. The track runs 3:56, was released on Sub Pop, written by James Mercer, and produced by James Mercer and Joe Chiccarelli. All three single formats were available on UK iTunes.

The song is on the soundtrack for the Xbox 360 game Project Gotham Racing 4 and has been released as downloadable content for the Rock Band series—first through Rock Band Network, and later in 2018 as DLC for Rock Band 4. Lyrically, the song is open to interpretation, and despite the title it does not mention Australia.

The official music video, directed by Matt McCormick, was shot in Vancouver, Washington. It shows the band at a car dealership, where one member pretends to be a customer to distract the staff while the others steal gas-filled balloons used to advertise the cars. They escape in a van with the balloons, pick up the decoy later, and drive to a field to release the balloons into the sky.

Critics welcomed the song. Pitchfork called it a lively, confident track with Mercer showing a broader vocal range, while PopMatters noted its catchy, slightly New Wave feel. The single reached #62 on the UK Singles Chart on 21 April 2007.