Cast your mind back to the early-to-mid-’00s, and it was pretty hard to escape Epicure. That is, if you were listening to triple j, the Ballarat outfit were a hot commodity.
Having formed in the mid-’90s, a few formative releases gave way to a bit of a personnel shuffle and something of a musical refocusing. What came next was the sort of thing that most bands of the era could only dream of.
Slick support slots, constant airplay, and even placings in the annual Hottest 100 countdown made Epicure’s name one that a lot of fans were quite familiar with, while albums such as The Goodbye Girl and Main Street were mainstays of those same fans’ CD players.
By 2010, however, it was clear that things were reaching an end, and after the fittingly-titled Quietly Into The Night tour, the band found themselves no longer a going concern.
Members still made music, of course, including Juan Alban, who released a string of solo records in the coming 15 years. However, many fans of the band – and I include myself in that list – were not expecting to receive word that 2026 was bringing with it a new record from the group.
Dubbed Evenings In Honduras, it’s a wonderful piece of work which feels like a perfect continuation of what the band had delivered all those years ago, and also serves as a perfect example of a ‘reunion’ done right.
My excitement for this new record led to me giving Juan a call to chat about this new record, how it came together, and what fans can expect going forward.
Anyway, have a listen to Epicure’s Evenings In Honduras, buy a ticket to their upcoming tour, have a listen to our chat, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.
Juan Alban’s Trusty Chords
Juan’s One Influential Artist
- Paul Simon
Juan’s Three Impactful Albums
- The Dead Salesmen – Jealousy (1993)
- R.E.M. – Automatic For The People (1992)
- Paul Simon – One-Trick Pony (1980)
Juan’s Five Trusty Songs
- Blind Melon – ‘Sleepyhouse’ (1992)
- Joni Mitchell – ‘Both Sides, Now’ (1969)
- Billie Holiday – ‘I Can’t Believe That You’re In Love With Me’ (1938)
- Songs: Ohia/Magnolia Electric Co. – ‘Farewell Transmission’ (2003)
- Whiskeytown – ‘Jacksonville Skyline’ (2001)