Expatriate

Australian experimental rock group Expatriate take their name from a shared theme in the group members' upbringing. Frontman Ben King grew up in Jakarta, attending an international high school where he rubbed shoulders with classmates from all over the globe. Exposed to a world of music and experience, King returned with his family to Australia in his early teens. King would spend a short time studying politics at Sydney University before settling upon music as his life's pursuit. Soon-to-be bandmate Chris Kollias was the child of Greek immigrants, growing up a member of both traditional Greek and Australian youth cultures. Kollias and King met in a Sydney hotel, and it wasn't long before the pair found common ground in life experiences and musical tastes. Rounded out by Kollias' roommate Damian Press, a keyboard player and sound designer, the musicians settled on the name Expatriate and began writing regularly. The trio released its debut EP, entitled Lovers le Strange, in October of 2005. The record's various singles generated solid airplay, opening doors to national touring. In 2006 Expatriate found themselves headlining a sold-out national tour, followed shortly by appearances in the U.K. and Canada. An invitation by Jim Kerr to open for the Australian leg of the Simple Minds' world tour that year brought the band before audiences of a different caliber. As the band gained momentum, the need for a proper debut album became unavoidable. In the summer of 2006, joined by new bandmate bassist Dave Molland, Expatriate stayed in Seattle for the recording and production of In the Midst of This, which was released in April 2007. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez, Rovi