Lost Songs from Iconic Aussie Rockstar Found in Garage

For more than a decade after her death the voice of Australian rock icon Chrissy Amphlett will be heard like never before after three lost songs were discovered in a garage.

The trailblazing frontwoman of rock band Divinyls produced the 1990 number one track I Touch My Self as well as earlier hits Pleasure and Pain in 1985 and Boys in Town in 1981.

Years before her 2013 death Amphlett recorded three songs with former Split Enz lead singer Tim Finn in 1998. The tracks were thought lost until Finn found them in his garage in 2023.

The songs will be released this Friday as part of an EP titled Some Times.

In an interview on ABC’s Australian Story Finn recalled the 1998 session in Sydney, saying that Amphlett was looking for something new musically.

“It was a good time for us to meet because she was looking for something new, something different in her life musically,” Finn said.

Around that time Amphlett had split with guitarist Mark McEntee after a tumultuous relationship and was growing close to drummer Charley Drayton, who she later married.

Over several days they wrote a trio of songs and recorded them in the studio with Drayton on drums.

“She was so focused,” Finn said. “She just wanted to get it right… I was in the presence of great talent, great charisma.”

Finn posted on social media about the 1998 session, noting that he had reached out to Amphlett after admiring her work and that they had instantly felt a bond.

After the session finished Finn took the recordings home to work on them but the tracks were never fully realised.

In 2023 Drayton contacted Finn about the recordings and Finn confirmed that he had found the two‑inch tape in his garage. He described the songs as incredibly important to him, Charley and those close to Chrissy.

“It was still in perfect condition and we are now able to share these songs with you,” Finn added.