"Australia" is a song by American indie rock

Indie rock

Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...

 band The Shins

The Shins

The Shins are an American indie rock band comprising singer, songwriter, and guitarist James Mercer, guitarist/bassist Dave Hernandez, Eric Johnson of Fruit Bats, drummer Joe Plummer and bassist Ron Lewis. Their sound draws on several musical genres, including pop, alternative rock, indie rock,...

, and is the second track on their third album, Wincing the Night Away

Wincing the Night Away

Wincing the Night Away is a Grammy-nominated album by indie rock group The Shins. It was released by Sub Pop Records on January 23, 2007. It is the band's third album, and the final under their contract with Sub Pop...

. The song was released as the second single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 from that album in the United Kingdom on 9 April 2007.

All three versions of the single are currently available on the United Kingdom iTunes. It is one of the songs on the soundtrack of the Xbox 360

Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...

 game Project Gotham Racing 4

Project Gotham Racing 4

Project Gotham Racing 4 is the fourth title in the main Project Gotham Racing series, developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Microsoft Game Studios.-Development history:...

 and was also released as downloadable content for the Rock Band video game series through the Rock Band Network

Rock Band Network

The Rock Band Network is a downloadable content service designed by Harmonix Music Systems with the help of Microsoft to allow musical artists and record labels to make their music available as playable tracks for the Rock Band series of rhythm video games, starting with Rock Band 2...

.

Despite its name, the song's lyrics do not reference Australia at all.

Reception

"Australia" was well-received by critics. Pitchfork Media

Pitchfork Media

Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...

 wrote that "'Australia' is a peppy rocker in the spirit of Chutes best, elevated by a newfound confidence and expressive range in Mercer's voice."

PopMatters

PopMatters

PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...

 wrote: "Still familiar and addictive, the song nevertheless turns the tried and true formula on its ear, coming off slightly like a New Wave dance anthem."

The single entered the UK Singles Chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

on 21 April 2007 at #62.

Track listings

1. "Australia"
2. "Girl Inform Me" (performed by Jeremy Warmsley)
3. "Caring Is Creepy" (performed by Polytechnic)
4. "Australia"
5. "Phantom Limb" (Radio 2 Session)
6. "So Says I" (KCRW Session)
7. "Australia"
8. "Sleeping Lessons" (The RAC Mix)
9. "Saint Simon" (Radio 2 Live Version)
10. "Girl on the Wing" (KCRW Session)