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More than a decade after her passing, fans of Australian rock legend Chrissy Amphlett are about to hear her voice in a way they never have before. Three songs the singer recorded in 1998 — long believed to be lost forever — have been rediscovered and will finally be released to the public.
The tracks were uncovered not in a record company vault or a professional archive, but in a garage belonging to Tim Finn, the former lead singer of New Zealand's Split Enz. Finn found the original recording tape in 2023, two decades after the sessions that produced it, and the songs are now set to be issued as an EP titled "Some Times."
Amphlett, who died in 2013 at the age of 53, was best known as the frontwoman of the rock band Divinyls. Her distinctive husky voice and magnetic stage presence made her one of the most recognizable figures in Australian music. She delivered the band's biggest global hit, "I Touch Myself," which reached number one in 1990, along with earlier favourites such as "Pleasure and Pain" in 1985 and "Boys in Town" in 1981.
The newly discovered recordings date back to a pivotal period in Amphlett's life. According to the documentary programme "Australian Story," produced by national broadcaster ABC, the singer had recently separated from guitarist Mark McEntee, her longtime Divinyls collaborator, after a tumultuous relationship. Around the same time, she was growing closer to drummer Charley Drayton, whom she would later marry.
It was against this backdrop of personal and professional change that Finn reached out to Amphlett. In a social media post on Monday, he explained that he had long admired her work and decided to make contact. "We hadn't met previously but instantly felt a bond, a camaraderie of shared history as ex-lead singers of two brilliant bands," Finn wrote.
That shared history was considerable. Finn had fronted Split Enz, one of the most successful and influential bands to emerge from New Zealand, before going on to a solo career and a celebrated partnership with his brother Neil in the Finn Brothers. Amphlett, for her part, had spent more than a decade commanding stages with Divinyls, earning a reputation as a trailblazing female rock performer in a male-dominated industry.
Speaking to "Australian Story," Finn recalled the 1998 recording session in Sydney with warmth. "It was a good time for us to meet because she was looking for something new, something different in her life musically," he said. The pair spent several days writing a trio of songs together before heading into the studio, with Drayton providing the drumming.
Finn was struck by Amphlett's work ethic and intensity during those sessions. "She was so focused," he said. "She just wanted to get it right." He added that he felt privileged to witness her craft up close, saying, "I was in the presence of great talent, great charisma."
When the recording sessions ended, Finn took the tapes home with the intention of continuing work on the material. However, the songs were never completed. As Finn later put it, "they were never fully realised," and over time the recordings slipped from memory, presumed gone for good.
The turning point came in 2023, when Drayton contacted Finn to ask about the 1998 sessions. Finn decided to search for the tapes and made a remarkable discovery. "I thought they were lost to the universe but remarkably found the two-inch tape in my garage," he wrote in his social media post. Even more surprising was the condition of the tape after a quarter of a century in storage. "It was still in perfect condition and we are now able to share these songs with you," Finn said.
Finn described the recordings as deeply meaningful, calling them "incredibly important to me, Charley and those close to Chrissy." The EP, "Some Times," is scheduled for release on Friday, giving listeners their first opportunity to hear the material in more than 25 years.
The discovery offers a rare addition to Amphlett's recorded legacy, which has remained relatively fixed since her death. Divinyls disbanded in the late 1990s, and Amphlett subsequently pursued other interests, including a stint in the musical "The Boy from Oz," before her health declined. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and later with multiple sclerosis, and she died in New York in April 2013.
For fans and music historians alike, the resurfacing of the tapes adds a new chapter to the story of an artist whose influence continues to be felt in Australian rock. The EP also sheds light on a less-documented period of Amphlett's career — a moment when she was, as Finn observed, actively searching for a fresh musical direction.
The fact that the songs survived at all is due in large part to the durability of professional recording tape and the decision by Finn to keep it. Two-inch tape was a standard format in recording studios for decades, prized for its sound quality, and its survival in a domestic garage for 25 years without deterioration is a fortunate outcome that has allowed the project to proceed.
With the release of "Some Times," audiences will hear a collaboration between two figures from the upper echelons of Australasian rock — a pairing that, until now, had never been heard by the public. For those close to Amphlett, the EP represents a chance to share something precious that was nearly lost forever. For everyone else, it is an unexpected gift: three more performances from a voice that once defined an era of Australian music.
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