Close your eyes and press play—Heroine, the epic sophomore full-length from Melbourne’s Thornhill, transports listeners into the golden glamour of classic Hollywood. Driven by a creative wave of cinematic inspiration, vocalist/lyricist Jacob Charlton and guitarist/producer Ethan McCann crafted Heroine as a vivid anthology of musical stories that feel more like film scores than traditional rock tracks.

The spark came in the middle of lockdown. “’Arkangel’ was the first song that really got the writing process rolling,” shares Ethan. “Once I had the intro, verse and chorus down, it created this mood that instantly brought visuals to mind—it reminded me of the Buffy intro credits with that glossy late-’90s vibe. I even laid the demo over the credits, and that pairing helped me shape the entire song like I was scoring a scene.”

That filmic approach proved contagious. With Jacob’s long-held love of storytelling and screenwriting, the duo began writing every track as if they were composing a cinematic scene. From the She’s All That-inspired melancholy of “Varsity Hearts” to the Bond-like intensity of “Casanova,” Heroine evokes a rich, stylistic universe. Elsewhere, the album nods to classics like Singin’ in the Rain, American Beauty, and Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet—albums as much as experiences.

“Each lyric became my screenplay for the score Ethan created,” Jacob explains. “They reflect how I’d shoot or direct the scene, how I feel, what I imagine—almost like writing mini-movies.”

Thematically, Heroine explores love, lust, self-reflection, and self-loathing—emotionally intimate without wallowing in sadness. “It’s not sad, but it’s melancholy in a very cinematic way,” Jacob says. That emotional nuance is amplified by a sound that breaks beyond metalcore confines. Where 2019’s The Dark Pool leaned into atmospheric heaviness, Heroine ventures confidently into alternative and rock territory, drawing on influences as varied as Smashing Pumpkins, Silverchair, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Deftones, while maintaining metalcore roots.

For Jacob, the album also marked a transformation in identity and performance. Inspired by the charisma of artists like Elvis, Gwen Stefani, and Justin Timberlake, he embraced the role of frontman not just in sound, but in style and persona. “I realized I couldn’t just sing or scream—I had to emote, to match Ethan’s instrumentation with a performance that pulled listeners into the world we were creating.”

Channeling a full spectrum of masculinity, femininity, vulnerability and confidence, Jacob and the band pushed themselves to become “whole-package” performers. Supported by a tightly unified group, Heroine is as much a visual and theatrical experience as it is musical—a work that proves Thornhill’s creative reach extends far beyond the expected boundaries of their genre.

Elevated, cinematic, and fearless, Heroine is a bold step forward for Thornhill—a tasteful, timeless piece of modern rock storytelling that invites repeat listens and rewards deep dives. Like the films that inspired it, Heroine is destined to be a classic.