← Back

The Makarrata Project

by Midnight Oil

Released: October 30, 2020

Alternative rock, hard rock, post-punk, new wave

musicOnOff editorial

Why This Album Matters

This album matters because its strongest editorial story is: Recording Conflict.

The Album

"The Makarrata Project" is the twelfth studio album by Australian band Midnight Oil, released on October 30, 2020, by Sony Music Australia. The album consists of seven tracks and includes collaborations with Indigenous artists. It is also one of the last releases featuring bassist Bones Hillman, who passed away in November 2020.

Stories and details

Interesting Facts

The album is inspired by the 2017 Uluru…

The album is inspired by the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart, which calls for Indigenous recognition and reconciliation in Australia.

The term "Makarrata" refers to a Yolngu process…

The term "Makarrata" refers to a Yolngu process of conflict resolution and peacemaking.

Midnight Oil has pledged to donate proceeds from…

Midnight Oil has pledged to donate proceeds from the album to organizations supporting these initiatives.

Frontman Peter Garrett emphasized the need for reconciliation…

Frontman Peter Garrett emphasized the need for reconciliation and the importance of addressing the historical injustices faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Watch and listen

Explore the Album

Midnight Oil - The Makarrata Project

Open in Albums Gallery

Then

Reception

This marks the band's first new material since 2002's Capricornia and is notable for being their first studio album to reach #1 on the ARIA Charts since 1990's Blue Sky Mining. At the 2021 ARIA Music Awards, it received nominations for Album of the Year, Best Group, and Best Rock Album.

Full background

The Complete Album Story

"The Makarrata Project" is the twelfth studio album by Australian band Midnight Oil, released on October 30, 2020, by Sony Music Australia. This marks the band's first new material since 2002's Capricornia and is notable for being their first studio album to reach #1 on the ARIA Charts since 1990's Blue Sky Mining. It is also one of the last releases featuring bassist Bones Hillman, who passed away in November 2020.

The album is inspired by the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart, which calls for Indigenous recognition and reconciliation in Australia. The term "Makarrata" refers to a Yolngu process of conflict resolution and peacemaking. Midnight Oil has pledged to donate proceeds from the album to organizations supporting these initiatives.

Frontman Peter Garrett emphasized the need for reconciliation and the importance of addressing the historical injustices faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The album consists of seven tracks and includes collaborations with Indigenous artists. At the 2021 ARIA Music Awards, it received nominations for Album of the Year, Best Group, and Best Rock Album.