JEBEDIAH SHARE NEW SINGLE + VIDEO ‘MOTIVATION’ + NEW ALBUM OIKS DUE OUT APRIL 12
A revitalising sonic spark, the upbeat new single Motivation from beloved Perth rockers Jebediah follows on from the group’s dreamy indie single Rubberman, with Motivation unfurling cleverly simple melodics fused with Jebediah’s hard-wired charm. Also accompanied by a new music video that snapshots the band in their natural element, Motivation will also feature on Jebediah’s upcoming new album OIKS; their first album since 2011’s Kosciuszko, which will arrive on April 12, 2024. Pre-orders are available now via Cooking Vinyl Australia.
Ravishing in its simplicity and hypnotic drive, Motivation is an effortless foray into, and extension of, the pillars that have endeared Jebediah to the world since first forming decades ago. From the jangly guitars and undulating melodics pulsing through its verses through to driving anthemic fuzz in its choruses, Motivation was itself motivated by the band’s initial jam sessions that ultimately led to the creation of OIKS. And while it ultimately presents as an undisputed instant Jebediah classic, Motivation also holds a special significance for the band themselves, guided by long-time band friend and OIKS producer Dave Parkin at Blackbird Studios in Perth.
“Motivation was a song that came from the initial in studio jam sessions that kick started the process of recording OIKS,” the band share of their brand new track. “At that stage, we didn’t really know what kind of album we were trying to make. We were simply getting together in a room and making noise and seeing what eventuated. Given that Motivation came from these sessions, it’s a very “band” sounding song, as opposed to some of the more experimental stuff that came along later during the recording process. It captures the sound of the band playing in a room together and we tried not to embellish it too much. This song is a bit of a band favourite for sure, so we are obviously excited about it being released as a single before the album appears.”
Filming the accompanying music video for Motivation in Melbourne, Jebediah worked alongside another long-time collaborator to conjure the laidback visuals. With Arlo Cook behind the camera, who also took the reins on the clip for Gum Up The Bearings, aka the band’s first new single in over a decade released last year, Motivation’s clip is ultimately a mellow gem that authentically captures Jebediah’s enduring multi-generational appeal. Wholesome yet gritty and a perfect accompaniment to the earworm single, the clip is also yet another tempting peek into the upcoming release of OIKS – and the band are as excited as their legion of fans are to unveil their brand new album to the world, as they reveal, “The video clip is intended to represent the simplicity of the song and the fact that we were trying to capture the raw sound of the band playing in a room together. The video was shot in Melbourne by Arlo Cook who has been following us around with a camera since 2015, taking footage at shows all around Australia. We can’t wait for everyone to hear OIKS soon. It was a labour of love that took us five years to complete, often during extremely turbulent times.”
On their impending sixth studio album, OIKS, Jebediah catapult their iconic past and present into a dazzling new era. Remaining consistently active since the release of 2011’s Kosciuszko, Jebediah surge into 2024 with their new album, showcasing their enduring creativity without ever losing sight of their influential indie and alternative rock roots that ultimately shaped the band over the years and led to the eventual creation of OIKS. From its poppin’ and rockin’ lead single Gum Up The Bearings through to the lush Rubberman and dulcet new single Motivation, the overall record was born out of experimentation while in the studio with long-time collaborator Dave Parkin (Red Jezebel, Spacey Jane). The result is an album which finds Jebediah completely at home with their sonic identity in 2024; as iconic as their breakthrough debut Slightly Odway in 1997 but with more vigour than ever before.
Closing out 2023 with a headline tour, as well as appearances in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane as part of Good Things Festival alongside the likes of Fall Out Boy, Limp Bizkit, Devo and Slowly Slowly, Jebediah were also cemented as Western Australian music royalty, with the band inducted into the WAM Hall Of Fame as part of the WA Music Awards last November. From emerging decades ago with infectious hooks and gritty riffs through to soundtracking the late ‘90s and early 2000s with a deluge of hits and snagging multiple ARIA Award nominations, Jebediah are equally at home wowing crowds in dimly-lit crowded pubs as they are weaving musical magic to thousands on festival stages. And with the impending release of OIKS, it feels like Jebediah are only getting warmed up for some incredible things yet to come.
Motivation is out today via Cooking Vinyl Australia.
OIKS will be released on 12 April, 2024 via Cooking Vinyl Australia
SAINTHILL SHARES ASTRAL NEW SINGLE + VIDEO ‘THE BLACK BULL’ NEW ALBUM ‘DREAM ANIMAL’ SET FOR RELEASE MARCH 1
Drawing you into a world of dreamy shoegaze and pulsating charm, the new single The Black Bull out today from Melbourne-based artist Sainthill is a lush and evocative journey taken from the talented artist’s impending new album Dream Animal, set for release on Friday March 1. A track many years in the making, The Black Bull also arrives today accompanied by an aptly whimsical music video.
Equally melancholic and intimate yet up-tempo and immersive, The Black Bull’s origin story stems back to 2018, with Sainthill, aka Tom Larkey, first tracking drums for the track pre-pandemic. With sonic inspiration from artists like Slowdive and Interpol helping to conjure the captivating single, the journey to creating The Black Bull can also be traced back to Sainthill’s extensive collection of dream journals, as he explains, “The Black Bull is a fairly up tempo song with pulsing bass and shoegaze elements like a mega-reverbed tremolo picking in the chorus. Also, I was learning to play So. Central Rain by R.E.M. and realised I’d lifted half the chord progression quite by accident! The origin of the song, like others on the album, begins in the hundreds of dream journal entries I have kept over the years that have an exceptional amount of animal appearances, and these were the frameworks for lyrical narratives. The Black Bull takes a potentially obvious metaphor (a black animal as depression) and then tells the story of someone taking matters into their own hands – in this case to train as a matador and overcome the bull (as grotesque as bullfighting is).”
Working once again with John Lee at Phaedra Studios (Lost Animal, Mod Con, Grand Salvo), with Lee mixing both The Black Bull and the broader Dream Animal album as well as playing and recording all of the drums, Sainthill also teamed up with Pip O’Brien, Grantley Smith and an obliging friend to step into the role of the titular bull to bring the accompanying music video for The Black Bull to life, as Sainthill reveals, “There are three characters in the clip: Blue Guy, Red Guy, and The Black Bull. The Blue Guy is the part of us that is optimistic, curious, but struggling. The Red Guy is our inner strength, and he essentially saves the day – by way of a good old fashioned sword fight with stick.. The Black Bull is the obstacle to overcome. At first mysterious, frightening, oppressive, but ultimately something that can be made peace with. Pip O’Brien helped me shoot the initial scenes (she shot a beautiful clip for Cold Hands Warm Heart). I needed some further footage, so an old friend Grantley Smith who happens to be a director and quite handy with a camera, helped me out. I also managed to convince my friend Tom to be in the clip as ‘The Bull’ and wear a ridiculous helmet.”
Partially recording Dream Animal at home (“in the evenings when the birds stopped chirping outside” as Sainthill reveals), the overall album is a fascinating foray into imaginative and innovative dreamy, shoegaze-laced rock. Five years in the making, Dream Animal trips the light fantastic in pure chameleonic fashion, between its heavy synth fever dreams (Lyrebird), melodic rock-meets-chamber music opuses (Cat Called Gram), galloping melancholia (The Clydesdale), eastern-hued enchantment (Leporine Lover) and digital dreamlands shaped alongside organic instrumentation (Nothin’ Except Dream). “I dream a lot, and I have hundreds of dream journal entries,” Sainthill explains, unfurling the stylistic threads throughout Dream Animal. “I noticed an exceptional (or perhaps disturbing?) amount of animal appearances, and these encounters became the basis for metaphorical stories of lost cats, vulnerable horses, and sinister bulls. Chiming guitars and swirling keys ebb and flow, while sprightly rhythms carry simple yet elegant melodies Each song features some sort of narrative (mostly including animals), and these narratives are frameworks for moralistic tales and reflections on the subconscious. The themes include love, loss and renewal, romantic elusion, depression, dream symbols, setting things free, looking after the planet, and music-making itself.”
Hailing from Tasmania and now based in Melbourne, Sainthill was seemingly destined to create bewitching, bittersweet rock, named not only for his mother’s maiden name St Hill, but also for his first cousin twice removed, Loudon Sainthill; an iconic Australian artist and stage designer whose work in the 1950s was described by his lifelong partner as having ‘a special quality of enchantment, mixed so often with haunting sadness’. Growing up in Hobart and spending bountiful time in nature, Sainthill’s love for music and creativity in general blossomed from a young age, discovering Bruce Springsteen when he was five before going on to release his debut EP I Am a Monster in 2009. Now with three albums under his belt, Dear Victoria, Man Alive and Folk Romantic, Sainthill continues to explore character-driven narratives alongside a gamut of hard-hitting themes, and his upcoming full length, Dream Animal, is a celebration of dream pop soundscapes forged with indie rock and folk; and it’s also one that promises untold beauty and intrigue for the listener, as Sainthill concludes, “Dream Animal is a concept album of sorts; the songs are borne from sleep, and thus make the perfect soundtrack to close one’s eyes to, and lose oneself in.
The Black Bull is out today, Friday February 2.
Dream Animal is due out on Friday March 1.
MAMMAL SHARE FUNKED-UP NEW SINGLE + VIDEO ‘THE PENNY DROP’ NEW ALBUM ‘THE PENNY DROP’ SET FOR RELEASE MARCH 6 ANNOUNCE FREE SINGLE LAUNCH GIG AT 170 RUSSELL ON FEBRUARY 9
Bringing the noise and funk in incomparable Mammal fashion, the Narrm neo punk/funk warriors return today with a swaggering new single The Penny Drop. Launching with a free show at 170 Russell (Melbourne) on February 9 with support from I Built The Sky (solo) and Bushido, and accompanied by a gleefully colourful and chaotic music video, The Penny Drop also offers a further peek into the group’s forthcoming new album of the same name, with Mammal’s sophomore album The Penny Drop officially due out on Wednesday March 6, available on vinyl, digital and CD formats depending on how you like to face the funk.
Following on from their fiery recent single Keanu Reeves, Mammal are coming in hot in 2024 with both a new single, The Penny Drop, and the confirmation of their anticipated new album which also shares its name with the brand track. Brandishing trademark spitfire Mammal flair amongst sonic nods to Earth Wind & Fire, Parliament, Skindred, Pantera, Motley Crue and The Killers, the end result for The Penny Drop single is one of unbridled energy and a razor-sharp call to arms, campaigning for long-awaited justice, as frontman Ezekiel Ox impassions, “The Penny Drop is a plea from the front-line for justice. It’s the voice of those who have struggled for decades in, or in solidarity with, the poor, dispossessed, displaced, sick, disabled or criminalised people around the world. It’s a celebration of the wins we’ve had, however big or small. People say the system is broken, but it’s not, it’s working exactly how the racists, land thieves and war criminals intended. Destruction, death, and environmental collapse are here – just be sure to take your reusable bags to the supermarket and turn your lights off and we should be fine, right? Now more than ever, we need to strut like a catwalk model and demand ceasefire and health, housing, water, and education rights. Who’s with the mighty Mammal?”
Teaming up with cinematographer Samuel Vella, director Tristian Braines, and edited and colour graded by David Krebelj to bring some beautiful visual mayhem to life for The Penny Drop’s accompanying music video, Mammal serve up some unforgettable scenes that’ll hurl you relentlessly into the Mammal psyche (and potentially also have you wanting to raid the nearest dress-up drawer). “We met Sam [Vella] through a friend and he filmed our show at The Evelyn,” shares Ox. “We were super impressed with his work so approached him to do our video clip. He brought his production team onboard, and the rest is history. The clip is a circus, a clusterfuck of camp mincing, costume makeup and disco glitter. Aliens ascend, pimps roam free and disco bears pummel beats and strings. Bring your dancing shoes.”
Mammal have never been ones to shy away from tenacious themes throughout their career. Breeding music with a heartbeat that blisters and awes, the same tireless spirit that has accompanied Mammal’s journey over the years burns brightly on their upcoming second album The Penny Drop. Pulsing with pure rock’n’roll at its core, The Penny Drop calls out the wrongs of the world around us while emphatically flexing the group’s revitalised sonic direction and eclectic sonic influences. From stomping fuzz on its opening track Moscow, through to sensual swagger on Slings and Arrows, polished melodics and salient alternative rock on Doubt, irreverent nu metal-laced rage on Live Bold And Dangerous and toe-tappin’ funk/rock fusion on closing track Five Days, The Penny Drop wields a vast palette while also consistently holding up starkly accurate thematic mirrors. “The main themes on the album are politics,” shares Ox, “setting up guillotines, smashing the fash, punching up, our inability to tolerate fools. Musically, fresh, mature, sexy bare bones rock and fucking roll. This album is not for the kids. It’s frown up fun. Pete [Williamson] wrote 100 riffs in 30 days, Zane [Rosanoski] turned them into songs with his V-drums and laptop in another month, then I came down from Newcastle and free-styled for 24 hours over two wild days in Melbourne. After that Jimi Maroudas came on board to produce and hone the 17 best tracks, which became the 12 on the album. After plenty of arguments, compromises and massaging by Forrester [Savell] later, we decided we were done.”
Since forming and releasing their debut self-titled EP in 2006, Mammal have toured relentlessly while also crafting a formidable reputation for their animated live performances, timeless sonic creations and authentic, working-class political activism that has garnered the quartet an ever-growing cult-like status across the globe. Revered as a “must see” rock’n’roll juggernaut, Mammal’s back catalogue includes their striking singles Smash The Pinata, The Majority, Hell Yeah and Think, with their touring history also spanning headline shows in London, Perth, Auckland, Brisbane and everywhere in between, as well as supports with some of the heavy scene’s towering giants, including Kiss, Avenged Sevenfold, Sebastian Bach, Cog, Grinspoon, Spiderbait and Shihad to name a mere few. A band who also walk the walk alongside their musical calls-to-action, Mammal have also previously volunteered their live services, raising much-needed funds for various charities, supporting Interchange, the Refugee Action Collective and Fitzroy Legal Service over the years.
A band who says what they want, how they want to, as loudly and proudly as possible, The Penny Drop is set to be a natural continuation of the ever dynamic and growing Mammal legacy, with The Penny Drop single itself offering a swaggering disco-slap grind to tide you over until the release of the impending new album. “Mammal is riding high on the energy. It was a different process for us this time, it took over a year to finish from riff to master,” says Ox. “To be honest, we just want to get it out and see everyone at the shows when we play it live”. And for those hoping to witness the new Mammal material live in person themselves, the band are fighting inflation and the cost of living crisis for fans of rock and roll with a FREE ENTRY “People’s Night Out” show at 170 Russell on Friday February 9, supported by I Built The Sky (solo) and Bushido. For those fans in other states, some exciting news undoubtedly lies ahead. “This album is built for the live stage,” Ox concludes. Watch this space.
The Penny Drop (single) is out today, Thursday February 1.
The Penny Drop (album) is set for release on Wednesday March 6.
MAMMAL | THE PENNY DROP SINGLE LAUNCH | 170 RUSSELL | FEBRUARY 9 | DOORS 8PM – 11:30PM | FREE ENTRY