JACK PANTHER ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE SKI LIFT 001 + NEW EP WHY DON’T YOU COME OVER? OUT MAY 20
A glistening fusion of silken noir and fresh candor, Auckland based queer pop artist Jack Panther returns today with a lush new single SKI LIFT 001. Flowing with alt pop flavours and sharp vulnerability, SKI LIFT 001 is also accompanied by a bold visualiser, contrasting the heart-rending lyrics and melodics as Jack appears laying on the floor slowly bleeding out. SKI LIFT 001 also marks a peek into Jack’s impending new EP why don’t you come over? which will release on May 20.
SKI LIFT 001 welds candid lyricism with a fresh-yet-moody sonic aesthetic, with alt pop whimsy coaxing you deeper and deeper into Jack’s intimate world via this schematic ballad. Inspired by alt-pop royalty like Joji, Troye Sivan, FKA Twigs and King Princess, SKI LIFT 001 also hints at the intimate wooze of James Blake amid sparse guitars and softly burgeoning soundscapes. Conjured in a mere six hours and produced and mixed by Harry Charles, the track effortlessly captures the sudden and searing hit of nostalgia that can strike in the blink of an eye. Of the significant personal themes underpinning SKI LIFT 001, Jack says, “Last winter I went skiing for the first time since going with my ex-boyfriend, and so many bittersweet memories came flooding back to me. I remember having an epiphany while skiing that I took so many moments with him forgranted. It’s a feeling that I think resonates with a lot of people – nostalgia can hit you so hard and so quickly. Writing this song was so cathartic for me, I had a lot of feelings towards my ex and I think in a way I wrote it to acknowledge these feelings and try to move on.”
The visualiser for SKI LIFT 001 starkly contrasts the raw elegance of the track, with Jack slowly revealed to be bleeding out on the floor from an injury caused by a ski pole. With Jack’s performance emphasising the single’s stirring themes in bold and innovative fashion, the concept for the visualiser came to Jack in a dream, causing a sudden late night text to the clip’s director Devan Narsai. Of the video’s origins, Jack says, “Devan and I were brainstorming concepts for a while. One night I fell asleep and awoke again at 11:30pm. In my delirious, dream-like state I came up with this crazy, daring concept of bleeding out on a floor. Immediately I texted Devan who happened to still be awake at the time and texted back that he loved it. When filming it I was just so in awe that Devan and I made this unique, wild concept come to life.”
Joining previously released singles If I Was and Feels Right that dropped late last year, SKI LIFT 001 is yet another enticing peek into Jack’s forthcoming new EP why don’t you come over?, due out May 20. A culmination of harnessing the ups and downs of being in your early 20s alongside Jack’s ongoing creative evolutuion, this sophomore EP celebrates healthy lashings of personal narratives, edgy pop and staggering empowerment as Jack sanguinely steps forward into a new and emboldened chapter. Speaking on the origins of his new EP, Jack says, “It showcases such a different side to me, one that feels kind of badass. Throughout the process of writing the project I was listening to such confident, self-assured music and it rubbed shoulders with me, I guess. For the first time I feel empowered by my own music and I think that’s why I feel so connected to it. I was in the process of moving cities at the time. With so many changes, everything felt like both the world was opening up, yet crashing down on me. In that time I was so forced to look inward, discover more about myself, my identity and the queer history of people that fought for my right to have a voice. That’s where this project stemmed from, I had so much to say to the people around me and the people before me.”
Following on from his debut EP this dream i had released back in 2020, 2022 promises to be the most explosive year for Jack so far, not just via his stunning new EP on the horizon, but also with plans to focus on his live band amid some upcoming writing sessions in Australia and the UK.
SKI LIFT 001 is out today.
why don’t you come over? is out May 20.