Spacey Jane have shared a lively new single titled ‘Sitting Up’, heralding the news of their second full-length effort – now officially known as ‘Here Comes Everybody’ – out this June.
Building on the band’s signature warbly, psych-tinged indie-rock, the new song shines with cleaner, more layered production, delicate synth accents and a soaring chorus. A bridge also shows the growth of frontman Caleb Harper’s vocal prowess in the last two years, tying his usual warm, emotive signing with angelic high notes.
Despite its upbeat sonics, Harper said in a press release that ‘Sitting Up’ was written to reflect the battered emotional state that defined his last semester in University, before he dropped out and pursued music full-time. “I left quite unceremoniously by not showing up to any of my final exams or handing in final assessments,” he explained.
“I had no idea who I was, I was seriously depressed and completely spinning out. I felt like I’d created this terrible facade of myself for all of these people that I knew and that really I hadn’t been myself around someone or been truthful about my feelings in years.
“I didn’t care about my life or what I was doing to my body, [and] I thought I was going to end up dead if I didn’t fix something. I felt like I was the only one going through those feelings and even though that wasn’t true, it made me feel so alone.”
Have a listen to ‘Sitting Up’ below:
‘Here Comes Everybody’ is set for release on June 10 via AWAL Recordings. Through its making, Spacey Jane were inspired by Wilco’s 2001 album ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’ (which they note as one of their favourite records), for which the working title was ‘Here Comes Everybody’. In addition to ‘Sitting Up’, the album features previous singles ‘Lunchtime’ and ‘Lots Of Nothing’ (both of which charted high in triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2021).
On his ambitions for LP2, Harper said: “Our first record discussed personal experiences of mine and it was a blessing to see how many people related to those stories. I want this record to be for youth persevering and thriving emotionally under the weight of our generational burden made up of climate change, COVID, etc. Feeling like you have the responsibility of your entire future on your shoulders without any say in what happens creates anxiety and uncertainty.
“I think COVID took away the sense of unity that gives young people assurances in such times. I know music isn’t a replacement for taking control and galvanising positive change, but I hope this record can soundtrack some of those moments in peoples lives.”
Take a look at the cover art and tracklisting for ‘Here Comes Everybody’ below:
1. Sitting Up
2. Lunchtime
3. Lots Of Nothing
4. Clean My Car
5. Hardlight
6. It’s Been A Long Day
7. Bothers Me
8. Not What You Paid For
9. Haircut
10. Head Above
11. Yet
12. Pulling Through
In a four-star review of ‘Sunlight’, NME said: “As huge as Spacey Jane sound on ‘Sunlight’, it’s never at the expense of their heartfelt honesty. All the jagged edges of conflicting genres are somehow smoothed out under their command and there’s not a moment of their ambitious vision that feels uncomfortable.”
NME declared ‘Sunlight’ to be the 10th best Australian album of 2020, with writer Caleb Triscari saying: “This clash of upbeat tempo and solemn lyrics is a tried-and-true pairing that will only make the tracks on ‘Sunlight’ more fun to groove to when festivals eventually return. With musical similarities to Modern Baseball and The Kooks, as well as a J Award nomination under their belt, ‘Sunlight’ has helped Spacey Jane stand out in what can often seem like a sea of indie guitar groups.”