Perth singer-songwriter Justin Davies didn’t exactly plan on making music.
In fact, his debut single as The Tortured Souls feels less like a calculated entry point and more like something that had been quietly building for years, waiting for the right moment to surface.
That moment arrives with “Unforgettable Days”, a sweeping, piano-led introduction that leans into longing, memory, and the strange way certain moments in life refuse to fade. It’s a track that doesn’t just revisit the past; it sits inside it, turning over fragments of love and loss until they start to glow again.
The single also marks the beginning of a much larger story. Davies is set to open for Ron Sexsmith on his ‘Hangover Terrace’ Tour at Perth’s Rosemount Hotel on April 26th — a fitting first step into the live arena for a project rooted so deeply in personal experience.
There’s a cinematic quality to “Unforgettable Days” that immediately sets the tone. Soaring piano lines meet swelling strings and measured percussion, giving the track a sense of lift that mirrors its emotional core.
It’s polished without feeling sterile, thanks in part to production from Rob Grant, whose credits span Tame Impala, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and Josh Homme.
But what really anchors the track is its emotional honesty. Davies doesn’t dress up the story, he leans into it. The song reflects on a past relationship, one defined as much by tenderness as it was by regret.
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of metal, rock, indie, pop, and everything else in between.
There are flashes of intimacy — lying in a paddock at sunset, falling asleep humming songs together — but also the quieter, heavier moments that follow when something slips away and you’re left replaying what you could have done differently.
That duality is what gives the song its weight. It’s not just about heartbreak; it’s about the persistence of beauty inside it.
The accompanying music video, directed by Patrick Pierce and Dara Munnis of Dead As Disco, extends that feeling visually. Moving between sweeping aerial shots and intimate, memory-like projections, it captures the same push-pull between past and present that defines the song itself.
What makes this debut even more compelling is how unlikely it is. Davies spent most of his adult life outside of music, building a career as an entrepreneur while staying connected to creativity through family: his brother, ARIA Award-winning composer Ashley Davies, and sister, singer-songwriter Tanya-Lee Davies.
Music, though, came later… and from a much heavier place.
A personal loss decades ago, the death of a loved one to overdose, lingered in the background of his life, unresolved. It wasn’t until 2023, after an almost instinctive purchase of a guitar he felt drawn to, that something shifted. Without formal training or even a clear understanding of what he was playing, Davies began writing, and didn’t stop.
Songs came quickly, almost involuntarily. What started as a way to process grief turned into something more structured, more expansive. Before long, there was enough material to consider a full album.
From there, the project grew organically. Backed by a tight-knit group of Perth musicians, including former The Sleepy Jackson members Malcolm Clark and Jay Cortez, alongside players from the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Davies’ initial guitar-and-vocal sketches evolved into something richer and more textured.
There’s a sense, listening to “Unforgettable Days”, that none of this was forced. The arrangements feel lived-in, the performances connected. It’s less about chasing a sound and more about following a feeling to its natural conclusion.
And maybe that’s why it works.
There’s no rush to impress here, no overcomplication. Davies himself calls it “not an incredibly intricate or overly complicated song,” but that’s kind of the point. Its strength lies in its clarity — in saying something simple, and meaning it.
With a full-length album on the way later this year, “Unforgettable Days” feels like the opening chapter of something quietly significant. Not a reinvention, not a breakout engineered for impact, but a genuine beginning, shaped by time, loss, and the kind of reflection you can’t fake.
The Tortured Souls’ “Unforgettable Days” is out now.
