Can you believe it’s been 13 long years since Jebediah released an album?
The beloved Australian alternative rockers returned with their sixth album, OIKS, earlier this month, proving that time hasn’t dulled their talent for authentic rock ‘n’ roll.
The band’s journey to OIKS, however, was far from straightforward. Hindered by the pandemic with members stuck in different states, the album’s creation stretched over several years. Despite these challenges, the band chose not to rush the process, focusing instead on maintaining the authenticity and quality of their work.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone AU/NZ, lead vocalist Kevin Mitchell explained that the band opted for a more experimental and spontaneous creation process, a significant shift from their previous, more structured recordings.
“I said, ‘Let’s just book the studio for five days and we’ll set up all out stuff and we’ll go in at night and we’ll just jam and record everything we do, then the next day we’ll come into the studio in the afternoon, and we’ll go through everything we recorded the night before. We’ll delete the shit, keep all the good stuff and see if we can somehow craft songs out of the good stuff,’” Mitchell said.
“We did that for about three days or whatever and we came up with ideas for probably 20-odd songs, and a lot of those were just little fragments, but it was enough to get us started.”
Despite their success in Australia over several decades, Jebediah have never managed to make it in the US, something that’s troubled many excellent bands from these shores.
Mitchell told Rolling Stone AU/NZ that he suspected Jebediah’s distinctly Australian essence, which resonates so well locally, might not translate as effectively overseas.
“I think the realisation that I’ve come to is that maybe Jebediah was something that maybe only Australians could relate to or get; I think it was a time and place thing,” he pondered. “I felt like, particularly with America, that it never properly translated that as a band we represented a very particular sort of Australian suburban teenage kind of life or experience that just didn’t seem to translate to other countries and America.”
Mitchell continued: “When I think about the ‘90s, Silverchair were massive in America, and Daniel Johns has got a very universal voice… I mean, these days it’s all different. I think because so many Australian bands have got international audiences now, it’s a lot more celebrated than it used to be and young artists now are really leaning into their accents more than they ever used to be — people like Courtney Barnett, Stella Donnelly, The Chats, and Dune Rats.”
Jebediah are hitting the road to celebrate their new album around Australia, touring between July and September supported by Magic Dirt (see full details below).
Jebediah’s OIKS is out now via Cooking Vinyl Australia.
Jebediah 2024 Australian Tour
Supported by Magic Dirt
Tickets on sale now via jebediah.net
Thursday, July 4th
Cleveland Sands Hotel, Cleveland Sands, QLD
Friday, July 5th
Miami Marketta, Gold Coast, QLD
Saturday, July 6th
The Triffid, Brisbane, QLD
Sunday, July 7th
Kings Beach Tavern, Caloundra, QLD
Thursday, July 11th
The Gov, Adelaide, SA
Friday, July 12th
Freo.Social, Fremantle, WA
Saturday, July 13th
The Carine, Duncraig, WA
Thursday, July 18th
Label, Brookvale
Friday, July 19th
Manning Bar, Sydney, NSW
Saturday, July 20th
King St Bandroom, Newcastle, NSW
Friday, August 2nd
Torquay Hotel, Torquay, VIC
Saturday, August 3rd
Chelsea Heights Hotel, Chelsea Heights, VIC
Sunday, August 4th
Haba, Rye, VIC
Thursday, August 22nd
UOW Unibar, Wollongong, NSW
Friday, August 23rd
Drifters Wharf, Gosford, NSW
Saturday, August 24th
The Baso, Canberra, ACT
Friday, August 30th
Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns, QLD
Sunday, September 1st
Mayberry, Darwin, NT
Thursday, September 5th
Du Cane, Launceston, TAS
Friday, September 6th
Forth Pub, Forth, TAS
Sunday, September 7th
Goods Shed, Hobart, TAS
Friday, September 20th
Corner Hotel, Melbourne, VIC
