Straight out of the gate, with the ferocious wild-eyed intent one associates with their music itself, Sydney Celt-punks The Rumjacks announce their return to the scene with a new record, set to carry on the momentum they began with 2010 debut, Gangs Of New Holland.
"We feel great," states frontman Frankie McLaughlin. “With a few solid shows under our belt and the new album ready to go, the energy is just humming."
Helmed by lauded producer Steve James (Cold Chisel, Richard Clapton, The Jam, Thin Lizzy), it stands as a ten-foot-tall monolith that signals their short time away from music has done nothing to dull the fire.
"[We've] rallied quickly and set our goals, both personally & professionally", concurs McLaughlin. "But it's [been] the enormous and humbling support we've received that really gave us heart."
"This album centres on the heart, no two ways about it", explains McLaughlin, "and in a tight orbit around the heart are themes of near death, lost loves, conflict and cowardice, war, homesickness, fear, triumph.'Real life' you might as well say.
"We haven’t tried to reinvent anything, just write really good songs and play them with all our heart for real people… The making of this album saw us wondering at this whole folk/punk thing as a wider genre, and what it means to us. The sickeningly rich tradition of people [setting] their story to song has continued unbroken by time, distance or malevolence - we see no good reason why it should stop with us. Call it Celtic punk, folk, rock or whatever, we have to keep telling each other our story, that’s the only thing that keeps us human - this album finds us right here, living very much in the now."
Tracklist:
01. Home Rule
02. No Pockets In A Shroud
03. Blows & Unkind Words
04. One Summers Day
05. Barred For Life
06. Plenty
07. Home
08. Oh Sargent Where's Mine?
09. The Leaky Tub
10. I Smell Trouble
11. Sober & Godless
12. The Reaper & Tam McCorty
13. Me Old Ball & Chain
14. 400 Miles
