PERTH INDIE-FOLK GROUP JACK DAVIES and THE BUSH CHOOKS RELEASE NEW EP ‘SONGS FOR A LONG WALK’ + VIDEO FOR ‘HALF FROZEN BEER ‘
Releasing some of their most personal material yet, Perth’s Jack Davies and The Bush Chooks release their new EP, Songs For A Long Walk.
A collection of moving and authentic indie-folk music, Songs For A Long Walk shines a light on the group’s defined musical identity, led by songwriter Jack Davies’ unwavering strength as a vocalist and songwriter.
Six tracks recorded at the beginning of 2020, Songs For A Long Walk were created before the world was plunged into a prolonged stage of limbo, yet when listening to the songs now in the midst of it, the comfort and warmth they exude are second to none.
From it listeners have already heard ‘Loving You’s Like A Mouldy Cup of Tea’ and ‘Half Frozen Beer’, both strong compositions on their own, yet Songs For A Long Walk shines across the other four tracks too. Evoking the likes of Jacob Diamond, Courtney Barnett and Tom Odell in songwriting and nuanced delivery, the Songs For A Long Walk EP is inviting and intimate in the soundscapes it creates.
This is a record that shows Jack Davies and The Bush Chooks at their best, and for newcomers to the group, Songs For A Long Walk is the perfect wait to become acquainted with them.
Recorded at RADA Studios in Perth, the band were able to properly immerse themselves in the old warehouse set up, with the addition of some beautiful upright pianos that helped form the final sound of the EP. For Jack, the experience has inspired him for future recordings.
“We were able to just have fun with all these incredible instruments and microphones and record whatever we liked. Dan Carroll, who engineered and mixed the EP, has such a huge insight into recording and music in general. Working together changed my perspective on a lot of things in the recording world, I’m grateful for that. The whole process has given me so much inspiration to dig right into the next record and explore all these new ideas fully.” Jack Davies
The closeness of the band and their natural ability as players together shines throughout the EP, as it does on single ‘Half Frozen Beer’. Sharing the music video for this song, Jack Davies worked alongside photographer and videographer Annie Harvey in bringing this one to life.
Filmed in Perth during WA’s late stages of lockdown, the ‘Half Frozen Beer’ music video features Jack Davies and The Bush Chooks, albeit in a different format to normal.
“It was a rather lonely time, so I just mulled around my house recording bits ‘n bobs. We couldn’t be in groups, so we couldn’t film with my bandmates directly. Instead, I went and stood out the front of their houses and jammed along with them by their windows, kind of a play on the song and the idea of being together. It was really down to the magic of Annie Harvey’s video work that brought it together; I’m stunned by how beautiful the colours and composition of the shots came out, the band just danced around!” Jack Davies
Jack Davies and The Bush Chooks have been garnering acclaim for their music around the country, while also attracting industry praise too, having a WAM and SOTY award to their name, as well as a National Live Music Award for WA’s Best Live Act. Their brand of indie-folk music has drawn over 1.5 million streams on Spotify alone; while also emerging as a formidable touring force, with audiences around the country embracing them as headliners and supporting the likes of Tash Sultana, Weyes Blood and San Cisco.
Off the back of their debut EP Cleaning The Dishes in 2019, Jack Davies and The Bush Chooks became a dynamic force in the WA scene, significant examples of their presence being in their ability to draw almost 500 to the modest Clancy’s Fish Pub in Fremantle and an unprecedented crowd of over 2,000 to the Fremantle Arts Centre their ‘Sunday Music Sessions’ show.
The past couple of months have seen the band return to performing to sold out crowds across the state, as restrictions continue to ease in Western Australia.
PRAISE FOR JACK DAVIES AND THE BUSH CHOOKS
“Every so often a voice captures a moment in time. Slow, melodic and deliberate songwriting that evokes quintessential West Australian imagery, Jack Davies is the voice of a new generation of Perth storytellers.”
RTRFM 92.1
“The west is having a real moment right now and Jack Davies is right there at the tip of the community's songwriting wellspring.”
Triple J Unearthed, Dave Ruby Howe
“I was thinking to myself today, wondering who of the modern Australian songwriters writing gentle, folk inspired songs have what it takes to be remembered in the long term, and I reckon Jack might be one of them. His songs cut straight to the core and put you in a time and place you didn’t know you were missing.”
Triple J Unearthed, Tommy Faith
“This has my vote as a replacement for the national anthem. Quick witted and clever prose with that lingering banjo and harmonica, Jack is a next gen bush balladeer and I'm in awe.”
ABC Country Music Programmer/Producer, Kath Devaney