Alana Jagt combines the ancient beauty of Nukunu country with shuffling New Orleans-style funeral blues on ‘Stars Of Napperby’, the new single streaming from August 26.
It’s the latest taste of her forthcoming debut LP ‘Goodbye Grote Bollen’, up for pre-order now and out on 12″ vinyl and streaming services on October 7.
Jagt’s powerful rasp presides over warped saloon guitars, heartbeat bass and ramshackle percussion, intimating a distinctly Australian childhood spent beneath pristine night skies and the shadow of Wangyarra, in the Southern Flinders Ranges. She explains:
“Napperby is where I grew up, a small village on the edge of Wangyarra (Mount Remarkable) National Park in South Australia’s mid-north. There’s not much there, no shops and almost no light pollution at all. So the stars are spectacular. The song is a reflection of my time there, in awe of the sky and the ranges and the beautiful Napperby Gorge, and my feelings looking back at it all.”
As well as this more personal writing style, ‘Stars Of Napperby’ hints that a wider sound palette will be heard on the long-awaited LP.
After releasing previous singles ‘Imagining Life’ and ‘If We Had Some Money’, Jagt performed at Bigsound with her shape-shifting 5-piece band, undertook a solo national tour with Abbe May, and supported everyone from Thelma Plum and Killing Heidi to Paul Dempsey, Henry Wagons and Archie Roach. She also found time to sing backup for the likes of Mick Thomas, Kasey Chambers and, most recently, Grinspoon‘s Phil Jamieson.
With its swells of Waits-esque piano and buzzing second hand organs building to an emotional climax, ‘Stars Of Napperby’ is unmistakably nostalgic.
But Jagt and her band are now looking firmly to the future – they’ll be touring Victoria and South Australia throughout October, showcasing a left-field, folk-influenced indie blend that has already stirred attention from Triple J, Triple R, 4ZZZ,FBI, Radio Adelaide, Radio National and ABC Melbourne, and seen Jagt named in The Music Network‘s 30 Under 30 hit list.
Check out the ‘Goodbye Grote Bollen’ tour dates below:
‘Goodbye Grote Bollen’ Album Tour: OCTOBER
12 – Ararat Live, Ararat VIC
13 – Shotkickers, Melbourne VIC
14 – Golden Vine Hotel, Bendigo VIC
15 – Macedon Railway Hotel, Macedon VIC
30 – Folkloria Festival, McLaren Vale SA NOVEMBER
18 – Three Brothers Arms, Macclesfield SA
25 – Album Launch – Grace Emily Hotel, Adelaide SA
