Jack River returns with new single 'Endless Summer' and announces second album will be out in June
Image: Robert Agostino
Jack River, real name Holly Rankin, is one of the most acclaimed musicians to emerge on the Australian music scene in the last few years. With 66 million streams to her name, her debut album Sugar Mountain peaked at number 11 on the Australian album charts and saw her receive three nominations at the 2018 ARIA Awards. Alongside her music, she has been a powerful advocate for environmental issues, the Australian music industry and gender equality.
Today she returns with her first new music of 2023 with the single ‘Endless Summer’, which features Genesis Owusu. Co-written with Matt Mason (DMA’S) and co-produced with Matt Corby (Sia, Tash Sultana, Budjerah), the song is a dreamy psychedelic-pop track with subtle hints of disco and funk mixed with a lullaby-esque sound and angelic vocals from River.
“Mason had had the verse melody in his back pocket for years,” she says. “As soon as he played it, I fell in love, and the scene of an endless summer was born in our minds. I brought the track to life with Matt Corby - we had so, so much fun layering vocals and finding sounds that kept the song minimal, but potent. Bringing Genesis on to join the track was a pipe dream that turned into reality. He brings his effortless brand of cool, calm and collected to the song.”
Jack River also announces today her second album, also called Endless Summer, will be released on 16 June. Preceded by the two 2022 singles ‘Real Life’ and ‘Nothing Has Changed’, the album was written just before River knew she was expecting her first child and was created as a retreat from the horrors of a world gripped by a climate crisis.
“I wrote this album before I fell pregnant, but the reality of the ‘endless summer’ we are entering globally has become even more tactile for me after the birth of my child,” River says. “There is a part of the future beside me now, and she will experience the consequences of all the decisions we are making today. The experience of being pregnant and giving birth has made everything beautifully and awfully real. I think that sentiment plays out in this record.”
Jack River’s statue has grown steadily since her first single was released in 2016, and she is now one of the most important artists on the Australian music scene. Just like her political voice, her music is powerful and commands attention, and embeds itself in your heart after just one listen. Endless Summer is eagerly anticipated and is likely to become one of this year’s greatest albums.
‘Endless Summer’ is out now via I OH YOU. You can buy and stream here.
Endless Summer will be released on June 16. You can pre-order and pre-save here.
To keep up with all things Jack River you can follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Endless Summer Tracklisting
Real Life
Lie In The Sun
Endless Summer (with Genesis Owusu)
Lucy Sea Queen
Honey
Lie To You
Nothing Has Changed
Paradise
Holy Men
Stranger’s Dream
