Muloobinba/Newcastle 4-piece JACQUES LEVY’s DESIRE have been bubbling away in the NSW alternative scene for a few years now, building a cult-following across the east coast for their dynamic, passionate performances and infectious brand of emo & post-hardcore.
Today they announce the biggest statement of their career thus far, with 6-track EP A BETTER SENSE OF IT ALL currently pencilled in for Q1 2027.
From the EP, the band have shared the very first teaser with ‘SAFE TO SAY’; a hypnotic, brooding single that perfectly toes the line between hope and despair – just as all good emo should. Featuring guest vocals from Lily Schultz, sister of guitarist Jerad, the track is packed to the brim with soaring melodies, complemented by a dynamic rhythmic backing that locks into a deep, satisfying groove throughout the song’s duration.
According to the band, ‘Safe To Say’ draws inspiration from the “early-2010s Australian emo scene, particularly bands like Oslow and Ceres. Sitting somewhere between emo and alternative rock, the focus and plan was to explore dynamics, tunings and different textures to create something that felt a lot different to our previous released tracks. Not to mention the female vocal of Lily Schultz, Jerad’s sister – that really helped soften the dark, chugging feel of the track.
Safe To Say was the turning point when it came to writing the EP, providing the sound blueprint that later helped inform the rest of the tracklisting.
“Rather than putting the lyrics at the forefront, the song was written with the music itself as the main focus, experimenting with structure and sound to create a track that feels exciting both on record and in a live setting, something different to our other boring old JLD shit. It’s the song that has helped us turn a new leaf as a band, which I think has allowed us to lock in our sound finally after 2 years.“ JACQUES LEVY’S DESIRE
‘Safe To Say’ and the rest of the band’s forthcoming EP were recorded with Darcy Long (who’s previous work includes Dead Mall, Stagger, Gripdown, Homesick) at Sawtooth Studios in Newcastle, with mastering from US engineer Alan Douches (Saves The Day, The Promise Ring, Brand New). As the band explains, the EP acts as a progressive step in the right direction, finding solid cohesion in both their sound and identity.
“After two years as a band, this EP feels like the point we’ve been building towards. When we first started, the first four singles we released were pretty directionless. We were still figuring out who we were as a band, experimenting with different sounds and trying to find our footing.
All of that has ultimately led us here. Writing this EP gave us the chance to take everything we’ve learned over the last two years and finally put it together into something that feels like us. Each song has its own identity, but as a full body of work, everything sits together naturally and feels connected.”
JACQUES LEVY’S DESIRE
JLD have already hit plenty of goals on the stage in their relatively short career thus far, with support slots for Hockey Dad, Beddy Rays, Skeggs, Dead Mall, resident. and many more. To celebrate the release of ‘Safe To Say’, the band will be playing a launch show at The Croatian Club in Newcastle on the 24th of October – with support from Handsome Alice & Comedown
‘SAFE TO SAY’ LAUNCH SHOW
Saturday October 24 The Croatian Club Newcastle NSW
Supported by Handsome Alice, Comedown
SAFE TO SAY is out October 21
A BETTER SENSE OF IT ALL (EP) is out March 2027