One of Australia’s most exciting indie pop acts Jinja Safari are back with a brand new single and news of a new record. After two years off the local music radar, it’s a welcome return for the tropical pop masters.
“It feels very surreal and exciting to be playing together again,” explains the band’s guitarist Pepa Knight. “We have written a bunch of fresh new songs that we are keen to showcase as well as some oldies that we just rediscovered on Spotify.”
Having been selected by Triple J Unearthed to play Splendour In The Grass back in 2010, Jinja Safari have played some of the world’s most prestigious festivals and are now a first-class live band. They’ll even be brining pals Sea Legs on tour to support them. We caught up with the band’s vocalist Marcus Azon to chat about making a return, and what’s in store for the future.
Where Have The Band Been?
“Being in a band for all of us, is only one part of our lives. I think at the start of last year, we were literally just going out and experiencing our straight mid 20s.
Someone said to me the other day that being in your 20s is like getting a new Xbox game without instructions, and just launching in, pressing all the buttons walking around trying to figure out what the hell is happening. So that was part of it. We all like to travel as well, so individually we have all spent time abroad. It wasn’t never a conscious effort to be apart, it just crept up on us.”
The Catalyst For The Hiatus
“Just three years of hype, which resulted in a ‘debut’ major label record that didn’t hit the mark that the record company or our management at the time was hoping for.
It’s mainly a story of business, but as a result it meant that we become totally independent again and that inspired us to keep working together as a group.”
Getting Back Into Being A Band
[include_post id=”451616″] “We were never not together, it was just a tricky time because I had started another band which was signed to Sony and we had also signed to the same new management company that Jinja has moved to, so this new management company was very wary of releasing two projects where I was singing.
Turns out that the new sony project didn’t take off, but it was a long process from Feb 2014- Feb 2015 before I realized that We all wanted to focus on Jinja again.
We have been writing together non stop over the break, so the only trick has been the fact that I broke up with my long term parter a while back and moved home to Tasmania. So coming back up to Sydney each week for rehearsals is a bit full on. But like I said, the balance is where it needs to be.”
The Response To The ‘Return’
“Good from where we’re sitting. Whether or not it explodes as a single on the jays (triple j), the fans have responded well and there have only been good reviews (at least those are the only ones our PR girl sends us).”
Changes To Aust Music Landscape
“I think it’s always a shifting ocean, a fluid state- anytime something new is thrown into the water it leaves ripples and the industry responds to that. Seen that a lot with psychedelic rock, and electronic trill af (as fuck) R&B it’s always a point of contention whether you change with the times, or whether you stick to what was unique to you in the first place. All comes down to evolution.”
How The New Single Was Inspired By The Reformation
“Yeah in some ways, the lyrics reflect a situation that was happening on one of our UK tours, and kind of accepting that everything was a bit messed up- but having that instinctual belief that everything will work out eventually.”
What To Expect From The ‘New’ Jinja Safari
“We are right in the middle of a 4 day rehearsal block and its feeling tighter/ more positive than ever. Re inventing the old songs and introducing a bunch of new ones we all like.
I can’t even believe that there are OLD SCHOOL fans, it still feels like such a trip that we are even in a band. But we are definitely going back to A lot more of that world music inspired Pop music, also you can expect a lot of sweat and mistakes at our live show/ that way you won’t be let down”
Jinja Safari Australian Tour Dates
Friday, 31st July 2015
Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Tickets: Jinja Safari
Saturday, 1st August 2015
Woolly Mammoth, Brisbane
Tickets: Jinja Safari
Friday, 7th August 2015
Howler, Melbourne
Tickets: Jinja Safari
