While we’ve heard from Sydney’s Philadelphia Grand Jury since they reunited back in 2013, with numerous reunion shows and tours, things have been a little quiet on the recorded front, but it looks like that’s about to change.
The trio recently debuted a new single titled ‘Crashing and Burning Pt II’ via triple j, and the track is now available to stream. It marks the band’s first new output since their 2009 album Hope Is For Hopers – that’s a long time between drinks.
“Yeah it’s been a long time. A very long time actually,” Joel ‘MC Bad Genius’ Beeson told Linda Marigliano on triple j’s Good Nights. “It’s only when everything goes bad you realise what you can do to improve your life. It’s a positive message, I guess,” he said of the song.
Best of all, the trio have recorded an album’s worth of new material during a 10-day writing and recording binge overseas and they have plans to release the results. Their second album is tentatively titled Ulterior Motif.
“We went over to Berlin and recorded a bunch of new tracks with Berkfinger at his studio over there so hopefully this is one of many songs that gets released,” said Joel. Powderfinger and Augie March producer Tim Whitten manned the decks for the album.
According to the band, “most of the tracks were recorded live within 30 minutes of being written and there is no editing, no computer trickery. If Berkfinger couldn’t sing it perfectly in tune, then it stayed out of tune”.
Fans can expect the new album to drop soon and for the Philly Jays to stay together “until it all falls apart again,” Joel joked. “We all kind of hated each other after living and touring together every day of the year,” he said of the band’s break in 2011.
However, things are much better between the bandmates now. “Time heals wounds so we’re all happy and friends now,” he said. Readers can check below to hear ‘Crashing and Burning Pt II’.
