The Jezabels are an Australian indie rock band formed in Sydney in 2007. It consists of lead vocalist Hayley Mary, guitarist Sam Lockwood, pianist and keyboardist Heather Shannon, and drummer and percussionist Nik Kaloper.[1]
From 2009 to 2010, the group released three EPs, The Man Is Dead, She's So Hard, and Dark Storm—all produced and engineered by Lachlan Mitchell. Two of their releases have reached the ARIA Singles Chart Top 40: the Dark Storm EP (October 2010) and the single "Endless Summer" (August 2011). They released their debut studio album, Prisoner, in September 2011. It peaked at No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart and won Best Independent Release at the ARIA Music Awards of 2012. Their second album, The Brink, came out in January 2014. Synthia, their third record, was issued in February 2016.
The band went on indefinite hiatus in December 2017[2] and reunited for a concert tour in 2022.
History
Formation and EP trilogy: 2007–2010
The Jezabels formed in 2007 after the four members met as students at the University of Sydney.[1][3] Their music was described by the national radio station Triple J as a blend of alternative and indie rock.[4][5] The band's Facebook page describes their genre as "intensindie".[6] Their name is based on the biblical character Jezebel, whom Mary perceived as being "misunderstood or misrepresented".[1][5] Hayley Mary and Heather Shannon both went to Byron Bay High School and had performed together as a folk duo in Byron Bay.[7][8] Samuel Lockwood grew up in Bangalow and attended the same school.[9] Lockwood recognised Mary and Shannon when he saw them at university and invited them to join a band for a competition.[3] Mary recalled: "It was a combination of four individual desires to play music and taking whatever opportunities we could find – which happened to be each other ... From there the process has pretty much been one of reconciling musical differences. But we're getting closer".[3]
Hayley Mary performing with the Jezabels in 2009
On 3 February 2009, the Jezabels' debut EP, The Man Is Dead, was released independently via MGM Distribution.[10][11][12] It was recorded at Megaphon & Production Ave Studios and produced by the Jezabels and Lachlan Mitchell.[13][14] On 6 November of that year, the band followed with a second EP, She's So Hard, which included the tracks "Easy to Love" and "Hurt Me".[15][16][17] Both EPs received significant radio airplay, including on Sydney's FBi Radio[18] and Triple J. They also received airplay in the US, where in August, "Disco Biscuit Love" reached No. 96 on CMJ.[13] On 22 December, the Jezabels were the Triple J Unearthed featured artist, described as "[d]ramatic, energetic, uplifting, indie rock with a commanding lead singer. We've picked them to play Field Day – a great way to start the new year!"[4]She's So Hard was the No. 3 most added on US college radio for 2009.[19]
On 1 October 2010, the Jezabels released the third EP, Dark Storm,[20] which peaked in the top 40 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[21]The Age's Peter Vincent felt "[t]heirs is a timeless sound that is radio-friendly: moody female vocals soaring over strong percussion and slow-building guitar and piano/keyboard lines".[22]
In August 2011, the Jezabels released a new single, "Endless Summer",[23] which peaked in the top 40 of the ARIA Singles Chart.[21]
On 16 September 2011, they published their debut studio album, Prisoner, which reached No. 2 on the ARIA Album Chart.[21] It was recorded at Sydney's Attic Studios, with Mitchell producing and Peter Katis mixing.[24]Vulture's Anna Moull described it in a review: "a dramatic gothic epic, with a twist of 80's power-house rock. Jezabels singer Hayley Mary sums up their sound perfectly as 'Bronte-esque gothic (and) melodramatic'. Channelling Kate Bush, Freddie Mercury and Cyndi Lauper, Mary's vocals are a force to be reckoned with".[24] The website gave Prisoner 7 out of 10 points. By 31 December 2011, the album was certified gold by ARIA for the sale of 35,000 units.[25] It received 3 out of 5 points by Guardian critic Caroline Sullivan and 7/10 by Dom Gourlay for drownedinsound.com.
The Brink, Synthia, and hiatus: 2013–2017
In late 2013, the Jezabels released a song titled "The End" as the first single from their second album, The Brink, which came out on 31 January 2014.[26]
Synthia, their third album, was released on 12 February 2016. It was again produced by Lachlan Mitchell (in the Jungle Studios, Attic Studios, and Oceanic Studios in Sydney). Its title alludes to the many new synthesizers that Shannon had bought and to the name Cynthia, which is an allusion to a goddess by that name (bynames of Luna and Artemis), Cynthia Lennon, Cynthia Plaster Caster, and Cyndi Lauper, who is a role model for Mary, not only for her music, but also for her feminist attitude and her commitment to the rights of homosexual people.
Synthia, the band's third album, was published on 12 February 2016. Reviewing the record song for song, XS Noize's Sandra Blemster compared Mary to Kate Bush and Chrissie Hynde. She wrote: "On listening to Synthia, I feel like I've paid a visit to the cinema and watched a gripping, extraordinary film. You know when a film captures you that much and you come out, it's daylight and your eyes hurt from the sun? That's how this album felt. Intoxicating stuff: maybe it's a full moon".[27]The Sydney Morning Herald's Jenny Valentish wrote, Synthia was "everything fans love the band for: volatile, provocative and intelligent."[28]
The band entered a hiatus following the tour in support for Synthia. In October 2021, they announced their reunion, with a commemorative ten-year anniversary tour for Prisoner, starting in June 2022.[29]
Music videos
Heather Shannon on keyboards, April 2011
The Jezabels have released official music videos for the following tracks: "Disco Biscuit Love", "Hurt Me", "Easy to Love", "Mace Spray", "Trycolour", "Endless Summer", "City Girl", "Rosebud", "Angels of Fire", "Look of Love", "Time to Dance", "All You Need", "Come Alive", "Pleasure Drive", "My Love Is My Disease", "Smile", and "The Others". Two versions were made for "Disco Biscuit Love".
The "Hurt Me" clip was aired on Australian national television for a number of weeks in February 2010 by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's music video program rage.[30] It was also the rage Indie Clip of the Week in March 2010.[31] "Easy to Love" was aired on rage in May 2010.[30]
Live performances
The Jezabels have stated that they are predominantly a live act, and they have played around Sydney since 2007.[32] In November 2009, they did an east coast tour to launch She's So Hard.[33] In November and December 2010, they undertook a national tour after launching Dark Storm.[34]
Nik Kaloper, Southbound Festival, Busselton, January 2012
The band appeared as special guests on Depeche Mode's Delta Machine world tour in the UK and Ireland in November 2013.[42]
The Jezabels had to cancel their 2016 world tour shortly before Synthia was released, as Shannon needed immediate treatment for an ovarian cancer that had been diagnosed three years before.[43] In July 2016, the band announced that Shannon was "feeling strong again after her treatment" and that they would start touring again in September. Shannon had used the pause from tour life to collaborate with Midnight Oil's Peter Garrett on his solo debut, A Version of Now.
Side projects
Hayley Mary appeared on the Birds of Tokyo track "Discoloured", from their 2016 album Brace. On 14 October 2019, she released her debut solo single, "The Piss, the Perfume". She has since issued three EPs, and her first full-length album is set to come out on 25 October 2024.[44]
In early 2019, the ACO Collective commissioned Shannon with two classical pieces. "Ricochet" and "Ricochet from a Distance" were inspired by Joseph Haydn.[citation needed]
In popular culture
In November 2011, "A Little Piece" was used in the Under Armour commercial "Are You from HERE?" that features basketball star Brandon Jennings. The song was also used in the 2010 Red Bull short film "Way Back Home", which features trials bike rider Danny MacAskill.[45]
Australian pay TV provider Foxtel used "Endless Summer" as background music for their summer (2011–12) television content advertisement. "Nobody Nowhere" was used on the True Blood episode "In the Beginning", while "Easy to Love" appeared on the Grey's Anatomy episode "Hope for the Hopeless" in January 2012.[46]
"Long Highway" was used in the 2014 Red Bull short film "Epecuén"[47], again with Danny MacAskill.
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote, and celebrate the success of Australia's independent music sector.
The Australian Music Prize is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The prize commenced in 2005.
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^Mulcahy, Terry (11 October 2011). "The Jezabels – Prisoner". Wears the Trousers. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
^"'Hurt Me': The Jezabels". OzTrax. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). 4 November 2009. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
^ abMoull, Anna (5 September 2011). "The Jezabels – Prisoner". Vulture Magazine. Will Quinn. Archived from the original on 20 November 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
^"Rock Work of the Year". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). 2015. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
