A buoyant yet bittersweet ode to nostalgia, Australian alternative rock icons Eskimo Joe return today armed with The First Time; the band’s first new music since 2021’s 99 Ways. Set to appear at Lookout Festival alongside Live and Incubus before embarking on their National Acoustic Theatre Tour starting this April, The First Time feels familiar yet fresh, with Eskimo Joe capturing the essence of their stadium rock-ready triumph, 2008’s Black Fingernails, Red Wine, alongside some sharp 2024 vigour.
Drawing inspiration from long-time Eskimo Joe creative influences as well as the band’s unshakeable bond, the core of The First Time also evolved following a stacked 2023, with multiple festival appearances sparking the trio to harness the energy of a giant crowd setting into their 2024-penned new track. “We really look up to bands like the Rolling Stones and U2 – those guys who keep touring and creating music over and over again,”shares bass player and vocalist Kav Temperley. “It makes us proud of our musical journey and the people who have taken our songs into their lives. Eskimo Joe is still the three core members. It just wouldn’t be the Eskies without the three of us in a studio or on stage making music together – our friendship is as much a part of the band as the music itself. After an amazing 2023 of playing some huge festivals, there’s this indescribable energy when a massive crowd is singing your songs back at you. We wanted to capture that energy and infuse it into our recording. So, in the first week of January this year, over five days we wrote and recorded The First Time at my studio in Fremantle.”
Opening with Temperley musing “I found myself looking for you, I wonder if you’re looking for me” over glimmering instrumentation and a driving beat, The First Time simultaneously tugs at your heartstrings while charming with creamy melodics and soaring choruses. An undeniable instant Eskimo Joe classic, The First Time ultimately delves into upbeat sentimentality, as Temperley elaborates, “We wanted to write something that set out to encapsulate the bittersweet feeling of nostalgia, that looks back through rose coloured glasses conveniently forgetting the heartache and sleepless nights that came with a certain place and time in our lives. It’s easy in the loneliest moments to look back and take comfort in those memories secretly holding onto that feeling like an addict. The song is also a realisation that holding onto the past might also be holding you back from the present. The subject is nostalgic but so is the sound of this song, it sounds like it could have sat perfectly on the Black Fingernails album.”
Lead guitarist Stu MacLeod says, “You put so much energy into each song, you build it up, tear it down, build it back up again until it matches the band’s vision. I love the energy in this song and the sentiment, and I’m stoked that we get to release it out into the world.” Drummer and guitarist Joel Quartermain adds, “Once it’s out in the world, a song truly exists. Hopefully people connect with it.”
The accompanying music video beautifully documents Eskimo Joe’s many years as a band, with nostalgic footage of their many achievements over the years.
Forming in 1997, Eskimo Joe would go on to become one of Australia’s most enduring acts, with six studio albums and ongoing commercial success in their wake, including 2004’s A Song Is A City and 2006’s Black Fingernails, Red Wine reaching Platinum status, and the latter dominating the ARIA Top 50 Chart for 62 weeks. The Eskimo Joe journey from Fremantle indie rock darlings to an international success story has also seen the band’s impact expand well beyond the studio, with ongoing chart success, 35 ARIA nominations and eight wins, two APRA Awards, countless appearances at major festivals and events across the globe, and frequent appearances in triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown, including their single Black Fingernails, Red Wine taking out the #2 spot in the Hottest 100 of 2006. With performances spanning Sound Relief, Live Earth, at the Sundance Film Festival or, closer to home, at Big Day Out, Splendour In The Grass and, most recently, Good Things Festival, Eskimo Joe’s craftsmanship is only amplified by their swaggering live prowess; and it’s this very fact that inspired the band’s newest sonic output while also firmly showcasing Eskimo Joe’s ever-present vitality in the music scene decades into their career.
“It feels great releasing some new music with Eskimo Joe,” Temperley says. “We had such an amazing year last year, playing all different kinds of shows, and ending the year with Good Things Festival that saw us playing in front of crowds of 30,000. We left 2023 feeling so connected with our audiences that we felt that now is the right time to write a new tune.”
“Kicking off in April, we take to the road for the Lookout Festival, unveiling our new single with icons like Incubus and Live,” Temperley concludes.Straight off the back of the festival – April through August, we embark on a 22-show acoustic journey across Australia. This tour allows us to present our music in a more intimate setting, strengthening our connection with our audience. Each performance is crafted to deepen the musical experience, blending the high energy of festival shows with the personal touch of our acoustic sessions.”
The First Time is out today.
