Bursting out of Perth, Western Australia in 1994, Jedediah last released an album way back in 2011 after a career that saw them reach great heights with a series of lauded albums and live shows. While member Kevin Mitchell has released material under the name Bob Evans, the band has only recently re-emerged with a headline tour, as well as appearances in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane as part of Good Things Festival alongside the likes of Fall Out Boy, Limp Bizkit, Devo and Slowly Slowly. Jebediah were also cemented as Western Australian music royalty, with the band inducted into the WAM Hall Of Fame as part of the WA Music Awards last November.
With the announcement of a new album ‘OIKS’ on 12 April 2024, Jebediah have just released the thrilling and dynamic single ‘Motivation’ through Cooking Vinyl Australia, and it is clear there is still fire in the belly. The band says of the track:
Motivation was a song that came from the initial in studio jam sessions that kick started the process of recording ‘OIKS’. At that stage, we didn’t really know what kind of album we were trying to make. We were simply getting together in a room and making noise and seeing what eventuated. Given that Motivation came from these sessions, it’s a very “band” sounding song, as opposed to some of the more experimental stuff that came along later during the recording process. It captures the sound of the band playing in a room together and we tried not to embellish it too much. This song is a bit of a band favourite for sure, so we are obviously excited about it being released as a single before the album appears.
It is anthemic and beguiling indie pop with a steel heart accompanied by jangly guitars and scaling choruses. A video, directed by long time collaborator Arlo Cook, shows the band performing in their own unique laconic style. The band says of the video:
The video clip is intended to represent the simplicity of the song and the fact that we were trying to capture the raw sound of the band playing in a room together. The video was shot in Melbourne by Arlo Cook who has been following us around with a camera since 2015, taking footage at shows all around Australia.
It is an immersive representation of the hard working, enigmatic band:
As I always say, creativity has no use by date and it’s great to see the band back in action. ‘Motivation’ is out everywhere today and you can pre-order the album here.
Feature Photograph: Taj O’Halloran
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