Eskimo Joe haven’t released a single since 2021, but listening to their latest track “The First Time,” it’s like they never left. This song feels so familiar yet fresh. It’s got me all nostalgic about their music, but also excited about everything that’s still to come.
“We really look up to bands like the Rolling Stones and U2 – those guys who keep touring and creating music over and over again,” explained the band’s 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.”
“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.”
“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,” added lead guitarist Stu MacLeod.
Drummer and guitarist Joel Quartermain is equally enthusiastic, noting, “Once it’s out in the world, a song truly exists. Hopefully people connect with it.”
Eskimo Joe will play Lookout Festival, alongside choice international acts Live and Incubus, before headlining an acoustic theatre tour. Expect to hear all your old favourites and choice new cuts like “The First Time” at the following shows.
6 April 2024 – Lookout Festival @ Sandstone Point Hotel, Kabi Kabi and Joondoburri Country/Bribie Island
7 April 2024 – Lookout Festival @ Broadwater Parklands, Yugambeh Country/Southport
13 April 2024 – Lookout Festival @ Mornington Racecourse, Bunurong Country/Mornington
20 April 2024 – Lookout Festival @ Whitfords Nodes Park, Noongar Country/Hillarys
27 April 2024 – Civic Hall, Ballaarat/Ballarat
28 April 2024 – Wyndham Cultural Centre, Imaroo/Werribee
25 May 2024 – Casula Powerhouse, Cabrogal Country/Liverpool
26 May 2024 – The Concourse Lounge, Cammeraygal Country/Willoughby
31 May 2024 – Logan Entertainment Centre, Yugambeh and Yuggera Country/Logan
21 June 2024 – Red Earth Arts Precinct, Ngarluma and Yindjibarndi Country/Karratha
22 June 2024 – Carnarvon Civic Centre, Gwoonwardu/Carnarvon
28 June 2024 – Albany Entertainment Centre, Kinjarling/Albany
30 June 2024 – Esperance Civic Centre, Kepa Kurl/Esperance
5 July 2024 – The Wedge, Gunai Country/Sale
6 July 2024 – Kingston City Hall, Mooroobin/Moorabbin
7 July 2024 – Queanbeyan PAC, Quinbean/Queanbeyan
9 July 2024 – Horsham Town Hall Theatre, Wopetbungundilar/Horsham
12 July 2024 – Swan Hill Town Hall PACC, Matakupaat/Swan Hill
13 July 2024 – The Art House, Darkinjung Country/Wyong
26 July 2024 – Mount Isa Civic Centre, Kalkadoon Country/Mount Isa
28 July 2024 – Rockhampton River Festival, Darambal Country/Rockhampton
7 August 2024 – MECC, Yuwibara Country/Mackay
8 August 2024 – Proserpine Entertainment Centre, Gia Country/Proserpine
Photo credit: Duncan Wright