It’s been a long time between drinks for Aussie rockers Eskimo Joe, but now the Fremantle trio are on track to release “Say Something”, their first single since 2013.
Having first hit the scene in the late ’90s thanks to a pair of well-received EPs, Eskimo Joe well and truly became a staple of alternative and mainstream radio throughout the ’00s thanks to albums such as Girl, A Song is a City, Black Fingernails, Red Wine, and Inshalla, with the latter two topping the ARIA charts.
While Ghosts of the Past was released in 2011, and Wastelands followed in 2013, the success of their earlier releases didn’t quite follow, and the band found themselves taking things a little bit slower than they had previously.
Though live shows and tours continued, no new music followed (however Kav Temperley did kick off a solo career), although a number of reissues were backed with previously unheard live cuts, demos, and outtakes.
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Now, with A Song is a City rounding out their reissue series last month, Eskimo Joe have announced their musical comeback, taking to Instagram this morning to reveal a forthcoming new single.
Titled “Say Something”, the new track is set to be released on Friday, June 26th, though there’s no word yet if it will serve as the first taste of a new record or just a standalone track.
“We are sooo excited to announce that after seven years we are releasing a brand new song!!” the group wrote on Instagram. “It has been such a joy to get back together as a band and work on some brand new music.
“‘Say Something’ is a statement, a call to act with humanity, without prejudice or violence towards each other or the planet. It will be released on digital and streaming services on Friday June 26th, and you can presave from the link in our bio now.”
In a 2019 interview with Music Feeds, guitarist Joel Quartermain noted that plans for a new album weren’t on the cards, but didn’t rule anything out.
“I think it sort of got to the point with [2013’s] Wasteland – which is probably one of our better records – where the band had made six albums,” Quartermain explained.
“You get into the room with the same two people to make another which is – it’s a big effort making another record. It’s a lot of songwriting, a lot of jamming. It’s like climbing Everest or whatever! Especially it seems now that I’m a producer and everyone is just doing singles.
“But it’s almost like you know what they’re going to bring to the table, and they know what you’re going to bring to the table. It’s almost like we clocked it with the band. So at this stage no albums. But who knows? It feels like we told the story, you know?”
While it remains to be seen whether or not a new album from Eskimo Joe will follow the release of their upcoming single, fans of the group will undoubtedly welcome the band’s return regardless of what follows.
