New Music: Rum Jungle – Rocketship

On Rocketship, Newcastle, New South Wales based quartet Rum Jungle serve up a surprising and welcome counterpoint to the raw musical exports we currently expect from the Australian rock scene.

The band’s name initially led me to expect something punchy and angsty, but instead I was treated to a melodic masterclass in dreampop-influenced indie pop. The guitar flits between surf rock and 80s UK indie, while the song – in large part to the breezy vocals and sublime melody – sounds like a sigh of mournful innocence about a situation where desire goes only one way.   

Talking about the track, band member Fraz says, “At this time I was just listening to a lot of Lou Reed, which is where I got the sort of talky style vocals from; and heapppsss of pop, which inspired a bunch of the hooks and melodies to be the main focus.”

Rocketship will feature on Rum Jungle’s debut LP, Regency Bias, which is set for release in late February. You can pre-order it on vinyl on the band’s website, where it’ll come with one of three exclusive posters and an eight-page ‘zine.

Rocketship can be streamed on YouTube Music and Spotify. Rum Jungle are set to perform in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and North America in the wake of the album’s release; for ticket and venue info, head to the band’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.