THE DUST HAS BARELY SETTLED ON THE DEBUT SINGLE FOR VICTORIAN NEWCOMER JACK LONGO, BUT THIS ALT ROCK NEWCOMER IS BACK WITH HARD-HITTING GUSTO ON THE LUSH AND LANGUID DUST DUE OUT TOMORROW. BUT BEFORE THE TRACK OFFICIALLY UNVEILS, YOU CAN GRAB A SNEAK PEEK RIGHT HERE, WITH THE SOUNDCHECK PROUDLY PREMIERING THE TUNE (AND THROWING IN A BONUS INTERVIEW!) TODAY.
Hailing from Gippsland in Victoria, young gun Jack Longo hasn't wasted any time since announcing back in October his brand new solo alt rock project, as well as an impending debut EP I Will Ruing Myself. First establishing his heavier ways with the release of his debut single Ruin (featuring guest vocals from Tom Armstrong from Earthbound) Longo this week flourishes his raw and cogent sides on the impending release of his sophomore tune Dust.
Carving an immersive journey of sparse intimacy juxtaposed with occasional meatier sprinklings, Dust gifts a blend of mood and brood beneath Longo's plush vocals while also flexing a capacity for measured calm in contrast with the heavier Ruin.
"Dust is about when you let yourself be consumed be a relationship or friendship to the point you go through the motions even though you know it kills you inside. Even when you do everything right, you feel at all falls back on you. The dust stays settled." - Jack Longo
Jack Longo's debut EP I Will Ruin Myself will officially release next Friday November 27, with pre-orders available HERE. In the meantime, Dust will officially unveil tomorrow, and you can go wrap your ears around it below with a cheeky sneak peek ready to roll . PLUS! As an added bonus, we grabbed a moment with the man himself to chat new tunes, live gigs and more, scroll down further to get to know more!
JACK LONGO - GETTING TO KNOW YOU
TIANA SPETER: Hey Jack, thanks for chatting today. While 2020 has been a pretty hectic time for people, particularly in the music world, you seemed to have turned it all to some god, bringing to life your upcoming EP – and today unveiling ‘Dust’ to tantalise until ‘I Will Ruin Myself’ Drops next week. Can you talk me through the new tune ‘Dust’ to kick us off today? What inspired the track, and how does it sit against the other songs on the EP?
JACK LONGO: Thanks for having me! I suppose 2020 did lend a little extra spare time to the EP, its been a while in the making, it’s great to finally see it finished. I’ve said before that the EP centres around self-sabotage, and Dust's take on that refers to a scenario I think we’ve all been in. When we put up with - or willingly ignore – the fact that certain friendships or relationships hurt us. The title referring to the ‘dust staying settled' so to speak, as we do nothing to change what we don’t like about the situation. There’s also a comparison to the story of Sisyphus, who was punished for his choices by having to eternally roll a boulder up a hill – only for it to roll down once it reached the peak. In this, I see a comparison for these harsh relationships we make, where every time we think we make progress, it’s back to square one, sadly.
TIANA: And in terms of your musical journey that led to this solo project and upcoming debut EP…how did this all come to be, had you always planned to kickstart this project? And what series of events led to you deciding to release this EP in 2020?
JACK: I used to go by the name A Boy A Void. However, that project was put on hold as I ended up joining a metalcore band in Melbourne for a year or two which took up more of my musical time. While I had great fun, the band came to an end last year and I thought it was a perfect time to give the solo project a real shot and reboot it under my name as Jack Longo! A fresh start. I had been writing on the side the last couple of years and this is just a taster, as I hope to continue making and releasing music for this project now, unlike A Boy A Void which fizzled out due to other commitments.
TIANA: Your previous single ‘Ruin’ featured Tom Armstrong from Earthbound, and it sits perfectly against your alt-rocky sounds. And on the topic of the whole “alt rock” world your tunes seem to live in…is this the kind of music you grew up loving and wanting to create in your own way? What bands or artists were you really drawn to when you were younger?
JACK: Ruin stands out amongst the rest with a heavier vibe due to Tom’s presence, and I love it and hope to revisit it again! The other tracks are much more easygoing. It is a blend of my favourite sounds in the last few years such as Aburden, Movements, Citizen and twisting in the metalcore sound I’ve always loved. My teens started with Metallica and Megadeth and ended with Parkway and Northlane. I always was drawn to the drive of thrash, and then that followed in to the breakdowns of metalcore.
TIANA: While the release next week is your debut EP, what greater plans do you have for this project? Now with COVIC slowly seeming to get under control, particularly in Victoria where you are, how keen are you to eventually get this EP pumping in a live setting?
JACK: Well I suppose the only bet I can make is that I’ll be back in the studio ASAP! As for live shows it’s a bit up in the air, not just due to COVID but for me in general. RE: Live shows it’s going to be play by ear, if an opportunity arises I may take it if I can – if I can pull together a backing band! I have plenty of lovely friends who I’m sure would love to jump in though... I hope!
TIANA: On the topic of live shows, given it’s been a year of very little live music for a lot of us, let’s reminisce for a moment…what was the first ever proper gig you went to? And how does it stack up to the most recent gig you went along to before the pandemic insanity?
JACK: First gig was Metallica with Lamb of God, I was at the back of Rod Laver but my 12 year old self was wild for it. Love Metallica front to back honestly, and Lamb of God were probably the heaviest thing I’d heard at the time. Last gig I went to was Atreyu, and it was just a fantastic show. It was honestly so tight, sound was great and the guys had fun on stage with some covers and little interludes where they’d muck around. It’s always great to see the performers genuinely have fun on stage (shout out to Silverstein, they also had this energy at their Unify 2020 show!). It’s a certified vibe.
TIANA: And to close us out today, in honour of your new single ‘Dust’ looking into the discomfort of being consumed by a relationship…what do you do to upturn the dust and reclaim yourself in those situations? Have you got any secret tips to perhaps turning those sensations and experiences to good?
JACK: I’m no specialist! But if I had any advice – and I know it may be a cliché – but honesty is really the best policy. There’s no shortcuts to making friends and maintaining relationships, I believe it’s all about clear and direct communication. This includes being honest with yourself and when you know you need to let someone go. Thanks for chatting, Tiana!
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BY TIANA SPETER