Northern Beaches indie-folk trio Sons of the East just might be the most famous local band that you’ve never heard of. The band has sold out tours across Australia and Europe and racked up over 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify without straying from their independent roots. With three EPs and a hefty handful of solid singles out, to say that their story is impressive would be one hell of an understatement.
We had a chat with Nic Johnston (vocals/keys) and Jack Rollins (vocals/guitar) about their new single, forthcoming album and upcoming tours.
Now, don’t be ashamed if you’ve never heard of Sons of the East before reading this. Oddly enough, most people haven’t. The band has an enormous fanbase in the US and Europe, while national support is still growing nearly 10 years on from their first release.
“We get that a fair bit, actually,” Nic laughs. “People are like, ‘It’s really weird that we haven’t ever heard of you guys in Australia,’ despite the fact that we’ve sort of been around for almost a decade.”
“The worst is when your friends try and show you off at the pub and they’re like, ‘This is Nic, he’s from Sons of the East,’ and they’re like, ‘who?’” Jack adds.
The latest single ‘Undone’ was released 11 February with an accompanying video and is the fifth from the band’s debut full-length due later this year. A pulsing synth and delicate piano open the track and Nic’s reverberant isolated vocals create a sense of vulnerability. Halftime beats and acoustic guitar come in for the second verse and build to a final chorus of warm strings and sweet harmonies.
“It came at what I hope is the end of COVID,” Nic explains. “Two years that I think for us, and for a lot of people, included some dark moments. Throughout that period, the writing has perhaps been a little darker, which has matched the emotional ride that we’ve been going on. It’s really like a lament on a relationship which is starting to unravel.”
Although the song is semi-fictional, the haunting lyrics are relatable and poignant yet vague enough for personal interpretation. The hopeful melody of the keys lightens the substantial subject matter and convincingly scores the passionate film clip. Sonically, ‘Undone’ – like most of the band’s songs – went through a number of stages to become the version that you hear today.
“The genesis of the idea was something completely different to what it ended up being,” Nic explains. “It had this almost ‘90s rock ballad beat and as we were finishing the writing and production, we put it into the same vein as ‘Into the Sun’. For some reason, it just wasn’t working; we just couldn’t get it to sound grounded.”
“It was a bit of a painful process,” he continues. “We had basically finished that big ballad production, listened back to it, and decided that wasn’t it. We had to essentially strip it all back and start again.”
“That happens with a lot of our songs,” Jack adds. “It goes through like 10 different iterations before it’s finished, so it’s not alone in that aspect.”
Influenced by legendary acts like Crosby, Stills & Nash, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac, the trio offer a contemporary take on traditional folk with a modern Australian twist. Blending acoustic guitar, banjo and harmonica with modern programming and synths for danceable beats make them one of the most diverse and distinct bands in the country.
“We had been listening to references like Aaron Dessner, Taylor Swift’s Folklore and some of the production of Leon Bridges and decided that that’s where it should live,” Nic says.
“I think because that music style can be sometimes interpreted as old-timey and almost lost in the past, you kind of have to blend it with modern taste to bring it to today’s musical ear,” Jack explains.
After two years of postponed shows and precarious live performances, Sons of the East are embarking on a national tour in April and a 30-date UK and Europe tour from July through October. Their overseas run will include appearances at the Colours of Ostrava festival in the Czech Republic and Boardmasters festival in the UK.
“We are so giddy!” Jack exclaims. “Most people, but more importantly, most musicians have been out of doing what we do best. We joined a band to be able to play live and we haven’t been able to do that for two years. It’s all very exciting and we are touching wood that nothing else comes up, like zombies or aliens. We can’t wait.”
“The place I’m most excited to play is probably Spain,” Nic adds.
“We do some pretty fun shows in Barcelona and Madrid,” Jack concurs. “They just go off! It’s really nice to walk out to the crowd with such a tangible energy. They sing every lyric and when there’s no lyrics to be sung, they’re singing soccer chants instead. It’s so much fun.”
Previous singles ‘You Might Think’ in 2020 and ‘On My Way’, ‘Fool Me’ and ‘Millionaire’ in 2021 are an exciting taste of what to expect from the band’s forthcoming album. From cruisy cuts to jumping jams, Sons of the East went back to their roots to serve up a fresh collection of their best work yet with their own sun-soaked flavour.
“One of the overarching things for the record as it’s come together is that we seem to be going further back into our influences, like Bob Dylan, JJ Cale and the [Rolling] Stones,” Nic explains. “I think our previous work has been informed by people who have been influenced by that, who influenced us. We’re cutting out the middle man.”
“We think genre is a dirty word,” Jack adds. “We just think if it’s a good track, it’s a good track. This album is just us having fun with songs we’ve enjoyed writing and playing.”
Before we let the boys go, we asked them what advice they would give to any emerging artists trying to break through. Their answer wasn’t what you might think when you look at their staggering success and relative anonymity.
“Write as many songs as you possibly can because for every one great song, there’s probably 15 horrible ideas that we’ve had,” Nic offers. “It’s just a game of mathematics, really. You’ve got to write a whole heap of absolute crap to come up with the good ones, so don’t be discouraged.”
Sons of the East will be kicking off their national tour on 1 April at The Zoo in Brisbane.
You can get tickets to their local shows HERE:
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