Adelaide musician Jesse Davidson recently dropped his sophomore EP Lizard Boy near the end of October and as far as 2015 has gone, it’s another sweet little addition Davidson can add to the pile of accomplishments that has been his past year. From breaking out as part of the crop of exciting South Australian artists that has included the likes of Tkay Maidza, Timberwolf and Bad//Dreems, Davidson’s rhythmic and enticing blend of synth-pop and some gorgeous melodies has stood him apart from other emerging musicians on a national scale.
Easing into a year of performing this year with appearances at Adelaide stops of both the Laneway and Groovin’ the Moo festivals, England came calling soon after for Jesse, and he found himself performing alongside some other brilliant artists at the Great Escape Festival. His venture out to the UK wasn’t just a way to access the platform many artists flock to the Great Escape for, but to build on the taste for working on music he’d received while working with Australian born producer Jake Miller at Lightship 95 in East London.
“I had written and demo-ed all the songs on the EP in Adelaide,” Davidson says of Lizard Boy‘s creation. “[I] basically had six tracks ready to go before I left for London, with a couple lyrics missing here and there but for the most part, written. It’s tough when you’re recording without label security and all the costs are coming out of pocket, but Jake helped me out with a really good deal at the studio. Jake really helped making the EP more cohesive and feel like it all belonged together.”
“It’s a really interesting feeling playing over there,” he admits of his recent UK shows. “It’s pretty exciting. The response I got playing over there was wholly positive. I still feel like I’m introducing myself to people in Australia, so it didn’t feel too different.”
Having already worked with Miller on his 2013 debut release Ocean, the sense of familiarity was already there for Lizard Boy and in a way, when listening to the EP, the listener can pick up on a sense of familiarity within the material as well. Although Davidson is in a lot of ways, still introducing himself to audiences, the progression from Ocean through to the material on Lizard Boy feels very natural and easy. A good continuation of the great bits of songwriting we’d seen from Davidson in 2013, a maturation of the above is felt in recent tunes “Laika” and “Lagoon” particularly.
“Most of the stuff was written over the same period of time since I didn’t really have much of a back catalogue to begin with.” he says. “I recorded the EP in September 2014 and probably starting writing the demos maybe four or five months before that.”
Having performed shows dotted around the country since his return this year, the release of Lizard Boy has definitely marked a step forward for Davidson in terms of the presence he now holds within his local music industry and on a wider level. Although now signed to The Windish Agency in the US (also home to the likes of CHVRCHES and Courtney Barnett), Davidson comments on his flourishing career on a local level, even though international exposure and future touring is definitely an achievable objective now.
“It’s nice that I know at least some people will listen to my music when I put it out,” he says. “[which] is a good feeling. It’s also nice having people I don’t know come to my shows.”
On how the Adelaide music industry has seen significant progression in terms of providing more support within the community for its artists to develop and extend their reach, Jesse notes how far its come in terms of his own experiences as an emerging musician.
“Considering that Adelaide music industry was nearly non existent four or five years ago, or at least very small in comparison to Sydney or Melbourne,” he says. “I would say its a massive improvement. More acts are starting to do more stuff interstate, get national radio play and reach a larger audience, instead of just staying stuck in Adelaide, which is very easy to do.”
Speaking of reaching larger audiences, Davidson’s upcoming live dates play right into this – before the end of the year he’ll have taken in headline EP launch shows in Brisbane and Sydney, not to mention some impressive festival sets. With band personnel having changed up quite a bit recently, Davidson notes the upcoming shows and the growth of his live gigs in terms of the musos he’s been able to play alongside.
“My band line up has actually been pretty sporadic of as of late ever since my old drummer Ben moved to London.” he says. “I’ve been playing with a bunch of different people, friends and stuff; it’s interesting to see their takes on the parts, but it does become restrictive when it feels like I’m constantly teaching different people the parts.”
“I’m always trying to keep writing whenever I am feeling it.” Davidson says of his current schedule ahead of these upcoming dates. “I don’t tour frequently enough not to be writing constantly and even if I did have a ridiculous touring schedule, I would probably still find time to do it.”
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Lizard Boy is out now through Create/Control. Catch Jesse performing at the following live dates before the end of the year!
November 28th | Jive, Adelaide | MOSHTIX
December 17th | The Brightside, Brisbane | OZTIX
December 18th | The World Bar, Sydney | Tickets on the door
December 31st | NYE On the Hill, Kernot VIC
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