Ride the Melancholic Road with Jack Dylan and the Villains
A Review of their new single ‘Beyond the Banks’.
Let me paint you the picture that entered my mind when I first listened to ‘Beyond the Banks’, the new single from Queensland desert-rockers Jack Dylan and the Villains.
You’re cruising along one of Australia’s coastal highways, racing past rugged rock formations and golden beaches. Perhaps you’re in a convertible, and with roof lowered the wind blows wildly through your hair and carries the salt of the sea to your nose. Let loose upon the road, you’re free to traverse the Australian wilderness towards an unspecified destination. The outback rushes by beyond the windows - a blur of red desert, yellow sand, dense forest and swamp. But in the car, time stands still, and your mind is flooded by feelings of remorse and nostalgia.
Jack Dylan and the Villains is the exciting new project from Jack Dylan McCullagh, formerly of Melbourne’s experimental post-rockers Dr. Sure’s Unusual Practice. Following their debut single ‘Swim’, released in June, ‘Beyond the Banks’ marks the second teaser from their upcoming full-length album, ‘Comfort Will Kill You’. Originally a solo project, McCullagh’s live set is now accompanied by ‘The Villains’; bassist JD Evers, drummer James Quinn, keyboardist Harrison Biden, and violinist Sam Markovic.
Compared to the dark and scathing ‘Swim’, this new single showcases a more melancholic atmosphere whilst continuing to channel the group’s blend of sea-shanty and desert rock. Recorded at his studio amongst Mount Coolum’s paperbark trees, ‘Beyond the Banks’ opens with hissing ambient noise that I’d describe as a fusion of rain patter and vinyl record crackle. A wash of fingerpicked guitars swirling in reverb envelop McCullagh’s raw, growling vocals, narrating a story of lament and nostalgia rich with colourful imagery of the Australian countryside. After a two minute intro, the first verse fades into a quick drum fill to introduce a lively back-and-forth instrumental, underscored by a modest bass-line that proves effective in cultivating a robust low-end. The percussion emulates the train-beats of old country or bluegrass patterns, consisting of controlled repetitions on the kick, snare, and hi-hat cymbals with well-timed fills on the toms to emphasise melodic changes.
To separate the verses are gentle instrumental breaks, with both rhythm and lead guitars swimming in chorus and reverb, resembling country fingerpicking patterns that are made faintly psychedelic by delay effects that linger in the mix and blend harmonically with the arpeggiated synthesiser arrangements. Whilst I enjoyed the ambience of the intro, and believe it serves the song’s melancholic character, I think it’s length could have been reduced, with the vocals starting earlier than the one-minute mark. Nonetheless, McCullagh’s gritty vocals are arranged to strong emotive effect, matching the tone of his brooding lyrics of loss and longing to contrast the upbeat and twangy instrumental.
I tried so hard to forget
How beautiful it is here on the banks
And by the time it hits December
I will struggle to remember
All the good here that I’ve seen
To celebrate this release, the band will be launching the single on August 18th at Little Temple Records in Noosa, Queensland, supporting Dr. Sure’s Unusual Practice and It Thing as part of their joint tour through Australia in August and September. After this enjoyable second taste of their desert rock sound, I look forward to hearing Jack Dylan and the Villains’ full-length album later in the year.
This review was written and edited on the traditional lands of the Kaurna People. The Infinite Rise observes that Country is central to the social, cultural, and spiritual lives of Aboriginal people. Sovereignty was never ceded. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal Land.
