RUM Jungle have a collective new year's resolution for 2023 - take the music to its full potential.
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All the ingredients are there. Since forming in 2018 the chilled indie-rockers have built a monthly Spotify audience of 166,000 listeners - including 2.4 million streams for the 2020 single Keep.
But some of the biggest strides were taken by Rum Jungle away from the stage in 2022.
The four-piece of Ben McIntyre (vocals, guitar), Frazer McDonald (drums), Michael Kolmajer (bass) and Josh Giles (lead guitar) busied themselves building up the support crew needed in the modern music world, signing with indie label Sureshaker and joining management company Ripple Effect and booking agent Cult Artists.
Sureshaker, who have previously released music for Sticky Fingers, worked with Rum Jungle on last year's EP Everything Is Easy.
"Everyone in their own right is bloody amazing to work with, so last year was about pulling everything together and ramping ourselves up, and 2023 is looking to be colossal which will be fun," McIntyre says.
"We're all guns blazing, really."
The first shots of 2023 were fired this week with the release of the new dreamy single Back Home, produced by Jack Nigro (Vacations, Totty, Elaskia) at The Grove.
Back Home references Nineways at Broadmeadow and Hamilton's Northern Star Hotel and continues to showcase Rum Jungle's maturation as songwriters.
"All four of us have finally clicked into a space where we're comfortable with what we're doing," McIntyre says. "Also what we're not comfortable doing.
"There was a point in time where we were scared to do stuff out of the box. But especially on this new EP, we have a bunch of different sounds to what we'd usually do."
That third EP is expected later this year, but before that, Rum Jungle is embarking on their largest ever tour beginning on February 25 in Bathurst.
The 17-date tour travels through the eastern states and visits Adelaide and Perth.
"After being four boys just kicking around in Newcastle, it's nice to be flying to the other side of Australia and checking out what's happening at that end," McIntyre says.
You can catch Rum Jungle at The Gum Ball at Dashville on April 22.
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
