Jackal Newsletter Interview

With their unique progressive rock-meets-psychedelic sound, Jackal’s high energy shows are an absolute must-see and their brand new album is definitely a must-hear. Impressive and captivating, this four-piece band based in Auckland have proven time and time again that they are at the forefront of the alternative scene. Unfortunately, Jackal will be calling it a day by the end of the year – even more reason to and get their album today! The band answered the following questions for muzic.net.nz:

How would you describe Jackal’s music in one sentence?

You never know what you’re going to get. 

What can we expect to see from Jackal over the next year?

Well we’re going to break up in about 3 months. We’re just going to keep writing and recording like we always do and hopefully we’ll have something to release again before we call it quits. Whether we’ll have time to get a full album done remains to be seen but making music is what we love doing so we’re not going to stop until we have to.

What is Jackal’s long term goal?

Our guitar player, Will, is leaving the country later this year so we’ve decided to end the band when he goes. It’s been a great run over the last 8 years but we know that without Will the band just won’t be as good. We don’t want to keep going and not live up to the high standards we’ve always set for ourselves. We’ve released five albums and we’re really proud of everything we’ve done. We’re happy to leave Jackal there.

Where do you get your inspiration to create music from?

Anywhere, everywhere. Other music, films, conversations, friends, books. Anything that’s interesting or emotionally stimulating can be a source of inspiration for a song, even if it comes from a completely different medium. 

What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?

Just push yourself to be original. Take inspiration from everything you love and twist it and combine it to make it your own. Your music should represent you, not just sound like a copy of some bands you like.

Don’t wait for people to hand you opportunities. Nowadays, it’s possible to go so far just with your own hard work. Booking gigs, recording, releasing your music. It’s all possible now without having to compromise or wait for someone else to take an interest in you.

Tell us about Jackal’s new album Sparkle.

We released our new album Sparkle last month. 10 songs recorded and produced ourselves over the  length of last year. It’s a nice change from our previous stuff, a good progression into some of the more mellow stuff we started on Castle in the Air and well as some more punk-influenced rock songs that we’ve never done before.

We’re confident it’s our best record yet and are excited to see how people respond to it. 

What inspired you to start Jackal?

Simply, wanting to play music. Wanting to write music. We were all at that age where you really start listening to a lot and we wanted to expand our interest in music beyond just listening. To us it felt like an immediate and satisfying way to create something.