Jape, Australian Release and Tour Announced
Having won the prestigious Choice Music Prize for ‘Album Of The Year’ (Ireland’s equivalent of Britain’s Mercury Prize), Jape release their acclaimed album, ‘Ocean Of Frequency’ in Australia on 28th September.
The universally praised record marks the first international release on HUB The Label (Dappled Cities, Winter People) and is the finest collection of twisted pop songs you’re likely to encounter this side of the 80s.
The release comes ahead of Jape’s soon-to-be-announced debut Australian tour with Dappled Cities Hailing from Dublin, Ireland, and now calling Sweden home; Jape began as the solo moniker of Richie Egan – who was at the time performing in various projects including Redneck Manifesto and Domino Records’ Villagers – and has evolved over the past five years into one of the most exciting live acts in Europe, developing a cult-like status.
The band broke into global consciousness in 2007 when The Raconteurs’ Brendan Benson encountered Jape’s track “Floating” while on a trip to Ireland. Benson loved it so much he would soon begin incorporating a cover of it into live sets. Jape found themselves supporting the Jack White-fronted supergroup on stages around the world, and having their track reinterpreted by the likes of Soulwax.
Egan has been part of many bands from an early age, and spent his youth experimenting with four-track tape recorders and sounds. This experimentation provides the foundation of ‘Ocean Of Frequency’, which knits together an eclectic blend of meticulously crafted lyrics and electronic rhythms; with influences ranging from Brian Eno to Caribou. “….blending guitars and synthetic beats to great effect. He’s probably bored of being called the Irish Beck, so we won’t. Instead, let’s just say no-one has done this type of thing as well since… well, you get the picture” ★★★★ NME
Jape’s regard within Ireland has reached levels unprecedented by musical peers, becoming the first act ever to win the regarded Choice Music Prize for Best Irish Album twice: first for 2008’s ‘Ritual’ and this year for ‘Ocean Of Frequency’. The award has long been regarded as a launching pad for Ireland’s finest, with previous winners including Two Door Cinema Club and The Divine Comedy. Lauded by European critics, the album is a boundless, genre-defying exploration of sound, ideas and possibilities. “The idea for the title, Ocean of Frequency came from an interview I saw with Michael Talbot,” says Egan. “He was an American author who wrote some books linking science with mysticism. I feel the answer to religion lies somewhere in science and I like to think that we all float about in an ocean of frequency that we can’t understand. People always go on about the difference between science and religion, in my opinion there is an unending spiritual beauty in the order of science.”
