Japam is set to release Sickboy, their first EP since 2016, on April 12th with pre-orders open February 22. The band have officially dropped their first single off the EP in anticipation, “Roak“, accompanied by a video clip.
Japam are bringing back the bounce with Sickboy! Mixed and mastered by Taylor Larson (Periphery, From First to Last, Veil of Maya and Asking Alexandria) at Oceanic Recording, the EP combines influences from the heavy, technical groove of modern progressive music to the melodic appeal of 90’s pop and rock music. Japam create an energetic and infectious soundscape, sure to please a vast array of keen music listeners.
“Roak” is the first single off Sickboy and as Japam guitarist, Seb Hudson, said “[Roak] is the signature ‘djent’ song on the EP, and a personal favourite for most of the band.” This track really pushes the band’s limits in terms of playability and showcases their capabilities. Relentlessly heavy from start to finish, it’s a headbanger’s dream.
FIlmed and edited by Tim Towie, the film clip for “Roak” at first comes across as somewhat of a metal cliché with its black-on-black theme, strobe effects and classic metal headbanging. However, the melodic build-up brings with it a not-so-subtle change of pace, breaking out into an epic food fight! Punching a watermelon, raining eggs and cereal, pasta bombs and good old-fashioned antiquing add a dimension and flavour (pun intended) to the clip that you’d expect from the band.
Japam – Which is either the applied use of a mantra, or a drunken mispronunciation deemed too good to pass up as a band name, is the brainchild of Adelaide songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Seb Hudson. Seb’s desire to take his popular online recordings to the live stage began with the initiation of vocalist Ryan Lucivero. Soon after, Ben Whitehorn filled the role as bass player/hype man, and Jack Thomson, with his commanding drumming style and experience through his many projects added an air of authority to the rhythm section. Early 2015 the need for a second guitarist was made apparent, so Japam recruited long haired lout, Andreas Murphy, formerly of Soft White Machine… and thus, the fold was complete.
In the infancy of the band’s career, they’ve already earned themselves props in the underground through airtime on multiple radio stations nationwide including Triple J’s The Racket, Andrew Haug Radio and even reaching the top spot on the Triple J Unearthed metal charts. The first taste of new Japam in over two years is not to be missed.
Japam’s new single ‘Roak’ is out Friday February 22, as are Pre-orders for the Sickboy EP at https://ffm.to/japamsickboy – both will be available at all good digital stores and streaming outlets.
