Australian rock royalty and 1990’s Indie icons Eskimo Joe triumphantly return to the airwaves with new music today. Their new single, “99 Ways” sees them re-energized and more formidable than ever, showcasing why they continue to dominate after 20 years of playing together.
Speaking about the inspiration for “99 Ways”, Kav Temperley says today “99 Ways is an isolation love song. I started writing this song in the first week of isolation when I was stuck in my bedroom with a bad fever, we didn’t know what it was and as I’d just returned from the states, we thought it best to isolate me from the rest of the family – luckily i had a piano in my room! Isolation is something the whole world has had to go through, and it’s been tough but sometimes you can only understand what someone else is going through if you have been through it yourself.”
“99 Ways” is the follow up track to their highly anticipated call to arms single “Say Something” released in June 2020. “Say Something” released after a 7 year hiatus is, “A song about hope and what it means to be a humanitarian. Whether we are talking about domestic violence, racism or the environment, to stay silent is to be complicit. Unless we say something, how will we build a better future?” – Kav Temperley
Say Something” became the number 1 most played song across the Triple M Network, including a classic Garage Sessions performance in WA. The band featured across various publications (Rolling Stone, News Ltd, SMH, NME, The Music, Tone Deaf/The Brag, Music Feeds) as well as interviews on TV breakfast programs: Sunrise, Today, ABC TV News Breakfast, culminating in an unforgettable performance on ABC TV’s The Sound.
“We were so lucky to be able to have put out the song “Say Something” over the lockdown period, and everyone’s response was so encouraging that we aimed to get back in a room as soon as we could and write another song. So, in august of 2020 we started writing and recording “99 Ways” in our Fremantle studio. We recorded most of the track between Studio 42 in Fremantle and Rada Studios in Perth. 99 Ways is self produced, and once again mixed by the amazing Pete Holz. This is our isolation love song.” – Kav Temperley
During Covid lockdown, the band embraced new ways to connect with their fans. Their weekly ‘Say Something Sessions’ featured a roll call of Australian rock legends including: Chris Cheney (Living End), Sarah Mcleod (The Superjesus), Ella Hooper (Killing Heidi) and Kevin Mitchell (Bob Evans, Jebediah) to name a few.
About Eskimo Joe
Since forming in 1997, Eskimo Joe have racked up a long list of impressive accomplishments. With 6 studio albums under their belts and sales in excess of 750,000, in Australia alone, the band has seen 3 of those albums debut at number 1 on the ARIA charts, with juggernaut ‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine’ shining for a monster 62 weeks in the ARIA Chart Top 50 and “Foreign Land”, from their fourth album ‘Inshalla’, bringing home 2 APRA Awards, for Most Played Rock Song on Australian radio and Best Rock Song of 2010.
Eskimo Joe have enjoyed 35 ARIA nominations in their career thus far – a number only surpassed by Silverchair, Powderfinger, Kylie Minogue and John Farnham. They have brought home 3 International Song-writing Awards, 11 WAMi Awards and 8 ARIAs and 11 of their compositions have featured in Triple J’s Hottest 100 countdown, with ‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine’ landing 2nd place. The stage however, is where Eskimo Joe shine and the band have performed at many significant events including: Sound Relief, Live Earth, Make Poverty History, the ARIA Awards, the APRA Awards, Big Day Out, Homebake, Laneway Festival, Falls Festival, Southbound, Splendour In The Grass, Triple J’s One Night Stand, The Australian Open, AFL and Sundance Film Festival in Utah, USA, on the same stage as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Along with a significant number of tours within Australia, the band have had their music released to great acclaim from fans and critics alike, in the United States, Canada, Europe and Korea.
The band began celebrations for their 21st birthday in 2018 by embarking on a national tour featuring The Sydney, Tasmanian, West Australian and Camerata – (Queensland’s Chamber) Orchestras and more recently provided a packed Optus Stadium in Perth with the pre-game entertainment before the NRL State Of Origin, plus a very special show at Freo.Social where they played Black Fingernails, Red Wine in its entirety.
With a national tour in support of the legendary Jimmy Barnes and a reunion show with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra in Kings Park at the end of 2019, along with the back catalogue vinyl re-releases (Girl, Ghosts Of The Past, Inshalla and Black Fingernails Red Wine, A Song Is A City) being released the anniversary was a great success.
Eskimo Joe released ‘Say Something’, their first new single since 2013, globally to critical acclaim on June 26th 2020. Say Something reached number 1 most played on Triple M and 11th most played song on Australian Airplay charts. Streaming now on all good platforms. “Their new single sees them refreshed and more powerful than ever, with frontman Kavyen Temperley describing the song as “a call to act with humanity, without prejudice or violence towards each other or the planet” – Rolling Stone
As their storied career continues to evolve, Eskimo Joe have certainly come a long way from their humble beginnings as much-loved indie rock kids in Fremantle, WA.
“99 Ways” is released on Friday, 12th February.