Spacey Jane are an Australianindie rock band formed inFremantle in 2016. The group consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Caleb Harper, lead guitarist Ashton Hardman-Le Cornu, drummer Kieran Lama and bassist Peppa Lane, who replaced Amelia Murray in 2019.
Spacey Jane performing in Sydney in September 2018. From left: Hardman-Le Cornu, Harper, Lama and Amelia Murray.
Originally fromGeraldton, singer and guitarist Caleb Harper and drummer Kieran Lama met inhigh school, and played together (alongside friends Jed Law-Davis and Clinton Hewitt) in agrunge band called Sicchino.[1][2] They would busk and upload music onTriple J Unearthed. By 2015, Harper and Lama had both moved toPerth as teenagers and were studying at theUniversity of Western Australia, where they met guitarist Ashton Hardman-Le Cornu and bassist Amelia Murray (originally fromTincurrin).[3][4] In 2016, the four played their first show in Harper's dad's backyard.[5] The name Spacey Jane was inspired by the name of a member's friend.[6]
The band would play one or two local shows "every week for a good year and a half",[1] and sometimes "two shows a night at different venues."[7] Their debut single "Still Running" was a re-recorded Sicchino original, released in August 2017.[3] Spacey Jane received airplay on Perth stationRTRFM with their second single "Feeding the Family",[8] a track that has been credited for the band's breakout success.[9][10] In November 2017, Spacey Jane released their six-track debutextended play (EP),No Way to Treat an Animal.[11] It peaked at number 23 on theARIA Albums Chart in December 2020.[12]
On 16 April 2018, the band released adual single titledIn the Meantime, featuring the songs "Old Enough" and "So You Wanna".[13] Its sound was noted as being brighter and poppier than that of their EP.[14] Spacey Jane's second EP,In the Slight, was issued on 9 November 2018 with five tracks, including two singles.[15] After winning the Triple J Unearthed Falls competition, the band performed atFalls Festival 2018.[16]
Preparing for the release of their first studio album, Spacey Jane released thelead single "Good Grief" on 24 April 2019 and toured Australia through May.[4] "Good for You" was the second single and went on to poll at number 80 in the2019 Triple J Hottest 100, marking the band's first appearance in the annual countdown.[1]
Lane joined Spacey Jane as bass guitarist following Murray's departure in 2019.
In July 2019, Murray announced she was amicably leaving the band to focus on her medical career, playing her last show on 13 July.[17] She was replaced on bass guitar by Peppa Lane fromMargaret River, who had studied atWestern Australian Academy of Performing Arts and performed ondouble bass in her group, the Friendly Folk.[18] Lane's second show with Spacey Jane was atSplendour in the Grass 2019.[19] Harper has retrospectively admitted that Lane joining "revitalised" the band.[20]
According to Lama, the band toured nationally to "crowds of 20 people" between 2016 and 2019, but that their appearances at Splendour in the Grass andBrisbane'sBigsound festival in 2019 were "pivotal moments for the band" providing a "ridiculously upward trajectory".[2] Spacey Jane signed a global deal withAWAL in December 2019.[21]
In February 2020, the band announced their debut studio album,Sunlight, was due in June.[22] They toured Australia and New Zealand from March to April in support of their latest single "Skin".[23] In March 2020, the band participated inIsol-Aid, a stay-at-home festival initiative toassist the Australian music industry during theCOVID-19 pandemic, by performing a 20-minute set via anInstagram livestream.[24][25]
Noted for its "trilling guitar hook", the chorus of "Booster Seat" is one of the band's most recognisable songs.[26][27]
Upon the release ofSunlight on 12 June 2020, it peaked at number two on theAustralian charts and went on to top the2020 Triple J Album Poll.[28] Album track "Booster Seat" received particular acclaim from music publications,[29] with Al Newstead of Triple J calling it a "life-affirming song with a platinum-strength sing-along quality."[26] It went on to winSong of the Year at the2021 ARIA Awards and Best Independent Song of the Year at the2021 AIR Awards. By September 2022, the song was verified triple platinum in Australia for the shipment of 210,000 copies.[30]
Leading up to the2020 Triple J Hottest 100, multiple publications predicted that "Booster Seat" would top the list,[31] with Josh Leeson ofNorthern Beaches Review writing it "is the one presenting the best chance of securing the first Australian Hottest 100 winner since Ocean Alley's 'Confidence' in2018".[32] In January 2021, "Booster Seat" polled at number two.[26][33] This milestone led Leeson to call Spacey Jane "arguably the breakthrough Aussie band of 2020."[7]
In February 2021, the band signed to Lama's management company, Anybody Management.[34] In June, they renewed their deal with AWAL, with the label claiming they "firmly believe[d] [Spacey Jane] are now poised to break through on a global scale."[35]
On 24 June 2021, the band released "Lots of Nothing", the lead single to their second studio album. It peaked at number 34 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[36] Partnering withApple Music in August, Spacey Jane released a three-track EP with acoustic versions of "Lots of Nothing" and "Booster Seat", and a cover ofPhoebe Bridgers' 2017 single "Scott Street".[37] They toured the United Kingdom through April, having to add several additional dates after the initial run of shows sold out in a few hours.[38] In December, they contributed tothe Wiggles' tribute albumReWiggled, providing a cover version of "D.O.R.O.T.H.Y (My Favourite Dinosaur)".[39][40] "Lots of Nothing" and "Lunchtime" were featured in the2021 Triple J Hottest 100 at number three and number 12, respectively.[41]
The band scored six tracks in the2022 Triple J Hottest 100, including "Hardlight" at number three, and "It's Been a Long Day" and "Sitting Up" at number five and six respectively.[50] This feat equaled a record for most songs charted in a single countdown, previously set byWolfmother in2005.[50] Spacey Jane also became the first ever artist to have three top-6 songs in a single countdown.[51]
The band played nationwide on a regional tour from May 2023,[52] and headlined several Australian festivals along theeast coast, including Grapevine Gathering,[53] Rolling Sets (Central Coast),[54] and Changing Tides (Kiama) until December 2023.[55]
In January 2024, Spacey Jane issued a standalone single titled "One Bad Day", which was written at the end of sessions forHere Comes Everybody. According to the band, the track was released to "bridge the gap between what was then and what is next."[56]
Following a year-long hiatus from live performances, Spacey Jane announced in January 2025 that their third studio album,If That Makes Sense, would be released in May. It was announced alongside the release of lead single "All the Noise".[57]
In an early interview, Harper said that a lot of his songwriting from the first two EPs were about "moments in life, not necessarily events, but periods in time; and a lot of processing things from childhood and teenage-hood." Lama claimed that the band was "Caleb's vessel to vent teenangst."[4] Harper says that his lyrical inspirations come from understanding "music as a means ofcatharsis".[58]
The band's earliest singles and debut EP were "packed full of pulsating rhythm and dirty guitars," integrating a "boldindie pop sound with their own raw Australian top coat."[11] With the two singles fromIn the Meantime in 2018, the band showcased a "notably bright and summery" sound with "light-hearted melodies" with "soaring vocals".[14]In the Slight developed a "dreamyshoegaze" intersection with their brand of "catchy indie pop",[15] and pointed towards the direction they would take with their first album,Sunlight. According to Ali Shutler ofNME, the album includes "festival-ready songs that embrace a freewheeling joy... But there’s more to this record than purely chasing the roar of a crowd," commending Harper's vulnerable storytelling contrasting with its affable,jangling melodies.[61]
Spacey Jane continued developing their sound forHere Comes Everybody, which was praised for showcasing new instrumentation and Harper's "fuller use of his vocal range".[62] However, some critics found the album's identity fatiguing– Shaad D'Souza ofThe Guardian wrote most of the songs "hit the same beats over and over,"[63] and Triple J's Al Newstead wrote its model was noticeably similar to that ofSunlight.[64] Nevertheless, Caleb Triscari ofNME observed that the album dives "head-first into something the band didn’t explore too much inSunlight: dreary music for their equally dreary lyrics," particularly referring to tracks "Clean My Car" and "It's Been a Long Day" which "dial down the tempo" to honestly embody the songs' themes.[62]
The Australian Independent Record Awards (AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
TheARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987 and are organised by theAustralian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).
TheWest Australian Music Industry Awards (WAMIs) are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, presented annually by the Western Australian Music Industry Association (WAM).
^Hung, Steffen (16 November 2022)."Discography Spacey Jane". Australian Charts Portal.Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved2 December 2022.
^"Spacey Jane Debut at #1 - ARIA". Australian Recording Industry Association. 1 July 2022.Archived from the original on 16 November 2022. Retrieved16 November 2022.
"Hardlight":"The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 6 February 2023".The ARIA Report. No. 1718. Australian Recording Industry Association. 6 February 2023. p. 4.
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