Jack River (musician)

"Palo Alto (song)" redirects here. For other songs, see Palo Alto (disambiguation).

Jack River
Upper body shot of Jack River, a 27-year-old woman. She is singing into a microphone with her head slightly tilted up and is seen in mostly left profile. She is also playing an electric guitar. The artist is wearing a champagne coloured top, which is sparkling. Her fair-to-blonde hair is over her shoulders. The background has alternate panels of purple-blue and plum sections.
Falls Festival, Byron Bay, January 2019
Background information
Birth nameHolly Isabella Rankin
Born (1991-12-19) 19 December 1991 (age 32)
Forster, New South Wales, Australia
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
  • violin
  • trombone
Years active2012–present
Labels
Websitejackrivermusic.com

Holly Isabella Rankin (born 19 December 1991[citation needed]), who performs as Jack River, is an Australian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. Her debut album, Sugar Mountain (22 June 2018), peaked at No. 11 on the ARIA Albums Chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2018 she received nominations for Breakthrough Artist, Best Pop Release and Engineer of the Year (the latter shared with Xavier Dunn and John Castle).

Early life

Holly Isabella Rankin was born in 1991, to David and Donna Rankin,[1][2] and raised in Forster, New South Wales.[3][4] She started writing a diary from the age of five or six, with Rankin stating, "I just had an attraction to writing and also recording things. I've always been fascinated by people and stories and nature."[3][5]

Career

2013-2016: Career beginnings and EPs

Rankin initially performed under her given name, before adopting the performance name, Jack River, upon relocating to Sydney.[6] Her eight-track debut extended play, On Nature Part One, was issued in April 2013 via Waterfront Records and MGM Distribution.[7] James Monger of AllMusic described how her, "laid-back, psych-tinged electropop [had] earned her a loyal local following."[6]

River signed with I Oh You / Universal Music Australia, which issued her single, "Talk Like That", in early 2016.[6] Happy Mag's Emerson Noble felt, "[it] has an incredibly tangible, organic feel that seems to come pretty naturally to [River]. There is an air of self-produced originality that draws you into this track but it's still so damn hooky that you're going to be singing that sweet synth riff for days."[8]

Her seven-track EP, Highway Songs No. 2 (October 2016) peaked at number 19 on the ARIA Hitseekers Albums Chart.[9] It was co-produced by Rankin and Xavier Dunn.[6] Laura Polson of The Newcastle Herald observed, "On top of writing the melody and lyrics, Rankin seeks landscape sounds to add to her music... the opening track 'Highway (Intro)' draws together carnival sounds with a western, cowboy twist."[3]

2017-2022: Sugar Mountain

River's single, "Fool's Gold" (June 2017), was accompanied by a music video, which Sosefina Fuamoli of The AU Review felt was, "dreamy as hell" and "lit up through a beautifully-crafted haze of a narrative, following different couples."[10] In June–July 2017 the singer-songwriter launched a series of concerts, Electric Lady, featuring only female acts: Ali Barter, Alex Lahey, and Gretta Ray.[10][11] River supported Midnight Oil during that year and undertook her own Fool's Gold Tour.[12]

On 22 June 2018, River released her debut album, Sugar Mountain, titled for Neil Young's song of the same name.[5] The album recounts River's painful memories, including her sister's fatal accident.[5] During an interview with Richard Kingsmill on 2018, a program on Triple J radio, River explained that music was her way of dealing with emotions and also as therapy, calling it her "go to for everything".[13] It peaked at number 11 on the Albums Chart and received three nominations at the 2018 ARIA Awards: Breakthrough Artist, Best Pop Release and Engineer of the Year (the latter shared with Dunn and John Castle).[14] In October 2019, she came at no.11 in Happy Mag's list of "The 15 Australian female artists changing the game right now".[15]

On 4 October 2019, River released the single "Later Flight" and announced she had an EP due for release on 14 February 2020.[16][17]

In September 2021, River released "We Are the Youth" saying "At the same time as there is widespread climate injustice, there is ongoing abuse of power on many fronts in our society: against First Nations people, in the halls of parliament and in workplaces everywhere. People are tired of it. We want change and action and we are ready to work to build our way out of a broken system."[18]

2023: Endless Summer

In February 2023, River released "Endless Summer", the title track from her second studio album Endless Summer, released on 16 June 2023.[19] In an album review, Ellie Robinson from NME called it "a psychedelic cruise through streams of pop influenced by surf-rock and shoegaze, carried by lyrics that paint an oddly alluring picture of an apocalyptic hellscape."[20]

Personal life

Rankin's sister, Shannon Rankin (born 1995), died in 2006 in an accident due to a faulty drain in a spa.[2][5]

Political views and activism

On 15 February 2019, Rankin was present at Labor New South Wales' live music policy launch in Sydney and delivered a speech in opposition to the Baird Government and their lockout laws. In her speech, Rankin endorsed Labor for the 2019 election.[21] On 3 December 2020, Rankin held a climate panel entitled New Energy, designed to get politicians together to discuss energy and climate policy. The event saw politicians respond to questions from guests, including Triple J presenters Avani Dias and Lewis Hobba, in addition to rugby union player David Pocock, motivational speaker Turia Pitt, and Reuben Styles of electronic music duo Peking Duk.[22] On 27 October 2021, Rankin criticised Scott Morrison and his Government's plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, labelling it "gutless" and "paper thin".[23]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with year released and selected chart positions shown
Title Album details Peak chart positions
AUS
[24]
Sugar Mountain 11
Endless Summer
  • Released: 16 June 2023[19]
  • Label: I Oh You (IOU711/IOU712)
  • Formats: CD, digital download, streaming
 —

Extended plays

List of extended plays, with release date and label shown
Title EP details
On Nature Part One
Highway Songs No. 2
  • Released: 7 October 2016[26]
  • Label: I Oh You (IOU175)
  • Format: CD, digital download, streaming
Stranger Heart
  • Released: 14 February 2020[27]
  • Label: I Oh You (IOU402)
  • Format: LP, digital download, streaming

Singles

As lead artist

List of singles, with year released, selected chart positions and certifications, and album name shown
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
AUS
[28]
"Talk Like That"[29] 2016 — Highway Songs No. 2
"Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby"[30] —
"Palo Alto"[31] —
"Fool's Gold" 2017 — Sugar Mountain
"Fault Line"[34] —
"Ballroom"[35] 2018 —
"Limo Song"[36] —
"Confess"[37] —
"Sugar" (with Peking Duk) 2019 54 Non-album single
"Adolescent"[38] — Sugar Mountain (Deluxe Edition)
"Later Flight"[16] — Stranger Heart
"Closer"[39] —
"Dark Star"[40] 2020 —
"We Are the Youth"[18] 2021 — non album single
"Real Life"[41] 2022 — Endless Summer[19]
"Nothing Has Changed"[42] —
"Endless Summer" (with Genesis Owusu)[19] 2023 —
"Lie in the Sun"[43] —
"Honey"[44] —
"Lie to You"[45] —
List of singles as featured artist, with year released and album shown
Title Year Album
"Multiply"
(Love Fame Tragedy featuring Jack River)[46] 		2020 Five Songs to Briefly Fill the Void and Wherever I Go, I Want To Leave

Awards

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2020 Sugar Mountain Best Independent Pop Album or EP Nominated [47][48]
2021 Stranger Heart Best Independent Pop Album or EP Nominated [49][50]
2024 Endless Summer Best Independent Pop Album or EP Won [51]

APRA Music Awards

The APRA Music Awards are an annual awards ceremony. Jack River has received two nominations.[52]

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2019 Herself Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year Nominated [52]
2020 "Sugar" (with Peking Duk) Most Performed Dance Work of the Year Nominated [53][54]

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. Jack River has received 4 nominations overall.[55]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2018 Sugar Mountain Breakthrough Artist Nominated
Best Pop Release Nominated
Holly Rankin, Xavier Dunn & John Castle for Sugar Mountain Engineer of the Year Nominated
2019 "Sugar" (with Peking Duk) Best Dance Release Nominated[56]

Environmental Music Prize

The Environmental Music Prize is a quest to find a theme song to inspire action on climate and conservation. It commenced in 2022.[57]

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2022 "We Are the Youth" Environmental Music Prize Nominated [58]

J Awards

The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2017 "Fool's Gold" Australian Video of the Year Nominated [59]
2021 Jack River You Done Good Award Nominated [60][61]

National Live Music Awards

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2019 Herself Live Pop Act of the Year Nominated [62]
NSW Live Act of the Year Won [63]

Rolling Stone Australia Awards

The Rolling Stone Australia Awards are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of Rolling Stone magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year.[64]

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2022 "We Are the Youth" Best Single Nominated [65]

References

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