Jack is back. Jack River, that is.
The independent Australian singer, songwriter and advocate (real name: Holly Rankin) returns with a new deal via G.Y.R.O. (Get Your Record Out), and new music in “Borderline.”
A lowkey electronic earworm, “Borderline” is Jack River’s first release since 2023’s Endless Summer, during which she performed over 20 shows while pregnant with her first daughter Maggie.
“Borderline” was written following her breakthrough night out on her own, capturing the emotions, the fears, the vulnerability and the strength that comes with rediscovering the world.
“This is a song about traveling beyond the borderline, back to one’s self, back to freedom,” she explains. “I wrote this song after one of my first nights alone in three years, overwhelmed with the feeling that my sense of self was returning, and the reckoning that comes with that. It’s the beginning of a new era for Jack River – with less rules, less constraints, and more independence.”
There’s more on the way. Rankin is hard at work on a collection of songs which will traverse those years of “change and transition,” in her “relationships, her career and her personal world,” reads a statement announcing the new project. “Motherhood brought fearlessness, conviction and a realization that there’s no time to mess around, bringing with it new discipline and boundaries, but also a sense of freedom.”
Jack River established her as one of the Australian music scene’s leading lights with her 2018 debut album Sugar Mountain, which snagged three ARIA Award nominations (breakthrough artist of the year, best pop release and engineer of the year), an AIR Award nomination (best independent pop album) and an APRA Award nomination (breakthrough songwriter of the year).
Andy Irvine, CEO and co-founder of G.Y.R.O., the Brisbane-based independent music distribution and label services specialist, welcomes Jack River to its roster. “Holly has a clear vision for her music and an unwavering determination to make the Australian industry better for artists,” he remarks. “The team at G.Y.R.O. are excited to harness that independent spirit and bring her new music to audiences here and around the world.”
Stream “Borderline” below.
