Sophia is out now!
Image: Tara Johnson.
Naarm/Melbourne-based indie-rock artist Jacob Fitzgerald is back with his electrifying new single, Sophia. To celebrate the release, the musician is taking us on the road as he recalls on some of his favourite live moments.
"Sophia is a simple premise: a man falls in love with a woman, but the woman does not fall in love with the man. It's the tale of a heartbreaker. After absorbing the Nashville music scene in early 2023, I came home with the original riff and hook for 'Sophia' tattooed on my mind. The enhanced blues-rock-inspired nature of my music consumption gave birth to a song I knew I NEEDED to write. As someone who feels deeply, in my mind, Sophia is distant, hurt and cautious with who she lets love her." Fitzgerald shares.
The musician is set to support The Struts, Pacific Avenue and Jack Botts over the coming month. Fitzgerald will perform at Melbourne's Max Watts on February 28, Sydney's Oxford Art Factory on March 9, Melbourne's Howler on March 22 and Shepparton on March 23.
This is my favourite live photo to date. It perfectly encapsulates a friendship and a brotherhood that myself and Rick share. Those who don’t know the importance of our bushy-haired lead guitarist/co-producer, Rick Hollywood, are missing out on the essence of what makes Jacob Fitzgerald & The Electric City tick. You see, he and I have only known each other for a few years, but we are soul mates and brothers bound by music. He sees my vision and shares my dream. This photo, taken by our great friend, Aaron Shrubb, captures that narrative perfectly. We are always looking forward to the dream, side by side, trying to make the best art we can.
March 2022 - A free show at Penny’s saw the birth of the Frontman. I had only recently dropped the guitar for a few songs and experimented with being a bit more of a show off. This gig was a wild and unexpected one. Being a free-entry show, we didn’t really know who/what to expect coming through the door. We ended up partying to a full room and my euphoria called me into the crowd for a chant on our song, ‘Lonely’.
I love this photo. This was a photoshoot we did for my third EP alongside the founding members of Jacob Fitzgerald & The Electric City. We made an EP I’m very proud of and I cherished every note we played together.
This was lead guitarist Dakota Smith’s last show before heading home permanently to Darwin. We played a packed-out Gershwin Room where we debuted ‘Hurt Me Harder’ to lots of sweating dance-fiends. I remember this gig so vividly. The room seemed so big in soundcheck, but it filled up real nicely with eager music goers. I’ll forever cherish the cheer we received when we said goodbye to our Northern pal.
Our band photographer, Aaron Shrubb has been taking photos of us for a while now. This is one of my favourites from the ‘Penny Lane’ Tour. I wonder how the video came out for this front-row bandit!?
A BTS shot from the ‘Long Way Home’ video. My long-time friend, Cameron Mitchell, directed this with his production company OneHouse. This was a two-day shoot on my grandparent's farm that followed a very heartbreaking narrative. The concept was discussed at length and the end result perfectly captured our vision. Give it a watch if you haven’t already!
June 2023 - Stay Gold, Brunswick. A JF&TEC headliner. Packed, screaming rockers wall to wall. We all remember this one very fondly in our outfit. We noticed less and less faces in the crowd, and that’s every growing bands’ dream. Lyrics were belted back as I sung them, and I couldn’t get enough of it (as this photo clearly shows)!
This is an image of Rick’s back, dripping in sweat after a show at The Workers Club. We just came back from Adelaide earlier that day and were all a bit restless for this gig. We unleashed some new material and ultimately left it all out there on the stage… especially our boy Rick Hollywood!
The Fab Four. This was a few hours before supporting Pacific Avenue at Torquay Hotel in November 2023. The calm before the storm so it seems, as the soundcheck encountered a broken sound desk and the whole show was delayed! We opened up the night to many restless coasties and played a pumping rendition of ‘Sophia’ to many new friends and fans. Something was in the air that night! I loved that show.
There’s something poetic about this image. The disco ball suspended above The Gasometer’s stage, the power stance Rick’s striking, the cohesion of Liam and Reuben backing a forward-facing “Fitzgerald crouch” … it’s a photograph that perfectly sums up our unit. We played a very long set at this show and saw a new wave of fans pile through the door. One of my favourite gigs. One of my favourite photos.
Sophia is out now!
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