We are very honoured today to bring to you an exclusive look at JJ McCann Transmission video for the Rob Younger-produced track ‘Forces At Work’. The JJ McCann Transmission is the work of veteran rocker James McCann and comes ahead of a new album and launch tour announced today.
The new single and album are McCann’s first new releases since he co-produced the acclaimed tribute to his old mate Spencer P Jones, All The Way With SPJ, which included Chris Bailey of The Saints, Kid Congo, Adalita, Violent Femmes, Alejandro Escovedo, Jim Moginie of Midnight Oil, The Drones, Hoss and more.
‘Forces At Work’ has the vibrancy and urgency of something you would expect to hear produced by Rob Younger, who has been operating at the helm of Australian underground rock for decades (producing work from Died Pretty, Hard-Ons, Lime Spiders, Celibate Rifles, Hoodoo Gurus etc).
The lyrics effectively encapsulate the sense of fatalism and power in the delivery:
Have you not heard
There are forces at work
You’ll never understand
Have you not heard
There are forces at work but
You were smarter than me
Have you not heard there are forces at work
You’ll never understand
Have you not heard there are forces at work
But you were smarter than me – me
Jangling guitars, swirling organs and a barbed-wire spine combine to deliver a sneering, posed and vibrant rock classic, the ghosts of The Saints, Radio Birdman, The Ramones and The Undertones hovering at the edges.
The new video is a monochrome piece, capturing the sneering louche perfomance by the band and the raw visceral energy of the track that epitomises the leather-jacketed spirit of the sound. It’s terrific stuff – pop punk, edgy and slightly dangerous:
‘Forces At Work is out now and available to download and stream here and through the usual sites.
JJ McCann Transmission’s debut album ‘Hit With Love’ is out through the magical Cheersquad Records & Tapes on 15 September 2023 and is sure to be ablast of cathartic full-blooded indie rock. You can pre-order through the link below.
JJ McCann Transmission will be emitting their cool sounds to launch the album on 2 December 2023 at the Cactus Room in Thornbury, Victoria – tickets available here.
After cutting his teeth in the vibrant Perth music community, McCann moved to Sydney in the early 1990s where he joined the Hard-Ons spin-off outfit Nunchukka Superfly and formed Harpoon before moving back to Perth and the first line up of The Drones and an association with Kill Devil Hills. He moved to Melbourne in the mid 2000s to pursue a variety of solo and collaborative projects – early solo albums were recorded by and featured Gareth Liddiard of The Drones and a young Aaron Cupples and also featured Jim Selene of Bloodloss – punctuated with Europe tours to support releases on Bang! Records and Beast Records.
Hit With Love, McCann’s first album released under the JJ McCann Transmission moniker, was produced by legendary Radio Birdman and New Christs front man Rob Younger, and features contributions from members of Bitter Sweet Kicks, Ron S Peno and the Superstitions, Los Dominados and The Happy Lonesome.
