Jack Gray has spent the past few years steadily emerging as one of Australia’s most accomplished young singer-songwriters. With Swimming In Jeans, the title track from his forthcoming debut album, the Queensland-born, Los Angeles-based artist delivers his most intimate work to date, distilling years of personal growth into a song that quietly examines resilience, uncertainty and the challenge of simply keeping your head above water.
Released today ahead of the album’s arrival on September 11 via Island Records Australia, Swimming In Jeans sits at the emotional centre of the record. The title itself is deliberately open to interpretation, conjuring images of difficult nights, emotional survival and the people who help pull us through life’s heaviest moments. For Gray, it became the defining metaphor for recent years, navigating periods of doubt while continuing to move forward despite the weight threatening to drag him under.
Stream it HERE.
That emotional honesty is reflected in the song’s understated production. Built around a muted rubber bridge guitar, recorded with a sock dampening the strings to create an almost submerged warmth, the track layers delicate pedal steel and rich vocal harmonies into one of the most restrained recordings of Gray’s career. Rather than relying on elaborate arrangements, every sonic decision serves the song’s quiet vulnerability.
The forthcoming album marks a significant creative milestone. Recorded over the past 12 months from songs written across three years, Swimming In Jeans was largely produced and performed by Gray himself, allowing him to redefine his sound as both a songwriter and producer. While traces of 2000s indie rock, pub rock and new wave remain woven into the record’s DNA, the emphasis is firmly on simplicity, trusting instinct over studio excess and allowing the songwriting to take centre stage.
It follows an impressive run of singles including Dumb Sht*, Look At You, Tattoos, Drive Her Home and Bluffin, which have collectively surpassed 1.5 million streams while contributing to more than 50 million catalogue streams. Together they have charted the steady evolution of an artist growing increasingly confident in his own creative identity.
Raised in Mackay, Queensland, Gray taught himself multiple instruments before forging an unconventional career that has taken him across Australia, New Zealand, North America, the UK and Southeast Asia. Along the way he has shared stages with Tate McRae, Maren Morris, Jeremy Zucker, Matt Corby, Maisie Peters, Mahalia, Daniel Seavey, Good Neighbours and, most recently, Freya Skye, while also appearing in VEVO’s DSCVR New Music program and performing at London’s Now & Next showcase.
The release caps a whirlwind period for Gray, following promotional performances throughout the Philippines and a national Australian tour supporting Freya Skye. In September he returns to headline his own Swimming In Jeans Album Tour, launching in Auckland before travelling through Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, a sold-out Sydney show and Brisbane.
Go HERE for tickets.
