B-Side Guys

Frontman Joe Jackson’s explanation for why the album is upbeat deserves to be quoted directly: he tried to make it catchy “in order to better live with myself.” That’s not a throwaway line. It’s the operating principle of “Donut” and, apparently, the entire debut album Public Sweetheart No. 1, a record he describes as a self-assessment of his own behaviour and the ways it has affected the people closest to him. The anthemic apology is a real genre, but few bands announce it this plainly.

“Donut” earns the approach. The chiming guitars and warm, forward-moving rhythm section don’t soften the lyrical content so much as create productive friction with it, the brightness of the arrangement pressing against the longings and regrets underneath. The Great Emu War Casualties, who’ve drawn support from Triple J, the BBC, and The Guardian and collaborated with producers including Cal Barter (Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile), have always had the melodic instincts to make this kind of emotional directness land without tipping into indulgence. Three EPs in, moving into album territory, the dual vocals carry both conviction and vulnerability in roughly equal measure.

The ‘sorry, not sorry’ that Jackson sprinkles on top sits comfortably alongside the genuine remorse because that’s how self-awareness actually works: you can map the damage clearly and still not be certain you’d choose differently. ‘I am sorry though, really,’ he adds, which is its own kind of comedy: the disclaimer at the end of the disclaimer.

Public Sweetheart No. 1 lands March 27, and if “Donut” is the tone-setter, it’s going to be a very specific kind of uncomfortable to listen to, in the best way.