MONDAY TO FRIDAY
★★★★ – Rolling Stone
“Monday To Friday is a stellar release, the finest in alterative rock / pop you’re likely to find anywhere.”
Rhythms Magazine
“Unquestionably both bold and brilliant…..If you buy only one Australian album this year, Monday to Friday should be it. Adventurous and mesmerising.” Addicted to Noise
“One of Australia’s best folk collaborations in recent memory.” Double J
“The interplay between Alice Keath and Sime Nugent is exquisite.” Stack Magazine
Sweet Jean is Sime Nugent and Alice Keath. Their music ranges from stark and gothic, to hazy and melodic. Since forming in late 2010, Sweet Jean has built a reputation for evocative songwriting, razor-sharp harmonies, and stirring live performances. As the AU Review put it, Sweet Jean “can break your heart one minute and mend it the next. The duo has a natural ability to transport their audience to the heart of their songs.”
Sweet Jean’s sophomore album Monday to Friday is due for release on Friday 13 May. Co-written by Sime & Alice, the album ranges from expansive, vintage synth-driven songs about space exploration to jangly, straight-shooting narratives about everyday life. The collection of 10 songs balances deft lyricism and poetic references with crisp pop gems and candid observations.
The pair demoed the songs in their home studio and then worked closely with producer, friend and band mate John Castle (Vance Joy, Washington, The Bamboos) at The Shed Studios, swapping instruments, eating ramen, and nutting out arrangements.
On writing the album Monday to Friday, the duo explains “in the past we’ve written about other people in other times and places, and for this album we wanted to stay in the here and now and write about some of the significant and insignificant things that are rolling around us. For our first album we worked on happy/sad. This time we wanted to bring big/small to the table.”
“A lot of the songs on Monday to Friday speak to the contrast between the vast and the minuscule, facts and feelings; growing up and realising how fallible our beliefs, memories, and aspirations are in a post-Santa reality, and where to look for that wonder we all seem to need once we realise we’re just monkeys wearing runners. We didn’t want to explain it as we’re no closer to knowing, but it was good to let ourselves hang out there for a while.”
Sweet Jean’s debut album Dear Departure was released July 2013. Co-produced with John Castle, the album is a collection of stories and reflections by Sime and Alice about life, longing, misadventure and mortality. It received widespread acclaim, including 5/5 stars in UK’s R2 Magazine, 9/10 from Americana UK, 4.5/5 in the Sydney Morning Herald, 4/5 in The Age, Album of the Week on ABC Radio National, ABC DIG Music (Double J), ABC Local Radio, and PBS Radio; Album of the Month in Rhythms Magazine; iTunes Single of the Week for Shiver & Shake; and a nomination for Best Country Album from The Age Music Victoria Awards. The album has also received airplay in the US & Europe.
Sweet Jean has toured extensively in Australia and overseas with performances in Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, and Canada, appeared on Rockwiz, and shared the stage with some of their favourite local and international musicians. The pair has also been working individually on projects in theatre, design, and radio, with Alice appearing on Paul Kelly’s Seven Sonnets & A Song mini-album, and Sime set to release a new album with two time ARIA nominated group The Wilson Pickers in late 2016.
DEAR DEPARTURE
★★★★ – The Age
★★★★½ – Sydney Morning Herald
“Superb songwriting and golden harmonies. Richly constructed pop gems. Sublime.”
★★★★★ – R2 Magazine, UK
“Sweet Jean’s record Dear Departure has been on high rotation at my place. Two distinct voices and strong songwriters make a combination greater than the sum of the parts. Dreamy, epic, wry, tender, straight-shooting. This record deserves to be heard far and wide.” Paul Kelly
“There are few duets these days that can compare to the beautiful, sincere and evocative sound of Sweet Jean” The Music
“A triumph” Rhythms Magazine, Album of the Month
“….sharp harmonies, great song writing, beautiful playing” ABC Radio National, Album of the Week
“…a magnificent debut” Paisajes Eléctricos Magazine, Spain
“I unashamedly, unequivocally love this song” 5/5 Dom Alessio, Triple J on Shiver & Shake