The Superjesus – Track by Track (with additional comments from Australian Musician)
It’s been a longtime between studio drinks, 20 years in fact since The Superjesus have released a full length album of new music and today they launch one of their finest. It’s no surprise that they’ve decided it would be self-titled, it perfectly encapsulates the band’s spirit and energy.
Emerging in the late 90’s and signing to Warners worldwide they released 3 classic albums , Sumo , Jet Age and Rock Music, two of which went platinum. The 3 x Aria award winners took a hiatus in the mid 2000’s to work on solo projects and re emerged in 2013 to test the waters. Pleased to have found themselves well received by the public they headed back into the studio for 2016’s EP Love And Violence followed by a double live album .
The South Australian Music Hall Of Fame inductees have a strong work ethic and an ear for a good hook. With hits such as ‘Gravity’ , ‘Secret Agent Man’, ‘Down Again’ and ‘Now And Then’ under their belt their songwriting has always remained their strong point .
On March 21st 2025 the band releases their first self titled album ‘The Superjesus’. After 30 years of crafting their sound, the songwriting partnership of Sarah McLeod and Stuart Rudd has truly found it’s sweet spot.
Below the band’s Sarah McLeod and Stuart Rudd take us through the album track by track and we weigh in on the commentary too.
STARLIGHT
RUDDY: Starlight started out as a demo chorus idea I had been tossing around for a while. For the most part it had all the sentiment of our sound; and between Sarah and I working the epic feel and melody we quicky realized we had a fantastic song that encapsulates everything about us.
SARAH: This was one of the first songs Ruddy and I worked on together for this album, and the last one to be finished. Initially, he had about four bars of an idea and played it to me on piano at my place in Melbourne. He had the chorus chords and the lyric “Starlight, burning in my eyes like a million candles lighting up the sky.” This was a rare moment for Ruddy and I to be sitting at the piano together, and even rarer again for him to be singing an idea to me. He asked if I could do anything with it. I liked it and put it on my voice recorder, but we didn’t get back to it for a long time. It’s interesting when someone gives you a title and some lyrics because you then must piece the story together kind of backwards, but I love this challenge. After he produced quite an elaborate demo, I began work on the rest of the vocal. I always need something real to tie any story to, otherwise I find it impossible to write lyrics. So, I attached the sentiment to my then partner at the time who had managed to shimmy back into my life after a long breakup.
AUSTRALIAN MUSICIAN: Such a grand, welcoming track to start the album, shouting out loud and proud that the band are back, twenty years after their last studio album. All the familiar Superjesus idiosyncrasies are here but presented 2025 style. One for their fans to sing back with gusto at festivals Australia-wide going forward.
WE WON’T LET GO UNTIL IT’S OVER
RUDDY: Sarah and I sat down in a hotel room and played each other our songs, ideas, bits and pieces; and this tune was in a batch that she had brought in with her. It was a fairly complete song from memory, and from first listen felt it was a Superjesus tune that would sound great recorded. I love the lyrics of the song just as much as the driving guitars. It’s a banger to play live as well.
SARAH: The chorus started as a top line I was working on for a dance track collaboration. I think it may have been with the Stafford Brothers, I can’t really remember, it was ages ago. The chorus didn’t click with the track and ended up getting ditched. It went into what I call a “spare parts” folder for bits of songs that have no home, like a lost children’s tent for lyrics. Years later when I was working on a song for The Superjesus a melody came to me that fit perfectly for what I was working on. This track almost ended-up on the Love and Violence EP but was shelved. Never one to give up I re-pitched the updated version to Ruddy in a hotel room one night after a show. This time he went for it. Cam plays some mean guitar at the top of this song, which is a fun way for the new guy to introduce himself musically. Lyrically, on the surface it masquerades as a love story, but it’s actually about Ruddy and I growing up in the band, and all we went through to get here.
AUSTRALIAN MUSICIAN: Featuring pounding drums, this one motors along like a finely tuned Holden of Ford, depending on your bent. Again, another earworm to sing and dance along to with spirit like nobody is watching!.
ROMANCE
RUDDY: What I love about Romance is whilst writing the demo, between us we would go back and forth for what seemed like months; unsure as to the nature of where it was going. Right at the end of recording it, we went back in and re-recorded a base line that Sarah had ultimately heard in her head, and I loved it. I changed the verse groove from what was a straight-ahead rock feel into a fantastic rhythmic, almost danceable feel. It’s just another example of working on tunes til the last minute and finding the right parts for the songs.
SARAH: Romance was another one that started with an instrumental and a title from Ruddy. Initially it was called “Flowers of Romance” after a Sid Vicious album. I attached this one to all the lousy lovers I’ve had in my time, that was fun to write about. It was a fringe dweller contender for album selection; though I think that was because the verse guitar was straight up eighth note Metallica kind of thing that felt pretty pedestrian. I had been trying to coerce the band into leaning into some more dance like grooves. So, we swapped the guitar out for a syncopated distorted piano groove and suddenly the song was back in the game.
AUSTRALIAN MUSICIAN: An 80s style keyboard intro leads into an infectious beat, a moody bridge moment, a lot of guitar sorcery happening in the background and a big chorus.
MONEY (WE’RE ONLY IN IT FOR LOVE)
RUDDY: Money was worked on right from the start. We were in the process of should we or should we not record; and we could not deny that we had a Cheap Trick-inspired tune and a fantastic pop melody that had to be released. It’s as Superjesus as it gets when you talk about fist pumping rock.
SARAH: This track started with a full instrumental demo sent to me by Ruddy. No title, just this banging rock piece. Oddly, the melody from the chorus was inspired by “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” and Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” When I was working on the chorus melody after the first two times I sang “money, money…” I would normally start looking for melodies to bring it down, but this time I kept rising with each line. It gets up there alright. It’s no mean feat to sing this one live! My favourite bit about this song is the way the pre-chorus slingshots into the chorus. Lyrically, we were going through a bit of a messy divorce with some of the former band members, so I hung my hat on that for the story line.
AUSTRALIAN MUSICIAN: Already released as a single and laid upon us at live shows over summer, it’s a rock n roll stomper featuring angry guitars and a passionate vocal. More spirited chorus fodder for an audience full of mates to sing (shout) back at the band at a live show near you soon.
DIAMONDS
RUDDY: Diamonds was part of the hotel room batch of demos that we tossed around between us. It’s always a knife’s edge meeting between us, because ultimately, you’re showing your finished and unfinished work while trying to talk your vision out loud and get it across the line to work on; to see if it’s a comfortable place to sit. I heard Diamonds, which I believed was going to be for another project Sarah had; I looked at her and said, “This one? Really?” Sarah said that it’s not something I’d usually go for, but there was a special feeling about this song. I knew if we lo-fi the recording it’d sound amazing. I really think this is the most majestic song we’ve ever recorded. It’s a beautiful song.
SARAH: I wrote this one for my solo album, and at the time it was the pride of my fleet. I played it to Ruddy just out of curiosity. I said, “I don’t expect you to go for this, but I think it’s special, so I feel like if I don’t show you, I’m withholding information.” I kind of didn’t want him to say yes because I wanted it to be on my solo record; but I knew The Superjesus would make it amazing. To my surprise Ruddy snapped it up straight away. Once it got in Murray’s hands, he sped it up (as he usually does) and I had to rewrite the verse vocal to fit in with the new tempo. It took me a while to get my head around the change, but that’s always the way when you’re attached to something; but I trusted him too and sat with it for a while. Cam’s guitar work on this is exceptional, especially because these last few songs we finished remotely rather than being in the studio together. Cam sat alone in his house with no direction and came up with the most exquisite parts. Ruddy then did his beautiful signature ballad style of playing which I like to call “a big kid in a tiny playground;” where he plays soft, yet spiritually playful. His lines walked all over that song in a Paul McCartney kind of way. I absolutely love what they have done with it, and I’m thrilled I trusted them. Now I am listening to my early demo, and it seems so slow and boring.
AUSTRALIAN MUSICIAN: A diamond indeed. The power ballad we didn’t know we needed from The Superjesus. Put your arms around your friends, hold those camera lights up high and sway along. …” Cause that’s what lovers do, When they’re built like me and you, Only diamonds will do.”
SOMETHING GOOD
RUDDY: Talk about pushing boundaries. Something good pushed us into a more contemporary sounding genre. We have never been afraid to push the limits, and this song has all the parts needed to make it great from the sultry verses to the amazingly undeniable chorus. I love it!!
SARAH: This was another one from the “spare parts” folder. Initially, this chorus was again something I was working on for a dance top line that didn’t make it through the net. I re-wrote it as a rock song and had it in my “floaters” folder, where it could be solo or TSJ. I didn’t think Ruddy would go for it because it’s pretty dancy; but again, when I pitched it to him he surprised me with a “YES!” I think it may have even been a “FUCK YES!.” I love this new angle to our band am I’m thrilled Ruddy was open to putting his toe in the water. We’ve even got club remixes for it!
AUSTRALIAN MUSICIAN: A loping, slow rockin’, dreamy start, explodes into a powerful, singalong chorus. Almost a menacing James Bond vibe going on from Ruddy on this one. Track 06 on the album, perhaps it should have been 007!
LONLINESS IS THE NEW BLACK
RUDDY: Originally this was a rock tune, and we worked our asses off on it. This song was great for one week, and something to throw away the next. I had been down the rabbit hole for a while with this song; we had gone back and forth together, driving our producer crazy. We had to distance ourselves from the song for a good two months to regain perspective. In the end we felt an acoustic version would really highlight the sentiment of the song; and I’m glad, because it’s amazing to hear guitar and vocals stripped back bare, with an honesty that trumps the song altogether.
SARAH: I love this song; it may be my favourite. It’s had so many incarnations, but the song itself is so strong it survived them all. Initially, it started out as a piece of music Ruddy sent me that had a kind of Divinyls feel. To write the vocals I took it to the piano and broke it down. It had such beauty on the piano, it threw doubt into the equation of its Rock N Roll production. We then did a version with piano and strigs, then an acoustic version. To be honest, I love all the versions equally. I could have picked any one of them; to me there is no bad version of this song. The only reason I voted for the acoustic one was because we had no acoustic songs on the record. Lyrically, I was thinking about how we were a bit gun shy about going outside and resuming our normal lives after Covid; like how prisoners go back inside after being locked up because that’s what they are used to, and where they feel comfortable.
AUSTRALIAN MUSICIAN: A gorgeous acoustic ballad that adds a pleasant breather to the dynamics of the record. Fabulous, well thought out harmonies edging into Beatlesque territory. It’s the sound of a band willing to develop and explore ideas outside of their comfort zone, even after three decades of rockin’ out and proving they’re as relevant as they’ve ever been.
GANGBUSTERS
RUDDY: This tune was something Sarah had in the batch of demos; and it’s a fun tune. I smile when I listen to this song because we all had a great day in the studio recording it; we had fun. Not that the studio isn’t fun, it’s just that we had no preconception on how it would turn out, and it was literally coming together as we sat down to play it.
SARAH: No way in hell did I think Ruddy was going to go for Gangbusters, after he told me it reminded him of Ghostbusters. I thought it was off the table for sure. However, at the end of a session one day we all began to jam on it as a band. It was our first studio jam with the new band, and it was flowing really well. It was the song that needed the most work, so it was kind of the only one open for an all in jam. We all found it really inspiring, and I was impressed on how well everyone bounced off each other. We were all very excited and giggly and laughed all the way through it.
AUSTRALIAN MUSICIAN: There’s a Kiss ‘I Was Made For Loving You’/ Survivor ‘Eye of the Tiger’ vibe about this one. A little bit disco, a little bit rock n roll. Is ‘Risco’ a thing? It might be now! The pedalboard gets quite the workout on this one too. A phat sound with a catchy chorus and an incredible vocal performance from Sarah.
DANCING WITH MYSELF
RUDDY: We have always been partial to recording a cover here and there in the past, and we thought about what we should look at recording. Literally the same day we both went to each other and said, how about a Billy Idol song? Sarah had listened to a few songs and felt perhaps there wasn’t the right song we could do, until I landed Dancing With Myself on her. Ha! It’s a perfect song and we did a lighthearted, fun version that is totally aimed at encouraging the audience to participate with us. It’s brilliant!!!
SARAH: This was Ruddy’s idea, genius!! Its purpose was to deliver a bit of fun and familiarity on the record. We didn’t stray too far from the original, which is rare for us. We would normally re-write our covers to make them more “us,” but this one was cool just as it was. Playing it live, I get to put the bloody guitar down for once, so I dig that.
AUSTRALIAN MUSICIAN: Gen X/ Billy Idol cover. Heard them play this one at a festival late last year and went down a treat with the crowd. A huge ball o’fun.
LIGHTS OUT
RUDDY: The first song we worked on together for the new album. Originally a demo I had been working on for a month or so. I sent it to Sarah, and that’s when the magic happened. Lights Out was written as a result of someone we knew who lost her battle with mental illness. I can sit here now and tell you that we both had chills listening to this song during playback, and it’s every bit of a stand-up anthem!
SARAH: Ruddy wrote the instrumental of this and made a hell of a demo for me, as in the past few years he’s become very good at production. He handed it over saying he had the title “Lights Out,” and could I do anything with it. We had just received news that a friend of ours who had been a long-time fan of the band since the 90’s had committed suicide. She had been battling with mental illness for a long time, and we had been aware of that for years. Music was her life force, and her passing affected us deeply. We wanted to write this song for her.
AUSTRALIAN MUSICIAN: A heartfelt rockin’ tribute to a fan her took her own life. Fittingly performed in passionate Superjesus style and the perfect way to end a vital, engaging album from an adored Australian band that all music fans need in our lives.
“Lights out in the city tonight
I’m only, I’m only alone
Lights out it’s too late to call it love”
The Superjesus is out now https://www.thesuperjesus.com/