For The Tortured Souls’ Justin Davies, songwriting has become an unexpected pathway to self-discovery, emotional release and connection. His debut album, Unforgettable Days (out November 27) , is a deeply personal collection of songs shaped by nostalgia, life experience, melancholy and an enduring appreciation for the beautiful moments that can emerge from even the most difficult of times.
Speaking with Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips, Davies reflects on the musical influences that shaped him, the unexpected beginnings of his songwriting journey and the creative collaboration that transformed a collection of songs originally intended for his own enjoyment into a fully realised album.
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Davies’ musical foundations were laid early, listening alongside his parents to an eclectic mix of artists including Shirley Bassey, Cleo Laine, Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone, Burt Bacharach, Neil Diamond and The Beatles. As he grew older, the sounds of 1970s glam rock and classic rock ballads became equally influential. That combination of timeless melodies, rich arrangements and emotionally resonant songwriting has left a lasting impression on his musical sensibilities, helping shape the warm, nostalgic character of Unforgettable Days.
Yet, for Davies, it has always been words that hold the greatest power. A self-described nostalgic lost soul, he has long been drawn to poetry and lyrics, particularly their ability to evoke powerful emotions. A few carefully chosen words can quickly shift his mood, particularly when they touch on sadness, regret or the passing of time. While he finds it relatively easy to express positive feelings, communicating more difficult emotions can be challenging. Songwriting, he explains, provides a way to explore those feelings with a freedom that everyday conversation doesn’t always allow.
Davies came to songwriting without any great musical ambition or formal instrumental prowess. Although he had always dabbled with guitar and piano, it was a difficult personal experience that prompted him to pick up a guitar more seriously a couple of years ago. Wanting to process something from his past that continued to weigh on him, he began writing a song.
With only a basic understanding of chords, Davies simply moved his fingers around the guitar neck until he found sounds that suited the melody and emotion he was trying to convey. He still approaches songwriting in much the same way, often relying on his bandmates to identify the unusual chords he has stumbled upon. Rather than being restricted by musical theory, he sees this instinctive approach as an advantage, allowing him to follow the emotional direction of a song wherever it leads.
What began as a personal exercise in working through difficult emotions quickly developed into a collection of 11 or 12 songs. There was initially no intention to make an album, let alone release the material publicly. But that changed when producer Rob Grant recognised something special in the songs and encouraged Davies to take them further.
Davies speaks with enormous affection for Grant, describing him as the person responsible for the album coming into existence. Grant’s experience, creative instincts and meticulous attention to detail proved invaluable, with Davies particularly impressed by his ability to recognise how even a single note or beat could transform the emotional impact of a song.
Grant’s studio also provided an inspiring environment in which the album could develop. Filled with vintage instruments, keyboards, guitars and an impressive collection of recording equipment, it offered an atmosphere reminiscent of the great recording studios of the 1970s. With its constant stream of musicians and creative personalities, it became the perfect setting for the project.
Grant also helped bring together the musicians who would give the songs their distinctive character, including members of The Sleepy Jackson circle and other established Australian performers. Davies particularly values the way the musicians approached the material, allowing arrangements to develop organically rather than imposing preconceived ideas on the songs. He believes their contributions elevated the recordings considerably, and while he remains modest about his own songwriting, he is particularly proud of how beautiful the finished album sounds.
The album’s title track, Unforgettable Days, captures much of the emotional territory explored throughout the record. For Davies, the phrase carries a dual meaning. It can evoke happy, precious memories, but it can equally describe difficult periods that, with the passing of time, become strangely beautiful in their own way. Although the song reflects on sadness and the things that have been lost, its chorus introduces a sense of lift and promise. That balance between melancholy and optimism became a fitting reflection of the album as a whole.
Another particularly personal track is Goldlined Melancholy, which grew from moments spent in various locations, including a stormy coastal setting overlooking the surf. Davies explains that place plays an important role in his songwriting, not because he consciously sets out to write about a particular location, but because certain environments evoke feelings that naturally find their way into his music.
The song reflects what he describes as his own journey through life: frequently feeling lost and uncertain, yet simultaneously experiencing profound gratitude for the world around him. Whether it’s sunlight catching the leaves of a tree after rain or a fleeting moment of natural beauty, Davies finds himself constantly balancing feelings of struggle with an appreciation for life’s golden moments. Finding the right words for the song’s final verse, which he wanted to leave listeners with a sense of hope and resolution, proved particularly challenging.
That attention to lyrical detail is also evident in No Tomorrows. The striking line, ‘There’ll be no tomorrows today’, explores the painful finality of a relationship reaching its end, particularly when opportunities to make things right have been allowed to pass. Davies admits that some lyrics arrive almost spontaneously, while others can occupy his thoughts for months as he searches for a single word that feels right.
No Tomorrows began life as a much slower, more reflective song. Its eventual transformation into a more dynamic arrangement was largely the result of the musicians responding instinctively to one another in the studio. Beginning with vocals and Hammond organ, the track gradually gathers momentum through guitar, slide and backing vocals. Davies says virtually every song on the album developed in this fashion, with the arrangements emerging naturally as the musicians found their collective groove.
That collaborative spirit will carry through to the album’s live presentation. The Tortured Souls are preparing an eight-piece lineup for the album launch at Fremantle’s Freo Social on November 26, sharing the bill with Kim Churchill and The Audreys. Rehearsals have been underway for several weeks, with Davies looking forward to recreating the emotional depth and energy of the recordings on stage.
For Justin, performing is about much more than simply presenting the songs. He hopes audiences will experience something of what he feels when writing and singing them, whether that means being moved, uplifted, transported somewhere nostalgic or simply connecting with a particular lyric.
Looking ahead, Davies’ ambitions are refreshingly uncomplicated. Having already begun work on the next record, he hopes to build a life around writing, recording and performing music, travelling and sharing his songs with people who want to listen. Commercial success is secondary to the opportunity to make music that gives others a meaningful emotional experience.
Unforgettable Days is an album born from personal reflection but made richer through collaboration and for an artist who never initially intended to make a record, the result is a remarkably heartfelt introduction to a songwriting voice worth listening to.