Long distance, different cities, having your heart split between two places – that's been the defining tension of Mel Blue's story since the beginning.
Their first EP wrestled with it, and now their sophomore album 'nomorejacketsplease' (released today) throws the full weight of that experience onto the dance floor.
Written between Sydney and London, the record bottles the disorientation of moving halfway across the world, the resilience it takes to start again, and the joy of finding your place – flipping it into 12 euphoric, bass-driven tracks built for late nights and long rides home.
For the trio, 'nomorejacketsplease' is more than just a sophomore album – it's the culmination of years spent navigating friendship, distance, and creative reinvention. It's the boldest version of Mel Blue yet, and the release marks a milestone worth celebrating.
"Like everything we make, 'nomorejacketsplease' is a homage to all of our favourite artists, songs, and sounds," the trio of Oscar Sharah, Jacob Siles, and Luke Gerber explain. "A line can be drawn from each reference in our songs to a specific moment or experience we had with another song. I think that's why nostalgia is so central to our sound."
Initially isolated and struggling to adapt to a new city, the band members found themselves recalibrating their expectations and rediscovering their creative spark.
"While we were surrounded by life-altering musical experiences, we were also managing the fact that London was turning out to be so different to what we had imagined.
"We went over believing London would slingshot us into the next part of our careers: that we would be gigging all the time throughout Europe and making music constantly. It was not like this.
"When we first went over [to London], the future of Mel Blue was not clear. We weren't even sure if or how we could continue. Luke and Jacob, who was to rejoin Mel Blue later in London, got 9-5 jobs as schoolteachers to pay the bills."
Possibly self-inflicted, by being in long-distance relationships and/ or by moving to London. Or maybe it's just a rite of passage for Australian artists. Either way, staying connected has always been essential. Especially when your bandmates are split across two continents.
Fortunately for the trio, being in a band in 2025 means a shared Google account, which means a shared YouTube watch history; and a shared YouTube watch history means that staying connected and keeping up with each other's ever-evolving interests is as simple as visiting the YouTube homepage and seeing what's recommended.
The number one recommendation? 'Shark Tank'. So, being the young entrepreneurs they are, and for the sake of keeping up with one another, Mel Blue has compiled a list of the top five 'Shark Tank' ideas they would definitely invest in.
