There is a copious amount of things on Jeswon's mind when he answers his phone. So much so, in fact, that a scheduled 15-minute interview ends up going for double that amount of time.
On one hand, he's just put out 'All This Life' with Thundamentals, the veteran Blue Mountains hip hop group of which he is a founding member, marking their sixth album overall and first in four years.On the other, he's fresh from the announcement that fellow founding member and co-frontman Tuka will no longer be touring with the group, after nearly 15 years and hundreds of shows.
It's only appropriate, then, the interview begins simply by checking in on the rapper born Jesse Ferris – if only to see where his state of mind is in the midst of such extremes.
"It's been a roller coaster, to say the least," he begins with a heavy breath.
Jeswon makes a point of emphasising there is no bad blood between himself, the group's DJ Morgs and Tuka. While Jeswon is admittedly sad, the rapper also admits he understands where his bandmate is coming from.
"He's fallen out of love with being out on the road, and putting himself out there in such a public way," Ferris says.
"It does have its toll on artists, this expectation to go above and beyond in order to give people more and more access to your life. It's not like a nine-to-five where you can just punch in and out. We've got nothing but understanding for where Tuk's at.
"For Morgs and I, it's very different. The idea of doing live shows is honestly super exciting to us right now. We're pumped at being able to have that again, even though it's obviously going to be a different experience from now on.
"It's a tricky one, but we're going to continue to uphold Tuk's legacy and Thundamentals' legacy as best we can."
Said legacy is both upheld and extended on 'All This Life', which marks an ambitious sonic recalibration for the trio.
For one, it's their first album to not include any features or guests since their debut album, 2009's 'Sleeping On Your Style'; for another, it's an album that largely focuses on the group's melodic elements rather than its usual centralisation of hip hop.
Depending on how you look at it, it's either the album that sounds the most or the least like Thundamentals in their entire discography – and regardless, its agency and defiant free spirit simply cannot be denied.
"When we were making this album it was the only thing in our lives we had any control over," Jeswon says. "We weren't allowed to do gigs – hell, we weren't even allowed to see one another.
"Getting together virtually to write music online was all we could do in order to not be fully defeated by the situation. We gave ourselves total freedom, and a complete lack of pressure. What we ended up with was such a gumbo, and a real reflection on where we find ourselves this far into our career."
Ferris goes on to note that the album musically touches upon all three members going back to their roots and reconnecting with the music they loved growing up.
"Our parents would have Jimi Hendrix and The Doors playing when we were kids, and then we all got into bands like Nirvana and Faith No More," he recalls.
"It's all in the scope of the music – there's this psychedelic swirl to it all, and it's almost cinematic in parts. Morgs' production on this album is something special – he's really at the top of his game."
Among the first shows of the new-era Thundamentals is a stop at Brisbane's The Tivoli this coming January, part of the venue's ongoing birthday celebrations.
It's one both Jeswon and Morgs are looking forward to, as the city has always been home to some of the group's most fervent supporters.
"Queenslanders aren't too cool to let you know they're having a real good time," Jeswon laughs. "Brisbane has always made us feel at home as performers, and we can't wait to rock out with everyone from the get-go."
'All This Life' is available.
Thundamentals 2023 Tour Dates
Fri 13 Jan - Tanks Art Centre (Cairns)Sat 14 Jan - The Tivoli (Brisbane)
Fri 20 Jan - Fat Controller (Adelaide)
Sat 21 Jan - Freo.Social (Fremantle)
Fri 27 Jan - Uni Bar (Wollongong)
Sat 28 Jan - UC Hub (Canberra)
Fri 10 Feb - 170 Russell (Melbourne)
Sat 11 Feb - Torquay Hotel (Torquay)
Fri 17 Feb - Cambridge Hotel (Newcastle)
Sat 18 Feb - Metro Theatre (Sydney)
