The Ocean Party caught up with Jack Shit on Jack Off for a sombre and generous chat ahead of their final show ever.

After sharing live acoustic versions of ‘White Cockatoo’ and ‘Guess Work’, the band spoke with Jack about recent death of band member Zac Denton, how that experience influenced their latest EP ‘Nothing Grows’ and subsequent solo ventures. They described the outpouring of support from friends and family and how that has continued all the way up to this final show at the Opera House: 

‘We did decide we’re gonna have Emma (Russack) sing ‘Nothing Grows’ which is one of Zac’s songs, and our friend Dom (Kearton) who’s one of Zac’s best friends, he plays in Skydeck, who’s rushing from a wedding to sing ‘Rain on Tin’ last.’

Lead Singer and Zac’s brother Lachlan Denton, described how despite having mixed feelings about the process, making songs that dealt with Zac’s passing was therapeutic:

‘It’s something I felt pretty conflicted about doing. After Zac passed away, as far as writing songs about, it feels like a pretty dirty thing to do in a little bit of a way. But then it’s… I dunno’, that’s all I could really do. That’s how I’ve dealt with all of my issues since I was really young. There was no intention to make a record I guess, I just realised when I sat down and wrote songs that I couldn’t really write about anything else’

Listen to the whole interview for a deep dive into the bands crafty penchant for makeshift tour buses, how exactly they met and came up with their name during an ocean themed party, as well as a quick Spunk Records origin story that includes Emma Russack, and Jordan Ireland of The Middle East. 

Lachlan’s solo album – a profound reflection on his relationship with Zac –  is called ‘A Brother’ and it’s out now through Spunk Records.

Tune in to Jack-Off with Jack Shit every Saturday from 3pm.