Philadelphia Grand Jury

“We did that tour last year and then we were like, ‘Why don’t we make an album?’” says bass player Joel Beeson. “And none of us could think of a good reason why not.”

The atmosphere at the Philly Jays’ December reunion shows was completely devoid of nostalgia. Enthralling a packed room at The Standard with equal parts clever songcraft and sweaty chaos, the three-piece proved they weren’t past their peak.

“We all felt that tour was the best shows we’d played,” Beeson says. “It was bizarre because we hadn’t played together for three years and had done two rehearsals or something. For some reason it just worked really well.”

With the release of their debut record Hope Is For Hopers five years ago, Philadelphia Grand Jury became key players in Australia’s buzzing music scene. But after a frivolous few years travelling around the country and parts of the globe, the guys announced they were done. Frontman Simon Berckelman (AKA Berkfinger) relocated to Berlin and ignited a solo project, Feelings. Original Philly Jays drummer Dan Williams exited the band in 2009 to focus on playing with Art vs Science, but on Feelings’ 2012 Australian tour he was back behind the kit. Naturally, Beeson was curious to see his former comrades playing together again.

“It was definitely weird to see that happening,” he says of Feelings’ first Sydney show. “They played a couple of Philadelphia Grand Jury songs and I’d never, obviously, stood in the crowd and seen those songs be played before. That was a really bizarre experience, actually.”

At this stage, Dave Rennick from Dappled Cities was Feelings’ third live member. However, Rennick couldn’t commit to the next run of shows, which is when Beeson stepped up to the plate. “I got this email, fairly out of the blue, saying, ‘No pressure, just thought that this might be kind of cool,’” he explains. “I will admit I was nervous coming back into a band with Dan and Simon, because we broke up because we weren’t getting along all that well. But stepping into that rehearsal room it was just like nothing had ever happened. There was an instant chemistry and it just felt right.”

It wasn’t a spectacular burnout, but the Philly Jays’ dissolution was rather unceremonious. Like so many who’d gone before, the strains of being a full-time touring band started outweighing the passion for making music. “You’re spending all of your time living together and trying to book tours and organise hire vans in countries that you’ve never lived in before,” Beeson says. “Doing all that while trying to record a new album, it really wasn’t conducive to being creative.”

Now, having had a few years to move past those stultifying pressures, the Philly Jays are eager to crack on with album number two. After a string of fundraising shows along the east coast, they’ve allotted themselves two weeks in Berkfinger’s Berlin studio to get it done.

“We just thought, ‘How do we do this and make it fun again and go back to being a group of friends that love being in a room playing music and writing songs?’” Beeson says. “I think it was more a case of, ‘Let’s find some way that we can do that without the stress of trying to tour the world or release the biggest single that we’ve released so far.’ It’s trying to be a creative, interesting, fun vibe for us. If other people dig on that, that’s cool, but that’s not our main interest.”

Two weeks seems like a brief working period, particularly considering the songs still need to be written. Producer Tim Whitten will be on board for a good chunk of the recording process, which will lighten the load. Moreover, Beeson is confident the trio’s prosperous collaborative chemistry – which birthed songs such as ‘The Good News’ and ‘Going To The Casino (Tomorrow Night)’ – makes this a more than manageable timeframe.

“We tried writing some stuff and sending it online across the world to each other, but it was a really tough way to work. We wrote our best songs when we were all together, getting a basic idea and it germinating for a couple of hours, and then when the lightning strikes, just hitting ‘record’ and that being the take.

“We used to record after midnight in the studio where Simon was working. We’d just sneak in after midnight and record for three hours – write a song and record it. I think two weeks is a bit of a luxury, to be honest. What are we going to do with all this time? That’s what I’m worried about.”

As for long-term plans, climbing a ladder to the stars isn’t high on the agenda. But never say never. “There’s plans for it to continue, but certainly in a different direction in terms of what we’re focusing our time and energy on,” Beeson says. “It’s not going to be [focused] on conquering the world. It’s going to be on making cool records and playing awesome shows that people remember ten years down the track.”