Jesse Madigan

Jesse Madigan is quietly observing. On his second album, Soft Room for Movement (Spunk Records), the Newcastle-based songwriter embraces both the gentle stillness and wavering instability of the world around him. “The album is me exploring. It’s an attempt to better understand myself, what my identity is and where it lies in relation to the art I’m making.” Even while searching for answers within his practice, Jesse’s songs invite the listener into his world, offering respite from the turbulence of our surroundings.

After releasing his debut album in 2020, Soft Room for Movement sees Jesse taking bold steps towards a more lavish production approach this time around. Hushed vocals and acoustic guitars sit nestled among silken string and vocal arrangements, while distorted guitars and airy drums hover throughout the record like thunder in the distance. Setting up a makeshift studio in an empty Sydney office space, Jesse called on Sydney band Casual Fan, as well as a troupe of friends from Newcastle, to lay down the instrumental tracks for the album with him in just three days. Six months after those initial sessions, Jesse finished his vocal parts at home in Newcastle before mixing the album with Liam ‘Snowy’ Halliwell (Snowy Band, Ocean Party) in Melbourne.

On the making of the album, Jesse is quick to praise the friends who helped him through what ultimately was an emotionally taxing process: “I’m super lucky to be part of such a generous community.”