A Quick Chat with Jack Biilmann
With 15 years of skin in the game, the best songs and show of his career comes Jack Biilmann with album #6 called 'Move The Mountains'. This is a flowing narrative reflecting the perspective of a man in his mid-thirties navigating the life-altering changes and challenges typical of this period. Themes of the outlaw state of mind, introspection, heartbreak, helplessness, betrayal, disappointment, love and appreciation weave through a neat 10-track LP. Biilmann’s signature vocal soar and guitar mastery remain prominent, supported by his loyal band: Jono Warren (drums), Pat Quinn Quirke (guitar) & Alec Coulson (Bass). Their creative input has elevated Biilmann’s writing & live show to the highest point of his career.
Your upcoming album, Move The Mountains, seems to be your most introspective record to date. How did the writing process differ from previous records?
Writing and recording this album played a pivotal role in getting through an extremely challenging 18 month period that also included the ultimate high point of becoming a father. I found that as I wrote the songs about the challenges, I was processing them. Musically, this was the most collaborative effort between the band & me and this really shows in the level of songcraft in each track.
2026 has been a huge year for you so far. How do you balance multiple releases, shows, tours, and self-promotion with being a father and a husband?
This has been the biggest challenge, but I am getting better at it over time. I am really trying to manage my time as best I can which means allocating early mornings & late nights to the admin side of things, rehearsals & writing during the spaces between work, drop offs & pick-ups and the millions of other baby related tasks. The balance is achieved from good time management otherwise it wouldn't happen. It's a very busy life but my partner is the real saviour here; she's amazing at picking up the slack when time pressure increases, and I am always thankful for her.
Your recent single, (Not) Easy to Love, is a beautiful tribute to your wife and the support she has given you. What was her reaction to the track?
She was very smitten with the song which made me very happy. I didn't tell her I was working on it until It was basically finished as I wanted to nail it. I could write a song about her every day for the massive role she has in my life and watching her become a mother and excel at it will ensure there are many more songs to come.
Since the album rollout began in February, you have received airplay on Triple J, Double J & ABC Country radio for your singles. How does it feel hearing your music on the biggest radio stations in Australia?
I have an unhealthy strain of "imposter" syndrome that creeps in sometimes, and hearing songs on these big platforms really pushes that away and proves that I belong here. It's always a rush to see who else gets played on these shows/ stations and being in that company makes me very proud.
If you could recommend one track from the record to a new listener, which song would you choose and why?
Move The Mountains which is the title track written about my Dad getting diagnosed with MND. It covers the emotion attached to that, my attitude towards helping him and the song is a power ballad. With all the above in mind I hope a new listener would want to discover more after hearing this one because it exposes many of the key sounds and elements of the album.
With a massive run of tour dates ahead, what can fans expect from your live show?
The show prepared for this run in either band or solo mode is the best show of my career. The band who played on the album—Jono Warren (drums) Alec Coulson (Bass), and Pat Quinn Quirke (Guitar)—are all close mates of mine and world class players. The time we have spent with the songs has allowed us to explore them, creating new live versions that offer the freedom to extend and vamp on sections as we feel like it. I will also share insights into the songs on stage as we play them to give the crowds the meanings which I really enjoy. I am so excited to play these shows to celebrate a huge album release campaign.
Outlaw: Outlaw was the first song written for the new album and fittingly, the first to be released. In my career so far I have mostly been described as a blues/rock artist & this single is by far my most country sounding song yet. I feel it lands directly between dark country, blues, and rock, which reflects the forthcoming album. I love the slide riffs, chorus and bridge which take you by surprise & really shake up the song. I can hear it in shootout scenes in a vintage western movie; this song was inspired by that. I am very excited for people to hear this one and build the hype for what I believe is the best record of my career to date.
Forbidden Fruit: This one started as a riff that I had lingering around for ages and finally, a vocal theme emerged. I work in a Catholic school by day, and I find religious themes sneak into my songwriting with a cheeky twist which is exactly what has happened here. I guess it's my take on the "Adam & Eve" story but brought to a relatable place for all the "forbidden fruits" we find in life. The track boasts a huge hook, riff & bassline, intricate slide guitar and a disco groove. At live shows it's a floor filler and we have a great time playing it!
Never Have It All: Never have it all is a song that came to me after stepping back and looking at my life in a quest to find some perspective during a tough period. It dawned on me how lucky I am in my life and that the frustrations I was dealing with are shared with many. As humans we constantly face options for paths we could take. Often, these choices mean that other doors close, leaving lingering feelings of "what ifs & what could have been" in your mind. I really think this song's narrative will be relatable for many & I am excited to share it. Sounds wise; it's probably the most country sounding song I've written, which is what it called for, but rock vibes always show up in my songs whenever there's a band involved. The band played out of their skin as always & Matt Dixon on pedal steel added another dimension. I am really looking forward to the response.
(Not) Easy To Love: This song just came from a riff I had stockpiled and total appreciation for my wife Jodi. Since we got together eleven years ago, I have been counting my lucky stars for having her in my life. As the song suggests, at times I am not the easiest person to be with, & mixing an artistic career into a relationship is never easy. She does it with ease, she understands me, and I am proud to have this song on the album to celebrate her. Musically I love the feel of this one; it really draws on my influences of Hendrix & Chris Stapleton to create a sound that’s right in the middle of Blues & country rock. I hope listeners can feel the appreciation attached to the song & relate to it in their own lives. I think the hook & groove is very catchy, this has been proven at live shows which was another big reason for it being picked as a single.
Feelin The Burn: I wrote this one on a day when I felt it was me versus the world. The lyrics tell the story of how the world is cruel, you don't deserve anything and despite this, you should make the best of it. Looking back, when I wrote the song, I had navigated a lot of the tough times that I have written about on the album and felt quite bulletproof, this was a nice feeling. This track is by far the most rock n roll of all the songs on the album, featuring a frenzy of loud guitars which is exactly how I like it! Ripping it out live is arguably the peak of the live set as crowds have really responded to it. The outro solo is a scorcher.
Dark Days: To be completely transparent, Dark Days was written during an extremely low point in my life, describing a 12-month period during which my wife & I suffered two miscarriages, my wife had a cancer procedure while pregnant, my father was diagnosed with motor neurone disease, another close friend was diagnosed with cancer and I parted ways with a good friend after being betrayed. Thankfully I am now the Dad of a beautiful baby boy, my wife is in perfect health, Dad is stable with his MND & life is much smoother. Production-wise, I wanted the track to have dynamics that match the dark vocal themes, ranging from moments of space to intense energy shifts. I am extremely pleased with how the layered instrumentation; lyrics & emotive vocals capture the place I was in when I wrote the song. I hope anyone listening who is going through a tough time may find strength from the song or reflect on those tough times and be proud, as I am to have navigated them.
Slithered: This song is about parting ways with a good friend who betrayed me. As noted in my explanation of Dark Days, this was a tough thing to navigate which was compounded when other hardships kept coming. I was hurt, disappointed and blamed myself for not seeing this coming. It took me a good while to begin writing the song, but I had intentions to do so. I find that when songs take a while to come to me after I have the story in mind, they tend to be winners, and I think this song is unlike anything I have ever written. It's got the emotion I was feeling at the time & almost an Alice In Chains vibe happening which is not something I intended for, but I super glad it happened. The eery pedal steel from Matt Dixon paired with the bands tight performance makes this one very hard to put into a genre box. One of my favourites to play live off the album.
Move The Mountains: The title track of the album is dedicated to my Dad and his fight against MND. The metaphor "Move The Mountains" has always stuck with me, meaning maximum effort and focus to achieve whatever you want or must do. This applies to supporting Dad through this difficult journey & all the other difficult things that have happened in the last 18 months. All these stories created the songs on the album, so I feel it was the right album title and a tag line that I am very happy to be associated with. I think listeners can easily feel all my emotions attached to the song as it grows in intensity into a power ballad, leaning on my vocals & guitar playing to drive the band as the song develops. I am very proud to have my name on this song and have it send the message it does to my father. A milestone writing moment in my career.
Haze On The Highway: "Haze on the Highway" came at a time when I was awaiting the birth of my son. After a couple of miscarriages, you develop a certain trauma from being conditioned to bad news and heartbreak but what fathers deal with in that situation is far less intense in many respects compared to women. Because of this I put on a brave face and supported my wife who really needed me at the time. I felt anxious about the whole situation and used this song to embrace the coming changes and get into the right headspace for what was to come. I am proud to have written this song given the place I was in at the time and it's very unlucky for it not to be pushed as a single. It's a real journey of layers & reverbs with beautiful instrumentation by the band and additions of Dylan Slater on Mandolin & Matt Dixon on pedal steel.
These Are The Days: This song took a very interesting turn from what I had originally planned. The original plan was to record a band version of my 2021 track Sunday Morning. SM is my most streamed track, approaching 2 million listens so I figured that a band version of what was originally a solo song would be a great idea. SM is about my wife and how much I appreciate her for treating me well and letting me be unapologetically myself. It dawned on me that since that song much has changed (including the birth of my son Levi), but plenty is the same. I decided to rewrite the lyrics for the present time which surprisingly didn't take long at all. So, consider this Sunday Morning 2.0. It's a very easy listening jam and very relatable for all the lucky Dads out there with beautiful wives and children. I think ending the album on this note is very appropriate as it completes the journey with a wholesome tone.