WE'VE all needed some escapism in recent years whether that's through art, sport or some mind-numbing TV show on Netflix.
Holly Rankin, better known as indie singer-songwriter, Jack River, is no different.
Ever since the Forster-raised artist emerged onto the Australian indie scene in the mid-2010s with her sparkling singles like Palo Alto and Fool's Gold, she's been a passionate advocate for environmental issues and progressive politics.
In 2021 Rankin released the political anthem We Are The Youth, inspired by her performance at the 2019 School Strike for Climate rally.
Initially the plan was the write a "protest album" to follow her acclaimed 2018 debut Sugar Mountain.
But after enduring ferocious bushfires over the summer of 2019-20 at her then home of Mollymook on the NSW south coast and in the Manning Valley, combined with the emotional upheaval of the pandemic, Rankin found herself drawn to writing pop songs that lived in fantastical worlds.
Creative escapism is something Rankin is familiar with. The idealised teen dream of Sugar Mountain was famously written as a means of dealing with the grief following the death of her sister, Shannon, in a spa accident in 2006.
With the focus on pure escapism, Rankin set about building a world of sun-drenched beach days, sugar-coated dreams and festival vibes.
The result was Endless Summer, the most eclectic work of her career.
The record was mostly produced by indie-folk star Matt Corby and features co-writes with Corby, rapper Genesis Owusu, DMA'S guitarist Matt Mason and electronic artist Japanese Wallpaper.
"Pre-pandemic I was thinking of writing some kind of protest album that followed on from We Are The Youth," Rankin says.
"But as things went down and our industry crumbled and our lives changed forever, I definitely just ran to the escapism door and made something similar to Sugar Mountain, something to escape to and leave reality behind for a moment."
Musically, Endless Summer features '90s club beats (Real Life), early 2000s pop (Lie To Me), psychedelic vibes (Honey) and 60s rock-pop (Paradise), all sprinkled with Jack River fairy dust.
Rankin jokes the record suffers from a "personality disorder."
"It was quite reflective of how I feel in the world as well, where there's so much going on," she says. "Do I even make sense? So why not make the record like that too?"
Rankin isn't joking when she says there's a lot going on.
In December she became a mother, welcoming her daughter Maggie.
The arrival of Maggie prompted Rankin to move back to her hometown of Forster to be closer to her parents and extended family.
In between feeds, nappy changes and broken sleep, Rankin has continued to release Jack River singles.
She says becoming a mother has changed her completely as a person, but she remains committed to expanding her career.
"For a long time I've written songs for people I love and played as many great shows as I could, so I don't think it changes how I approach my career," she says.
"But definitely it makes me want to savour every wonderful moment I get to have in music and makes me want to write really great songs.
"Anyone that's a new parent has this hyper alert awareness and understanding of how precious life is.
"The fact I get to make music at the moment is wonderful and makes me appreciate it more."
Last year, while pregnant, Rankin continued to tour right up to 35 weeks.
"We don't really see pregnant women on stage, so I was excited to normalise that a little bit, not that I'm the first to do that," she says.
Rankin plans to continue juggling motherhood and music this year with an appearance at Splendour In The Grass next month, plus Endless Summer launch shows in August in Sydney and Melbourne.
There's also Rankin's new political role as creative director of the History Is Calling campaign, which urges Australians to vote "yes" in the upcoming referendum to establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.
"It's something I couldn't not work on this year," she says.
This week a Resolve Strategic survey revealed for the first time support for The Voice has slipped below 50 per cent nationally.
Asked if she fears The Voice referendum will fail, Rankin remains optimistic.
"I have a lot of hope because it's really early days," she says. "We're only in June and the referendum will be sometime in October.
"If we think about elections and how much that changes over a few months, and how many people make their decision in the last week before a vote, I think it's far too early to be fearful about it.
"The 'No' campaign can do whatever they want and it's quite a reckless-abandon approach, whereas the 'Yes' campaign or Uluru Statement education campaign are really taking their time and having conversations with mob and allies and everyday people.
"It's a slower approach, which I think will pay off across the year."
Jack River releases Endless Summer on Friday and performs at the Cambridge Farewell Festival in Newcastle on June 24.
