Ricky Albeck Shares Contemplative New Cut 'It Goes…’; Debut Album Nocturnal OutFriday, May 3, 2024 Independently

Naarm/Melbourne-via-Kaurna land/Adelaide alt-rock act Ricky Albeck’s highly anticipated debut album Nocturnal is due for release on Friday, May 3, and today he shares a third taste of the record in new single ‘It Goes’.

‘It Goes…’ is a lush and contemplative cut exploring the banality of everyday life; the introductory verse affirming that as long as it goes, there’s a glimmer of hope. There’s a Bill Callahan-esque tenor to Albeck’s vocals – backed by angelic harmonies courtesy of Jess Johns (Workhorse) – in the track, which opens with finger-picked acoustic guitar before feel-good drums, bass, electric guitar and piano are introduced.

Ricky shares, “I’m really proud of this song. It’s my favourite on the album. But it’s hard to play live because there’s heaps of overdubs. I need a really big band. I’ll figure it out.”

A glimpse into Albeck’s distinctive sound – described by Pilerats as “Sonic Youth meets You Am I meets Bad//Dreems meets Johnny Cash (somehow)” – ‘It Goes…’ is the third taste of his debut album Nocturnal, preceded by ‘Get Me Outta Here’ and ‘Insignificant Favours’, which saw rotation adds across ABC Country’s GRASS ROOTS and Saturday Night Country, plays across triple j, PBS, 4ZZZ, 2SER, Radio Adelaide, Three D and RTR, plus adds to Apple Music’s Aussie Country and Southern Craft, with praise from Pilerats, The Note and CityMag, among others.

The son of country music royalty Beccy Cole and acclaimed fiddler Mick Albeck, Ricky launched into the music scene when he was just 19 years old with his debut EP Lovely Bones, followed by a string of singles, including ‘It’s Normal’, which was released as a 7” split single with Awabakal land/Newcastle group dust. Unpretentious yet studied, his distinctive “post pub-rock” sound quickly caught the attention of tastemakers at triple j, Pilerats and ToneDeaf among others, Albeck touring his music across small-towns and big cities nationally alongside much-loved acts including Amyl & the Sniffers, The Growlers, Pist Idiots, West Thebarton, Wireheads and Workhorse.

The eight tracks that make up Albeck’s debut album, Nocturnal, were written over 5 years, then self-recorded and produced by Albeck at Adelaide’s Interim Studios. The album features bass, drums, pedal steel, strings, fiddle, percussion, piano and glockenspiel performed by an array of local musicians, as well as Nashville pedal steel player Patrick Lyons (Colter Wall).

Ricky shares of his imminent record, “[Nocturnal] represents a whole lot of learning for me. I self-produced it, and every song is produced differently. In some ways, you can really tell I’m just finding my feet, but I also think it’s really interesting noting the different production choices made across different tracks. It also represents learning in terms of songwriting. Songs like ‘She Wasn’t Anyone’, I wrote about five years back, while ‘Sometimes’ and ‘Insignificant Favours’ were written more recently. I think you can tell those ones are more “to the point” than vague and open to interpretation.”

He continues, “The songs represent a really important time in my life because I spent so much time with them. I was living in Adelaide, recording at Interim Studios in the city, dipping out every couple of nights to play a gig. Colby, who co-owns the studio, entrusted me with keys to the joint, so I would work until 7am if I was on a roll, sleep for a few hours and start again. It’s a very manic way to do things, but I think it works for me.”

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