Jet Frontman Nic Cester Signs With Mushroom Imprint Bloodlines

Worldly Australian rocker Nic Cester — best known for his time as the frontman of Jet — is broadening his horizons as a solo artist, announcing the November release of debut album Sugar Rush alongside the news that he's become the first signing to Bloodlines, a new imprint of the Mushroom Group.

The full-length arrives following a period of respite for the veteran muso, who has spent the past few years living in Berlin, Milan and, most recently, Como, a world away from his chaotic time leading Jet through their salad days in the early '00s.

"After smashing it worldwide with Jet, it’s truly exciting to have Nic Cester join the Mushroom family with this world-class solo album, our first official release on the Bloodlines label," Mushroom chairman Michael Gudinski said in a statement. "We look forward to working with Nic on this record across Australia and New Zealand."

The 12-track record draws on influences such as blues, soul, Italian music and Cester's own broad musical history to create something unlike anything else in his oeuvre. It was recorded between Milan and London, where Cester was joined by members of cinematic rockers Calibro 35, and produced by Jim Abbiss (Adele, Arctic Monkeys, Queens Of The Stone Age).

Cester has previewed the album by way of first single Psichebello, which he describes as "the most psychedelic track on the album and the moment that highlights the abilities of the amazing Italian musicians who I had the pleasure to record with".

Nic Cester will be touching down in Australia in the immediate run-up to the album's release to play a pair of launch shows along with his all-Italian live touring band, the Milano Elettrica. They'll hit Leadbelly, in Sydney, on Tuesday 31 October and Melbourne's Memo Music Hall on Thursday 2 November.

Sugar Rush will be released via Bloodlines on Friday 3 November.