The interplay between the varied strengths and styles of these five musicians serves to, as observed earlier, generate a melting pot of sounds in their recordings, particularly those characteristically attributed to folk and rock music. These dual pillars stand tall as the foundational components of Day for Caroline’s previous double-release back in November 2024, When The Day Breaks and I Can See. 

Falling into Day for Caroline’s comfort zone, When The Day Breaks flows effortlessly in a lush harmonic bubble of warm acoustics, sparkling keys, and the resonant cadence of a gliding lap steel. Leaning on the shoulders of acts like Wilco, Elliott Smith, and Jim O’Rourke, the song’s configuration, which oscillates between the worlds of folk and rock, was effectively assembled in the midst of an impromptu jam. 

In comparison, I Can See assumes a more delicate soundscape, defined most prominently by Willsmore’s fingerpicked acoustic guitar and brooding vocals, which feature Lily Appelt’s harmonies. To complement the track’s introspective tone, I Can See features moments of gentle strumming, flickering piano pitter-patters, and ambient percussion interspersed amidst the minimalist instrumentation. 

Among other elements, like the Television-invoking echoes of their 2023 You Won’t Feel This Way Tomorrow EP, where I Regret shines is in its coordinated synergy of these two stylistic emblems. 

I Regret cover art by William Joyner

Willsmore’s lyrics on I Regret were pieced together during a trip to Melbourne in January 2023, where he was taking scholarship classes with the celebrated Australian guitarist and composer Stephen Magnusson. While practicing under the guidance of Magnusson, a musician renowned for his jazz guitar acumen among a cornucopia of other proficiencies, Jack repeatedly felt his attention was deviating from the underlying ambition of his interstate visit and compelled towards the unfolding creation of I Regret. 

“[I] was trying to really lock in to a jazz world mindset, and for some reason all it seemed I could do was write this bloody song. I kept trying to put it away but each day I was there I’d come up with a new line or see something that I thought would work well.” 

Around this time, Jack was dwelling on feelings of longing and loneliness attributed to the breaking down of an old friendship, an anguish that fuelled his lyrical themes in the first half of I Regret. 

"You were sat down beside her with a space on your left that looked a lot like me
I sent through some words and I tried to explain
I don’t remember exactly what I said something like
I’m sorry"

“I saw a picture of the old friend pop up with another one of our shared friends, and I was just very sad about the whole situation. One of those things that just broke down for no good reason and never got resolved. Definitely a lesson learnt in trying to confront things before they snowball.” 

“It’s funny though - the song has gone through different meanings for me. It’s not too tied to that situation that it feels locked to it. It’s a pretty open message, so I feel like anytime I’m feeling loss or regret about a relationship or friendship breaking down, this song will kind of attach itself to that moment.”

In the second half, Jack’s lyrics, sung with his familiar unruffled American twang, stray from their legible forebears and “devolve into insanity” to mirror the song’s instrumental crescendo. A formidable blend of pounding drums, droning lead guitar, spiralling synths, and a slick bassline forms a dazzling sonic vortex that peaks just before the band reprises their infectiously charming chorus. 

If I had to describe I Regret  as a particular drink, I’d call it the Day for Caroline cocktail, blending all the flavours of their previous releases into a coherent 5-minute recipe, in which bittersweet notes of melancholic nostalgia tangle with the absurd and psychedelic. It’s both enchantingly whimsical and deeply introspective, at once wistful folk and versatile rock, and it comprises everything I’ve come to expect from this compelling Adelaide group. 

Day for Caroline’s debut album is scheduled for release in April through Swirl Records. 

Press shots by Grace Vandals & Live shots by Spoz Spozington