16 August 2024 - 0 Comments

At the end of 2019 Rob Joass wasn’t sure he would ever write another song. He was well and truly burnt out from releasing and touring his solo album (Pencarrow) and Hobnail’s 25th anniversary Best Of album, on top of his busy career as a guitar teacher and being a father to two teenage boys.

During a break (helped by covid lockdowns) Rob had mentoring sessions with old friend and fellow traveller Charlotte Yates to think about what to do next. These sessions reminded Rob that he needed to get back in touch with the simple joy of song writing. For the last few years Rob has done exactly that and his new album Faultlines is the result.

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For the first time Rob has worked with a producer, and the results are obvious. Wayne Bell not only added a layer of excellence to the production ethic, he also encouraged Rob to push arrangements and try some new ideas. Guest vocalists, intricate yet subtle guitar work, keyboard pads and (as you would expect from Wayne Bell) dynamic drums let the songs breathe and draw the listener in, rewarding repeated listening.

Faultlines contains 8 beautifully crafted originals plus a glorious cover of the Go-Betweens classic Bye Bye Pride, and is easily the best album of Rob’s long career.

Guest musicians include Wayne Bell on drums, Mark Hughes on bass guitar, keyboards by Wayne Mason, pedal steel by Garrett Evans, Violin by Jo Moir, Cello by Brenton Vietch, and guest vocals from Jenny Mitchell, Nicola Mitchell, Jo Moir, Lynley Christoffersen, Rosie O’Connor and Sean O’Connor.

“Rob Joass is one of the finest Aussie/Kiwi singer songwriters you’ll hear. Honest, clever, humorous and real.” - Phil Taylor, East FM

Faultlines is Rob’s 4th solo album. He has also released 7 albums with Hobnail, 1 with Too Many Chiefs and 1 album and 2 EP’s with The Shot Band. He is a 3 time finalist at the NZ music awards, and has had songs covered by artists in NZ, Australia, Canada, the US and Germany.

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