Jack Ladder
Tall Pop Syndrome is the first new music from Ladder since 2021’s Hijack! and adds new fodder for his song writing canon as he directs his attention completely towards the electronic realm.
Enlisting Kim Moyes of The Presets to oversee the final capture, Tall Pop Syndrome is heavy with synthetic texture, pulsation and atmosphere but defined by a new perspective. Seeking to disrupt the invasion of AI, and dethrone the rule of the algorithm, Jack Ladder has made the
most heartfelt and human record with digital tools. Rather than cutting himself down in the tradition of ‘tall poppy syndrome’, the tallest man in music is cutting to the chase, getting to the core of human
emotion in 3 minutes.
In this spirit the album kicks off with the first single “Home Alone”, pristine production transporting Ladder’s smooth vocal tone as it drives directly toward the dance floor. An ode to fallen musical stars beyond just a status update, Ladder explains, “I felt like my favourite artists needed to be honoured in a way that was more lasting than a social media post. I wanted to include all the artists that died while I lived in my Blue Mountains house from 2011 - 2021. Like a meta obituary to my past life. The only rule was that they had to have names that rolled off the tongue in a musical way. I love Mark Hollis from Talk Talk but it didn’t have the same ring as Eddie Van Halen.”
Looking back at the process that delivered Tall Pop Syndrome Ladder shares, “I told Alex Cameron from Endless that because I spent all his money on Hijack! I would write him a ‘hit’ record to ‘win’ it all back.”
Rather than following the trajectory of established artists at this point in their career, to safe spaces with acoustic guitars, Ladder has chosen to travel further and further away from his origins as a folky troubadour, yet he still carries his craft in a silk bindle.
