Sydney singer-songwriter Jack Ladder has reached a stark new creative peak with his eighth studio album, a deeply personal and musically intimate collection forged in the heart of Los Angeles.
A Dream Session in a Storied Studio
To create Separation Rock, the artist, whose real name is Tim Rogers, travelled to North Hollywood's historic Valentine Studios. This iconic space has hosted legends like The Beach Boys, Frank Zappa, and Stevie Nicks. Rogers and his team completed the entire record in a whirlwind four-day session.
He was joined by a cadre of world-class session musicians, whose resumes include work with Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, and Brian Wilson. At the production helm was Zach Dawes, known for shaping sounds for Lana Del Rey and Sharon Van Etten, and a frequent collaborator with famed producer T Bone Burnett.
"There's something about playing with really great musicians, because I'm actually not a great musician," Rogers admits with characteristic self-effacement. "That will elevate what you're doing."
A Departure from the Dreamlanders' Sound
For many fans, Jack Ladder's sound is synonymous with his backing band The Dreamlanders, featuring cult figures like guitarist Kirin J. Callinan and bassist Donny Benét. However, Separation Rock deliberately steps away from their cinematic, guitar-driven bravado.
This new work is restrained and piano-based, evoking the spirit of artists like Warren Zevon or Tom Waits. It's a stark contrast to the swaggering, Bryan Ferry-esque pop of his 2018 album Blue Poles.
"This music is completely inappropriate for the Dreamlanders to play," Rogers explains. "It's a very understated record. It doesn't have the bravado."
Confronting the 'Elephant in the Room'
Lyrically, the album marks one of Rogers' most direct and bleak explorations yet. He describes the eight songs as "pretty brutal" and "pretty ugly," dealing with heavy subject matter even by his own gloomy standards.
He notes that the raw content of Separation Rock can feel like the "elephant in the room" upon its release. Rogers has long fought the perception that his Jack Ladder moniker is a character-driven persona, insisting his work is deeply personal.
"All my music's been deeply personal," he states. "I was only, for the most part, writing very sincere, honest music about my life."
Looking ahead, Rogers finds himself at a creative crossroads. He is experimenting with electronic music and has been commissioned to write music for a stage musical—a task he approaches with his typical wry humour, given his professed dislike for the genre.
Australian audiences will get to experience the raw power of Separation Rock live soon. Jack Ladder is scheduled to perform at the Royal Oak Hotel in Tighes Hill, Newcastle, on Sunday, February 8, 2026.
