Amyl and the Sniffers Unveil Final Single “Jerkin” Ahead of New Album Release
Cartoon Darkness is out on October 25th 2025 Via Rough Trade Records.
Australian punk rockers Amyl and the Sniffers have dropped the final track from their highly anticipated third album, Cartoon Darkness, set to release on October 25, 2025, via Rough Trade Records. The new single, "Jerkin," arrives hot on the heels of the band's recent success with two Radio 1 playlists and three 6 Music A-lists.
The release also coincides with the start of their sold-out UK and EU tour next month, culminating in their largest headline show to date at London's iconic Alexandra Palace in 2025. Tickets for the historic gig are now on sale.
Accompanying the release is an X-rated music video directed by long-time collaborator John Angus Stewart of PHC Films. While a censored version will be available on streaming platforms, the full, uncensored cut can be viewed exclusively on the band's website.
Speaking on "Jerkin," lead singer Amy Taylor explains, “It’s good to express your anger when someone’s been pissing you off and it’s good to have humour in life, especially as a woman, when you’re meant to just passively say 'everything’s good' to keep everyone else comfortable. The best part about this song is that a squirter can be anybody's genitals. I wanted to write a song to big-up “the self” while putting down the “other” because sometimes, even if it's just for a small window, that’s the best way to laugh something off and empower yourself. World's pissing me off and breaking my heart more than ever right now, might as well poke it back. It's pointless but it's cathartic.”
Director John Angus Stewart sheds light on the provocative nature of the video, stating, “The level of offence that a vagina or penis can generate is absolutely bizarre. Once, Amy said to me, “If the world wasn’t so fucked up, I’d never wear clothes.” It’s the context we stamp onto our sex organs that makes them innately “offensive.” This is why we wanted to strip away the artifice and examine the body in an open, conversational way. We approached the project as if it were a performance in itself. From concept to crewing to casting, we (the production) let the project evolve in the most natural way possible, allowing our subjects to dictate their level of input based on their comfort on the day. We were learning what it was as we were making it, which is basically the opposite approach I’m used to. But because this idea was driven by people’s personalities, it felt wrong to do it any other way. We just kept pulling things further and further back until we were left with just a white wall and the human body. I want to come out of everything I do with a different perspective. Just as one’s perspective changes with an Amyl song, I want to change in the same way. I think we all walked away from the shoot with an innate need to be less prudish and give less of a shit.”
Amyl and the Sniffers are undoubtedly one of the best bands on the decade and it’s nice to see them go from strength to strength. Fans can expect Cartoon Darkness to be another raw and unapologetic statement from the band, building on their explosive energy and unfiltered ethos.
