Iconic Australian indie pop artist Jacqui Hunt presents her new album ‘Desiderium’ — out on CD & vinyl on June 26th — marking 40 years since launching pioneering electronic band Single Gun Theory. This superb collection moves through personal reflections on grief, loss, healing and love, it is released by her independent label QUSP with musical collaborator and husband Brian Conolly, previewed two superb videos — ‘Planet’, directed by Hunt with original graphics by Brian Conolly, and ‘Cycles’, which conveys an equally personal story.
Sonically abstract, smooth synths are intermittently spaced between organic pop structures. Songs that levitate, then ground, are fused together by the ethereal thread of Jacqui’s poetic radiance. Merging elements of Kate Bush, Tori Amos and Beth Gibbons, Hunt describes the feeling of this album “Like stepping out of your body for a while and grounding back to earth — floating on a synth wave while holding the raw reality of a simple piano. The bones that connect to the human voice like a string of air as it floats to the ether and returns to base.”
“‘Planet’ is an electro-ethereal soundscape building to a rhythmic frequency of dreamy vocals that merge into the ether and dissipate into space. Initially a poem sent to me by Brian from overseas; I spontaneously turned it into a demo and sent it back to him from Sydney. He received it in a transit lounge in Kuala Lumpur. It conveyed so much to one another with so little. It is a love song; the poem stretches back through time and distance,” says Jacqui Hunt.
‘Cycles’ presents a completely different landscape. A raw, melancholic piano ballad of heartfelt simplicity, it serves as a reflective turning point of grief, longing, and gratitude for a great love transitioned. Enveloped in powerful, multigenerational symmetry, this music video was created by Kade Stenders, a budding teenage filmmaker whose parents, famed film director Kriv Stenders and photographer Lisa Stonham, had previously directed several Single Gun Theory videos.
Jacqui shares, “There was a cyclic symbolism to this process, which was very fitting to the track and one that appealed to me, since ‘Cycles’ is very caught up in the life and death of my own father, who also directed theatre. The symbolic layers were of great importance to me, representing a huge turning point in my own life.”
Primarily known as frontwoman of Single Gun Theory, formed in 1986, Hunt’s stellar artistic trajectory stands as a testament to her versatility and enduring impact across the global independent and electronic music landscape. As a powerhouse vocalist and intuitive co-writer, Hunt etched her name into Australian music history through her pivotal contributions to numerous projects.
Releasing three albums from 1987–1994, Single Gun Theory gained a steady international following, an ARIA nomination in the electronic dance category, and charted in Spain with ‘Exorcise This Wasteland’. With extensive placement in television and film, their music was most recently heard on the Paris runway for French label Chloé for their Winter 2026 parade.
Signed to Nettwerk Records, the band toured North America with Sarah McLachlan on her ‘Fumbling Towards Ecstasy’ tour, followed by a series of U.S. headline shows that gained them a loyal following. Releasing music in Australia through the cult label Volition, Single Gun Theory never officially broke up, but never toured again. Their latest release was the soundtrack for the film ‘The Monkey’s Mask’ in 2001.
In the late 1990s, Hunt achieved global recognition through involvement with dreampop trailblazers Delerium, collaborated with Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber as songwriter and vocalist on ‘Euphoria (Firefly)’ for the ‘Karma’ album, the Rabbit In The Moon remix of that song receiving a Juno Award.
Jacqui’s solo career took center stage with her 2008 debut album ‘Auraphonic’, featuring the track ‘Calisthenics’ – licensed for the feature film ’Adore’ starring Naomi Watts. Expanding this independent creative footprint, 2017 also saw the debut album by her innovative design duo CiiVE.
A sought-after collaborator, Hunt co-wrote and voiced standout tracks like ‘Stay’ on Paul Mac’s Gold-certified debut album ‘3000 Feet High’, teamed with Volition label mates Vision Four 5 for their 2017 retrospective album ‘Cloud’, and crossed genres in 2022 to feature on ‘Centuries’, the solo album by David McClymont of seminal Scottish post-punk band Orange Juice. These diverse milestones highlight Hunt’s rare chameleon-like ability to seamlessly shift between genres and collaborative works.
Out now digitally, the ‘Desiderium’ album will be released on CD and limited edition vinyl on June 26th. The remix of the ‘Alice Magic’ by K.I.M, one half of the Australian charting band The Presets, is also available across digital platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.
TRACK LIST
01 Desiderium
02 Look At The Sky
03 Planet
04 Cecilia
05 Cape Of Light
06 This Love
07 Temple Of Illumination
08 Follow Me Here
09 Cycles
10 Mother
11 Alice Magic
CREDITS
Jacqui Hunt – vocals, keys, production
Brian Conolly – synth, bass, guitar, production
Laurence Pike – drums (‘Cecilia,’ ‘Cycles,’ ‘This Love,’ ‘Temple Of Illumination’)
Daniel Denholm – zither and strings on ‘Cecilia,’ cello solo on ‘Follow Me Here’
Lyrics by Jacqui Hunt, except ‘Planet’ – lyrics by Brian Conolly
Music written by Jacqui Hunt & Brian Conolly
Except ‘Cycles’ and ‘This Love’, written by Jacqui Hunt
and ‘Cecilia’, written by Jacqui Hunt & Daniel Denholm
Recorded at QUSP Studios in Sydney, Australia
Engineered by Brian Conolly
Mixed by Daniel Denholm
Mastered by Michael Lynch
Cover artwork by Qusp Studios
Album released by QUSP. UPC #9324690436552
Copyright 2026 Qusp Pty Ltd. Publishing 2026 Sony/ATV
Planet video original graphics by Brian Conolly. Directed by Jacqui Hunt
‘Cycles’ video directed & edited by Kade Stenders
Artist photos by Brian Conolly
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
