A run of bad luck that included major injuries and failed recording sessions meant Jakob nearly didn't release their fourth album. Lucky they did - Sines has won the Taite Music Prize.
The award's $10,000 prize money couldn't have come at a better time too: the Napier three-piece are about to embark on their first headlining tour of Europe and say they could use the cash to help pay for it.
Watch the livestream of the Taite Prize below:
Sines, Jakob's first album since 2006, was the surprise winner at last night's ceremony, topping a 10-strong line-up of finalists that included pop star Kimbra, singer-songwriter Tiny Ruins, and alt-rap group @Peace. Last year's winner was Lorde.
One of the judges, Pennie Black, called Sines a "beautiful, thought-provoking album".
"Listening to Sines, one is spirited away to a mystical place from which you don't want to return. The album art was a complete standout, and complemented the emotion and creative soundscape summoned by the band."
In an interview beforehand, Boyle admitted the trio - including bassist Maurice Beckett and drummer Jason Johnston - had been surprised by the nomination. He didn't rate their chances to win.
"I didn't expect it but we were honoured and stoked to be nominated for sure ... it'd be cool [to win]. It'd be really nice." Boyle said the band would use the money to help fund their upcoming European tour, which kicks off after Saturday night's Auckland show at the King's Arms and takes in eight countries over 15 dates.
"If you've got an extra $10,000 in the bank it means you don't have to do everything so tightly as far as financials go and gives us a bit of breathing room," Boyle says.
Watch the music video for Blind Them With Science by Jakob:
That tour makes up for one planned in 2008 which was cancelled after major hand and wrist injuries to all three band members. Those included Boyle taking a year off from playing guitar after surgery on his wrist, Beckett getting sciatica after punching a money machine, and Johnston slicing his hand with a knife while cutting a pumpkin.
After sporadic touring behind Sines, including an excellently moody mid-afternoon slot at Auckland's Laneway festival, Boyle says Jakob are healthy and operating near 100 per cent. "I don't think anyone's suffering at all, anything major at least," he says. "I don't think I'll ever be 100 per cent with my wrist, but 90 per cent is good enough to do it ... the other two are good."
Watch the music video for Safety in Numbers by Jakob:
Also good have been the reviews for Sines. Beckett says they've been universally positive - TimeOut gave it five stars and placed it fourth in its list of the best albums of 2014. But the best reviews are coming from Europe.
"Reviews have been amazing from all over Europe. They have been from everywhere really, but particularly over there. Reaction on websites, Facebook, social media, has been really good. Everyone seems pumped that we're coming over.
"I know we've got a loyal fanbase over there, we're confident the tour's going to go pretty good."
Because of those injuries, and several failed recording sessions including a stressful 10-day stint in Auckland, Sines was eight years in the making. But Boyle says Jakob plan to record their fifth album much faster.
"We haven't had massive amounts of time to get into the hard work, but there are a lot of ideas sitting there ready to go. Once we get back from this tour we'll start looking at getting the demos down so we've got pre-production done.
"I don't think we'll be going anywhere else to do this one. We'll kick back here [in Napier] and do it on our own time rather than trying to squeeze it into 10 days in Auckland and spending screeds of cash."
For their Taite prize, Jakob receive $10,000 and recording time at Red Bull's Auckland studio. Named after late music journalist Dylan Taite, the annual award honours an artist for "outstanding creativity for an entire collection of music contained on one album".
Tonight's Taite ceremony also saw reggae veterans Herbs being awarded the Independent Music NZ Classic Record for their 1981 debut What's Be Happen?
Singer-guitarist Dilworth Karaka said the belated recognition was much appreciated.
"It was our first bunch of songs that we'd ever recorded and was a strong indicator for the political material we would carry on to do - the memory has carried on, and it's still our most popular record."
Jakob discography • Subsets of Sets (2001) • Cale: Drew (2003) • Solace (2006) • Sines (2014)
• Performing live this Saturday at King's Arms in Auckland.
