Formation and EP trilogy: 2007–2010 The Jezabels formed in 2007 after the four members met as students at the
University of Sydney. The band's
Facebook page describes their genre as "intensindie". Their name is based on the biblical character
Jezebel, whom Mary perceived as being "misunderstood or misrepresented". Samuel Lockwood grew up in
Bangalow and attended the same school. Lockwood recognised Mary and Shannon when he saw them at university and invited them to join a band for a competition. Mary recalled: "It was a combination of four individual desires to play music and taking whatever opportunities we could find – which happened to be each other ... From there the process has pretty much been one of reconciling musical differences. But we're getting closer". On 6 November of that year, the band followed with a second EP, ''
She's So Hard'', which included the tracks "Easy to Love" and "Hurt Me". Both EPs received significant radio airplay, including on Sydney's
FBi Radio and Triple J. They also received airplay in the US, where in August, "Disco Biscuit Love" reached No. 96 on
CMJ. On 22 December, the Jezabels were the
Triple J Unearthed featured artist, described as "[d]ramatic, energetic, uplifting, indie rock with a commanding lead singer. We've picked them to play
Field Day – a great way to start the new year!" On 1 October 2010, the Jezabels released the third EP,
Dark Storm, which peaked in the top 40 on the
ARIA Singles Chart.
The Ages Peter Vincent felt "[t]heirs is a timeless sound that is radio-friendly: moody female vocals soaring over strong percussion and slow-building guitar and piano/keyboard lines". , 2010
Debut album: 2011–2013 In August 2011, the Jezabels released a new single, "Endless Summer", which peaked in the top 40 of the ARIA Singles Chart.
Vulture's Anna Moull described it in a review: "a dramatic gothic epic, with a twist of 80's power-house rock. Jezabels singer Hayley Mary sums up their sound perfectly as 'Bronte-esque gothic (and) melodramatic'. Channelling Kate Bush, Freddie Mercury and Cyndi Lauper, Mary's vocals are a force to be reckoned with". It received 3 out of 5 points by
Guardian critic Caroline Sullivan and 7/10 by Dom Gourlay for drownedinsound.com.
The Brink, Synthia, and hiatus: 2013–2017 In late 2013, the Jezabels released a song titled "The End" as the first single from their second album,
The Brink, which came out on 31 January 2014.
Synthia, their third album, was released on 12 February 2016. It was again produced by Lachlan Mitchell (in the Jungle Studios, Attic Studios, and Oceanic Studios in Sydney). Its title alludes to the many new synthesizers that Shannon had bought and to the name
Cynthia, which is an allusion to a goddess by that name (bynames of
Luna and
Artemis),
Cynthia Lennon,
Cynthia Plaster Caster, and
Cyndi Lauper, who is a role model for Mary, not only for her music, but also for her feminist attitude and her commitment to the rights of homosexual people.
Synthia, the band's third album, was published on 12 February 2016. Reviewing the record song for song, XS Noize's Sandra Blemster compared Mary to
Kate Bush and
Chrissie Hynde. She wrote: "On listening to Synthia, I feel like I've paid a visit to the cinema and watched a gripping, extraordinary film. You know when a film captures you that much and you come out, it's daylight and your eyes hurt from the sun? That's how this album felt. Intoxicating stuff: maybe it's a full moon".
The Sydney Morning Heralds Jenny Valentish wrote,
Synthia was "everything fans love the band for: volatile, provocative and intelligent." The band entered a hiatus following the tour in support for
Synthia. In October 2021, they announced their reunion, with a commemorative ten-year anniversary tour for
Prisoner, starting in June 2022. ==Music videos==