Jean Elliot captures Australian gothic storytelling at its finest on ‘Hole in Her Head’.
There’s something deeply transportive about the world Jean Elliot is building. On her latest single Hole in Her Head, the Hawkesbury artist leans fully into her gothic alt-country universe - one filled with hunters, wilderness, folklore, and the kind of storytelling that feels half-real, half-myth.
From the very first fiddle flourishes and nylon string plucks, the track feels cinematic in scope, yet strangely intimate. There’s a rawness to the way Jean writes; vivid imagery delivered with the confidence of someone who understands exactly how to pull listeners into her world without overexplaining it. Echoes of Nick Cave’s Murder Ballads can be felt throughout, but Hole in Her Head never comes across as imitation - instead, it feels like a younger, distinctly Australian reinterpretation of that darkness, filtered through bushland grit and grunge-soaked atmosphere.
What makes the track so compelling is its balance. It’s tongue-in-cheek without losing tension, theatrical without becoming overdone. Jean’s storytelling sits at the centre, but the soundscape around it does just as much talking - droning ambience, folk instrumentation and looming textures all working together to create something immersive and quietly haunting.
Beyond the track itself, Hole in Her Head feels like another glimpse into the much larger universe Jean Elliot is carefully constructing, one rooted in Australian gothic storytelling, regional identity, and immersive world-building. It’s rare to hear an emerging artist with such a clear sense of atmosphere this early on, but Jean continues to make music that doesn’t just ask to be listened to - it asks to be stepped inside.