Jack Ladder has returned with a new solo single, entitled ‘Missing’. The track not only marks the Sydney singer-songwriter’s first new music of 2025, it also marks Ladder’s first song since the release of his seventh studio album, Tall Pop Syndrome, in 2023. The six-minute track was produced by American producer Zach Dawes, who is also in the bands Mini Mansions and The Last Shadow Puppets. It sees Ladder reunite with veteran singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten, after the pair had previously duetted on ‘Come On Back This Way’ and ‘To Keep And To Be Kept’ from Ladder’s 2014 album Playmates – his fourth overall and second with longtime band The Dreamlanders.
“This one [was] mostly recorded live in a few takes at Valentine Recording Studios in 2024,” said Ladder in a statement announcing the single. “Featuring [a] hot band: Tyler Parkford on Wurlitzer, Jay Bellerose on drums, Mr. Luke Temple on guitar and producer Zach Dawes on bass. Special thanks to Sharon for helping to bring this song home, ten years after our last outing. Welcome to the new slow era.” A music video for ‘Missing’ has also been shared, which was shot on a ferry in Sydney going back and forth between Circular Quay and Rose Bay. It was directed by Stephanie Jane Day.
Jack Ladder – ‘Missing’
Ladder was last seen on stage back in March with the Dreamlanders as part of the inaugural Dreamlanders Invitational, in which he and as his bandmates performed a collaborative set with longtime friend and collaborator Alex Cameron at Sydney’s Factory Theatre. Prior to that, Ladder last toured solo in October of 2024, alongside French artist Ryder The Eagle on his Australian debut.
Van Etten, meanwhile, recently released her debut album with her band Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory. The self-titled album was released back in February, following on from 2022’s We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong. Van Etten and her band are set to tour Australia in November 2025, having already been announced for this year’s Town Folk Festival in Castlemaine.
Further Reading
Love Letter to a Record: Lisa Caruso on Sharon Van Etten’s ‘Remind Me Tomorrow’
Sharon Van Etten Review – Catharsis and Bad Dancing at Sydney Opera House
Love Letter To A Record: Alex Cameron On Jack Ladder’s ‘Hurtsville’
