Welcome Back, Jacob James.
We’re excited to welcome back Jacob James, a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Los Angeles, California. We had the pleasure of catching up with him again, this time to talk all about his newly released DIY EP, Resignation: including the story behind the title, the emotions driving the songs, and much more.
Read the interview below!
OA: For starters, the EP is called Resignation. How did you decide on this title, and how does the cover art connect to it?
Jacob: I’ve quit a lot of things in the recent past so the title felt pretty fitting. I didn’t put too much thought into it I was just spitballing with my partner over the phone about themes and those kind of things. I think it was my first suggestion and she said it worked so I just settled on it. The cover art and everything I used promo wise has me wearing scrubs I snagged from a mental hospital I was at for a bit. I’m not ashamed to admit that, way more people than it seems have had stints in them. It sucks in there but so do the stigmas behind being sick that way.
OA: Is there a specific theme, emotion, or narrative that connects these four tracks, or do they each stand on their own?
Jacob: Yeah I think so but nothing really too connected narratively or anything. If a collection of songs feels right together I’m usually just like alright, that’s the thing we’re making then. It’s such a rad feeling, I’m forever chasing that dragon. Definitely intimate material though, probably to a too much info point in pockets but it’s what came out of me around some lame times.
OA: Walk us through the tracklist. Was there a reason you chose these particular songs?
Jacob: To be honest it’s somewhat difficult to discuss but I doubt anyone’s gonna ever ask again and I like talking about the things I make and I like hearing about others’ work. The first track is also hospital adjacent. I was in the ER for some urgent health problems for a few days and the only thing that kept me occupied was counting when the machines I was hooked up to would beep. You’d have to wait for the notes they made to sound musical but it was one of the few things I had to look forward to. I was able to take a brief recording when I knew it was coming and when I got home I figured out the notes and built the composition around it. It also features a spoken word passage my partner she read in Spanish of a little piece I wrote that works as a prelude to my upcoming full length project. That one’s going to be way more conventional and a bit more narrative driven. But she has a lovely voice and I can’t speak Spanish. There’s a couple of other spoken word bits by a line crossing stranger’s unsolicited voicemails so that’s in there too. Second song is a heavier meditation on failing others, followed by probably my most autobiographical song ever. Fourth song is long as hell, had a lot of fun with a drum machine on it, it’s a total drone piece which I’ve been really into making. I was chipping at that one for years now but I finally got it out of my system. It’s still not what I envisioned but nothing I do really ends up there.
OA: Looking back at the finished product, is there a lyric that best captures what Resignation is about?
Jacob: I think so, “I want to know how to heal.” From the third track, “Unreal” is what comes to mind off cuff.
OA: Which song was the most challenging to write or record, and what made it difficult?
Jacob: Well I mentioned last song on it, “Powerless Trip” which I mainly struggled with finishing because it’s much more layered than most of my stuff that I think leans more straight forward structure wise. It’s been my white whale but wasn’t too tough to record once I started digging in. The second track, “Bemused” was probably the most difficult to record though. I wanted it to sound heavy and was working with mic’ing a vintage Fender Bassman tube amp I borrowed from a buddy which requires more steps than I’m used to. Very cool to work with nice and valuable gear but the following track I use a toy piano, toy glockenspiel and toy keyboard which I would argue came out better overall. All instruments are just toys really, as I see them anyway.
OA: Did you experiment with any new production techniques, instruments, or songwriting methods on this release that pushed you outside your comfort zone?
Jacob: Absolutely! I used a Korg Volca drum machine on the first and last ones on the EP. There’s definitely been a learning curve to it but it’s been a really fun, if not at times a frustrating challenge. That’s sometimes half the compelling thing I enjoy about making music. I do take the easy way out sometimes, for sure, but when I feel like it I like to push against what’s comfortable and in my wheelhouse. I’ve also been sampling AM radio a whole lot and that’s on track 4 heavily. It’s so unpredictable and a largely dated form of media full of very opinionated people on all sides. I record for the duration of a cassette’s side and then put it into my DAW and cut sound bytes until I think it’s a usable collage. Evangelical preachers, news clips from whatever political spectrum I can cut down until I think I have something interesting. I happen upon stations in Japanese and Spanish too that are in there. It gets a little spooky sometimes when things start to seemingly interact with one another.
OA: Like your previous releases, this EP was created entirely DIY. What keeps you committed to a solo approach rather than collaborating with other musicians or producers?
Jacob: Well, I’ve found that I can be pretty inconsistent work flow wise and I’ve played with enough people to deduce that they’re inevitably going to create more variables against finishing things. No shade to anyone, I’m probably one of the worst offenders when it comes to collaborating. But I also can be a total control freak, I’m not in a band now but even when I was it wouldn’t be super out of the ordinary for me just to play all of the instruments on a recording. No one really complained if they came out alright. But I also find it particularly difficult to find others I play well with. I’m by no means reinventing the wheel with my music but there’s a certain chemistry between players I have experienced with not very many.
OA: What do you hope listeners take away from the EP after hearing it from start to finish?
Jacob: There’s no messaging really except I guess to hopefully touch on the fact that there’s a whole lot of sicknesses that may or may not be super evident. Even to those closest to us and sometimes specifically. I think it’s important to express uncomfortable but not uncommon issues through creativity of that happens to be the muse. I know my music isn’t for everyone I think that’s kind of the point of this project in particular the more space I get from it. At any rate, it was a fun detour.
OA:You've mentioned plans for a full-length version. Do you have an expected release date yet?
Jacob: I don’t, unfortunately. The EP was vey much a side quest because I work like an unfocused weirdo. I’ve had a record near completion that I think is really solid so I’m intimidated by finishing it. I knocked almost the whole thing out in about a month and stopped touching it for entirely too long. It’s definitely getting to the point where I need to put a period on it though. “Resignation” is just what I felt like doing, so that’s where I put my energy. I’m trying to minimize the time I spend doing things i don’t feel like. That’s inevitable for most, I’m sure but I feel like finishing it now. Hopefully I can get it out soon but I’m wearing a lot of hats on this one. Anyway, message to lovely few that are into what I make, my next project is called “CHASM” might not do all caps but I think it looks neat right now but that’s the title of it. 11 tracks including several recordings I’ve only played live and have been asked about releasing. I can’t wait to share it.
Huge thank you to Only Angel Media for giving me a platform to discuss new and future works. it’s been quite the cathartic exercise that I sincerely appreciate sharing!
