Following the success of his debut album ‘Fantastic Voyage’, Justin Jay found himself in an enviable position. The Californian producer radiated triumph after receiving critical support for his record, releasing on top record labels like Dirtybird and Hot Creations, and performing at sought after venues including The Lab LA, Q Nightclub Seattle, and Public Works San Francisco. Still, something wasn’t right.
Anxiety and stress caused him to pull his tour dates, retreat into his own mind, and move back into his parents house to regroup. Following a period of introspection and collection, he sat down with a note pad at his parents piano and began to write. He came to realize the Fantastic Voyage album was more a point of departure than arrival. Instrumentation was a far cry from composing on a computer screen and led him to write songs, not basslines. His feelings spilled out onto the page and a new body of work started to appear.
These songs are personal and lo-fi, many of the vocals were recorded on Justin’s iPhone due to lack of studio gear; ideas birthed inside his mind that needed instant recording to preserve. He deliberately left the tunes unpolished and raw, they were urgent expressions of feelings, their titles Stuck Inside My Head and Can’t Hang indicative of Justin’s then state of mind.
As the melancholy lifted, Justin invited others to participate in his process, recalling the collaborative energy of the musical collective he created a year prior in his dorm room studio. College had proved to be a vital petri dish in Justin’s musical maturation; sessions with jam bands, lo-fi indie and punk rock all had shaped his evolving aesthetic just as indelibly as the house he made and spun on tour. This commitment to keep exploring led him to hand his diploma back after graduating to take more music education classes.
As much as isolation defined the genesis of Home, collaboration also emerged as a key tenant of the record. It was his experiences working with writing friend Josh Taylor on Fantastic Voyage that led Justin to sit down in front of the piano, and it was his willingness to embrace collaboration again that led to some of Home’s fullest moments. Production-wise, tracks like Flowers and Hey My Friends are complex, dynamic and full, while lyrically and technically they are uplifting.
Home embodies a monumental quest in Justin’s life as an artist, singer and songwriter. Justin attributes the album’s evolution to Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. He emerges from his isolation to embark on a musical odyssey before returning Home a more fully realized artist.
Justin will tour the record with the full band starting next month and leading into the winter. Los Angeles residents can enjoy a release-date show on October 12th at Tenants of the Trees.
Home Tracklist:
- Home Pt. 1
- Ease Up ft. Josh Taylor
- Can’t Hang
- Stuck Inside My Head
- Time (Prelude) ft. Benny Bridges
- Time
- Flowers
- Cool
- Apologies
- Hey My Friend
- Back On Track ft. Josh Taylor
- Drive
- One Day ft. Hila Plitmann
- Home Pt. 2
Justin Jay Tour Dates:
October 12 – Album Release Party – Los Angeles, CA
October 13 – Albuquerque, NM – Effex Night Club*
October 21 – Santa Barbara, CA – EOS Lounge Compound
November 7 – Fort Collins, CO – Hodi’s Half Note
November 8 – Denver, CO – Bar Standard
November 9 – Salt Lake City, UT – Elevate
November 10 – Las Vegas, NV – Vinyl at Hard Rock Hotel Casino
November 17 – Brooklyn, NY – Good Room*
November 19 – Chandler, AZ – GoldRush*
November 24 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
November 25 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom
December 8 – Austin, TX – The Parish
December 9 – Dallas, TX – Lizard Lounge
December 14 – Anaheim, CA – The Parish at House of Blues
December 31- South Lake Tahoe, CA – SnowGlobe Music Festival
January 6-10 – Port Canaveral, FL – Holy Ship 10.0
DJ Sets marked by *
Justin Jay:
https://soundcloud.com/justin-jay
https://www.facebook.com/justinjayofficial
https://www.instagram.com/justinjaymusic/
https://twitter.com/justinjaymusic
