Today is a great day to announce the latest single from Alternative-indie singer/songwriter, BabyJake, called “Brown,” as well as the official announcement of his brand new LP, Aren’t We Ever Gonna Be More Than Friends?, that will be everywhere music is sold on July 28th. BabyJake shared:
Really, what happened with this song is that I wrote the bass line 2 years ago. I always loved it and felt this James Brown-esque funk to it (a bit slower, but still). We recorded the whole band at Jon’s house and we had the instrumental done for 2 months or so and I kept putting off the lyrics, putting off the lyrics, putting off the lyrics over and over…I’d make an excuse or this or that or whatever. But finally, we got to it and it was like, ‘well, Jake this is the last song on the project and you still haven’t written the lyrics,’ so I said ‘well, shit mate, ya got me in a chokehold here don’t ya?’ That day, in 30 minutes, I wrote the song in the studio. I always had the first line ‘Strung Along’ and from that, you could go any direction, it could really mean so many things.
I was also able to catch up with this artist for a brief interview below.
”Brown” is a story about Heroin usage spreading across a city. What inspired you to write this? Was it difficult to write about such a serious issue?
No, I didn’t find it difficult. I’ve had a lot of friends & acquaintances that were or still are addicted to H in some capacity so it’s a very real thing. I’m not the first to write about it nor will I be the last.
You mentioned that the bass-line was the first piece of this track written. Does your songwriting process typically begin with the bass? If not, how did that different approach affect “Brown?”
I’ve had the bass-line for about 2 years now. Wrote it in LA just sitting on my couch & thought it sounded a bit James Brown-y which led me to take it in the funk direction. I typically start with an acoustic guitar or piano & vocals, but songwriting can happen any which way, it’s changing all the time for me. I’m not afraid of stepping completely outside the box.
”Brown” is the last song on the upcoming LP, Aren’t We Ever Gonna Be More Than Friends?. How does “Brown” fit in with the other 9 tracks on the LP, both in terms of its sonic and lyrical content?
Lyrically, the album is all over the place, there’s not a central theme nor did I want there to be. Just a bunch of individual songs that I was keen on calling an album. Sonically, I think it’s similar to the rest in the live groove & instrumental world. However, it is by far the funkiest on the record & sticks out for sure in the bundle. There are a couple songs on there that may lean a little left or a little right but generally speaking the album was recorded with a live band, (mostly the same group of 3-4 guys) in a studio as a unit. It’s a live rock & roll album to a T.
How would you best describe the forthcoming LP in general, and what can listeners expect?
My first rock & roll album. Recorded live with a band in the studio to a tape machine. Listeners can expect the songs to sound the same, if not better, in a live setting. I think this record is a stepping stone in the direction I’ve always wanted to see myself in. I love these songs & I can’t wait to perform them, but at the same time I’m already onto the next thing (as most artists are). In the future my fanbase can expect a full fledged dive into the Rock & Roll space, however, that doesn’t mean I won’t tip toe the line of Pop & Hip Hop occasionally as well as dive into the Folk realm. I’m an open book & it’s an open world. There will be much more on the horizon.