Since their debut album 'House Cricks' in 2016, Jaye Jayle has grown from the solo project of Young Widows guitarist Evan Patterson into a full-band force of nature, gorgeously mixing minimalist post-punk with gothic blues to create something that feels akin to sauntering through a storm cloud. As a group, they’re melancholic and raw and never afraid to experiment, and their latest release 'After Alter' (a patchwork of previous recording sessions with songs dating back to before the band’s inception) demonstrates this in full force with an album that’s simultaneously moody and utterly magnetic.
We begin with ‘Father Fiction’ which starts with a sudden burst of heavy discordance and doesn’t let up from there, as Patterson explores the inherent infighting at the heart of organised religion over a cacophony of thunderous drums and dissonant guitar chords. The near-oppressive atmosphere created by this opening track continues through the next few songs, with ‘Fear Is Here’ exploring the hidden terror in everyday life and ‘A Blackout’ offering a cynical reflection of the American dream. It’s around halfway through when things start taking a turn for the experimental, with the first version of ‘Bloody Me’ (made before the band’s debut) serving as an early incarnation as Jaye Jayle’s signature style, and the following songs ‘Small Dark Voices’ and ‘HELP!’ offering us expansive, moody audioscapes that add equally atonal electronica and acoustics to the already gloomy soundscape.
However, the real highlight of the album is the last track and second version of ‘Bloody Me’, which has the novelty of being cut straight into wax. This song, or more specifically this version of the song, represents not just the album as a whole - but also what Jaye Jayle stands for as an idea. On 'Exploration', the group have allowed themselves to venture into uncharted territories both as artists and in terms of the genres they play in.
It’s this that helps 'After Alter' soar as an album, the embracement of creativity on all fronts. It’s not for everybody, Jaye Jayle never could be with such a melancholic tone. But then, isn’t that the joy of things? Seeing just how far that tone can stretch, especially with songs that come from across a band’s entire history? Seeing how a band can blossom from just one man’s solo project?
Isn’t that what Jaye Jayle stands for?
'After Alter' will be released on January 31st via Pelagic Records.
Words: Astrid Emery
Photos: Jaye Jayle
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