Having established himself as the frontman of Trampolene and riding shotgun in Peter Doherty’s band the Puta Madres, Jack Jones releases a new single ‘Breathe’ through Strap Originals on 12th June. ‘Breathe‘ is a burrowing stream of consciousness that deals with drug addiction, mortality, the tortuous demands of technology, and just well, the overwhelm of modern living, over a buzzing and keyboard swathed backdrop and rolling beat, with flashes of melody as he inhales and exhales. It received its first play on Huw Stephens BBC6 Music show last night, and is taken from Jack’s debut solo album Jack Jones released on Friday September 20th, followed by a UK headline tour in November.
For the ‘Breathe’ video Jack Jones decided to go into training to be the first Welsh astronaut, his trip to the moon (in his head) is planned for the first half of the 21st Century. The video was directed by filmmaker Barnaby Fairley, Jack adds: “Who wouldn’t want to roam the streets of London in a space suit…it felt weirdly freeing.”
For this album Jack Jones has put away his guitar and embraced a fresh and highly contemporary sound in which to couch his hard-hitting state of the nation poems of existential fear and loathing.
Jack Jones says of Breathe:
“I’m sure we all try to slay the beast, conquer the madman and feed the angel living inside us. But I think you can only abuse the body and the mind for so long before it says “No More!” And it humbles you. That’s when you have to make a choice. Is it the end or the beginning? The idea of this song was written after my first panic attack – at a time when I didn’t care about having a career in music or even being a writer anymore, I just prayed to be okay and to make it through the day. Luckily, sometimes, out of the darkest places, glimmers can appear, and that’s what this song is…a chapter of resilience, finding a way to keep going, finding a way to believe in a future, finding a way to BREATHE. It saved me and I would hope it may help others too.”
The album is available on vinyl in multiple colour formats, CD and digital download and was co-written, produced and mixed by Adam French. Also available will be Jack Jones’s new book ‘Tour Diaries’ Volume 1 featuring Jack’s time with Trampolene, The Libertines and Peter Doherty & The Puta Madres. Pre-order the album and book here: https://found.ee/JackJonesALBUM
The new direction arose out of an introduction to Mancunian artist/producer/songwriter/laptop warrior Adam French. For Jones, French’s way of composing and recording was like being teleported into a parallel dimension.
To coincide with the release Jack Jones has announced the following live shows in November, along with a performance at Glastonbury in June. Tickets for the November Tour are on presale now and go on general sale on Friday 14th June at 10am: https://found.ee/JackJonesTour The full dates are:
Jack Jones also plays the following shows over the summer with TRAMPOLENE: Glastonbury Festival (28th June), City Summer by the River in London (August 15th) , Y Festival in Ross On Wye (25th August) and Fairwood Festival in the Gower Peninsula (September 7th).
