“Sometimes it takes a long time to sound like yourself.” – Miles Davis. The concept has been a muse for Jon Reynolds since moving to Nashville in 2015. Following his well-received grass-root singles “Undertow” and “Tomorrow’s News,” Reynolds buckled up for a challenging year and a half. “Most of my song ideas came to me while driving in the car because it was the only time I had to think,” he explains. But over-extending himself forced him to be honest with his music. “I didn’t have time to self-sabotage. I just wrote what came naturally.”
Rebalancing his life and signing with the UK’s Frictionless Music, Reynolds buried himself in the studio with engineer Owen Lewis and drummer Matt Singler, settling into the producer chair with a clear sense of purpose: sounding like himself. “I’d rewrite lyrics minutes before tracking, scrap a day of work because it didn’t hit the right vibe, and had to address some personal struggles all in the name of creating my most authentic expression.”
Born from this effort is Petrichor, Jon Reynolds & The Aches’ upcoming EP. “These songs preserved me while I was lost in a cycle of excessive work and distraction,” he explains. “They are the foundation that existed when I finally came back. Now, they are the representation of who I am. Petrichor refers to the smell of earth after rain breaks a long drought. Centered on revitalization themes, the tracks delve into depression, heart break, and self-discovery. Surrounding the dense, humanistic lyrics is Reynolds’ musical signature – an evolution of modern pop rock and larger than life vocal arrangements resting on an ethereal hum propped up by verby slide guitar. Petrichor will release in September 2020.
