Released back in the summer, single ‘Everything Changes All of the Time’ by Los Angeles‘ Coolhand Jax showed “[Jake] Weissman’s knack for combining bright rhythms with intimate emotion,” as we put it, “following a challenging conversation during a car ride which turns towards themes of loss and death.” But while such subject matter suggests a sound dark and bleak, the track offered “a rich, wistful sound that highlights the romance of such themes,” as we continued. “Finding some comfort in the concept of change, if only to feel a sense of movement.”
The bittersweet tone carries through to Coolhand Jax’s recent releases. Firstly ‘Met With a Friend’, an acoustic track which explores the allure of nostalgia and the pitfalls built into reflection. With a sound which never rises beyond a careful, compassionate croon, Weissman paints childhood as something both glorious and difficult. A time full of pain which we spend our lives pining for all the same.
I walk into the room and she’s crying
On the couch
Soap opera TV playing out
One day they’re in, one day they’re out
I don’t know whyI said do you wanna know what I’m thinking
In my head?
Mama, I’m every single one I’ve ever met
Now Coolhand Jax is back with another single, ‘Bigger Cities’. Telling “the story of lost love to futures one can’t be a part of” as the artist puts it, the track opens with a warm wash of patient intimacy and gradually blossoms into something richer. At first with a decidedly wistful drum beat and guitar line, but eventually into a series of cathartically weighty breakdowns. Each interspersed by lulls of quiet but returning stronger, as though gathering energy with each cycle. Already a fan favourite at Coolhand shows, the song is being released alongside a live taping/recording of the song and a physical lyric book.
‘Met With a Friend’ and ‘Bigger Cities’ are out now and available from Bandcamp.