JAY SOM SHARES “PAST LIVES” FT. HAYLEY WILLIAMS AHEAD OF ALBUM RELEASE THIS FRIDAY
Jay Som – the project of Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer Melina Duterte – will release Belong, her first new album in over six years, this Friday. Belong features Jay Som’s first-ever collaborations and today she shares one final taste of the album with “Past Lives” featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore. Jay Som opened for Paramore on tour in 2018, and Duterte and Williams have wanted to collaborate ever since. The two met in Nashville to try a song together, alongside Steph Marziano. Williams’ soft harmonies on the arcing “Past Lives” reinforce its forlorn sense of drifting in and out of doldrums, of finding momentum only to watch it fade. It is a powerhouse of a tune, its downshifted midsection landing like a fistfight with oneself. “It’s a dream come true to have Hayley sing on my first feature on an album before the recording of ‘Float,’ I still can’t believe it happened,” Duterte says of the collaboration. “She’s one of the kindest artists out there and she graciously accepts and uplifts the people around her. We’re all so lucky to witness her talent and live on the same timeline as her.”
Listen to the song now HERE.
Los Angeles fans can join Jay Som on Thursday, October 9th for a Belong Release Party at Permanent Records. The event is from 7-10pm, and is free with RSVP HERE.
Since Jay Som’s critically acclaimed sophomore album Anak Ko came out in 2019, Duterte has spent the last few years cultivating her passion for production and audio engineering. This lead to producing credits on the GRAMMY-winning boygenius album the record, Lucy Dacus’ latest Forever Is A Feeling, and countless beloved indie records. She also joined boygenius as a touring band member, collaborated alongside the likes of Troye Sivan and beabadoobee with No Rome, contributed to the I Saw the TV Glow soundtrack, and more. Yes, Jay Som itself has been on a bit of a break; Duterte, however, has perhaps been busier than ever.
Finally, Jay Som will release her new album Belong on October 10th via Polyvinyl Record Co. While Jay Som has always been a solo project for Duterte, this album finds her expanding her world by collaborating with outside musicians, writers and producers. Duterte wrote, composed, performed, produced, engineered and mixed the record with contributions from Joao Gonzalez (of Soft Glas), Mal Hauser (a collaborator to Mk.gee and Illuminati Hotties), Steph Marziano (producer for Vundabar, Hot Wax, Sir Chloe) and Kyle Pulley, and she also welcomed guest vocalists for the first time. The album finds Duterte searching for her place, or somewhere she belongs, within an indie rock ecosystem that Jay Som stepped away from for the past six years. The result is an album unlike any Jay Som record before it: a gripping 11-song set about self-definition that floats between supercharged power-pop hits and hazy ballads, between electronic curiosities and lighters-up anthems.
Jay Som will embark on her first North American tour in over 5 years this winter. See below to find a show near you, and get your tickets HERE.
Tour Dates
11/01 – Amsterdam, NE @ London Calling – Paradiso
11/03 – Berlin, Germany @ Kantine am Berghain
11/05 – Paris, France @ Pitchfork Paris – Le Trabendo
11/06 – Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique – Rotonde
11/08 – London, UK @ Pitchfork London – Earth Theatre
11/22 – San Francisco, CA @ Bimbos 365 Club ~
11/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey ~
12/02 – Austin, TX @ Brushy Street Commons
12/03 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
12/05 – Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5
12/06 – Memphis, TN @ Raised By Sound Fest
12/08 – Washington, DC @ Atlantis ~
12/09 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry ~
12/11 – New York, NY @ Warsaw ~
12/12 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Hall ~
12/13 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall ~
12/14 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line ~
12/19 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos ~
12/20 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater ~
~ w/ Sea Lemon
