Jerk – II. Sunshower
“Open the windows, pull the curtains and let into your house a contrast, sunny shower. Let him warm your heart and fill it with the jazz melody of music, and the sounds of the breath of the saxophone will remind you that life is just beginning and a long day filled with emotions.” (Automatically Translated with Google Translate)
“Приоткройте окна, отдёрните шторы и впустите в свой дом контрастный, солнечный душ. Пусть он согреет ваше сердце и наполнит его мелодией Jazz музыки, а звуки дыхания саксофона напомнят вам, что жизнь только начинается и впереди долгий, наполненный эмоциями день.”
-Nagamag.com
Written in the late spring of 2021, ‘Il. Sunshower’ demonstrates the boundless virtuosity of the Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist, playing every instrument on the track (and the album for that matter) completely themselves, minus the programmed drums. The track offers a tantalising glimpse at what Jerk has created across the album and sees the polymath step into an exciting new zone of rawness and musical purity ahead of the album’s unveiling.
Speaking on the single, Jerk went on to say; “This was the first piece I had written in months, it seemed to pour out of my fingers. The melody, harmony, and textures felt so fresh and invigorating. I exported the demo to my phone and took a walk to Prospect Park in Brooklyn to listen. Mid-walk, it started pouring rain, but there were hardly any clouds in the sky - a Sunshower. I was soaked head to toe, but it was so beautiful I couldn’t even be upset. It was a renewal - a washing away of the old and embrace of the new.’
The album itself follows a period of change, understanding and coming of age for Jerk, which clearly transcends within the music, and sits fittingly within the album's title - Bloom. The music from beginning to end is raw in form and profoundly personal, as Jerk articulates:
“When a flower blooms, it’s a sign that everything went right - the soil was fertile, the sun and water met its needs, and the plant was nourished. Bloom is a collection of music I wrote when I was embracing my queer identity and coming out of the closet. Coming out wasn’t something I wanted at the time, but rather something I needed. In the same way, I didn’t intentionally write this music, it just seemed to pour out of my fingertips. This album is my bloom - proof that owning and embracing my truth was necessary to be nourished.
Bloom is very raw and very personal. The songs captured real-life moments of beauty, euphoria, fear, and awkwardness. When I decided to make this album, I wanted to capture that rawness. The drums are programmed. Everything else is a live instrument - you can hear my mistakes, my breathing, the piano bench squeaking, and the warm and hissy sound of signal pouring through vintage instruments, microphones, and preamps.”
Reviewed by Nagamag on September 8, 2022