Jared Gentile is a Los Angeles, USA based singer songwriter who has just come to my attention thanks to their genre-melding song cycle. A love story told through natural imagery, it’s called Green.
By Graeme Smith
With their new album, Jared welcomes you into a redwood forest. Inviting you to take in all the details surrounding you, they serenade you with a collection of songs that focus on the theme of love. For its composition, they’ve taken inspiration from The Beatles, particularly their psychedelic era where they would compile records that consisted of a song cycle. Alongside the famous Liverpudlians, Jared also pulls from Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and more recently, Big Thief.
The album opens with the atmospheric Sing (Your Voice The Color Green). An eerie instrumental opening gives way to a stripped-back and bluesy groove where Jared’s vocals are particularly expressive. There’s a timelessness to the track, mixing the ’60s with the modern day to create something that feels both familiar and fresh. It’s an exhilarating start.
River Mouth is gentle and ambient. Acoustic and classical elements set the early tone, and there’s a hint of introspection around Jared’s vocal delivery. Little Cloud lightens the mood with a jaunty melody and playful whistling. Horses is suitably dynamic. With licks of country instrumentals and sound effects, it really paints a picture. It’s a highlight.
Trees sits at the heart of the album. It has a delicately plucked acoustic guitar arrangement that develops into something jazzier, and there is a dark defiance to its vocals and lyrics. Sparrow’s Heart introduces some psychedelic indie pop rock to proceedings before Ants gives us some lively experimentation. My Flock & I takes us to the seaside and reintroduces some acoustic instrumentals before Sunly closes the album with some intimate jazz and soul. This final genre switch makes it another highlight.
Green was mixed, recorded and produced by Jared. The album features Walker and Jontan, who play drums, bass, cello, and lead guitar, as well as assisting in the recording and production. The album is out Saturday, 30 September and will be available in all the usual places.
