York’s J.J. Chamberlain is fast becoming a favourite on this blog and now he’s back with his debut full-length album, A Year With The Ghosts. I chatted to him about it, upcoming shows, and York’s fascination with ghosts.

By Graeme Smith

“I think anyone who knows me personally would tell you that this album has dominated my life for a long time now,” Chamberlain confesses, “but it’s also given me the validation I needed to move on past some of the darker days that inspired the songs. Since I began making the album, in January 2024, I have really grown as an artist and a songwriter. I’m into the 4th album territory in terms of the volume of work that I have written, and a lot of it has come naturally.”

That naturalness comes through strongly right from the soft yet driving indie rock in album opener Eyeballs. There’s an authenticity about Chamberlain’s sound that I’ve always enjoyed. It has a touch of the classic about it, mixing Britpop with modern pop rock.

A Year With The Ghosts is, in his own words, an album about “letting go of the ghosts, but without losing the important memories.” There are moments of self-doubt like in the raucous, confessional Imposter Syndrome while Stain turns that ire outward in a groovy, memorable grunge moment. Take gives us some great contrast between jangly verses and soaring choruses. Frequency is a particularly poignant, soul-searching moment. Fawn ends things in smouldering style thanks to bright keys, wandering bass and gentle vocals.

It’s J.J. Chamberlain’s first album, having previously released singles and EPs, some of which we’ve shared on these pages. How different was it putting together a full-length?

“Very different!” he exclaims. “I had to almost curate the perfect mix of songs that would complement each other. There are different moods on [A Year With The Ghosts], and you’ll notice that the genre and sound of some of the songs shifts from quiet to loud and back, this was purposeful. When everything is quiet in my life, it feels ominous, and often there’s something big and loud around the corner, I think I almost feel safer when there’s a constant din going on.

“I was determined to get these songs out there, to put them next to each other and to have them in the right order. I originally had planned a ten track album, but there were a couple of songs that just didn’t feel like they suited the sound or the message that this collection of songs was trying to convey, so I dropped to nine. The final track, Fawn, makes up for this as it’s almost seven minutes long.”

I’ve seen for myself how Chamberlain’s music has developed since it first graced our pages to now, but what does he think of its evolution?

“Interestingly, I had most of this album demoed, then I formed a live band and my band-mates breathed some extra verve into some of the songs,” he says. “So, Cheat Codes, for example, went from being an acoustically driven, multi-layered song with lots of overlapping guitar parts, to being a big shoegaze anthem with a big production. This was down to our live performances which made me return to my mixes and think ‘maybe this doesn’t do it justice.’

“I also think my voice has really grown; I sing with a lot more power now, and that has come as a result of the confidence I’ve grown as a performer. When I started this album, I was a guitarist that could sing his own songs. I feel like I’m now more of a singer who happens to be a good guitarist. I have many people to thank for this, mostly my band-mates and friends.”

As Chamberlain is based right here in York, some of those friends and band-mates are likely to be familiar to local readers. In our interview he shouted out Joe Griffiths, Barny Skinner, Joe Douglas, Will Dreyfus, Josh Pulleyn, Izzy Hartley and the bands Big Bear and Eddy’s Mistake. The last three will be playing alongside him during a headline show at The Fulford Arms on 27 June 2025.

Gig-wise, he’ll also be hosting a launch party for his album on 6 June at Museum Street Tavern. “That one is going to be special too,” he says. “Museum Street Tavern has reopened and they have started to turn the place into a bit of a music hub. We played a set there and they caught wind of the album being out on 6 June, then they asked if they can throw us a party.

“There’s live music all day. I’ll be doing an intimate set from 9pm along with Joe Griffiths who joins me to accompany on bass and guitar. There’ll also be a chance to get hold of some bespoke album merch, and I’ve put together some ghost designs based on the song titles. I figured it makes sense as York loves ghosts, the album is about ghosts, and some of the song titles give us a perfect chance to put ghosts into different social situations. You can get postcards, pin badges, t-shirts and prints as well as physical copies of the album at the launch party.

“Keep going to your local grassroots venues, encourage artists and musicians that you know, don’t let them give up. Support live music as though your life depends on it, because I know mine does.”

Not resting on his laurels, Chamberlain already has album number two in the pipeline, and single with Izzy Hartley coming out around August/September.

Until then, we can enjoy A Year With The Ghosts which is out now. You can give it a listen below.