I spent a little over a year making my newest album, An Uneasy Empathy. At times, the process was maddening: repeatedly throwing out entire sessions for songs, re-working arrangements based on feedback from my wife and endlessly tweaking mixes so they sounded good on something besides my studio monitors.
Art can be made in isolation, but I don’t know that isolation always makes good art. I hope this album reflects where I have been the past two years. I’ve embraced friends, struggled with identity, ignored my wife, battled misperceptions and tore into the New Order catalog. I feel like this may be my strongest batch of lyrics, but they certainly don’t make me look good. When I hear myself sing, “How quickly I rely on emotions when I forget just who I am,” I am floored and question how I ever got to a place where I would make such an admission.
I probably should not pull back the proverbial curtain too much. You will understand the album; it’s not so cerebral that it’s not enjoyable. I hope you enjoy it. (And hopefully, if you enjoy it, you will buy a copy. All proceeds go to support our cloth diaper fund.)
-Jonathon
THE SMITHS 