Jason Bajada unveils his new album, Crushed Grapes
Following the release of its first two singles, “Snake” and “Walt Disney,” the highly anticipated eighth album, Crushed Grapes, has been unveiled by Montreal’s Jason Bajada.
“Crushed Grapes was written over several years. I wrote the first songs as I was coming out of a dark period, still feeling sore. Then wrote the next ones while relearning to walk with a spring in my step, each song helping me get further away from the abyss. To me, this album is about learning to slow dance with melancholy. During a four-month exile in California, I read John Fante’s ‘Ask the Dust’ (he was Charles Bukowski’s favourite author) and I came upon this amazing metaphor: ‘[…] her eyes looked like crushed grapes.’ Fante’s poetry played a major part in the writing of my album’s title song. After crying every tear, your river eventually runs dry. Transformed. Wiser. Lighter. A calm after the storm,” says the artist.
Featuring some of what has established him as an artist who can be frank and straightforward in an almost soothing way, this new nine-track album offers a contemplative appreciation of the places where life takes us. Written in New York, Montreal, the Magdalen Islands, and Los Angeles, the LP was co-produced with Connor Seidel, with whom Bajada connected. Crushed Grapes is an album with which you can see yourself evolving. It inspires us to enjoy the good times, laugh until we cry, and tell ourselves that life can be bittersweet and that melancholy mustn’t be so harsh.
Jason Bajada will debut the songs of Crushed Grapes at Le Ministère on October 4. He will hit the stage surrounded by a supergroup featuring David Laflèche (guitars), Lisa Iwanycki (vocals, keyboards), Michael Felber (bass), and Mark Di Claudio (drums).
Listen to Crushed Grapes below, and find out more about Jason Bajada via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi, I’m Jason Bajada. I’m from the city of Montreal. I love The Smiths, Patti Smith, and Elliott Smith. I sing songs about my feelings for a living. Still baffled by the way this all works out.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
My new album is called Crushed Grapes, and the title was inspired by a John Fante novel called “Ask The Dust.” It was produced by my friend Connor Seidel (Charlotte Cardin, Matt Holubowski, Les Soeurs Boulay) & me. We think it’s quite good and a lot of care went into it.
Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?
I have multiple sources of inspiration. I have an extensive list of words, phrases, and prose I accumulate and put into an app. I have a 400-song Shazam playlist with things that have caught my ear throughout the years. Reading books always seems to trigger a song.
Do you have any upcoming shows or festivals you’d like to tell us about?
I’m having a Montreal album launch party on October 4th at Le Ministère. Follow me on social media to get updates on tour dates.
What’s your goal for 2022?
1) Write more songs
2) Enjoy life to the fullest
3) Be the world’s greatest “rookie dad” of the year. I hear the competition is ferocious.
Connect with Jason Bajada:
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