Jared Adams Unveils Sophomore Album Mystic Humanism
Winnipeg, MB-based alt-rocker Jared Adams has unveiled his sophomore album, Mystic
Humanism. Following up his debut album, Tragic Nostalgia, Adams explores uncharted sonic territories, delivering a captivating blend of rock and indietronica influences.
Mystic Humanism is a concept album presenting Adams’ hot takes on the now: politics,
the metaverse, AI’s imminent takeover, and earth’s unsteadying balance, all underpinned
with messages entwined with a search for compassion and understanding, urging the
importance of taking a step back, a closer look, and reassessing, even when it’s hard.
The album delves into a musical realm shaped by the artist’s diverse influences, drawing
inspiration from early 2000s alt-rock icons like Radiohead and The Postal Service. In
addition to the traditional structures of a 4-piece rock band, Adams allows the album’s
arrangements to unfold organically, experimenting with synths, drum machines, and
intricate songcraft to create a rich tapestry of melodies.
Like Adams’ previous album, this second LP was also recorded at Private Ear in Winnipeg
and co-produced by Western Canadian Music Award (WCMA) winning producer, John
Paul Peters (Royal Canoe, Begonia). It also includes feature performances by the horn
section from WMCA winners, Apollo Suns; violinist Eric Ross from Yes We Mystic; and
Christy Taronno from Paper Machetes, adds a layer of depth and expressiveness to
Adams’ sonic palette.
To celebrate the album’s release, Jared Adams will headline a special release show at the
Handsome Daughter in Winnipeg, MB on March 29th. The event promises a compelling
evening of music, featuring all the guest performers from the album.
First off care to introduce yourself to our readers?
I’m an alt-rocker from Winnipeg, Manitoba. I’ve spent many years playing in various bands before releasing my debut solo album, “Tragic Nostalgia” in the spring of 2020. That album was somewhat cathartic for me as it was kind of an introspective look into past moments of my life that were happier, that I felt nostalgic for and longed to relive. I find music is a great medium for taking those bottled-up inner emotions, ones that need reconciling, and being able to express them in a way that sometimes words just can’t. It’s that form of expression that resonates with others and can allow for a connection on a totally different level; that’s the feeling I chase every time I get on stage in front of an audience.
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
So if “Tragic Nostalgia” was a dive into my inner self, this new album “Mystic Humanism” is the exact opposite, it’s kind of a loose concept album that explores my hot takes on the now: politics, the metaverse, A.I.’s imminent takeover, and Earth’s unsteadying balance. Lyrically, some of it comes from my love for sci-fi movies and books, and how the technology they dreamed up is finally coming to life and making our world more connected. This level of connection should bring us closer to world peace, and it really frustrates me to see wars being fought over imaginary lines in the sand when we could so easily be living in harmony together. This album explores a lot of those ideas.
It’s also a bit of a foray into a new musical territory for me, I wrote most of these songs over the pandemic and had a lot of time to experiment with drum machines and synthesizers, layering various different tracks to create interesting sonic landscapes.
How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
Often it will be a lyrical hook or a concept that comes to me and I’ll let that direct the music in terms of feel or tone. On this album, though there were a few songs that started off with guitar riffs or drum beats since, as I mentioned, I was experimenting a bit more with sounds and instruments in the free time I had during lockdowns. These songs are a bit more refined than stuff I’ve written previously, I used to try to hammer out songs in one session and if I couldn’t finish them, I’d throw them away, but after going back to university a few years ago, one of the main things I took away from it was the process of editing creative works. I applied that process on this album, holding onto ideas that I knew had potential and constantly refining songs to make them the best they could be.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?
Coming up, we’re going to be celebrating the album’s release with a show at the Handsome Daughter in Winnipeg on March 29th. I’m going to be bringing in all the guest musicians who played on the album: the horn section from Apollo Suns, violinist Eric Ross from Yes We Mystic, and vocalist Christy Taronno from Paper Machetes. After that, the plan is to play some summer festivals in Manitoba and possibly head out to Western Canada for a few dates. Beyond that, I’ve always got ideas kicking around for new music and other audio/visual projects.
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
In 2019, my band Colour By Numbers was asked to play at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, unfortunately, our drummer was going to be out of town at the time so I told the organizers that I had this other project, my solo project, that could play the spot and they agreed. Unbeknownst to them, this band was purely hypothetical at the time, I now had a few months to get a group together and teach them my songs, which luckily I had already written. Somehow it all managed to come together, we played the Fringe Fest and that was kind of the genesis of my solo music career.
Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?
The openers at my album release are both fantastic: Matlock and Annaxis. Beyond that, some of the independent bands I’m into these days are The Benefits, VVonder, Attica Riots, Fold Paper, Paper Machetes, and The Haileys; Winnipeg’s got a fantastic music scene, it’s hard to just name a few!