Jason Bemis Lawrence is a mainstay in the indie rock scene, having drummed for acts such as Jesse Marchant, Dean & Britta, Bodies Be Rivers, The Building (with Anthony LaMarca of The War on Drugs) amongst others. Feeling like an eternal guest on the tours of others, the Louisville-born, New York-based musician got to writing his own songs, the loneliness and isolation of travelling precipitating into vivid substance that went to form his debut solo record, Another Hotel Hallway.

First singles ‘Southern Midwest’ and ‘How Fast Can You Pack?’ introduced the Jason Bemis Lawrence sound, a cinematic brand of folk accentuated by a number of instrumental accompaniments, from swelling piano and strings to a more electronic ambiance. The latter, which features Heather Woods Broderick on backing vocals, gives a good idea of Lawrence’s writing style too, occupying the dividing line between soulful and haunted to allow for a sound as rich as it is moving. “[Touring] can be disquieting,” Lawrence says, speaking of his inspiration, “but distance can provide the opportunity to reflect on values and beliefs, as well as how we handle change and adapt.”

We’re delighted to share the latest single, ‘Limited Roles’, a song which pushes piano to the forefront to produce a strangely sombre warmth. Lawrence’s vocals are slow and mournful, lending a dark, deserted air that the piano fills with curious meaning, as though within melancholy lies its own counterpoint—the very act of missing something a reminder that there is something worth missing. Something to which we can return.

However, this does not necessarily relate to grand ideas of love and loss, and can instead apply to ideas of identity and character. “This song is not exactly factual but it’s about someone that wants to make their life as dramatic as the theater they perform in,” Lawrence explains. “Daily life is not enough when you can be the center of attention on a stage (or on social media, etc) […] The song’s narrator is lashing out a bit for being brought on stage and not fitting into the world there, and he’s writing something that he himself can control.”

Which is to say, this is a narrator who has built a careful version of life, them as the subject and everyone else as audience. The real world, which obviously butts up against this delusion, only serves to remind them of what they had, and maybe could have still, if only they retreat from every interaction that contradicts this view. If only they retreat from life.

Another Hotel Hallway is set for release on the 7th September and you can pre-order it from the Jason Bemis Lawrence Bandcamp page.

Photo by Bernie Dechant