This week is an exciting week in the world of Asheville music. Why is that, you might ask? It’s because you are about to have an exclusive preview of a new Jaeb album that hasn’t been released yet. That’s right. All you Melted readers out there will get the chance to read the album review and listen to all the tracks before this album is out!

Jaeb, a local (Asheville) indie-emo rock band, releases Something New, their first full-length release, on June 1st. This will be their first release under their fairly new name, Jaeb (formerly Tides). The record is a nice mix of mostly newer tracks with a couple of redone Jaeb classics. The tracks will be embedded with this review so stay tuned to listen to the album after you’re done reading!

We start off this album with the beginning track, “What Did You All Say About Me?” This song is short and sweet, but it gets the point across. There aren’t many lyrics but that isn’t necessary. The raw, emotional vocals instantly tell us that this song comes from a dark place.

I’m petrified of what I'll say

If I were to say something wrong

Would you all leave me?

Those words illustrate the struggle that comes with social anxiety, and constantly worrying that you could mess everything up. Almost every young adult has been through a situation like this. Therefore, this song touches base with a wide range of people.

The second song is the title track, “Something New.” This is a song written about longing for love, wishing that one person was there with you. Jaeb puts a slight spin on the classic rock band love song with a unique time signature and heavy -- yet somewhat happy -- guitar sounds. That perfectly contrasts with the dismal lyrics that, once again, most of us can empathize with. Jaeb does a really outstanding job with making music that is relatable, but also one-of-a-kind.

“Simplify Your Life,” is the third track on this album. This is actually a previous release from Jaeb, and a fan-favorite at their concerts. The intro starts out with an uplifting, beachy-rock riff that makes a few appearances in the song. There are only a couple of lines in this track towards the beginning, the rest being instrumental. We also get a taste of some slower, softer sounds in the middle of the song, and it fades out into what I call, “the musical representation of a sunset.”

The fourth song is called, “Open Sea,” another Jaeb classic from their beginning years that might actually be THE biggest fan-favorite. It’s loud and heavy, with a beautiful yet simple guitar riff that is instantly catchy and easily recognizable. The song slows and quiets down for a few seconds, and soon after, jumps back into the hard and heavy sound everyone seems to love. It’s the kind of song that makes you continuously head-bang or jump up and down at concerts. This particular version of the song has been re-recorded and improved, with new harmonies and sharper sounds. Jaeb somehow made one of their best songs even better.

Number five is ,”Maybe If It Never Happens I’ll Be Okay.” Instantly we are greeted with what sounds like Zakk, the drummer, chatting about playing this song - whenever I hear bits like this, it makes the music more authentic to me. You can hear that these are real people writing these very real songs; and what a great example of a REAL song this is. It’s slower, tender, and soft. Between each guitar riff is a small break where you can only hear the countdown of drumsticks. It makes the song seem even slower, and I think that’s the point they were trying to make with this song. The passion and emotion are very apparent when listening to this track. So far, this is my favorite new track of theirs.

The sixth track is called, “Sati,” which is a very odd name for such a cheery-sounding song. Sati is an Indian practice where a widow throws herself onto her husband’s funeral pyre. As soon as you press play, you are introduced to what sounds like the exact opposite; upbeat drums, a light, catchy guitar riff and absolutely angelic harmonies that all mesh together so well. Although this song comes in at only about two and a half minutes, it is still a great number and has become another one of my favorites. Its beauty is way too hard not to appreciate.

“Why Can’t It Stay,” comes in at number seven. It’s another Jaeb oldie, and the last oldie on this album at that. It opens slowly with a steady softness that is soon accompanied by Jude’s sincere lyrics. The genuity of his writings about love is what makes this song so good. It’s an emotional track but can be relaxing as well; each listener will hear something different. The song is concluded with what sounds like eerie reverse guitar loops, a sound that makes the gloomy tone of the song even more apparent.

Next is number eight, “I Feel Older.” This track is placed perfectly after “Why Can’t It Stay,” because they are both heartfelt, slower numbers that go well consecutively. This song is different from most of the other tracks on this album because we hear piano, which is occasionally played by Jude’s sister Chloe during recordings or live shows. I think this was a great song to choose when it came to adding piano. It goes well with the theme of the song; maybe it’s the fact that pianos are timeless and the lyrics adhere to growing older with time. Time is such a touchy subject that is better illustrated with earnest lyrics and the beautiful, wholehearted sounds of the piano. Jaeb did a wonderful job with this song, as they seem to do with a great majority of their work.

The last track on the album is called, “I’ve Been Listening To Too Much Free Throw.” This song has a light-hearted title that slightly brings us away from the sadness of the past few tracks. The guitar riffs sound like sunshine; really light and twangy. The music gets a little more intense as the song goes on, including the vocals. When Jude’s singing turns into slight yelling, you know he’s putting all of his passion into what he’s doing. In this song, Tyler’s bass playing seems to be highlighted a lot more, which is wonderful. This song ends with some twinkly, soft guitar sounds that wrap everything up perfectly. A calming end to an emotional rollercoaster of an album.

If you have made it to this point in the article, congrats! You now get to preview the ENTIRE new Jaeb album. Happy listening guys!