An Interview with Jet Lag Motel
Jet Lag Motel return with a new EP that leans into everything from elements of pop punk to modern-style indie rock, and most of it is extremely radio-friendly, while some of it even gives me the vibe of the kind of stuff you would hear on the radio in the early 2000s or late 90s.
The record is filled with bright guitar tone, catchy hooks, a vibrant kind of energy, and comes through with a bit of a punch, which is something pop rock needs.
One thing is for sure: no matter what track you're listening to, you can clearly hear that pop sensibility being held on to.
There are also a slew of influences you can hear coming into play throughout the record's unfolding.
The EP is called Baythorne Days, and its first and title track gives you a great introduction to the record with some great layers that come together and create almost cinematic backbones.
This is definitely bringing on that radio feel, but also has these keys and synths that float through the background and push that filmic feel by way of delivering what feels like orchestral-style strings. This does wonders for the song because it gives it a lot of depth. It helps build more emotional push, and works amazingly to give the song a very lush and full-bodied feel.
The song definitely tells a great story, and it's easy for you to paint a picture as the song plays through, and then it hits this pop-punk style chorus that's super catchy, very flavorful, and it bounces.
I love how the vocals keep this perfect kind of energy throughout the track and focus on melodic drive. They are also double-tracked a lot of the time, so you get this thick feel, especially in those hook sections.
He's definitely looking back and telling you the story of past days, and this gives the song a really sort of nostalgic vibe.
I like tracks that do that. Songs like this can make you feel nostalgic, not because of the instrumentation and music itself, but more because of the lyrics.
However, it's amazing how the band can provide the right kind of mood for those lyrics.
"I Wanna Know" is sort of cinematic and brings together loads of these textures, but it's more inviting than anything else.
This song showcases how the band can layer guitars and bass guitars in a way that feels good. This is a really elegant song in terms of the lyrics, which are beautifully done and showcase a lot of personality as well.
"Sorry" is the song on the record that really gives me that sort of late 90s radio feel. The way it was recorded and put together is great. You can hear the strums of the guitars themselves even though they have an added layer of distortion, but it's not super heavy either. It leans more towards a lighter side, bringing a crisper sound, but the vocals also have this layer of reverb effect on them. So, with this track, you have more depth in terms of how the vocals are coming through.
This is a fun one because lyrically and vocally, the singer brings out some awesome lyrical phrasing that bounces between the beats amazingly, and makes the song really catchy.
"Wanting" brings back that brightness, and does so with a bit of a faster pace, higher energy level, and vivaciousness.
Throughout this EP, there are plenty of surprises. The way they incorporate all these different influences into their songs is something welcoming. There's a familiarity to the record, but it's also fresh at the same time.
Believe It or Not, the closing track, "Don't Change", is actually my favorite one. This is a bit crunchier, bringing back more palm-muting and pop-punk influence, great bounce, and it's got loads of drive.
This is a bit heavier than some of the other tracks in certain ways, but it still has that sort of colorful overtone.
This was an outstanding set of tracks that can bring you back. They are endlessly fun, have loads of pop-riddled approach and tone, and some of those choruses bounce around in your head for hours after the songs have ended.
I would definitely suggest going through all these songs. Listening to the full EP in one shot is the only way to go.
If you grew up in the 90s like me, then there's going to be something that will grab you about this record. There's a certain aesthetic about it that just feels right.
But again, there's also a refreshing element about this release as well.
Either way, check this out now and you can hear exactly what I'm talking about.
Jet Lag Motel Talks Baythorne Days, Songwriting, Touring, and What Comes Next
Jet Lag Motel’s new record, Baythorne Days, came together in a whirlwind of writing sessions, unexpected studio changes, old friendships, and plenty of creative momentum.
We sat down to talk about where the record came from, how quickly it was made, the people who helped bring it to life, the band’s songwriting process, and what’s next for Jet Lag Motel.
Let’s talk a bit about Baythorne Days.
“I would absolutely love to talk about Baythorne Days because it was such a fun experience, from writing the songs to actually recording them. The whole thing had a really great turnaround, and there’s definitely a story behind how it all came together.”
Is this record a callback to earlier times where you grew up? It certainly feels that way.
I can definitely see why it feels that way, because nostalgia is a huge part of Baythorne Days. But Baythorne isn’t actually a place where I grew up.
Steven lives on Baythorne, and somewhere along the way we started turning that name into this almost mythical place that represents memories, younger days, friendships, relationships, and those moments in life that stick with you.
So in a way, it is a callback to where we came from, just not to a literal place. Baythorne Days became our imaginary version of the past, where real memories and a little bit of fiction all live together.
How long did it take for you to finish the record?
It really happened incredibly fast. All together, it was about 10 days spread across two trips to Los Angeles, plus another day when Taylor Carroll recorded the drums at Stella Studio in Nashville.
The story behind it is actually pretty interesting. We originally went to Los Angeles expecting to spend five days working with Taylor. When we arrived, we found out that he wasn’t going to be available until our last day. That definitely threw a stick in the wheel and broke a spoke for a second! But we decided pretty quickly that we weren’t going to let it slow us down.
We ended up at The Kitchen studio in LA, where we met Nathan Bankston and Garrett Ross, who owns the studio. We really didn’t know much about Nathan at the time, including what an accomplished musician and songwriter he is in his own right.
Nathan basically stepped in and took over the sessions, and it couldn’t have worked out better. He understood what Steven and I were trying to do almost immediately. He helped us develop the songs without changing who we were, and I think that’s where we really started finding the sound we had been looking for.
I also made the decision to step away from playing bass on these recordings and asked my childhood friend Javi Colon, who I’ve known since we were about nine years old, to play bass. Javi lives in Los Angeles, so getting to make this record with him made the whole experience even more special.
Taylor was able to join us on our final day in LA, and then later recorded the drums at Stella Studio in Nashville.
About a month and a half later, we were getting into the mixing process, but things weren’t quite sounding the way we wanted. We asked Taylor if he’d be okay with us trying something different, and he was completely supportive.
Since Nathan had recorded most of the project and really understood the songs, we asked him to mix it.
That turned out to be exactly the right decision.
We flew back to Los Angeles, and almost immediately Nathan said, “Let’s redo the vocals.”
I remember looking at him like, “Seriously?”
And he said, “Yes. I want you to sing all of them again, and I want you to do all the backing vocals.”
So that’s exactly what I did.
Nathan mixed and mastered everything, and when we finally heard it finished, we couldn’t have been happier.
Now we’re starting to hear these songs showing up on national radio stations, which makes the whole whirlwind even more exciting.
When I look back at it, that’s one of the craziest things about Baythorne Days. From recording to finishing the record, it all happened incredibly fast, but somehow all of those unexpected turns ended up taking us exactly where we needed to go.
Did you write the songs together? Do you have a main person who writes most of them? How does it work for you?
So far, pretty much Steven Jasik and I handle the writing together.
I usually come in with the lyrics and a melody idea, and then we build the composition around that. Steven really shapes the musical side with me and adds these very special guitar parts that end up defining the sound of the band.
It’s a very collaborative process between the two of us, almost like we’re constantly bouncing ideas back and forth until the song feels right.
And I’m really looking forward to expanding that process with the other guys as well. Things are moving so fast right now that I can already feel myself writing more, and Steven is adding to those ideas in real time.
It’s exciting because it feels like the way we write is naturally evolving as the band grows.
Are you guys touring in support of the record right now?
We’re actually just getting ready to start playing some of our first bigger shows, so the timing of that question is perfect.
We did hit a little speed bump recently, but honestly, it’s a good problem to have. Things with Jet Lag Motel have started moving much faster than we expected.
Our bass player, David Brown, and our drummer, AJ Navarro, both have young children and families, and as the opportunities have grown, I think we’ve all realized that the commitment required to really take this out on the road may be more than they’re ready to take on right now.
They’re going to play this first show with us, and at the same time we’ve already started auditioning some really great players who are in a position to make that touring commitment.
Our plan is to get the new lineup together, play a couple of local shows so everybody gets really tight, and then hopefully be ready to start touring within the next couple of months.
It’s actually an exciting time because everything is moving so quickly. We definitely want to get Baythorne Days out in front of people and play these songs live. That’s really the next chapter for us.
Is it true that you guys actually wrote a lot of this record while you were still recording No Vacancy?
That’s absolutely true. The truth of the matter is Steven and I just can’t stop writing.
Even while we were still working on No Vacancy, new songs were already starting to take shape, and some of those ideas ultimately became Baythorne Days.
And it hasn’t stopped. We’re writing constantly, and we’ve got some new songs right now that we’re really excited about.
At the end of August, we’re actually recording three more songs with Nathan Bankston, but this time we’re flipping the script and bringing Nathan here to San Antonio instead of us going back to Los Angeles.
The three new songs each have their own personality, but they really feel like the next evolution of what Steven and I have been doing.
One of them in particular is very cinematic. Every time I hear it, I can picture it living in a movie or television show, so I’m really hoping somebody in that world hears it and feels the same thing.
That’s probably the best part of what’s happening with Jet Lag Motel right now. We’re releasing music, but creatively we’re already two or three steps down the road working on what’s coming next.
The writing just hasn’t stopped.
How on earth were you able to focus on both things at once?
Anybody who knows me knows that I’m always doing a million things. I think I actually function better that way.
I love writing music, but I also love taking care of my plants, hanging out with my dog and cat, spending time with friends, and especially being with my wife, Carisa.
Carisa is actually a really big part of what we do. When we’re in the studio, she’s the one taking care of everybody, making sure we’re rested, fed, staying focused and not getting too crazy.
She really helps keep the wheels on the whole thing.
I have other hobbies and things I love doing too, so there’s always something going on in my world. But music is constantly running in the background.
Steven and I really don’t stop. We’re always writing, throwing ideas back and forth, thinking about the next songs, planning what we want to record and getting ready for shows.
So I guess focusing on both records at once didn’t really feel like juggling two separate things. It’s just kind of how my brain works.
There are always a million things happening, and somehow the music finds its way through all of them.
What’s on the horizon for you guys right now?
There’s a lot happening right now.
Like I mentioned, we’re in the process of finding the right new rhythm section, but David Guerrero, our rhythm guitar player, has been super solid.
He’s relatively new to the band too, because you have to remember that Jet Lag Motel really started with Steven and me in the studio. We were making our first self-produced record when we signed with SSK Records, so the live band has really been growing around what Steven and I started.
The next chapter is about finding the right people who fit with the three of us, playing some really great shows, making more records, meeting more people and, most importantly, having a great time doing all of it.
Things have actually been moving much faster than we ever expected.
Baythorne Days was originally supposed to come out about five months later, but then The Syndicate picked us up and started handling our radio promotion. With that momentum building, we were asked to move the release way up.
So Baythorne Days ended up coming out only about a month and a half after our first EP. That definitely wasn’t the original plan, but it was one of those opportunities where you say, “Okay, let’s go!”
One of the coolest things about all of this is starting to have people tell us that something we wrote really touched them or that they identified with a song. That means everything to Steven and me.
Actually, something really cool happened just last week.
My wife Carisa and I were in Key West, and when the bellman was helping us bring our bags up to our room, he told me that he really loved my song “Mexico.”
I was completely shocked.
Here I was in Key West, in a completely different part of the country, and this guy knew our music and specifically knew “Mexico,” which was from our first EP.
It was one of those moments where you suddenly realize the music is traveling beyond your own little world and reaching people you’ve never met in places you never expected.
Those are the moments Steven and I really love. When somebody you’ve never met tells you that one of your songs connected with them, it makes everything we’re doing feel very real.
So what’s on the horizon?
More growth, more music, more shows and hopefully a lot more moments like that.
We want to keep meeting the people who are finding our music and enjoying this whole ride. We’re having a great time, and right now we just want to keep that momentum going and see where it takes us.
Comments