Bournemouth’s Jordan Ayriss musical activity has been quite prolific over the past decade or so with bands such as Traffic Cone Wizard, Sepia Daze, Ironic Encounter and Gutter Rats taking up much of his time. As well as recording, mixing and mastering at his own Ayriss Studios he also finds time to create some solo material. To date there has been the self- titled debut solo EP in 2017, followed by debut album “Amiss” which featured possibly one of his finest moments – a tune called “Voices”.
2020 sees Jordan’s creative juices set loose again on a 2nd album which is his first (and possibly last) attempt at writing a concept album. He explains “it’s a story with a double meaning, of course, the underlying message is about poor mental health (like all of my solo stuff) but it’s using the idea of being “Adrift” and “Lost at sea” as being lost in your own head, if that makes sense?”. For this album he has recruited a couple of co-writers: Samantha Barberry on track one and Saffron Holloway on track four; the rest has been written, performed, recorded, mixed and mastered by himself.
The eleven-track record kicks off with the album’s single ‘Adrift’. Jordan is not an artist to stand still; he is one who constantly pushes the barriers of his own musical abilities, constantly searching for new sounds and textures. If you listen to his back catalogue there are very few similarities between his recordings and of course “Adrift” is no different. It’s an emotive piece where he uses synths to create a background bed of atmospheric sound, which is coupled with understated rhythms and clearly passionate vocals. Living in Bournemouth its hard not to be influenced by the surrounding coastline and “Adrift” has a well put together video to accompany it featuring coastal imagery.
The record takes you on a journey through the life of the character who gets more and more lost as things progress, something that lots of people in these difficult times can totally equate to. Though the subject matter is dark there is an underlying positivity running through the music that gives you hope there is more to life than this. “Divide” and the encouraging “Control Your Breathing” use some impressive texturing to create the ambient soundscapes. There are plenty of influences running through Jordan’s tunes, however, his skill at creating has disguised anything really obvious and the music sounds really unique.
“Unexpected Bliss” talks about becoming used to living with these afflictions and somewhat having to accept that this is how it is. ‘I’m Fine’ the character is essentially battling with his own thoughts, he knows he’s breaking down but is trying to convince himself that he’s fine. These tunes tell a story, though much of it has been taken from personal experiences that the harsh rollercoaster of life have to deliver. The final few tracks create a sense of helplessness and of an individual giving up and nearly throwing in the towel. The final track brings the story to a close with a euphoric ending that closes with the lyric “but seconds away from my disband, with disbelief, I spotted land” after being “Adrift” for so long getting back to land again gives a familiar and more secure feeling.
Track Listing
Adrift
On My Side
Divide
Control Your Breathing
Catch Me
Unexpected Bliss
I’m Fine
Send Me Away
I’m a Fraud
S.O.S.
Feel It
Links
https://www.facebook.com/ayrissmusic
http://ayrissmusic.bandcamp.com
Words by David Chinery (Chinners).
