Melbourne based singer songwriter Ariela Jacobs captured attention (and hearts) back in 2014 with the release of her independent EP titled This produced by Simon Paul (Lanie Lane, Vance Joy).
The release saw her garner national radio play across Australia (Triple J, FBi), while her single ‘The Sound’ debuted on tastemaker blog Indie Shuffle and clocked over 100,000 plays on SoundCloud. She’s now following up that success with the release of her stunning new EP Yesteryear.
The six track EP was recorded at Sing Sing South in Melbourne with producer Jono Steer (Ainslie Wills, Ben Abraham). The clean and spacious production and subtle instrumentation gives Ariela the space to showcase her unique and impressive vocal range.
Capturing the intimacy of relationships, the EP explores themes of heartache, longing for love, reflection and memories. To celebrate its release, the local talent has kindly penned us a very depth run down of the release which you can check out below along with the EP stream. If you like what you’re hearing pop by Ariela’s Facebook page for more info.
Yesteryear
‘Yesteryear’ was the first song I wrote after a long writers block. During this period I was actually afraid that I wasn’t going to come up with something that resonated with me, but the song appeared quite spontaneously – as most creative things do, at very inopportune moments.
It is the title track off the EP; this was chosen because the song in its entirety, sets the major theme for the compilation at hand. It’s the start of the narrative, and when listened to in the numerological order, one will recognise that each song conceptually, weaves its way into the other.
Lyrically the song is quite nostalgic, an ode to a long lost love. It’s about the concept of time, how it allows us to heal and how it allows us to decipher and discover the things that might have been and what subsequently, could be.
Out of all the songs on the record, it’s the track which aesthetically sounds and feels like the relationship at hand. It’s a strange thing to think about, but for me, it’s like the smell of an old jumper which transports you to an old memory. These are the small things that prompt my creativity.
Lost
I wrote ‘Lost’ almost five years ago now and in fact, previously released it as an acoustic track. To this day, it’s still a cherished favourite of mine and I am so happy that I had to chance to recreate it with Jono Steer. He really brought the song to life.
We were so simplistic in terms of its production, and I think that’s why it’s so strong in its delivery; it’s purely punctuated with electronic swirls and nothing but simple piano chords. The percussion is also just us clapping in St Martins Church (and that’s probably my favourite part on the entire EP).
The song has two parts to it. Evidently, it’s about a relationship which doesn’t serve you and on the other hand, it’s also about a massive identity crisis. During this time I was figuring out a lot about who I was, what I wanted for myself and coming to terms with my identity and sexuality.
Lyrically, the chorus is about knowing you probably shouldn’t be with someone, but also not being with someone because others may have a hard time accepting it too.
Thieves & Spies
‘Thieves & Spies’ hits quite close to home for me. It’s about mental illness and being in a relationship, albeit with a loved one or watching a friend or family member in a time of crisis.
This concept is one which has come up quite frequently in my songwriting, especially as of late. It’s about not having the means to help someone you love, but wishing you could unravel their thoughts and eradicate the darkness for them.
The ‘thieves and spies’ are a metaphor. They were placed in the song as a means of entering ones brain, and ‘stealing’ their pain. It’s also about questioning our own internal struggles and subsequently, how we confront them.
Sandman
‘Sandman’ was the first single released off the EP. The story behind Sandman is about comparing a new relationship to an old one – we’ve all been there. I used the name Sandman as a metaphorical twist.
Generally, people identify this mystical character as a gentle creature who brings good dreams to children and puts them to sleep by covering their eyes with sand.
The Sandman in this song is slightly different. Conceptually, the ‘Sandman’, has stirred up some inner-commotion and in saying that, the result is a refusal to wake from sleep without resolve. He’s then trying to undo this act of putting me to sleep in the first place.
It sounds a bit heavy, but I guess, the ‘sand’ in this case, was too heavy. It is important to note that the Sandman is not one in the relationship, he is just an external figure, more of an observer at hand.
Lonely Love
‘Lonely Love’ was somewhat of a departure for me, in that it really moulds its way into the ‘pop’ framework. This is something very new for me, a big experiment. Similar to the storyline in Yesteryear, it’s about letting go of the old, in the hope that something new or different may arise.
Better Now
‘Better Now’ was one of those spontaneous tracks that we added to the EP last minute. During the process of working with Jono, I taught myself how use the guitar as percussion (something I was trying to learn for years). As a songwriter, and I know many people can relate, every new song, for us, is more preferable than the last, because it’s new and fresh.
I got addicted to this percussion pattern I was creating and I brought it into the studio one day saying THIS IS THE SONG. I don’t really know if it’s ‘the song’, but Jono and I co-wrote this one together, with a more uplifting message in mind.
On second glance, it seems that the other songs kind of dwell on an old story, and this song in particular, almost dismisses all of that. But that’s the thing, life always happens when you’re not looking. And that’s what this song is about. It’s the only live track but I also see it as a hopeful narrative which concludes the message of the EP.
It’s a little brighter in contrast to the other tunes that are presented. I also see it as a a stepping stone to an aesthetic that I’ve been currently delving into, a new sound that will most likely weave itself into the next batch of songs I record.
