And just like that, November is here already. Having enjoyed some brisk and misty mornings, and watching the leaves starting to turn and tumble from the trees, the colder half of the calendar year is definitely upon us. While I am thankful to bid farewell to the scorching temperatures and high humidity here on the US East coast, many friends are happier still to be rid of annoying wasps, larger-than-life fire ants, and pesky mosquitos. Yeah, I get that – as I glance outside and see swarms of midges loitering out in the yard. There seems to be no escape from flies right now – something I discovered just a few days ago when I found “Flies” in my GDW email inbox (but not a real fly, per se – please, read on).
“Flies” is the latest single from London, UK artist Jasmine Rodgers, released independently across all major digital download and streaming platforms, and her first solo endeavor (Jasmine also fronts the UK rock band Boa) following her acclaimed “Blood Red Sun” album back in 2016. Teaming up once again with co-producer Sean Genockey (Tom McRae, Joel Harries), Rodgers also announces that “Flies” is the first track from an upcoming EP. “I have been thinking about how big life is and it makes my problems feel smaller,” Jasmine shares. “It’s like when you look at an image of the planet as a speck of dust in the universe. My latest song is about being stuck in situations that you feel helpless to remove yourself from, yet finding a way to be free. Flies was a healing song for me and singing it makes me feel better.”
Rodgers has earned a growing reputation for fusing many musical influences to create her own sound, weaving rock, blues, soul, folk, and country into lush musical textures layered with poetic lyrics. “Flies” is a lyrical study of mortality, and once again showcases the ethereal beauty of her vocals, whilst driven by her folky finger-picking guitar technique. “This song is about survival, from heartache to healed. We can go through the absolute worst times, but we can also get through them,” Jasmine explains. “The humble fly was my inspiration … its little life is beautiful in its own way. To me, there is beauty in everything.”
Building slowly from its atmospheric guitar and vocal led core, Jasmine gradually and subtly elevates “Flies” through the introduction of piano and layered reverbs. The latter are used to create a constant buzz that you experience in the background, before eventually dying out so that the escalating tension can almost mirror the message of its lyrical content: “And soon we’ll be awake forever / And soon we’ll find out what’s out beyond the clouds / And soon we’ll be awake forever / You and I will work it out.” “People can take life too seriously, but life is so short in the grand scheme of things,” Jasmine adds. “But it’s a bit of a double-edged sword, as that is probably why people take it so seriously and make certain choices about the way they want to live.” “And soon we’ll be awake forever / You and I will work it out.”
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
