Jessy Lanza Is in the Driver’s Seat | 5 Senses
Written by SOURCE on August 10, 2020
The world that Jessy Lanza recorded her new album in is very different from the world that it was released into. And now, between changing seasons and a global pandemic, tracks on Jessy’s new album All the Time have taken on new meanings.
Her single “Anyone Around” ended up being anthemic for the quarantine. When we caught up with Jessy (in a socially distant way) ahead of her LP release, she admitted that she was surprised by how much that song applied to the new normal. “I didn’t anticipate that at all,” she said. “I wrote this song at a time when I was feeling completely alone, isolated, and disconnected.”
According to Jessy, that can be said for the rest of the album too. “I wrote the album at a time when I was feeling pretty low, but should have been really excited. I had just moved to a new city and was in a new relationship but I still felt like shit. This album is very personal and more explicitly so.”
In under 40 minutes, we experience Jessy’s infectious take on electro-fusion with her longtime collaborator and fellow Hamilton native Jeremy Greenspan as she explores themes of isolation and intimacy (but mostly the latter).
The project is distinctly electronic, but there are traces of R&B and pop throughout. The effortless genre-bending is one of the many ways that Jessy showcases her comfort in multiplicity. Sonically, she is extremely timely while still infusing ’80s pop vibes into tracks like “Lick in Heaven” and the titular track, “All the Time.” Meanwhile, in her lyrics, she is soft and vulnerable, but strong and self-assured—a feeling that she hopes will inspire listeners.
“After people listen to the record, I want them to feel like it’s OK to be soft,” she said. “It’s OK to be a mess. And it’s ok to want to escape to a different place.”
On the cover of All the Time, she’s in the driver’s seat of her truck. When we asked about the story behind the album cover, she said that the truck was just where she felt most comfortable being photographed. But after taking in the project, the photo also takes on a greater significance. By owning all of the facets of herself and putting them on display with this album, she is literally and figuratively in the driver’s seat.
Get to know Jessy Lanza by learning what she’s been watching, which songs have been on repeat, what foods she’s been craving, her online obsessions, and latest cop. These are Jessy Lanza’s 5 Senses:
See
“I just watched this documentary called Still Bill about Bill Withers. He was the most humble, sweet, grounded artist. I cried through that entire documentary.”
Hear
“I am listening to the Martyn Bootyspoon EP. He’s from Montreal and he just put out this EP called Lickety Split.”
Taste
“If I could go eat at Ding Tai Fung in Markham and get soup dumplings, that would be great. You can’t really get soup dumplings to go. You can, but it’s not really the same. I’ve missed eating there.”
Double-Tap
“I’ve been really obsessed with this comedian named Limmy. He has this series called Karaoke Duets. Remember Chatroulette? This is kind of like karaoke roulette. He does a duet of “Stan” by Eminem and it’s pretty strange but it’s pretty funny.”
Cop
“I definitely went crazy on the last BandCamp day. I bought a really great album by this artist out of the UK named Loraine James called Hmm. It’s really good. I would suggest going out and buying that if you can. Well, not going out. Staying in and buying that.”
