Music Spotlight: Jake Downs

Originally from Devon the 22-year-old composer and multi-instrumentalist was signed to Vox Humana Records when the label stumbled across an iPhone voice memo recording of Jake’s first single on SoundCloud. Brought up on a diet of Kate Bush and Björk Jake’s musical upbringing has had a clear impact on his own releases, with influences ranging from Beyoncé and Justin Bieber to Stockhausen and Anohni. Just as striking, however, is the essence of British synaesthetic composer Deborah Pritchard who taught Jake whilst he was studying at Oxford University. The influence of Pritchard’s attention to visual colour and shape as compositional tools penetrates deep into ‘Fracture’ on which each track is associated with a particular colour. Jake’s time at Oxford marked the start of his shining career on the live circuit which has seen him perform everywhere from the 12^th-century Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford to the legendary Troubadour Café in London’s Earl’s Court.

The album explores the connection of the body and mind, with first single ‘Chrysalis’ depicting the transcorporeal connection of family, using the chrysalis as a metaphor for protection and growth. An ode to a family member who attempted to take their own life, Jake’s powerful and idiosyncratic vocals bind together the stirring rock-inspired beat and warm string harmonies. The emotive song is full of rich, dense textures where we hear the full effect of Jake’s maturing sound, using ghostly samples that permeate throughout the track creating a somewhat arid soundscape. “And I feel your strength inside, and I hope tonight you’ll fly,” Jake sings to spur on his close family member – and though there is an inherent darkness to the track, there is also a message of positivity embodied in the use of a lone, pulsing piano note, which Jake describes as “a kind of pulse or heartbeat – a gentle reminder that life goes on”.

 The track was recorded at Café Music Studios and mixed by Erland Cooper of The Magnetic North at Coronet Studios. Cooper breathed a sense of immediacy and effortless confidence into the song, doing justice to the album’s dark intricacy. ‘Chrysalis’ feels like the beginning of Jake piecing himself back together after a troubled time of heartbreak, death and misplaced love and is the perfect way to introduce his developing sound. He has succeeded in creating a deeply personal, emotional body of work with clever songwriting that sets him apart from your average pop artist.

Tilly McCarthy

Find Jake Downs on Facebook here.