A pinch of sun-soaked yacht rock, a dash of smoky, sultry jazz, and a heavy scoop of hot, sweaty funk come together on Jake & Abe’s seductive debut album ‘Finally!’, a groovy and intoxicating musical fever dream nearly a decade in the making.

Stream: “Curbs” – Jake & Abe

A pinch of sun-soaked yacht rock here, a dash of smoky, sultry jazz there, and a heavy scoop of hot, sweaty funk sprinkled all around.

Jake & Abe’s debut album is, in a word, intoxicating.

And truth be told, we would never expect anything less.

Two of the most sought-after musicians in the industry today, keyboardist Jake Sherman and drummer-producer Abe Rounds are behind some of modern music’s most acclaimed records; their combined resume includes work with Rick Rubin, Mark Ronson, Rosalia, and Chance the Rapper, just to name a few. As individuals, they are incredible talents – but it’s when they come together as one that their true inner light shines its brightest, and the real magic happens.

Deep grooves and slick melodies combine with an infectious sense of freedom and fun on Finally!, a musical fever dream nearly a decade in the making. It’s a collection of songs meant to get the blood pumping, the booty shaking, and the body swaying – and who could ask for anything more?

At the edge of the sidewalk
Contemplating where to step
Danger’s looming on the asphalt
Is this a decision you will regret?

Do you jaywalk or use the crossing?
All these answers can be found within
There comes a time when you’ll discover
Where one street ends, another begins

On a rabbit or a turtle
Don’t let the curbs get in your way
You’ll find some type of hurdle every day

– “Curbs,” Jake and Abe

Released October 25, 2024 via Forage Records, Finally! is as immersive as it is irresistible: A seductive and smile-inducing reverie that hits hard and leaves a lasting mark on the ears and the heart. It’s a record unlike any other you’ll hear this year – a steamy sonic time capsule combining the sounds of the past with those of the present, melting inspirations together into a cohesive and cathartic listening experience that leaves its audience breathless, dazed, and eager for more.

“This album began from the friendship between us and the melding of each other’s musical personalities,” Jake and Abe tell Atwood Magazine. “We met in Meshell Ndegeocello’s band back in 2016 when we participated in the inaugural performances of ‘No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin.’ Our album is a representation of our 20s – a truthful exploration in song and production.”

“The initial vision was to just have fun and write songs together,” the pair explain. “We treated each song as its own complete world, not worrying about how they would fit together. As we wrote more, we realized that the project had the potential to become a full record. The album consists of our truths in song. It took us a long time to make and finish because we are both so busy as sidemen, solo artists, producers and composers. Our vision started to align as we played these songs for live audiences and felt the positive reaction from crowds and most importantly in ourselves.”

“We think it showcases our musicianship, musical maturity, attention to detail, levity, love of song and production care,” they add. “Although the production is quite maximal at times, our experience as sidemen has taught us how to stay true to the feelings that the songs convey and not make gratuitous noise within the productions.”

Jake & Abe candidly describe Finally! as honest, meticulous, and fun – adding in how the album’s name is actually a reference from (and homage to) the reason they became friends, and bandmates, in the first place.

“Honestly we asked our great friend and mentor Meshell Ndegeocello what the album should be called and she said, ‘Finally!’, referencing the amount of time it took us to finish it,” they chuckle.

“It is easy to work on music when the inspiration is fresh, but hard to bring it over the finish line when it has been chiseled away at for months and years.  This is an inevitable part of the process, though, and hopefully one can feel the initial inspiration.”

Highlights abound on the journey from the heavy-hitting opener “Incognito Mode” to the album’s tender closer, “Aussie Kiss.” Standouts include the soul-soaked “Give My Money Back” and its fiery saxophone work, the utterly spellbinding “Curbs,” the dreamy, romantic “Stargon,” and more – but it’s ultimately how all ten tracks come together that makes Finally! such a special, exhilarating adventure – and a true feast for the ears.

“This record was a serious work of growth for us both,” Jake & Abe reflect. “Abe faced the fears of singing on a microphone in a studio, singing live and letting his guard down, allowing himself to feel vulnerable. Jake had made his own albums before, but never in such a collaborative way. It was a big step forward for him to let go of the need to feel that his decisions are always correct.”

“Also the recording process which was mainly overseen by us was a huge lesson in production and engineering. Through experimentation we learned which methods were efficient and which weren’t. We will forever be grateful to each other and the process that allowed us to grow.”

As for lyrical highlights, each artist has his own favorite lines that continue to resonate. “I’m proud of the lyrics of ‘Incognito Mode’ as a whole,” Jake smiles. “On the surface they are about one thing.  And digging a little deeper/listening to the third verse in particular, they morph into an explanation of attachment theory and ego issues while dating.  I like when a song explains a feeling in a deep way without saying it literally, and I feel that Incognito succeeds in this.”

Meanwhile, Abe’s favorite lyric comes from album closer “Aussie Kiss”: ‘It’s an acquired taste, just like an oyster’s saltiness.’ “This line felt like a triumph for me because it took me so long to find the simile, and it popped into my head driving back to LA from Joshua Tree,” he says.

Ultimately, the name Finally! really does say it all: Jake & Abe have succinctly captured the years’ worth of blood, sweat, and tears that went into making their debut album and its seductive pools of sound.

“We hope audiences can listen to it with a smile,” Jake and Abe share. “The music and stories are truthful and blunt, and it’s meant to be fun and met with a laugh. Abe would love for people to move their bodies to the music and chuckle at the stories. Jake would prefer you to stand still.”

“From the creation process, we have learnt that we must really trust our first instincts and finish an idea before judging it,” they add. “From releasing the music, we have learnt how difficult it is as independent artists to give your music reach and create a platform. We have been very fortunate to make music with artists that have had decades of experience and built careers that have supported us as sidemen.”

“We really want to acknowledge all independent artists out there in this crazy world, and all the folks making art. Creating is a very therapeutic and rewarding process for one’s soul. It is important to keep this spirit and not let it be dimmed by the industry or the process of releasing music.”

Experience the full record via our below stream, and peek inside Jake & Abe’s Finally! with Atwood Magazine as Jake Sherman and Abe Rounds take us track-by-track through the music and lyrics of their debut album!

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:: stream/purchase Finally! here ::

:: connect with Jake & Abe here ::

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Stream: ‘Finally!’ – Jake and Abe

:: Inside Finally! ::

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Incognito Mode

An evocative song that starts with an iphone voice memo that Jake recorded. We transcribed the vocal melody from the voice memo exactly because the demo had all the right inflections. We drove out to Joshua Tree with all of Abe’s recording gear and rented an airbnb. At first we struggled to find the right ingredients to bring it together. When we returned to LA we replaced the electric bass with Moog synth bass and added Rich Hinman on pedal steel guitar. We ended up keeping the voice memo for the intro and outro. There are 2 drum sets playing over each other and 2 hi hat parts hard panned a la Stevie Wonder ’70s period. The song seems to have a simple meaning, but by verse three it can be interpreted more introspectively.

Give My Money Back

This was the first song we wrote together after meeting in Meshell Ndegeocello’s band. It originally started as more of an indie rock song before Abe had the realization that it should have more of a backbeat R&B approach. The first version we recorded was much slower and a little more psychedelic. After playing it live at shows we realized it had to feel a bit more danceable.

We called the great Pino Palladino whose bass playing we are both extremely influenced by.  Especially his playing on Voodoo by D’angelo and with Tears for Fears. The version you hear was recorded live with the three of us in the room at Lucy’s Meat Market Studio in LA with Pete Min. Abe on drums, Jake on wurli/clav and Pino on bass.

A Good Man Is Hard to Find

While working on a dance/art piece at Bard College (more on this in Stargon) we were hanging with Julius Rodriguez.  He played us some instrumental demos and this one caught our ear.  He was also wearing a shirt that said the title of this song. We later found out that it is also the title of a gruesome novel, but there’s no correlation in the lyrics as far as we are aware.

We wrote most of the lyrics that evening, then worked out the form, piano and drum parts, and vocal recording by sending files back and forth during the pandemic.  None of this was recorded while we were together.

Oh The Love Is Here

Like many of our songs, this started as a joke and as we played it more we couldn’t help but treat it with respect and seriousness.  We recorded the guitar and wurlitzer together after a long day of recording in Joshua Tree and we felt the spirit in the room.

Curbs

Abe made the demo of the verse long before we met. It started as a bass line and drum groove that felt really good to us. Jake wrote the chorus via voice memo. Together we wrote the lyrics and pieced the song together. This was recorded at Stella Mozgawa’s studio (Warpaint) in Joshua Tree in 1 day. The mix went through many iterations as we weren’t sure what the vocal sound should be. We settled on a double-tracked lead vocal combined with vocoder.

Success

Abe wrote the main piano riff after watching the Quincy Jones documentary and drawing inspiration from the “Body Heat” soundtrack. We then watched it together and modeled the arrangement after the feeling it gave. We recorded many orchestral instruments (violin, cello, muted trumpet, bass trombone) by writing the arrangement in midi, transcribing the parts into musical notation, and sending them to our orchestral friends. Due to Chris Connors’s amazing mixing, the whole thing sounds like it was recorded together. The foundation of the rhythm tracks were recorded by Justin Stanley at his studio in LA.

Stumbled

This song is a true story about Abe’s gambling addiction and staying sober. It attempts to convey the feeling of being swept into the depths of a casino. The sounds, the sights and the extreme up-down feelings of gambling. It started as an acoustic bass line that Abe voice memo’d on his fathers bass in Sydney, Australia. The recording features the amazing Kaveh Rastegar on bass.

Stargon

At the same time that we wrote “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” we were at Bard College working on the score to a dance piece with Meshell Ndegeocello and the great dance choreographer Ron K. Brown. The work was arduous with long rehearsals. At the end of the work day we would visit a giant metal sculpture in a field called Stargon to have a drink, discuss the day, and decompress. We wrote this song about our experience at Bard and dealing with feelings such as grace, mercy, and shame. The song is a nod to Quincy, Toots Thielemans and Herbie Hancock featuring Jake on Fender Rhodes, chromatic harmonica and a Roland SH-101 Synthesizer.

Instrument of Intimacy

Abe was having a conversation with some good friends after dinner one night in LA and one of them mentioned that perhaps all he was, was an “Instrument of Intimacy.” We wrote this with an acoustic bass and an upright piano in an apartment in NYC. Then we recorded in a studio in Joshua Tree and went for the opposite vibe; an intense electric landscape with nods to the ’80s.

Aussie Kiss

We recorded most of our first EP in an Airbnb at Joshua Tree. On the way back to Abe’s house in LA we stopped at a national park, taking two acoustic guitars with us. Abe sat down and immediately wrote the opening chords to “Aussie Kiss.” We pieced together the form and wrote the lyrics on the drive home. We got to his house late at night but since it was Jake’s last day, we decided to push on and record the song that evening.  Abe did a caricature of his Australian accent. G’day mate.

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:: stream/purchase Finally! here ::

:: connect with Jake & Abe here ::

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 © Charlie Weinmann

Finally!

an album by Jake and Abe