A Mellowed Mystery of Woodland Pop: An Interview with JOME

Atwood Magazine talks with LA-based woodland pop duo JOME about genre, their songwriting process, and their take on what’s going on in music today.

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Los-Angeles-based duo JOME’s newest release “Crystalline” fits snugly in their repertoire of experimental music, drawing the summer to a breathy, dreamlike close, reminding all of us modern, impatient lovers that “The ending will be worth the waiting, soon it will be crystalline.” As we gear up for the latter, faster part of 2017 and get caught up in all kinds of rush, JOME’s latest track comes poised at just the right time, a memorable and sultry evocation of patience and warmth.

Luckily for Atwood, we got a chance to throw a few questions at JOME and get to know them a little better. While we could introduce them to you, why not let them do it themselves?

Listen: “Crystalline” – JOME

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MEET JOME

Atwood Magazine: We'll start with something simple. Please introduce yourselves and JOME to us.

Jesse Marc: Hello, we’re JOME. Nice to meet you. I’m Jesse and this is Christoph.

Christoph Andersson: I’m Christoph and I fuck around on a laptop making weird noises while Jesse writes beautiful lyrics.

When did JOME come to be? How was it formed?

Christoph: I saw a song Jesse posted online within a few minutes of it coming out. I hit him up immediately and asked him if wanted to make some music together. The first day we ever met we started and finished one of my favorite songs on our album and just became really close friends instantly.

What is the kind of music that we can expect from the upcoming album, if you had to describe it in terms of genre and influence?

Jesse: The album is made up of the songs that we’ve been releasing this year, combined with some more experimental songs and a few more upbeat ones as well.

Christoph: Everything we’ve put out so far is fairly mellow and has lots of subtlety but there is stuff on the album that is far more aggressive and energetic.

What, rather, who, are JOME's major musical influences?

Jesse: I’m a huge Paul Simon fan so there’s always some of him influencing the music I make.

Christoph: I grew up listening to early 80s British bands like Tears for Fears and Japan so that’s usually where I come from sonically.

Have you noticed the interesting parallel between your songs 'Cinnamon' and 'Snow'? Both seem to describe and reflect a specific season. Was that deliberate or unintentional?

Jesse: I actually hadn’t thought about that before! Seasons create a very nostalgic feeling in me, and I often associate powerful memories with certain seasons. Both of these songs are autobiographical, so I guess they’re strongly tied to those specific times.

Listen: “Cinnamon” – JOME

Do you think the music you create and write comes from a very personal space? What's the usual ideation and creation process?

Jesse: Definitely. When I’m writing a song, I’ll typically incorporate whatever I just can’t stop thinking about lately. The stuff that won’t go away. It comes from the things I’m going through, struggling with, worrying about, hoping for.

Christoph: Everything is incredibly personal. What’s the point of making music like this if it’s not? We usually sit around and talk for a long time about concept before we even start anything.

Is there a particular purpose or aim that you (both) are trying to achieve through JOME or is it more of an exploratory collaboration?

Christoph: Personally, Jome is my outlet for making the music I have wanted to make for years but never knew when, how, and with whom.

Jesse: We just have a lot of fun making music together and feel that we’ve found something special in this partnership. We hope that people can hear these songs and connect and reflect on their own lives and feel. Gotta make ‘em feel.

We just have a lot of fun making music together…

What is JOME's take on music today?

Christoph: Frustrating. It’s hard for me to get fully excited by most of what comes out these days. There is so much music and the means of discovery and distribution have pretty much been narrowed down to two streaming platforms. That has inevitably shifted the way artists make music. Jesse and I just try to make the music we want to hear every day and try not to worry about anything else.

Jesse: One nice thing about music today is that there’s something for everyone. It’s a really great time for independent artists, so lots of good music is out there if you search hard enough. We do both wish that songs in the mainstream had a little more heart in them. That would be awesome.

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