A spirited, tender anthem of soul-searching and inner longing, “The Good Life” radiates with smoldering folk rock passion and perseverance as The Bones of J.R. Jones echoes our endless individual pursuit in song.
for fans of Lord Huron, Gregory Alan Isakov, Hozier
Stream: “The Good Life” – The Bones of J.R. Jones
We’re all looking for something, and I’m after the good life…
This is the soundtrack to soul-searching: The music of a body in motion.
The Bones of J.R. Jones aches in the very best of ways on his new single, capturing an innate piece of the human experience that we all feel in our gut. Some of us know better than others what it is, but we’re all on that never-ending quest; a journey for meaning, for purpose, for satisfaction, for happiness. “The Good Life” means a little something different to each of us, but it’s what we’re all after; it’s what we’ll spend our years seeking out.
A spirited, tender anthem of intimate reflection and inner longing, “The Good Life” radiates with smoldering folk rock passion and perseverance as The Bones of J.R. Jones echoes our endless individual pursuit in song.
I lost my head for the last time
Just feeling down
I need to turn it around
I’m headed out
And staying to the morning light
Bleeds this night out
Cause’ I’m after the good life
I’ve seen the biggest dreams
Die out on the street
Honey that ain’t going to be me
I just need a change
There’s lightning coursing through these veins
We’re all looking for something,
And I’m after the good life
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “The Good Life,” the third single off The Bones of J.R. Jones’ forthcoming fifth album, Slow Lightning (independently out October 13, 2023). The Catskills, New York-based one man band of multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter and producer Jonathon Linaberry, The Bones of J.R. Jones has been taking audiences’ breath away for ten years running. Atwood Magazine previously praised his 2021 EP A Celebration as “an intimate, visceral outpouring of vulnerability, reflection, connection, and wonder,” going on to call it “the sweetest kind of midnight reverie.”
Following on the heels of his recent songs “Heaven Help Me” and “The Flood,” “The Good Life” is an enchanting seduction full of sonic warmth and emotional wonder. Moody synths, glistening guitar licks, and driving drums encapsulate Linaberry’s voice as he sings full of passion and pain, every word aching with the intensity of our own inner yearning.
“I was sitting in an apartment in the East Village and had been writing songs on the guitar for the new record,” Linaberry recalls in conversation with Atwood Magazine. “I was burned out on it. I was burned out on a lot of things. I needed something a little different to click. To excite me. I started playing around with my drum machine and created this funny simple beat and went over to my synth and started writing it. It felt good to give my ideas a different voicing, so I chased it.”
“Truthfully, it was a hard one to write. I was a bit stuck overall. felt this creativity boiling up, but felt like any attempt to exorcise it kept getting clipped by my own definition of success. It’s something I am working on. ‘The Good Life’ was definitely a product of me trying to break through and learn to enjoy the moment I am in. Even if that moment is hard. Even if it is frustrating. Even if it feels like treading water, which in my mind is a synonym for death. I suppose I wrote ‘The Good Life’ to help remind myself of that. That we can always find a way out.”
Radio plays
Songs I know I will forget
But I don’t care
I’m dancing by myself
Lose some time
Breathe in every rhyme
Going to take your hand
‘Cause I’m after the good life
I’ve seen the biggest dreams
Die out on the street
Honey that ain’t going to be me
I just need change
There’s lightning coursing through these veins
We’re all looking for something
And I’m after the good life
Directed by Ryan Nethery and starring Maggie McDowell, “The Good Life” the music video brings the song’s dreamy charm and existential weight to life.
“I wanted this video to walk the line of joy and heaviness of life,” Linaberry explains. “I wanted it to feel real enough so that we could all relate to that moment where Maggie leaves it all behind (even though we all, always come back). I think that’s one of the beautifully sad things about what we do to ourselves as humans. We are gluttons for punishment. We torture ourselves because we don’t think there is any other way to move forward. The original concept had Maggie raising a little more hell. Fist fights. Stealing cigarettes. Breaking windows. But I think if we went down that path it would be tough to find the joy in what ultimately is a hopeful song.”
We torture ourselves because we don’t think there is any other way to move forward.
While we don’t expect to be going on any midnight binges or weekend benders any time soon, the message of “The Good Life” is clear: There’s so much more to life than whatever routines we’re living out on repeat; there’s so much more to life than treading water. If stasis and inertia are your enemies, then this song is for you. Stream The Bones of J.R. Jones’ “The Good Life” exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and remember: There’s always a way out.
The Bones of J.R. Jones’ new album Slow Lightning is out October 13, 2023.
And I’m going to give it all tonight
And I’m ready to give it all tonight
‘Cause I’m after the good life.
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Stream: “The Good Life” – The Bones of J.R. Jones
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© Chloe Horseman
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