A seductive, alt-pop outpouring of sweet, tumultuous feeling, singer/songwriter Caroline Jones’ new song “Intimacy” is a catchy and uplifting heart-on-sleeve upheaval.
Stream: “Intimacy” – Caroline Jones
I am in love: In love and out of control…
Love can often feel as much a weakness as it might a strength: When we let ourselves connect so deeply with someone else, sparks fly but our guards are down. Putting our trust and faith in another means opening ourselves up to a world of excitement, thrills, and possibility, but it also makes us vulnerable to getting hurt – having that love betray us and break us. In an effort to protect one’s heart, it may make sense to avoid love altogether – but as singer/songwriter Caroline Jones’ new single suggests, sometimes these forces are out of our control.
A seductive, alt-pop outpouring of raw, tumultuous feeling, Jones’ new song “Intimacy” is a catchy and uplifting heart-on-sleeve upheaval. At once an embrace and surrender to love, it captures that inner push-and-pull we all feel when we find ourselves falling, all over again.
I am in love
In love & out of control
I am in love
In love & out of control
It makes me trust
I hate it, but it’s good for my soul
In love & out of control
I am all in
All in & out of my depth
I am all in
All in & out of my depth
I made my plans
But I fell for a man instead
All in & out of my depth
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Intimacy,” Caroline Jones’ third song release of 2020 and the continuation of a new monthly release series that began with July’s “What a View.” An independent singer/songwriter and radio host based in Nashville and South Florida, Jones may be familiar to some as the host of Sirius XM’s monthly radio show Art & Soul where she has interviewed musicians and artists from all over for 7+ years – but for most, she is the voice behind a slew of fresh new country pop songs that have dazzled the ears over the past decade. Since debuting in 2010, the artist has been tenacious in her career through relentless touring, working with such industry legends as Zac Brown and Jimmy Buffett, and releasing a slew of records that bridge genres and blend worlds of sound. Her latest album, 2018’s Bare Feet, peaked at #11 on the US Country charts and reached #3 on the US Top Heatseekers chart. 2019 saw the release of her new EP Chasin’ Me, whose bright track “All of the Boys” has been pushed as a focus single throughout this year.
For an artist nearly a decade into her career, Jones’ latest release feels excitingly fresh. An open-minded creator unwilling to anchor herself to any style or palette, Jones has long refused to put herself into any one box. This can be strongly felt in her newest single “Intimacy,” which forgoes the usual guitars for pulsing synths and buoyant electronic production. The artist’s voice holds center stage as a dynamic chorus of cool sonics and pizzicato string stabs rise and fall around her. It’s a mesmerizing display of musicality that seamlessly feeds into the song’s lyrical message of inner tension and surrender:
“‘Intimacy’ is a song I wrote about the push-pull we all experience in romantic relationships. We have this deep need and desire as humans to be honest, connected, and emotionally open. And yet, we have this fear of being vulnerable or of being rejected. Or perhaps we see emotional honesty and rawness as weakness,” Jones tells Atwood Magazine. “Portraying that internal conflict first through production — orchestration, synth stabs, handpans, and programmed percussion — and then in the video, through dance, makes for a really unique, different kind of song for me. I’m very proud of that. I consider it not only a joy, but a responsibility to explore my creative whims and challenge myself within my crafts. And, as anyone who has any understanding of me as an artist knows, although my music mostly fits in the country-pop blend, I love creating and performing all different styles of music.”
The fear of intimacy
Parts of me you shouldn’t see
Does it make you want to leave?
My heart is insanity
I am in love
In love & out of control
I am in love
In love & out of control
It makes me trust
I hate it but it’s good for my soul
In love & out of control
Love is like sugar & salt
Tastes sweet, but burns on your faults
He’s got my number to call
And I’m not sorry at all
It’s a compelling, simple line worthy of multiple repetitions: “I hate it, but it’s good for my soul: In love and out of control.“
Ultimately, this wrestling game we want to play between our heads and our hearts is futile. The best we can do is be smart about whatever situation we get ourselves into, but heartbreak is as natural to love as anything else. This turmoil plays out vividly through the Jones’ accompanying dance music video, directed by projectblackboxx and choreographed by Candace Brown (Beyoncé, Janet Jackson). Jones’ first foray into dance, her performance captures both the electricity and the softer feelings coursing through “Intimacy.”
“The creative direction we took on this video was a vision Caroline had when writing this song: Her dancing alone,” projectblackboxx tells Atwood Magazine. “We searched all over the U.S. until we found this location in Deep River, CT. With all its natural light it creates a magical scene, letting the viewer fully embrace the beautiful choreography from Candace Brown. It was a lot of fun to shoot this, and we hope people enjoy it.”
Intimacy can be daunting and scary; it can hurt to fall in love, but the possibility and excitement of that having special connection mean the risk is worth the reward. Caroline Jones’ new single evokes the breaking point inside each of us – the moment we come to that realization ourselves; for it’s one thing to say these words, but another to own them and live by them.
Whether you’re dwelling in your own love struggle or trying to get a dance party going in your living room, Caroline Jones’ “Intimacy” is the feverish spark to light our days. Stream the new song and video, exclusively on Atwood Magazine!
The fear of intimacy
Parts of me you shouldn’t see
Are we just making believe?
The fear of intimacy
Does it make you want to leave?
Oh, oh
The fear of intimacy
Parts of me you shouldn’t see
Does it make you want to leave?
My heart is insanity
(In love & out of control)
(All in & out of my depth)
But it’s good for my soul
To be in love & out of control
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Stream: “Intimacy” – Caroline Jones
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