Jordan Rome, from Hays, Kansas, grew up without any idea of a social or music scene, and consequently when it came to making music, he didn’t know he should “choose” between different styles. This isn’t of course, a bad thing, as it’s meant that he was able to pick and choose his sounds from a wide variety of genres, the result making his music a fluid combination of country and western, punk, and folk.
Jordan realised early on he had a musical talent and quickly became a proficient guitar player, finding his way into Midwest band, Impregnators, where he stayed from 1999 to 2015. At the same time he honed his own sound, and released his solo eponymous album in March 2018, followed in February 2019 by his acoustic EP, ‘7 Songs For The Soulless’.
Now he’s recorded a digital 7″, at Heavy Eleven Studios, in Hays, comprising two lyrically dense tracks. Although listeners respond with glee at the ability to pull apart the layers of meaning, in the subtext-laden tunes, Rome says it’s not that deep.
“I don’t put a lot of thought into how it will be received,” he asserts. “If I see value in it, I did my best and then I’m satisfied.”
The two-parter comprises ‘Charon’, and ‘Till The End’. The former was released April 24, while ‘Till The End’ is out tomorrow May 29.
‘Charon’ is the ferryman from Greek mythology who takes departed souls on their journey to the underworld across the River Styx. The dead were buried with coins on their eyes, which were used to pay Charon – it was important to remember not to pay him before you reach the other side, or else risk Charon throwing you overboard and never seeing the afterlife. The song is suitably sinister in vibe, with Jordan Rome’s steel string guitar providing a sombre backing for his country-tinged voice.
Listen to ‘Charon’ below:
Conversely, ‘Till The End’ is full on country punk, fast paced and frantic, yet maintaining the sober lyrical tone of ‘Charon’. At just over 2 minutes long it’s a high spirited tune that could equally find its way into a dancehall or on the soundtrack of a film involving a car chase.
Find Jordan Rome online on his official website, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
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