Artist Profile: Isaac Jones
Isaac Jones, the indie artist from Dublin, Ireland, has reached new heights with his organic, arrangement-focused sound, crafting visionary sonic statements from the confines of his bedroom and, in doing so, has torn down the barriers between himself and his music, overcoming the challenges of vulnerability and anxiety that are inherent in the music-making process.
Jones, as a child, gained a love of music from his father, who was a multi-talented creative that, through his work, exposed his son to the inner-workings of various creative industries. With a passion for groups like The Beatles and Steely Dan, Jones saw, from his infancy, the magnificence of grandiose chord progressions and the innate catchiness of recognizable choruses.
The first musical training he received was from his father, who sat him down at the piano and taught him how to play various songs. This was, however, a very loose and sandbox-like style of musical training: something that Jones credits for his enduring interest in music today.
“I teach [piano lessons to] these kids around Dublin… and the kids are exhausted, because they're like, ‘I have tennis on Monday, and then I've got chess on Tuesday, and football on Wednesday, and then piano on Thursday.’ And for these kids, it's like homework, or another thing that they have to do… But when I was a kid, I had none of those activities; I didn't want to do any of them… And as a result, [music] was like a toy, you know what I mean? It was a fun thing.”
Over time, Jones’s musical play expanded into other instruments. He picked up a guitar two years after starting piano, with the delay being a result of the fact that, being left-handed, his parents had to re-string a right-handed guitar for him to use. As he grew, he picked up the bass (to join a band with his friends), the banjo (as a result of seeing Alex G’s innovative use of the instrument), and a number of other instruments as well.
Then, when he was 16, he pirated an old version of Ableton with a distinct intention; he was going to figure out how to make his own songs.
His first efforts, including his EP “Year of the Rat”, represent both the early genre-wanderings of Jones’ taste, influenced by his vast listening habits at the time, and his honing in of his lyrical ability; songs like “Ends” and “Still”, with their soul and indie-rock influences, encapsulate the earliest efforts of a budding young artist.
In the years following, Jones continued to develop his sound, finding a niche in toned-down, lyrically profound tracks augmented by alternatingly intricate and stripped-down production.
Yet, the best is yet to come for Jones, who has begun an ambitious project of releasing 100 songs: or one song a month for roughly the next eight years.
It is through the necessitated work ethic and immediacy of this project that he has found a renewed creative drive, and, with songs such as “Wishbone” and “Can’t Get Up” already having been released, Jones is off to a strong start to his creative intention.
“[Through the project], I've gotten less precious about recording music, and I've gotten a new rule, which is you're not making music if you're not singing… I can make chord progressions forever, but, if I'm not hitting record and singing into a microphone, I'm not getting any closer to this month's quota. So, my realization is who f*cking cares? The barrier between me and making music is entirely self-made.”
As Jones continues down the path he has laid for himself, it has become more and more clear that he is an artist of unique intention, and, as he continues to become more comfortable in his sound and sonic capabilities, it is certain that his output will continue to reflect the singular creative drive of the young artist.
