Today we’ll be covering my debut LP Yesterday & Forever Ago, which was officially released this morning. I previously covered the pretty wild turn of events that came about during the recording of this album in my writeup of the EP I released earlier this year entitled CAMBRIA: The Lost Sessions, so I won’t belabor the point too much. You can read the full story here, but the headline is that with all of the twists and turns and lost files and personal tumult that has plagued this project, the end result is something I’m incredibly proud of. I poured my heart and soul into this project, came out with some battle scars considering the circumstances, and ultimately came to a better understanding of what things I want to prioritize in my life. CAMBRIA: The Lost Sessions felt like catharsis when it was released– Yesterday & Forever Ago feels like an accomplishment. And I’m happy for that as I turn the page to whatever comes next.
TRACK LISTING
01. Londonderry. I’ve always loved juicy and big orchestral elements (shoutout to my boy Hans Zimmer), especially within the context of live shows. There’s nothing more epic than having a rock band walk out to a pre-recorded track that sounds like a war hymn building to a crescendo before the guitars kick in and let loose, and this was my attempt to capture the vibe of that thing I love. The song title is pretty straightforward– Yesterday & Forever Ago was recorded on Londonderry Lane in Cambria at my producer Zack’s house (henceforth known as “The Box”), so it was fitting we kick things off with a title that pays homage to the album’s roots.
02. It’s 2am Again [LYRICS HERE]. The recklessness of youth was the inspiration here, as well as the way we can easily fall into self sabotaging behavior (2am being a pretty obvious reference to when bars close in the majority of the United States). Definitely one of my favorite songs off the album and one where I’m most proud of my voice– I took singing lessons for six months to get here, and the vocal track is a single voice (vs. double/triple tracked) which adds even more nuance to the performance. I remember writing this guitar riff in my room in like two minutes and thinking to myself I had caught some magic, and when I eventually wrote the rest of the arrangement everything all came together. I also like the lyrics– they are weird and different in what feels like a unique way (you don’t hear terms like “ooze” or “daisy chain” a whole lot in many songs) and the refrain of “It’s 2am again” perfectly captures that feeling of being in a place you shouldn’t be again despite all your best intentions. The theme was in part inspired by the amazing lyrics from “Vice” by Miranda Lambert in that the narrator just can’t seem to get out of their own way, and then rounded that out with a blend of Red Hot Chili Peppers/My Morning Jacket/Pink Floyd in the musical elements.
03. Do We Ever? This song deals with avoidance and how we as human beings have a tendency to ignore important things because they make us feel uncomfortable or afraid. Whether that be going to the doctor, addressing a rift in a relationship, standing up for yourself, or dealing with some of your biggest fears. Being able to compartmentalize is a benefit at times but oftentimes can be a panacea for avoiding the responsibility you have to resolve internal conflict.
04. The Day You Disappeared [LYRICS HERE]. Probably the most personal song on the album outside the album closer, “The Day You Disappeared” deals with the sheer agony of Alzheimer’s and dementia. This is something that is incredibly personal to me– I watched two of my grandparents deal with the disease late in their life, and the pain it inflicts on families is significant. For this song I wrote it from the perspective of the person who has Alzheimer’s, which was a conscious choice. In many ways we personalize trauma and think about it solely from our perspective, but I wanted to attempt to capture the confusion and sorrow that those living with Alzheimer’s feel when their world begins to disappear in front of them. It is the song I am most proud of on this album considering the emotional depth I had to tap into during the writing and recording of it. Shout out to my boy Mark Pollack for throwing in some absolutely brilliant textural guitar on this one that elevates the song.
05. Wage A War. I dropped this single over a year ago in preparation for the full release of this album, but after that little snafu which delayed the project (you can read more about that here) this song kind of sat out there in the wilderness for awhile. Sort of pulled a John Mayer Sob Rock putting a song over a year old on my full length but it ultimately felt right considering it was always meant to be here in this slot. “Wage A War”actually got some pretty significant airplay (over 10k streams) last winter after it was added to a random workout playlist that is apparently pretty prominent in the weightlifting community, and at one point it was being played in countries as far and wide as Italy, South Africa, and the Philippines. This is your standard garage rock banger filled with military and political references– it’s a loose narrative that focuses on common bonds the common working class has, and I paired that with references to those power structures that define how we live our lives (“I’ll die on my feet before I’ll bend a knee/So let’s greet the King with guns and gritted teeth”).
06. MMITM. Probably my best lyrical output on the album. This song describes the false sense of control we convince ourselves we have with careful contemplation, when oftentimes that is simply just an excuse for the absence of action. Put another way, it’s a reminder to myself that it’s often better to just do the damn thing vs. wait around for the perfect moment to arrive. Perfectionism is a noble goal but it usually leads to decision paralysis. It’s something I’ve seen in my own life over the years and something I’ve actively worked on getting better at.
07. Wasteit. Another very personal song on the album. I’ve seen alcohol ruin a lot of relationships for people in my life, and there was a point 3-4 years ago where I was potentially heading down that path as well. I wrote this song after a night where my wife and I had a conversation about how my drinking was impacting our relationship and how using alcohol to relieve the stress I was feeling in my professional life was becoming an issue. I also used inspiration from the path I’ve seen other friends go down to inspire the ultimate message in this song. One thing I like about this song is how the narrative gets flipped in the final chorus a la Bruce Springsteen’s “Brilliant Disguise” off 1987’s Tunnel of Love— the first two choruses are “I’m wasted, and wasting away” while the final chorus flips that around with the refrain changing to “Don’t waste it, don’t waste it away.”
08. Forever Yours. This is about a narrator who despite himself can’t help but fall back into bad habits and seek out the thing that is slowly killing him. It pairs nicely with the themes of “It’s 2am Again” and “Wasteit”. I consider myself a relatively happy person, but one thing I’ve always been drawn to in the songwriting process is exploring insecurity and the darker components of the human condition. Put another way, I love diving into the grime during the songwriting process and swimming in those murky depths. Bad relationships, substance abuse, work-life balance, self-critique– even the best among us has something they do which can lead down the road to self-sabotage, and this song explores that universal truth. I was listening to a ton of Alice In Chains at the time I wrote this and definitely hear that influence come through.
09. I Just Wanted You To Know. This is a song for my daughter that I wrote when she was two years old. It’s about all the beauty she has brought into my life and the sheer joy she brings me each and every day. The vocal performance on this isn’t the cleanest version of the song I’ve ever sung, but it is by far my favorite– it was my first full pass at singing it after writing it, and it is the only full song on this album that was recorded exclusively from my home. I nearly didn’t make it through this take because I was getting quite emotional when singing this song for her knowing she was peacefully sleeping upstairs in her room. There was something special in that moment I felt was captured here that none of the subsequent takes really had, so I stuck with the one that meant the most to me. And Cha-Cha girl if you’re reading this a few decades from now and somehow find yourself planning a wedding, I think we might have a song for our Father/Daughter dance. But however that decision goes I love you so very much.
GEAR
Software/Hardware: Logic Pro X, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Apollo Twin X
Microphones: SE X1S, Electro Voice RE-320, Universal Audio SD-1
Guitars: Fender Telecaster Pro II, Epiphone Les Paul Custom, Fender JA-90 Telecaster Thinline, Fender Squier Bass (“Zack’s smooth ass Fender bass”)
Amps (Digital): Marshall JVM, Vox AC30, Fender Twin Reverb
CREDITS
Songwriter: Jason Matthew Plank
Music & Lyrics: Jason Matthew Plank
Producer: Zack Greenwald
Co-Producer: Jason Matthew Plank
