“This feels the most like me, in this moment, sonically and lyrically. I spoke more on how I thought the songs should go, giving myself permission to take up space and reflect how I feel and own that, and advocate for myself in small ways… I think there’s a lot more of me in essence than previous releases… I used to write a lot with my husband, he played guitar and other instruments, but over the years I’ve become more self-sufficient, I’ve become more independent,” says New York singer/songwriter Amy Jay of her forthcoming album, Mnemonics, which drops November 7th. During a recent phone chat, Jay tells me that the album embraces the heaviest and most alternative side of her sound, while still maintaining the kind of folk balladry she’s become known for. She also notes that she was once again working with Jon Seale of Mason Jar Music (who’ve worked with phriends of PHILTHY Aoife O’Donovan, My Brightest Diamond, and Sarah Jarosz, among others), who’s responsible for producing all of her releases.
When I ask Amy Jay about the albums she’s had in heavy rotation recently, she tells me that she is a huge fan of a previous project of our phriends in ON AN ON (who are currently on hiatus themselves): “An album I return to to find comfort, that gives me the warm and fuzzies, is Scattered Trees’ Sympathy. With that album, and that period in my life, it’s returning to a good season of life. I think maybe that’s why it gives me the warm and fuzzies.” However, she also admits to loving a lot of currently active artists, including Skullcrusher, Clairo, and Petey (“I’m seeing Petey tonight!”), and noting recent releases from Bon Iver (“The new Bon Iver is something I’ve had on repeat.”), Memorial, Angie McMahon, and one-time Philly resident Lizzy McAlpine.
And while Amy Jay isn’t quite a household name just yet, Mnemonics did see her working with a number of New York musicians whose work you’re likely familiar with: Sam Skinner (who played guitar in Pinegrove for close to a decade alongside our buddy Nandi Rose Plunkett, and has also played with Fenne Lily), Andrew Freedman (Michael Mayo, Ryan Beatty), Jeremy McDonald, Margaux (who’s played bass for Katy Kirby, who you may have heard on Philthy Radio), Jason Burger (the drummer of Big Thief way back when we started covering them), and Jordan Rose (who handled drums on Maggie Rogers’ most recent tour). “Most of them are through my producer, Jon,” Jay admits of connecting with each artist, before going on to tell me, “Jason was on my first-ever EP… Sam, I met at a show, and he offered, ‘If you need a guitar player…’ and I was like, ‘Yeah!’ I’ve been a fan of Pinegrove forever.” She also informs me that Jeremy McDonald actually moved to Philly during COVID.
Although it will be a little while before we can hear Mnemonics in its entirety, Amy Jay did recently release lead single “Can’t Go Back,” which Imperfect Fifth called, “the perfect song for soul searchers, introspectives, and who has ever felt out of place or invisible.” And live audiences will likely be able to catch previews of additional tracks when Amy hits the road for a handful of dates next month, including an August 12th headlining show at Silk City. Of the live show, she tells me, “It’s been a personal goal of mine to capture an audience with just me and my guitar, and capture dynamics with my voice… It’s a really dynamic setlist. As always, there will be really moody ballads, and then fuzzy alternative, as well.” When I ask how she likes playing venues with the quirk of a diner that’s appeared on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, she admits, “I love small, intimate listening rooms where you can really hear… But venues that I’ve liked playing are typically a little bit unique. I played a movie theatre, and I played a rooftop last night with chickens [laughs].” She also tells me that it can often be something else that inspires the best shows: “I love sharing a bill, and a really community-focused night, to create something memorable.”
The first official release from Amy Jay was 2016 EP Supposed to Be (followed by 2018 full-length So It Is and 2022 full-length Awake Sleeper), but she tells me she’s gone through a few transitions in that period. She actually started out in a different area of the music industry: “After I worked in music publishing for a second, I realized I wanted to be on the other side.” She admits that the pandemic also brought about another change of heart: “I recorded the last take of Awake Sleeper like the day before the world shut down. I felt really isolated and had to think a lot, and why I do music became more about connecting with people and not just making good art. Beyond words, there’s something kind of soul-level about music.” She even confesses, “I almost quit music in 2022… But then I started to find people.”
Amy Jay admits that, between those people and therapy, she was able to find herself as a person more so than ever before: “With each project, there’s just a little more of myself… And this was the first record where the band wasn’t all male!” In addition to making her own music, Jay has also spent her post-music publishing years doing graphic design, although admits that that looks like it will be on the backburner for the foreseeable future: “I’ve pushed toward more of my work week being music-related. [Graphic design] was full-time, then I split it half and half, and now I just do graphic design on the side.” However, as our chat comes to a close, she does acknowledge that she’s still putting those skills to good use: “I need to finish my merch design and T-shirts, so I can have them for you at Silk City!”
*Get your tickets here.
