Jitensha walks us through the highs, lows, and weird moments that shaped Closing Statements.
Hello Happy Mag readers! Jitensha here to take you through the moments and sounds that inspired each track of our new album “Closing Statements.”
You might notice along the way that the album starts out in a darker and more brooding place, gradually making its way towards acceptance and lightness.
This journey is a mirror of our own as artists through the pandemic.
Closing Statements
Fame
Ever find yourself at a party totally underdressed and unprepared for the glamor and success around you? We did, just as people were being allowed to gather again in 2021.
Cripplingly anxious and unable to entertain even a whiff of schmoozing, I (Rosey) found myself crouching in a bush and scribbling down these lyrics.
In this track we entertain the lengths artists feel willing to go to for notoriety – be it as simple as waiting by the phone all day for a call (based on what my mom told me it was like trying to get gigs in LA in the 80s) or the willingness to turn oneself into a product completely fabricated by a marketing agency (as our first, brief and only manager tried to do with Jitensha).
Inspired by Foster the People.
Love and Attention
This funky and moody bassline dates back to early pandemic days when we were only seeing each other thru a screen.
I was scrolling through a friend’s instagram and realized she makes the same face and head tilt in every photo – actually, there are a lot of us that do this (guilty as charged!) I thought – what would it take for us to show our real selves online?
What if we thought we were deserving of love and affection just the way we are? The song further dives into our hot take on the desperation of influencer culture and smartphone fueled dopamine addiction.
Don’t Fake It
Here’s the real snarky one – The antagonist in this song is in fact a mix of a number of people in our personal lives – It’s written from the point of view of a hopeless people pleaser who feels they have no choice but to succumb to the machinations of the manipulator.
The line “don’t fake it” is a plea for authentic communication in awkward situations. The whimsy of early Pete Bjorn and John inspired the music.
Holding On
Back in 2020 when we were really coming to terms with the fact that all our hard work of spending $1000 on a tour visa for David and that our 6 months of tour plans was probably going down the toilet, I still found myself making posters and events for the shows.
I remember repeating “at least I’m holding onto something. Something is better than nothing.” The idea of the song started to form out of this notion (along with some fuzzy Walk the Moon inspired vibes) – needing a little hope to retain one’s willingness to carry on and that the way we can really show up for each other in life is to give our loved ones those reminders that there is always something to hope for.
Liminal Space
We were channeling a bit of Arcade Fire with this one. Both feeling a bit at a loss when it came to spiritually- David as an ex Catholic and Rosey as a, faithless from birth, seeker – we wrote this song to both criticize bi-partisanship and black and white thinking when it comes to religion and politics.
“For gift of mind a life must pay the price – for every truth many are sacrificed.” We can give up so much of our capacity for empathy and compassion when we fail to see the gray areas and accept the unsolvable mysteries of life.
Lines
Daft Punk inspired the groove of this tune a bit but we weren’t staying up all night to get lucky. In 2021 Montreal had an 8 pm curfew for months on end. Restless and with nothing to do we stayed up late discussing family. We could easily tie some of our behaviors and wounds as far back as our even our great grandparents.
These lines of intergenerational grievance inspired us to write about the changes we hope to see in ourselves and coming generations as the tools for cognitive and emotional healing become more widely known and utilized.
Sweet Talk
We found ourselves living in a jam space with no private bathroom or shower for the first year of the pandemic. When we finally found a bachelor apartment to rent it felt like paradise – and even after many years of normal nights spent together we could really appreciate the feeling of having a home again.
It felt like a “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” (The Beach Boys) moment come to fruition.
Run So Fast
At the end of 2021, hoping to rewire and kick his 20 year smoking habit, David dropped acid. That night while cruising around on his skateboard he also got the guts to drop into a bowl for the first time. He wrote Run So Fast in its entirety at the end of the experience!
Cosmic Lover
Rosey got serious about her yoga asana practice during the pandemic and felt a high she had only previously experienced partying – except way better and with no hangover! Cosmic Lover explores the ways in which we search for and try to cling to the feeling of magic or divine energy when it is with us – much like an anxiously attached lover.
Tidal Wave
Finally, this track summarizes our journey from the anger and resentment with COVID, the music industry and the unhealthy relationships in our lives, and how through connecting to our artistic individuality and the divine we were able to cultivate the resilience needed to move forward.
And with that said – we can’t wait to share what we’ve written next!
Dig deeper into Closing Statements with our interview with Jitensha.
