“The title stems from my background of previous substance abuse which I was humbled to get clean from,” explains singer-songwriter JM Lansdowne of his deluxe EP Clean & Unholy, which is due out on November 23rd via Paper + Plastick Records. “I grew up in two environments as a kid, one was a strict Christian home and the other was without God. But who is anyone to call themselves holy? Growing up in a Christian environment was no different and probably much worse at times.”
The 7-song deluxe EP Clean & Unholy was recorded in Dallas, Texas; Valparaiso, Indiana; and Lima, Ohio by Quentin Black. The album touches on a range of heavy subjects like break up, divorce, loss and surviving, desperation, longing, crazy romance and chaos, among others. Throughout the album Lansdowne uses songwriting to cope with heartache and loss. He even pays homage to Bob Dylan, a longtime influence, performing a rendition of “She Belongs To Me”.
In 2014, JM Lansdowne was taken under the wing of Vinnie Fiorello, which birthed the opportunity to reside on Paper + Plastick Records’ roster alongside John Moreland, Chad Price, The Ataris and Mike Herrera’s Tumbledown. Lansdowne spends a great deal of time on the road and has found himself sharing intimate venues with acts such as American Aquarium, Elliott, Eisley, Shiny Toy Guns, Seth Robinson (Nowhere Fast), Pasadena, JT Woodruff (Hawthorne Heights), Myla Smith, Mae and many more. In addition, he’s also the vocalist and guitarist in dark Americana duo Low Spirits with Fiorello.
Today Glide is excited to premiere “Yesterday’s Gold”, one of the standout tracks on Clean & Unholy. If it wasn’t already clear, the song establishes Lansdowne as an ambitious and talented songwriter with an ability to translate his feelings and emotions universally. Considering this, it should come as no surprise that the songwriter cites Bruce Springsteen as a major influence. With a voice that sounds like it’s been through some rough times, Landsdowne pours out his emotions and sings about the troubles that artists encounter on tour. His vocals are gritty and his lyrics feel straightforward and honest as he taps into a folky alt-country sound with harmonica on full blast.
Describing the story that inspired the song, Lansdowne has this to say:
“‘Yesterday’s Gold’ came naturally to me one morning after a cup of coffee, and a marathon of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska.’ I was sitting in the garage having a smoke and it started to formulate in my head and I had it all written out in less than 20 minutes. I remember I had just got back from a really bad tour, my ex-wife sent me this Dear John letter a few days into it and all I wanted to do was stay cooped up in my hotel room. So, I finished up the tour and wrote a song that made me feel a whole lot better about my situation. In turn, made me feel stronger.”
LISTEN:
Clean & Unholy will be available worldwide on November 23rd via Paper + Plastick Records.
Photo Credit: Amanda Wilson
