Jaws The Shark will release his long awaited debut album Wasteland in July – he headlines a Manchester gig at Off The Square tomorrow.
Ahead of the album release and Manchester gig, Jaws The Shark has also shared the first taste of the album, California.
The multi-instrumentalist (aka Olly Bailey) wrote the 11-track album with production from George Perks. Speaking about the process and sound of the album, Jaws The Shark said, “Wasteland is an album that I’d been wanting to write for some time now, and one that I’m really proud of personally. Some of the tracks that I write wouldn’t necessarily be put into the Jaws The Shark category when you look back at what I’ve released previously, but I wanted this album to show off some of my versatility that I like to explore when writing songs.”
Speaking about the new single and accompanying video he added, “California was one of the last tracks I wrote for the record, it was one of those ones that just sprung out of nowhere and fell into my lap one day. I had a friend that moved from the UK to the US and in doing so it meant that her long term relationship collapsed. I wrote the track with that scenario in mind and wanted to write each verse from both people’s perspectives, from the one doing the breaking up and the one being broken up with. In the end after some time had passed, they both realised that it was actually for the best for both of them.
“The video itself is representative of the track in the sense that it shows us batting with our feelings and emotions, as a relationship is being torn apart due to circumstance. Having April in the video represents the other person in the relationship, the male/female dynamic, but the fact that we’re also dressed in the same clothes and look like one another was a conscious decision to represent that you also need to take a look in the mirror at yourself sometimes and be a little more introspective.”
Jaws The Shark will release Wasteland on 19 July 2024.
When does Jaws The Shark headline at Manchester’s Off The Square?
Jaws The Shark headlines at Off The Square, Manchester, on 22 March 2024.
Image of Jaws The Shark courtesy Rob Crawford
