In the winter of 2018, Jenny O. sat up from reading a book and experienced an abrupt and permanent loss of hearing in her right ear. This neurological phenomenon might seem like a particularly cruel twist of fate in the life of a young musician, but Jenny says, “It’s fine, I’m over it. It’s just harder to use headphones now.”
Acceptance of this new state inspired her third full-length album New Truth. The songs are more personal than ever and possess an audible conviction. Fans will recognize her precise and soothing vocals, but she’s singing in a deeper, more knowing voice than on previous albums. She’s also playing most of the instruments herself.
New Truth’s production is only a slight departure from her last two albums, both produced by Jonathan Wilson, but there is an unmistakable progression in personal growth and energy. For this record, Jenny wanted to channel the overdubbed freedom of her earlier, more homespun recordings. She enlisted the help of Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket, White Reaper, Strand of Oaks) who produced, mixed, mastered and played on the album at his Los Angeles studio Invisible Creature. Once the instruments were recorded, Ratterman set up a microphone at Jenny’s home, giving her the freedom to build her signature vocal harmonies on her own. The album is performed mostly by Jenny and Kevin. Other players on New Truth include bassist Rachel Goodrich and drummer Josh Adams (Jenny Lewis, Bedouine, Devendra Banhart).
The album is as vivid a gradient as the L.A. skyline at dusk. Ethereal with an edge, New Truth shapeshifts from atmospheric sunshine pop to grungy psychedelia. Each song has its own charm; the listlessly funny, Lennon-esque "I Don't Want To Live Alone Anymore” is an accidental quarantine anthem for the lonesome. The melancholy "What About That Day" and “Old Habits” glow with rich harmonies--both delicate, universal accounts of stumbling along the way. “Not My Guy” is an intrepid, guitar-driven anthem of self knowledge. “Psychedelic Love,” a groovy manifestation of personal desire, stands as a triumph for an artist who, despite losing half of her hearing, has clearly expanded her sound and vision.
Jenny has a knack for blending contrasting elements as if they were watercolors: the earthen with the otherworldly, humility with power, East Coast classicism with West Coast psychedelia, light with darkness. These are songs that skate cleanly along the edges of the highs and lows of the human experience without falling headfirst into them--always balanced by a blithe realism. New Truth could easily be sorrowful, but since her last album, Jenny has grown more accepting of an unpredictable world than devastated by it. This is gliding, contemplative garage pop that ponders the full weight of uncertainty and the grace required to see things as they are: fragile, flawed and fleeting.
New Truth comes at a time when many are counting their blessings with a new tenderness and urgency. Jenny explains, “New Truth has to do with coming to terms with a new reality, what is and what will be now that things have changed or information has come to light.” New Truth is an album that isn't ultimately about loss or change, but rather the beauty and freedom of the life that comes after acceptance.
-
Letter to the Listener:
“Hey,
Here’s my new album, it’s called New Truth.
New Truth is coming to terms with my deaf ear. It’s any new accepted reality. It’s the hilarious way I wore my hair for a week before cutting it away from my face.
The songs are as personal as ever--continued misadventures of an introvert in Hollywood. I think it’s relatable- heartache and epiphany- I hope people like it?
I’m singing lower sometimes, I always assumed I’d move back into my lower register, I finally have. Hard to get power that way, but I don’t sound like a little kid. I’ll have to practice singing them a lot, and it will be trickier to pull off live.
I recorded this album with Kevin Ratterman, who is so fast, so patient, willing to try anything, and so much fun. It was important to me to have a good time while making it, and we did.
I played all the guitars on this record. I wanted to channel the freedom of the Home and Work EPs but recorded way better. I took solos! I played bass except Rachel Goodrich did the funkier two songs because her time is better than mine. The past couple albums were tracked live to tape with a rhythm section, so someone would quickly learn something great & close to my demo but not exactly. I wanted to play bass this time.
Kevin set up his nice microphone at my place so I could do all my vocals alone while he was making another record. It’s the best way--much faster and more free to experiment by myself. Building harmonies on a whole album with an engineer can get frustrating, communicating between each take.
Ok I got to go take this little black dog on a walk.
See you soon,
Jenny O.”