ABOUT LIFE HACKS — IN JAY’S WORDS

“If you have the opportunity to do something, do it!”

I’d been meaning to record this album for some time. The last couple of years brought plenty of challenges and showed me how quickly life can change. So I finally got past the procrastination and recorded Life Hacks.

Rambling Bones originally started as a solo project, but over time it became a band, with a full-length album and an EP featuring the full line-up. Jay Bones is now my solo outlet, giving me room to play FUZIGISH and Rambling Bones tracks alongside songs from Life Hacks.

I tracked the album at Asylum Studios with Paul Gioia in August. I wanted to be hands-on, so I decided to mix it myself. One thing led to another and I ended up mastering it too. A bit of a gamble, but I trusted my gut. Having spent plenty of time in studios with FUZIGISH and Rambling Bones, working with some amazing producers and engineers — including Matt Fink, JP de Stefani, Steve Grenfell and Theo Crous — I’d like to think I’ve picked up a few things along the way.

I chose nine tracks from around 40 songs in various stages of completion. Some were fully figured out; others were halfway there and still needed work. I wanted songs that would sit well together without taking themselves too seriously, but still mean something.

The opening track, YouTube Manifestor, comes from a time when everything felt like it was falling apart and I needed some positivity. I started listening to those cheesy ten-minute manifestation videos on YouTube. I wouldn’t have admitted it then — it felt a bit cringe — but they helped. I do think what you spend your time thinking about shapes how you see the world.

Fly is a special track for me, drawing on both African and Celtic influences. With dreamy fingerpicking and just a few lyrics, it feels like the next step after Watching & Waiting, a song I released with Rambling Bones.

Do Not Disturb and Algorithm Overlord look at modern life and the ways technology influences — or intrudes on — it. Cat-Cow is about stretching and becoming a “bendy man”, with some silly lyrics about online therapy and usernames like Shaolin Master 69.

The album closes with Bug In My Shoe, a jangly folk song that ends with the bug moving on and a warning to keep an eye on your shoes.

I’m looking forward to playing shows around the country and sharing these songs with you.

— Jay
