We were honored to premiere Pluto Jonze‘s earlier double single release ‘Moonmaking’ and ‘Dot’ last month, and Jonze has returned to the fray with another sparkling double ‘New Morning High’/’Rumschpringe’. Both tracks highlight Jonze’s ear for melody and anthemic songwriting: there is an inherent sunshine glow in both tracks and an indelible effervescent beat.
‘New Morning High’ has an atmospheric repeating piano riff, a restrained sense of yearning showcasing Jonze’s gorgeous velvet vocals and a soul-infected pace. ‘Rumschpringe’ in contrast drives at a faster speed – borne again on a splendid piano base that threads its way through the track but with a thumping funky beat. Jonze’s voice scales dizzy heights with another deep cut soul inflection.
Jonze says of the tracks:
I came up with that piano riff (for ‘New Morning High’) a couple of years ago and it felt like new beginnings… like emerging from the apocalypse maybe? I thought perhaps the riff could end up representing a coming-out-of-lockdown moment. Anyway, here we are. Still. The breakthrough for the song came when I tried putting that chiller beat loop behind it, from there the intent of the song fell into place. It’s about acceptance, being comfortable in your own skin, the feeling like nothing can change your world and you’re ready for anything. The riff is still the original demo recording from when I first came up with it so there’s a sense to me of the song staying true to its original intention despite the marathon it’s been on. More than any other on the record, this track makes me feel warm and happy.
To me ‘Rumschpringe’ has this sense of the world running away from you. I’d just watched Devil’s Playground, this documentary about super sheltered Amish youths who have this one year where they sample life in the ‘real’ world, ‘Rumschpringe’, before deciding to either re-join the sheltered Amish community or leave forever. I was imagining what it’s like for friends from birth or siblings who end up being separated in this way. A lot of focus gets put on the difficulties of the one who joins mainstream society, but what about the person who stays behind? To me this is a distillation of something that happens in mainstream society as you grow up. Will you remember me? At the same time, I was watching a lot of other artists who I’d toured or collaborated with having different levels of national and international success, and I realised that process is like something that sort of happens all the time in life. Reinvention. For better or worse. Artistically, romantically. And how do you feel if you’re left behind.
The result is a double hit of sonic goodness that just emanates goodness:
‘New Morning High’ is available to stream here and ‘Rumschpringe’ here.
All tracks are to be found on Jonze’s newly announced album ‘Awe’ due for release on 5 November 2021 – you can preorder through the link below.
