Without all of the hard times, where would we get songs as joyous as Origami Ghosts’ “Washboard Mind?” Tough times may not be any fun to go through, but boy, do they ever fire up the kiln of creativity. The indie rock band is back with their latest single, a classic folk meets modern indie kind of sound. The song was inspired by a time that was very personal to frontman JP Scesniak. He was living in Paris, which sounds very romantic and all. But actually, Scesniak was living as a poor troubadour, with very little money, and even less direction.
These circumstances can’t help but negatively influence your state of mind and your relationship with others. But even in the midst of such hardship, Scesniak felt determined to continue to give his all to his partner. He made due what what we had, while remaining supremely focused on his significant other.
The release of “Washboard Mind” comes ahead of Origami Ghosts’ brand new album A Fine Time to Talk About Nothing. Coming out next week on August 8th, the album is a glorious helping of jangly folk-pop. It has a very international flavour, as evidenced by where it was written. The record was composed in small doses while touring through Europe and the United States. Parts of it were also written while Scesniak was in Paris, as well as the time he spent in Seattle and Austin. Precipitated by its international flair, the album embraces a sense of adventure and exploration. Primarily composed in a very curious state of mind, the songs delve into themes such as love, death, intimacy, drugs, counterculture, and new technology.
The album has a very personal touch as well. With all of these other things happening in Scesniak’s life, what’s more is that he had a full-fledged near-death experience when he suffered a stroke. He tries to make sense of this experience on the album track “Heaven’s Gate.” Having to go through this really scared him straight and convinced him to get off alcohol and any cannabis use.
As is becoming clear, A Fine Time to Talk About Nothing is about as private as an album can be. As a songwriter and bandleader, there’s no sugarcoating it when it comes to JP Scesniak.
Tour Dates:
08/07 – Seattle @ the Sunset w/ Desert Sushi, Ashley Eriksson
08/08 – Portland, OR @ Shanghai w/ BLISSTER + guests
08/09 – Whidbey Island, WA @ Bailey’s Corner store w/ Haunting Autumn
08/12 – Olympia, WA @ Rhythms
08/14 – Red Bluff, CA @ The Downtown Alehouse
08/15 – Arcata, CA @ Outerspace
08/16 – San Francisco @ The Knockout w/ Xay Cole, Green Cat
08/23 – Los Angeles @ The Harmony Room w/ Fragile Gang, why try?
A Fine Time to Talk About Nothing Track Listing:
1. Washboard Mind
2. Always 3 Days
3. Philip the Bison
4. Virtual Reality Boy
5. Biking Underwear
6. The Olde Autostop
7. Counter Counterculture
8. The infinite feelings along the Milky Way
9. Heaven’s Gate
10. Love Everyone
11. When you look at me like you look at Tetris