What’s it like when we reach ‘the other side’? JP Scesniak of Origami Ghosts poses just that question on his fast-paced odyssey, “Heaven’s Gate”, taken from Origami Ghosts’ new folky jangle-pop album, A Fine Time to Talk About Nothing, due to be released on the 8th of August. We are super excited to be premiering this new single and its video, ahead of its release this Thursday.
The track was born after JP suffered a near-death experience due to a stroke. “What’s it like on the other side?” Scesniak asks. “Will people be able to see me? Will I be felt? Part of the horizon? Part of Earth at all?”. He challenges this question with gusto. The guitars are cranking, powered along by a propulsive drum beat, cocooned in a psych-folk-rock vibe courtesy of Cassandra Wulff‘s flute.
It reminds me of the brilliant creativity of the fabulous Dirty Projectors. There’s also some strong parallels to the awesome Sonic Youth. There’s one thing for sure: it’s a rip-roaring cosmic journey. Strap yourself in.
About the track, JP Scesniak of Origami Ghosts told the AU:
“The song came together pretty quickly. I was fiddling around with the guitar in an empty room of the house that Cassie and I were living in, in like 2016 or so. I love to play in empty rooms because of the acoustics. I can’t remember if it was empty because we were moving out soon, or if that was our extra-space room for couchsurfers and extra what-nots.
I started strumming these chords, and working through the progression of the different chords. They felt pretty special, pretty powerful. They had a spiritual feeling. It was around the time that I had a stroke, which rocked my world and had me thinking a lot about and preparing for death. I started imagining dying …and trying to get comfortable with the idea of a life without words. Marching towards those pearly gates.
I liked the idea of naming the album ‘A fine time to talk about nothing’ because — I don’t know — words are all just a bunch of gibberish anyways for the most part. I mean sure, words have power and meaning, but presence, feeling, sound, taste, and visual beauty are enough. At least that’s what I was thinking about when I wrote it.”
The video for “Heaven’s Gate,” directed by Emma Jones, was shot on the Olympic Peninsula in Sequim, Washington, on Puget Sound. It features Scesniak and Wulff playing the guitar and flute while wading in a river. They move from the sea to a forest, and end up dancing on the beach as the West Coast sun sets. The “Heaven’s Gate” horizon in the distance teases the precipice to a spirit world we’ll only know when we’re gone. Whatever is on the other side, I don’t think we should be afraid.
The upcoming album, A Fine Time to Talk About Nothing (out Aug. 8) embraces the punk rock spirit with a childlike glee. It’s an upbeat collection of indie-folk tunes, imbued with humour and great instrumentation. The songs were written while touring through Europe and the U.S. and living in Paris, Seattle and Austin. This is an album that embraces adventure and exploration as it delves into themes of love, death, intimacy, drugs, counterculture, and emerging technologies.
Origami Ghosts has had various lineups over the years. The constant has been JP Scesniak, providing vocals, guitar, bass, harmonica, synth and more, as well as the all-important lyrics. He’s joined on this album by Cassandra Wulff (synths, piano, flute, vocals), Ben Kendall (drums) and Jacob Leavitt (cello).
The album was engineered and mixed by Sam Rosson (Death Cab for Cutie, Macklemore, Great Grandpa, Deep Sea Diver, Sydney Sprague) at the Hall of Justice Recording Studio in Seattle, the same studio where Nirvana recorded Bleach.
The band is currently out on tour in the US, through ’til August. All the dates are below. Get along if you can and support live music.
Origami Ghosts Tour Dates
June 24: St. Louis @ Dissonant Works w/ Brawsh, Po Mia, and Toni
June 25: Chicago @ Fallen Log w/ Friendly Faces
Aug. 7: Seattle @ the Sunset w/ Desert Sushi, Ashley Eriksson
Aug. 8: Portland, OR @ Shanghai w/ BLISSTER + guests
Aug. 9: Whidbey Island, WA @ Bailey’s Corner store w/ Haunting Autumn
Aug. 12: Olympia, WA @ Rhythms
Aug. 14: Red Bluff, CA @ The Downtown Alehouse
Aug. 15: Arcata, CA @ Outerspace
Aug. 16: San Francisco @ The Knockout w/ Xay Cole, Green Cat
Aug. 23: Los Angeles @ The Harmony Room w/ Fragile Gang, why try?
You can keep up to date with Origami Ghosts via TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp and YouTube
Header image credit: Brittne Lunniss
