Keepsake of the Week: “In Betweens” by Jay Miners
“In Betweens” is the first LP from singer/songwriter and Keepsake House co-founder Jay Miners and is this week’s #KOTW.
In this semi-weekly blog series, we post our favorite new or re-discovered releases in independent music, our Keepsake of the Week, or #KOTW.
Roots grow from soil all the way to space and nostalgia becomes just one part of an endless imagination in Jay Miners’ debut full-length record, “In Betweens.” Jay’s music has always grown out of playfulness, often make-believe—from “Strawberry Mountain” on her second EP “The Art We Make,” to the two love songs from this project, one from the perspective of a phone (“Real Love”) and one dreaming from the stars themselves (“Meet Me In Space”). At the same time, her work is grounded in the homes that built her, from “With Our Hands” on the EP to “Always Home” and “Snow Prints” on the LP. This record illustrates and intersects the two themes with maturity and purpose; it is a stunning showcase of what it means to grow enough confidence to fly, and a testament to everything you have to let go of to get there.
The title, “In Betweens,” is itself layered with meaning. Jay has spoken to me before about living in between worlds as an Asian American, as well as physically moving between homes around New York and Long Island where her family and partner live. Beyond the literal interpretations, the album takes listeners on a journey through space, but to me the name lands most powerfully in the songs’ journey through time. Tracks hop back and forth between Jay’s childhood and the present day, and even pay homage to generations of the past. Through the first six songs of the album, Jay’s voice maintains a sense of longing for her childhood home, family, and even her teddy bear. “Me and Jess play pretend / Time traveling,” she sings on “Always Home.” Something changes in the last two tracks, “Morning Joe” and “Meet Me In Space,” and suddenly Jay strips herself of whatever baggage she is carrying and happily floats away into the future.
The creation of this album was freeing for Jay. Over the course of making it, she left her corporate job to pursue music making and teaching, a decision she defends in “Morning Joe.” Although it was written after the album’s closing song, “Meet Me In Space,” “Morning Joe” is sequenced well as a prelude. “I started to sing to the stars and the sky / And thank them for this long and beautiful ride,” Jay sings on “Morning Joe.” Then, in “Meet Me…,” she takes the lead on a journey inside her head, trusting herself enough to invite us there too. Trusting herself, and working with her new producer, Harper James, allowed Jay not just to explore new realms with this record, but to share them with us as well.
Considering it was produced song by song and released over the course of a year plus, the album’s cohesion is impressive. Jay doubled her vocals on multiple tracks, she and Harper did nearly all the instrumentation themselves, and the guitar takes center stage over piano throughout the record. Jay has also leaned into writing around rhythm more than melodies, perhaps most notable in the opening track, “Mulberry,” which is backed by shakers and then lifted by drums. This track also features an incredibly strong bridge, with layered vocals and electric guitar that bring alive the wind Jay sings of. Rhythm continues straight into the deep, percussive opening of “Real Love,” and all the way through to the country bass line on “Morning Joe.” This track, which is the most country song Jay has ever released, reminds me of my old favorite song of hers, “Dog Walker,” in its twang and jazziness, but it is given more depth thanks to this production.
It is difficult for me to pick a favorite off the record, but my gut tells me it’s “A Long Pause.” To me, this is the turning point in the album’s story, where Jay makes a decision to let someone go so that she can grow on her own. “I’m climbing ahead, not floating away / I’d never leave you, but things have to change,” she sings, followed by the line that makes me shiver, “I hope that you’re next to me someday.” I love a good line, and I love a good hammered guitar lick like the one on this track, which resists the temptation of becoming a ballad (because the lyrics could absolutely lead to that) in order to maintain that signature Jay Miners rhythm: one that presses on, no matter how hard.
This album is a diary of questioning thoughts turned into a polished memoir of growth. Whether she is exploring the dreamscape like Alex Wong, finding songs through rhythm like HAIM, or throwing out a rhyme scheme in favor of telling truth like Joni Mitchell, Jay has taken inspiration from her idols to reel out the strengths in herself. She may ask, “Have I forgotten how to dream?” (“Constantine”) but the songs and journey told by “In Betweens” is clear proof that she hasn’t. And if you’re like me, wondering what Jay will write next, just listen to what she’s already given and you’ll know that the limits are far beyond the sky.
Stream “In Betweens” everywhere now, and hear Jay play the album LIVE in person at her album release show this Thursday, October 14. Tickets on sale now!
Jay Miners, photographed by Jeff Deng.
