Jordan Klassen is a decorated songwriter in his own right who has spent more than a decade quietly crafting music that has been deemed ‘unsentimentally sincere’ and ‘whimsically hopeful’. He recently released his EP, Curses, which was an assembly of brooding pop songs that continue in it’s predecessor’s exploration of mental illness and hushed vulnerability since his 2016 LP, Javelin. Writing about his life experiences is one of the essential elements in Jordan’s creative process – particularly events that he had deemed as his failures.
Klassen released his new studio album, Big Intruder, worldwide on September 22nd via Nevado Music. Big Intruder is an album about growing up and making adult decisions. The eleven tracks, which Klassen wrote, recorded and produced himself, venture away from the whimsical soundscapes of his past work and exude themes of growth and maturity, both in lyrics and sound. Klassen previously strived for a cinematic sound, avoiding drum kits but tried to embrace the idea of ‘band’ on this record. Big Intruder speaks to the dilemma of the overwhelming array of choices available in life, and the doubt and caution that become excuses to avoid commitment. The resulting songs are intimate and personal, guided by a sense of honesty and vulnerability.
Elisabeth Thieriot: What is your music intended to communicate to your audience?
Jordan Klassen: Hope, beautiful feelings that are hard to find, to give the ability to feel safe in your own skin.
ET: How do you start composing your music?
JK: It shows up as an image then I compose music with sounds that would take someone to that place.
ET: How long is the process of choosing the sounds to transport the listener?
JK: First, I stew for about a month or two, not always ending up in the place I started. I mix a bunch of ingredients into the pot for something to come out that is tasty.
ET: Does your latest song become your favorite?
JK: Certainly, for a short time it becomes my favorite song I am immersed into it. Overall, I have one that stands out with (music portraying images) I remember most. The ones that I can see the colors, feel the texture and can smell the air of that moment. The ones that transport me on to rolling hills, or an overcast day. All that is what I think of when I am writing a song. I want to share that experience evoked by music with others. Music to me is a creator of human experience involving all other senses. I want to bring my listener to the places where they feel safe. Make the world safe for them, as it makes it for me.
ET: How is your recent album different from the others?
JK: My most recent collection of songs is happier as I am in a happier place in life. I got married. I have found more stability and freedom in my marriage than I had alone. There is the stigma that marriage is a prison, but I found more happened and that made me more creative and adventurous with my music and in life. I conquered the fear, and now I am free to live beyond them. Life is uplifting, inspiring, freeing and stable all at the same time. Now I know how the longevity of commitment can truly build an inspiring life. My wife birthday was September 22nd, and my album release date was the same day. Somehow, I see how it all came together.
Jordan Klassen European Tour Dates
October 12 – Munich, DE – Strom*
October 15 – Zurich, CH – Papiersaal*
October 18 – Barcelona, ES – Antiga Fabrica Estrella Damm*
October 21 – Paris, FR – Batofar*
October 22 – Cologne, DE – YUCA*
October 23 – Wiesbaden, DE – Schlacthof*
October 24 – Munster, DE – Gleis 22*
October 25 – Utrecht, NL – TivoliVredenburg*
October 26 – Zwolle, NL – Hedon KZ*
October 28 – Rotterdam, NL – V11*
October 31 – Brighton, UK – The Hope & Ruin*
November 1 – London, UK – Camden Assembly*
November 2 – Bristol, UK – Louisiana*
November 3 – Manchester, UK – Gullivers*
*with Husky
