Jamie’s Elsewhere Takes Us To Paradise

By Phil Hawkins

Unless you are a fan of the genre as a whole the name Jamie’s Elsewhere is probably not one that you might know or have heard of. Most of that is considering that it has been almost a decade since the band have released any new material. However, with the release of their latest EP, Paradise, it showcases that the band is back in a big way.

Following nine years of dormancy, Jamie’s Elsewhere return inviting total immersion on their latest release. The California quartet that consists of Aaron Pauley [vocals], Matt Scarpelli [guitar], Chance Medeiros [bass], and Mike Spearman [keys] expand their vision with an arresting narrative set to a soundtrack of emotionally charged heavy music underscored by cinematic electronics, soaring melodies, jarring hardcore, and moments of unpredictable sonic bludgeoning. “The concept [behind Paradise] follows a protagonist through the day-to-day grind,” Aaron notes. “He discovers Paradise, which is a metaverse where you can upload your soul. It was a tongue-in-cheek way for us to label a dystopian A.I. The irony is hopping on the internet could never be a real paradise. We went really deep in terms of the story and lyrics.”

Paradise wastes no time leaning in to the thematic elements behind the concept it presents as “Escapist” kicks things off speaking to the element that we all wish to escape reality for a so-called paradise. The tracks pulls no punches and sonically sets the stage for what is to come. This theme is continued throughout the EP with the tracks titles representing their own parts of the story as a whole. “Paradise” follows suite tonally carries a darkness to it that feels contradictory to what the title might suggest, but given the nature of the album’s theme it fits perfectly as “paradise” is merely a façade of sorts. “Avatar” follows and uses the title as an allegory to the fact that one’s avatar is never a clear representation of who we truly are (if you’ve seen or read Ready Player One you’ll understand the concept quite clearly).

“Poisoning Eden” is probably most poignant track on the EP as it speaks to the fact that even if we could create paradise we would still bring our menial human problems to it, thus destroying the very thing we have worked so hard to create. “Separate Me” rounds out the EP culminating with the thematic realization about wanting to return back to human nature (much like the theme of The Matrix and wanting to be in the real world as opposed to a digital prison intended as paradise in essence).

Ultimately, with Paradise, Jamie’s Elsewhere mange to create a thought provoking story within the soundscape they have created (even if it is a story that has been touched on before through other avenues). Their take a perspective manages to keep the concept fresh. While the EP is mildly abrupt in length it works well for the concept at hand as the end result may have felt forced and or redundant had it been applied to a full length.

Paradise is out now via Sharptone Records and is available on all major streaming and digital platforms.