Quietly enchanting, the music of Jordan Oschman radiates with the sonorous acoustics of folk and her tenderhearted lyricism. Her debut album Duality of a Man arrived last week, a collection of eight songs that span the breadth of all that makes the singer/songwriter such a compelling listen. From a tangle of guitar twanging ballads that ruminate at such emotional depths, to these steadily driving and dusty rock tracks, Oschman’s music oscillates between the folk-rock of decades past and her recreation of it.
We had the opportunity to pick Oschman’s brain about the new album, her influences, and why she started making music in the first place. Check out what she had to say below.
Editorial and Interview by Steven Ward
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Who would you consider an inspiring figure that you look up to, whether another artist or someone in your life?
My inspirations are truly ever-changing. It’s hard to connect it to a certain name as I’m most compelled to create by the things in my life I cannot control. Through the process of putting these thoughts to a melody, I feel most connected to the majority of folk rock-oriented artists of the 60s/70s.
What’s the story behind the album’s inception and inspiration?
Duality of a Man came to me when I was writing the last song on the album “Duality.” I had heard the phrase “Duality of man” in passing and it just sounded like an album to me. It sounded like an idea I’ve already had but never had the words for. All my songs were about boys I had loved, fathers who tried, and everyone in relation to the many versions of a single man. Jacob Summers my producer & Sharaya Summers helped take these voice memos and blend them with the authentic sound of harmonies and a full band truly made it come to life. It was as if the songs already existed and we were just uncovering them. It all happened so smoothly. It just felt right.
What are some crucial influences on your music and sound?
The quickest answer is Mazzy Star, Fleetwood Mac, and Bob Dylan. I like to play their music in the background at times when I’m brainstorming. Almost like a writing session with a captured thought of the past. I feel most connected to all real instruments laying a bed for a raw emotion. I feel that these artists didn’t make songs just to sing but to get a feeling out of their body and back through their ears, singing back to them. Like some sort of therapy session with a mic and tambourine. I found that the quickest way to let my influences shine through was to connect to their process and not so much the finished product.
What are one or two songs on your debut album that you can point to as kind of encompassing some of its core themes?
“Duality” and “Cool Winds” are the two songs I’m drawn to on immediate reaction. “Duality” gives itself away in the lyrics. “Cool Winds” was written from the perspective of a father writing a letter to his son on his deathbed. Basically explaining that although the son resents him, with age he will find they are the same. If he would just look in the mirror he will see reflected back to him the justifications of his father’s actions and maybe even find empathy. Somehow that’s what the album is to me. Perspective, Duality, and the synchronicity of men…even those who will never know one another.
What’s some music that you find yourself gravitating to or on repeat?
I’m a creature of habit. I love the albums I grew up on that I’ve only really been able to understand with age. Lately Disintegration by The Cure, anything by Radiohead, and what I like to call “divorced dad rock” has been on repeat. Honorable mention is “Harvest” by Neil Young. Never gets old.
When did you realize you wanted to make music?
For the majority of my life, I never wanted to be a musician. Wasn’t against it, I just didn’t seek it out. I was always lyrically inclined and appreciated its art but never saw myself creating it. I started guitar lessons in my sophomore year of high school and on the second session asked if we could just take the simple chords I learned and write songs instead. I realized I could come up with melodies easily and never got tired of it. It’s now my favorite way to ground myself and I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life truly.
Why do you make music? If you had to articulate it, what’s the goal of your music, whether for yourself or the people who listen to it?
I make music because I love making music. I write because I have to. I have OCD and pretty severe anxiety, it feels like my thoughts would explode my brain if I didn’t put them on paper. If I can evoke an emotion in people and give a voice to someone who didn’t even know they needed to relate then I consider my job done. I don’t think as much about the product as the process. I just love to sing and write.
How do you approach writing your songs? Is there a specific scenery that helps the process or a particular routine that you use?
Honestly, a song will pop into my brain at the most unpredictable times. At work, I used to use the server’s notebooks and write poems behind the hostess’s desk. It’s not really a process that looks any certain way. I’ll pick up the guitar and sit on my bathroom floor and see what I end up having to say. I like to make songs up on the spot, feels more like a stream of consciousness than an assignment.
There is something just so rejuvenating about Oschman’s songs that’s both elusive and profoundly palpable. Even just one listen through of her debut album seems to impel another, it’s melodies and her softly murmured poetics captivating you with their bittersweet allure. Every drawling riff lazily gloaming, every steadily meandering rhythm elicted from tambourine and robust drum, every heartwrenching croon envelops you in the open-hearted gaze of Oschman’s music.
Visit Jordan Oschman on their Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
Listen to Duality of a Man the debut album from Jordan Oschman below!
