Jase Old – ‘Hemisphere’

It’s great to get some new music to review in these current testing times and with the release date edging ever closer, I felt it was time to scribe about this little gem.

Most will know Jase as the inimitable voice and energetic front man, of internationally renowned Melbourne melodic rockers The Radio Sun. They have released 5 albums in as many years. Enjoying repeat performances at festivals in the USA, UK, Japan and Sweden. Just when others might be yearning for a rest in between some downtime, this is not so with Jase, who is about to set out on a journey of a different kind, with the release of his debut solo album Hemisphere.

There are of course some similarities for fans of The Radio Sun and Starchase, of course the voice is instantly recognisable as Jase Old. There is however, an eclectic feast of new sounds on display here and in the main, a departure from the usual hard rocking melodies that most will be used to from the previous TRS releases. Jase plays ALL instruments on the album, so it’s an all-encompassing solo effort which is no mean feat.

The opener ‘I hope you find the one’ is a somewhat melancholic tale of love found and lost and the wish for a departed lover to find their special one, it’s a low tempo number which offers up the new sounds on offer. ‘Tell me to how to mend a broken heart’ ups the pace and provides a far more rock driven approach with a heady drum sound and synth aplenty gracing the mix. It follows on the tale of patching up the heart from a difficult split. ‘Take me as I am’ has a far softer, pop-like approach as Jase displays his musical softer side. ‘And you’, offers up a totally acoustic affair, with the light shake of tambourine possibly and hand drums effortlessly making this balladlike song. There is also some real heart and soul in tracks such as ‘Breaking down a lie’, ‘You’re a star’ and ‘Love is what you’re looking for’ with its soft rocking beats and undulating harmonies and chorus. The title track ‘Hemisphere’ kicks off with electronic synth, great acoustic guitar throughout and passionate, soulful vocals from Jase. ‘One life’ and ‘Sometimes’ provide more diversity in sound but both stand as great soft rockers with complex musical arrangements and offer the perfect bridge towards the final song on the album in ‘Like it used to be’. This song Provides a familiar Radio Sun twist to it, fantastic tune, catchy chorus and totally summer ready. This is top down and open road stuff and my favourite on the release. A great finish to an album that may surprise many, tantalise and fascinate others and it will also find its way to attracting new fans as it offers a creative change in direction from the expected, it stands as a real thinkers album musically and lyrically not unlike the direction that a certain Kip Winger has taken in the past with solo releases and the album ‘Songs from the Ocean Floor’ spring to mind. Solo albums offer the artist the freedom to explore new sounds without the shackles of what is the ‘norm’ and what is expected from ‘the day job’ so to speak.

Jase has also not allowed the album to be genre defined. In fact, it would be very hard to place this into a standardised genre and to be honest, I wouldn’t want to. As mentioned this has a diversity of influences which takes in rock and pop and it’s progressive with an ambient feel, but with the voice you instantly recognise which provides it with a comfortable familiarity.

Hemisphere sees Jase expanding the breadth of his talents as a solo performer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer and a chance to explore his vast musical influences. Having spent some time with Jase recently in Australia, we talked over many things and this album was of course one of the subjects. This is seen more as a gift to the fans and people who have shown support over the years and in essence will be available for streaming with no attached cost and that kind of humble approach is a rare thing nowadays.

Set for a 18th April 2020 release, Hemisphere will be available on all major streaming platforms only. Stay tuned for news of upcoming live dates, where you’ll discover a performer with a natural ability to connect, on a musical journey into a new Hemisphere as a solo performer and with album number 2 already being worked on, it won’t be long be very long before the second instalment of Jase Old the solo artist hits the digital platforms.

1. I hope you find the one

2. Tell me how to mend a broken heart

3. Take me as I am

4. And you

5. Breaking down the lie

6. You're a star

7. Love is what you're looking for

8. Hemisphere

9. One life

10. Sometimes

11. Like it used to be

Hemisphere will be available on all the following platforms:

iTunes

Apple Music

Amazon.com

Google Play & YouTube Music

Tik Tok

Deezer

Pandora

ClaroMusica

Saavn

TIDAL

iHeartRadio

Napster

Anghami

KKBox

Touch Tunes

150+ other outlets through MediaNet, such as Dubset and these other services