"Expand": Jez Harris reveals his non-conformist, avant-garde debut album

It has become somewhat of a norm to initiate one's discography with something predictable, building a safe platform upon which to experiment in the course of future releases. Not Jez Harris. The singer-songwriter has revealed a broad-minded album that rejects stasis and builds a more narrative, experimental one. This is far from a tightly planned debut, but a medium for the alias to explore the deeper confines of diverse philosophical topics and simultaneously stretch out into unexplored sonic territory. 

The creative spark for this album emerged from a night out at a Peter Gabriel concert. After witnessing the iconic performer, Jez was ready to practice his musical skill sets in composing an album. At first, it was just another project; a product of instant inspiration that might not be finished due to eventual loss of motivation. But as time went on, he discovered there was a lot to unpack. Emotions, conflicted and concerned about various things like life and death, came pouring out as he became intricately involved in this endeavor. No longer was this merely a debut meant to impress crowds--- now it was about exploring the foundations he held. Those unspoken and often pushed aside for later, as life becomes more tangled in mundane things, such as mortality. Jez states the experience has been akin to renewed enlightenment, instilling far more insights than he has gained from subscribing to faith. 

The album went through stages of metamorphosis: initially titled as "When You're Me,” it was ultimately aptly shortened to "Expand" as the creative became obsessed with Andy Weir's metaphysical, afterlife-centered short story "The Egg." Compelled by the profundity of that fictional piece, he decided to devote this album to his daughter, passing this on as a legacy. 

There aren't discernible and repeating patterns in the album's content apart from extensive pianoforte, ranging anywhere between alternative rock and leftfield electronica. The only constant factor is the thoughtful narrative in each song; the satirical opener "Sandwich" has a rippling sequence of piano notes, as the charming voice contorts and delivers surrealist lyricism. The composition alters equally, swapping the stripped-back piano for industrial, grungy electronic drums and synths in a dynamic flow. Right after, "Body of Theseus" ponders the timeless paradox of the Greek hero’s 'Frankensteined' ship and its allegory to ever-changing identity in a prolonged existence. Analogous to its predecessor, the track also opts for a swift, rough-hewn soundscape and glimmery top-melody from the piano.

A few tracks later, "Take A Seat" thrusts the listener into an ominous and critical situation. The song narrative dials up the intensity without prior warning (coupled with lashing drums), as its author is put in a state of morbid emergency: that of his flight for a trip to Spain suddenly turning into a nightmare with rapid engine failures. Meanwhile, the following "The Pit" urges a plunge into debauchery with raw, obscene lyrics, propelled by weighty drums.

Existential thoughts nestle in the lush ambiance of "Mystical Dream": a lyrsergic experience with swirling synths and throbbing electronic percussions. Inspired further by the vastness of cosmos and beyond, "Many Worlds" is an upbeat rock tune exploring the concept of unlimited realities and how every decision we make leads to branching universes; a thought exercise that emphasizes upon the rationale of living life freely, untethered from overthinking about things ("So Many ways//That you can live your story//All that you choose//Is but one route through the maze").

For the final act, "Gratitude" goes back to square one. Heavily inspired by Andy Weir's aforementioned writing, it’s a piano-driven rock track that shares similarities with 70s progressive rock in its varying, dramatic cadence; the vocalist adopts an energizing lilt, singing about how life came to be from cosmic dust, and what may be awaiting us in the afterlife. The expansive scope of the songwriting is yet another display of Jez's adeptness in handling complicated, many-layered concepts and transforming them into artistic songwriting, filled with creative nuances for those observant to unpack and dwell upon.

Stream Expand on Spotify and Bandcamp, and stay tuned with Jez Harris on Instagram.