Episode 171: Jack Symes

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Episode 171 of Look At My Records! features an interview with indie folk artist Jack Symes. Symes just released his second full-length, Tompkins Park, in late March and the deeply personal record expounds on his move to New York after spending most of his life on the west coast. His story is an intriguing one, as while playing a series of gigs here in the city a couple of years ago, he met and fell in love with his partner, and thus, made the cross-country move last year. Many of the songs on the album detail his challenging early experiences in the city, but he also displays his knack for telling other kinds of stories at various points. He dissects the nuance of cult figures on “The Story of Jim Jones,” the fakeness that’s sometimes involved in party-going on “What A Wonderful Party,” and reflects on a glorious weekend away on “Illinois.” Tune in to our interview to hear some insights from Jack on his narrative-driven approach to lyric writing, what it was like collaborating with Eva. B Ross on one of the record’s standout tracks, “Wait,” the process of recording Tompkins Park early in quarantine, why the record includes a full band version of “Why, Why Not” and an acoustic version, and much more. Jack also picked some awesome records from my record collection, including some recent favorites of mine from Cut Worms and Kate Bollinger. You can follow along with his picks via the official playlist for Episode 171.

Tompkins Park is out now! You can stream it on your platform of choice or purchase a copy on limited edition vinyl via Bandcamp. Keep up with Symes by following him on Instagram and liking him on Facebook.