Intimate and compelling scenes come to life through Jillian Dawn’s musical and lyrical storytelling.
On her new EP how simple this all started, Jillian Dawn has crafted stories crying to be told, and she could not be happier to share them. Sweeping melodies, echoing instrumentals, and engaging lyrics pull you into little worlds narrated by an intriguing cast of characters. Anything but simple, her songs encapsulate scenes and private moments meticulously tailored both musically and lyrically.
The album opens with “Silhouettes,” which Jillian Dawn says is a “psychological song about being in someone’s head after a breakup.” Alternating tones enhance the unsettling, vaguely threatening lyrical lines like, “Calling you over / like a siren sounding from sea / this time you’re drowning in a nightmare you can’t wake from / ‘cause the body isn’t cold yet / and neither is my silent bed.” The verses whisper in your ear, then explode into the wailing chorus, strained guitars and cymbals crashing together with her voice above them.
Jillian Dawn is a storyteller. You can almost see Bonnie leaning out the passenger side window as Clyde speeds ahead of the police sirens “Getaway Car” opens with. “Flashback to just 18, already addicted to your lips and the nicotine / No, I never smoke but you were more than enough for me,” Jillian Dawn croons, syrupy but still a little wild underneath synths and tinny guitars. “For the Night” tells of someone desperate for more than a “situationship,” scored by muted strings and a bold, pleading chorus. “Boston” is narrated by an imaginary other woman in a relationship, breathy and exhausted: “Don’t say you love me / all this silence, really getting old. / Maybe someday, I’ll learn to let you go.” The stories these songs tell are intricately woven into the lyrics and musical details.
On this album, Jillian Dawn rarely shows her own perspective, but “While the Bridges Bend” is the exception. Written on a trip to London, the song is wispy like the early morning fog, with a shaker and light drum taps keeping the beat under echoing vocals. Blurred street lamps and streaky phone booth windows come to mind as the dreamy melody and gentle harmonies flow along. The song closes wistfully, but hopefully: “The movie plays in slow motion / now I’m here hoping / the stars will realign and I’ll be dancing by the Thames again / while the bridges bend.”
Jillian Dawn has created a musical narrative to be proud of, a collection of compelling tales of love and adventure for the listener to escape to and live in. “I didn’t know going into writing each of these songs what they were going to be about; they just kind of flowed out,” she says. “I think that’s the beautiful part about this project: it’s that these dramatic and creative and unique, illustrative stories are now at your hands.”