Feature photo by Tom Belding
By Kristi Alexandra
@kristialexandra
Jody Glenham gives the best Christmas gifts. At least that’s what her fans and Christmas music lovers alike will be saying tomorrow (December 1), when her Holiday-themed, three-song EP Melt is released on Bandcamp.
The Vancouver-based musician–who heads up Jody Glenham and the Dreamers, along with backing others such as Pleasure Cruise and Louise Burns—is releasing Melt as a companion EP to her full-length album, Mood Rock, which came out earlier this year.
“Christmas music is, in general, very fun and nostalgic, and I’m definitely playing off of that. My own writing is normally quite serious,” she tells Loose Lips over the phone. “We’re entering a season that’s traditionally difficult and for many, it will be harder than past years. I always get sad around the holidays and I’m not alone in feeling that way.”
The EP features songs “Christmas List,” “Snow in NYC” and, of course, its title track “Melt”—all three of which take advantage of crisp-as-snow drum loops and crystallized synthesizers reminiscent of the ‘80s, complete with fuzzed-out guitars and joyous vocals. If you listen closely, you might even hear the familiar jingle of sleigh bells.
You’d be forgiven if the sound had you conjuring up your own visions of Christmas, as Glenham’s music has a propensity for cinematic ideation.
“I’m a very visual musician, and I get movie and TV montages in my head when I write,” she reveals.
“It comes with the story of whatever [the song] is trying to portray. With ‘Christmas List,’ it’s very much that: you’re home for Christmas break and you hear that someone’s in town, everyone hangs out at the local bar, and you don’t know if you’re going to run into that person and whether there’s going to be that bad blood.”
The idea was spurred by the film Just Friends, starring Vancouver’s other darling, Ryan Reynolds.
And perhaps it is her music’s cinematic quality that continues to land on the small screen. Two tracks from Mood Rock appeared in episodes of The Order and Tiny Pretty Things—both streaming on Netflix.
“I’ve been lucky,” she says. “There is a local music supervisor, Natasha Duprey, who is a keen supporter of my music and those placements have been through [her]. She is a real champion of Vancouver local music.”
Duprey isn’t the only music-lover in Glenham’s corner.
Producer/musician Louise Burns helped Glenham elevate the holiday spirit on Melt.
“It’s a pretty male-dominated business, and oftentimes in the past, I’ve been the only girl in the room—especially in my 20s,” the singer reveals.
“With Louise and I being good friends and collaborating in so many different ways–to have her producing the music and the album and to put her in that control–I put a lot of trust in her. It’s so easy to do because I know she has that trust back with me.”
Burns—whose background includes being in Lillix and her own renowned solo career—helped co-write on “Snow in NYC” and “Christmas List.”
“She pushed my songwriting to be better,” Glenham enthuses over the two songs that bear Burns’ signature.
“They were both songs that existed beforehand but in demo form. I didn’t even realize that they were in demo form until she said, ‘These songs don’t sound finished.’”
Though the pandemic threw a wrench in Glenham’s plans to tour with the release of Mood Rock, there was a silver lining in it all.
“For the first time, everyone is living a bit of a slower life these days, and they had time to actually listen to the record,” she says. “They were ready for some emotional rock and roll.”
On top of that, of course, is this shiny new Christmas EP that Glenham had the time to put out. Think of it as the stocking stuffer to accompany Mood Rock.
To listen, stream or purchase Melt, visit jodyglenham.bandcamp.com
Kristi Alexandra is an unabashed wino and wannabe musician. Her talents include drinking an entire bottle of cabernet sauvignon, singing in the bathtub, and falling asleep.
