Recommended Tracks: “barcelona”, “broken”, “colorado”
Artists You May Like: Thomas Day, Chris James, Zachary Knowles
We form special relationships over the years, sometimes with people who stay in our lives for a few days and sometimes with people who stay in our lives until we die. It isn’t always clear why we end up crossing paths or why we meet certain people, but no matter who they are or how long they are around, they make an impression. We could spend hours wondering what happened to that person we met at the grocery store one afternoon, curious about what could have been. We could desperately search social media for an old friend from school, hoping they turned out alright. It can be very emotional to miss someone or even think about someone at all, which comes through on Jonah Kagen’s debut EP, georgia got colder.
When you reminisce about people, you can exaggerate a gesture or romanticize an interaction, making someone become whoever you want. It can be a dangerous game to play, especially when you only focus on the good. On “georgia,” Jonah’s memories of someone from his childhood affects how he feels about this person now. Warmly, he sings, “I promise I’ve always been in love with you and you’re the best I’ll ever have,” wishing for more. There is also “barcelona,” where Jonah yearns to be with a girl he met right before she boarded a plane to the sprawling Spanish city. Over a lively pop production marked with charismatic percussion, he reveals, “I’m jealous of Barcelona ‘cause it’s getting to know you while I’m crying in Cali alone” and “The city is holding you the way that I wanted to,” taking this missed connection pretty hard. Staying closer to home, “colorado” is about a girl Jonah cannot stop dreaming about – literally. The only way he can be with her is when he goes to sleep, making the track romantic yet sad. Accompanied by the sentimental sounds of the piano, he sings, “As long as I can dream, I’ll dream of Colorado,” hoping to be “laughing and crying, drinking wine straight from the bottle” with her night after night.
On the remaining tracks, Jonah turns his romantic thoughts into bold actions. On opening track “hill that i’ll die on,” we hear about unconditional love, the kind that makes Jonah declare, “I won’t let you burn / It’s not that kind of fire / Just give me the lighter” and “Even at your worst / You’re the hill that I’ll die on.” His devotion shines through yet again on “graveyard shift,” promising that he will “take the graveyard shift” when times get tough. He flips the script on “broken,” where he is the one asking for help. The defeat in his voice grows stronger throughout the track, reaching a climax during the bridge. As he sings, “You say that you’ll help me, tell me I’m worth it / But I don’t deserve it / It’s easy for you ‘cause you know you’re perfect / And I need your hand but I don’t wanna burn it,” the piano comes out and adds to the tension, making it a dramatic moment on the EP. We get that Jonah struggles with himself, a notion that is felt on the closing track “CHEMICALS!” He documents his battle, highlighting how he should feel and how he actually feels with lines like “Stop feeling blue, it’s all chemicals” and “Just wipe your tears, it’s all chemicals.” By closing the project with this track, Jonah draws attention to the notion of making sure you love yourself before you love others.
When speaking about the EP, Jonah shared that each track had a “unique story” from specific parts of his life. Jonah isn’t afraid to sing about jealousy or self-doubt or longing, taking us back to his past and pairing his vulnerability with the intimate sounds of the acoustic guitar. The minimal instrumentation makes these tracks all the more personal, allowing us to really understand where Jonah is coming from when he describes his passion for those around him, or his frustrations. Basically, relationships are a lot to handle, and Jonah has done well to show the toll it takes to feel something for someone else.
You can listen to georgia got colder on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and SoundCloud.
Keep up with Jonah Kagen: Instagram // Twitter // Facebook // YouTube // TikTok // Website
