By Zach Collier
For longtime readers of Provo Music Magazine, you know I h*ckin love The Mellons. I’ve played a number of shows with them and have watched them several times at Velour Live Music Gallery’s Battle of the Bands. Their live performances have melted my brain every time. Known for a distinct brand of Baroque Pop, I can confidently say that nobody in Utah is doing what The Mellons are doing. I’m not sure anyone can.
A major part of The Mellons’ distinct sound has been the songwriting influence of Rob Jepson. Now, Jepson has stepped into the persona of St. Jude. The project weaves his melancholic lyrics into British-influenced synth pop dreamscapes that trace their roots to the first golden age of rock and roll.
His first single, “Hard to Shake,” takes a maximalist approach to lyricism. It does so much with so little. The words hit home for me in an incredibly specific way. During the hardest year of my life, I kept having this annoying thing happen: I’d float through life numb, and then go to sleep and dream I was happy. It was like my body was desperately trying to remind me what the feeling of joy felt like, even if I had to dream it to feel it.
“I never feel – I only dream,” St. Jude croons. “And every time I wake it seems so real, yet so serene. It’s hard for me to shake.”
The lyrics are sparse, with only two verses. But they are powerfully effective. And the way they’re delivered – floating over everything in an aching, reverb-drenched falsetto – is superb.
While this single is similar in style to his work in The Mellons, St. Jude’s music also pulls from personal influences like Cat Stevens, Simon and Garfunkel, and the Beach Boys. The music also touches on more modern artists: think Tame Impala, M83, and MGMT.
“I loved being in the Mellons,” Jepson reflects. “The fun, the silliness, the sincerity, the adventure, and of course working with a team of such incredible musicians. St. Jude is so different because it’s a solo project. It’s an opportunity to express my own deepest thoughts and feelings, and my own most vulnerable musical and lyrical sensibilities. It can still be fun and playful at times, but the amazing thing about solo projects is the opportunity to be totally sincere.”
Sonically, Saint Jude is still psych rock and it still pulls from the singer-songwriter sentimentality of the early ’60s. But it’s much less concerned with being true to any specific era.
“You’ll hear both vintage and modern synths, ‘dreamscape-y’ production, straightforward drumming, as well as all those beautiful ’60s elements like backing choirs, harmonies, orchestration, and lyrical storytelling,” says Jepson. “Being free to blend elements from different genres is a real treat! If the Mellons is Pet Sounds + Harpers Bizarre + The Association, St. Jude is Pet Sounds + Tame Impala + Beach House.”
“Hard to Shake,” was entirely self produced, with Jepson on guitar, vocals, keys, drums – the whole shebang. It was mixed and mastered by Kael Alden of Faded Paper Figures.
Accompanying the single is a music video shot at Velour Live Music Gallery by Eudonerio Quiroz and longtime friend and collaborator Vern Tooley. The content of the video is representative of many things for Jepson.
“So many things. Identity. Absurdity. Loneliness. Scrappiness,” he says. “‘Hard to Shake’ is, in part, about not knowing what’s real, whether your perceptions are accurate, and whether other people’s view of you matters. I wrote the song during a time when I felt like others didn’t see my experiences are real. At the same time, I was very worried about what impact I might be having on other people – whether I was showing up for them in the right way or tuning into them in the right way.”
He says the overlaps and fades represent his repeated attempts to get things right. “While also nodding to the ephemerality of things,” he adds. “And the fact that no matter what we do people are going to have different perceptions of who we are. The lack of drum sticks and band members is also a nod to this. Sometimes we feel very alone in our lives and like we’re playing to an empty room. But, at the same time, we can all be so adaptable and capable and diverse.”
In the video, his only bandmate is his nephew, Jaren Fauset. “The drummer in the video represents all of us, in a way; he is no one and everyone. He doesn’t have a defined role, and simultaneously he’s doing it all.”
As St. Jude, Jepson is doing it all – and he’s making some incredibly pleasing sounds. You can follow him on Instagram here. Check out the video for “Hard to Shake” below.